Originally Posted By: Sundance
LOL! Good one Joe. I haven't played covers in a long time but when I did, we'd play current songs and oldies because that's what our audience liked. So I might not like a song and consider it disposable but I think only time really tells what songs most of the public wants to keep hearing.

My own personal taste is that if I'm going to see a tribute or show band then I expect to see and hear a live rendition as close as possible to the record. Otherwise I don't care if a cover is exact and usually enjoy it unless the new arrangement is so different that the song is unrecognizeable to me or so far from my taste that I just don't relate to it. <...snip...>


Tribute bands have taken the pressure off the rest of us. When I was new to Top40, we had to be a Beatles tribute band, Elvis tribute band, Orbison tribute band, Motown tribute band, BeeGees tribute band and so on. We had the biggest agent in Miami, Walter B Walters who said in his gruff voice, "They made a million dollars on that record and you think you can do it any better?" whenever we tried to change something.

Personally, I don't mind doing cover songs and trying to sound like the original recording. In time they all seem to drift away in varying degrees. My personality and style slowly sneaks in.

I enjoy reinterpreting songs as well. Back when I was in a Jazz band, and the song "Misty" was required, we did the A A section in a Jazz Waltz style, the B section in a nice Jazz swing, last A waltz. They we did the solos in all swing. To close it was A A waltz, B swing and last A swing as well. It was never better than that.

Today I like doing Jimmy Buffett's "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor" as a Reggae, Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" as a jazz swing and so on. I like doing covers too.

It's all music, it's all good, it's all fun.

I play to the audience, whatever works for them is good for me. I feel I'm both an artist and a craftsman and don't even bother to think about when I cross the line from one to the other or even know where that line might be. All I know is that playing music for a living is the most fun I can have with my clothes on, and I've been blessed with enough luck to be able to do that for the vast majority of my life so far. When the sax is in my mouth, the guitar in my hands, the microphone in my face and I'm making music, there is no place, there is no time, there is no me there is just the music and the bliss. It doesn't get any better than that.

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Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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