Verve Remixed

Performer: Various Artists
Engineer: Jeff Chestek; Steve Christian; Steven Barkan
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Compilation producers: Dahlia Ambach, Jason Olaine. Recorded between 1944 & 1991. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Adam Jones (guitar); Larry Gold (cello); Otto Engelhard (trombone); Marc Cary (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Mark de Clive-Lowe (keyboards, programming); Kaidi Tatham, MJ Cole (keyboards); Justin Chancellor (bass guitar); Perry Melius (drums, drum programming); Pentagon (programming); Tricky (drum programming). Audio Mixers: Georg Tomandl; Jeff Chestek; King Britt; Alex Attias; Pentagon; Steve Christian. Audio Remasterer: Horst Schnebel. Audio Remixers: Joe Claussell; De-Phazz; dZihan & Kamien; Michael Kreiner; UFO!; King Britt; MJ Cole; Mark de Clive-Lowe; Masters at Work; Pit Baumgartner; Rae & Christian; Richard Dorfmeister; Thievery Corporation; Tricky; United Future Organization. Liner Note Author: Jason Olaine. Recording information: ESL Studios, Washington D.C (2001); Grand Central Studios, Manchester, England (2001); Hot Box Studio, Metairie, LA (2001); Pulse Studios, Staten Island, NY (2001); Severe Sounds, NY (2001); Sunshine Studios (2001); The Studio, Philadelphia, PA (2001). Photographer: Mo Daoud. This compilation featuring remixes of tunes from the vaults of one of the premier '50s and '60s jazz labels varies in tone from the thumping house of the Dorfmeister Con Madrid reworking of Willie Bobo's "Spanish Grease" to the ethereal tones of Thievery Corporation's re-imagining of Astrud Gilberto's "Who Needs Forever?." Tricky performs his usual impenetrable sleight-of-hand on the Billie Holiday classic "Strange Fruit," giving the terrifying imagery of a Southern lynching an appropriately dark, disturbing feel, while in contrast Sarah Vaughan's "Summertime" is given a reggae bassline that percolates under the song's languid string arrangement. The brace of Nina Simone cuts ("Feelin' Good" and "See-Line Woman") are given the appropriate updated R&B treatment, while the other Billie Holiday track, "Don't Explain," treats the singer's voice as an adjunct to a musical experiment. Although some of the originals find themselves submerged beneath multi-layered waves of electronica, there's enough here of interest to make this an exploration well worth investigating.

Entertainment Weekly (5/3/02, p.86) - "...[Verve shows] how much DJ-jazz vocal fusion can offer..." Q (May 2002, p.125) - 4 out of 5 stars - "The jazz label's first modern makeover works surprisingly well....potent voices, lush setting." CMJ (5/13/02, p.4) - "...Breezy grooves that pay homage to some of the finest singers and instrumentalists of the 20th century..." JazzTimes (7-8/02, p.119) - "...The appeal of this CD has less to do with the music - though some of these reinterpretations are musically excellent - and more to do with the surprise of hearing timless voices like Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Dinah Washington...and especially, Billie Holiday in modern-day contexts..." Vibe (June 2002, p.155) - 4 out of 5 - "...The label opened its storied vault to today's hippest knob-twirlers, whose reinterpretations soar above bargain-basement expectations..." Mojo (Publisher) (5/02, p.110) - "...Extraordinary..."

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