BURT BACHARACH WAS MUCH MORE THAN A POP COMPOSER

As my musical intelligence grew in the 1960s/’70”s, I began, not only to think about the finest composers or lyricists, and occasionally both components in one entity, but also collaborations or writing teams. like Lennon/McCartney, King/Geoffin, Leiber/Stoller, John/Taupin, Jagger/Richards, and finally the team that jazz artists/disciples found most alluring, the sophisticated duo of composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David, who wrote so many classic or standard for The Great American Songbook that have delighted listeners for over six decades. Who, amongst the contemporary songwriters of the day will endure the decades to follow with their creations?

Sadly, one of the finest composers of popular music passed away on February 8 at his dwelling in Los Angeles, just short of his 95th birthday. Some of my very favourite tunes that the pair wrote include Alfie, The Look Of Love, I Say A Little Prayer, and A House Is Not A Home. He created hits for radio,, stereo systems, iPods, and movie soundtracks from the 50s into our new century. He won Grammys, Oscars, a Tony, and the Gershwin prize in 2012, which was presented to him by then-President Barack Obama.

His early influences included the beboppers of jazz, including Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as classical composers like Darius Milhaud, who taught Bacharach to never be intimidated by a melody. He would often sneak into jazz clubs with a fake ID to hear Count Basie and the man they called Dizzy. His sophisticated style separated him from most of the pop composers of the day, with strong melodies that complemented his ever-changing rhythms and intricate harmonics. In that respect, I would venture to say that he was more aligned with the Tin Pan Alley Group of songwriters (Berlin, Porter, Warren, Gershwin, Arlen) than he was with the artists who hung out in the Brill Building. And as his last collaborator once said, “The shorthand version of him is that he’s something to do with easy listening”. If the gods also happen to adore his music, it should be safe to say that his creations will endure well into the next century or two…

ESSENTIAL BACHARACH JAZZ TRIBUTE ALBUMS

1. What The World Needs Now – Stan Getz & Richard Evans Play Bacharach & David (Verve 1967)
2. Core Bacharach – Fred Fried & Core (Ballet Tree Jazz Productions 2013)
3. The Music of Burt Bacharach – McCoy Tyner Trio with a 47-piece symphony led by John Clayton (Impulse 1997)
4. Blue Note Plays Bacharach (Grant Green/Stanley Turrentine/Nancy Wilson)
5. The Music of B. Bacharach – Denise Donatelli
6. 2 albums by Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis
7. Giuseppe Millici/Elliott Zigmund

Singular Endeavours

The Look Of Love – Diana Krall or Jamie Davis/Count Basie Alumni Band

A House Is Not A Home – Mel Torme with Rob McConnell/Boss Brass

Wives & Lovers – Frank Sinatra/Count Basie/Quincy Jones or Jack Jones

This Guy’s In Love With You – Benny Goodman/London Orchestra or Herb Alpert

Alfie – Sarah Vaughan or Nancy Wilson

Knowing When To Leave – Ernie Watts

April Fools – Earl Klugh

Magic Moments – Perry Como

Make It Easy On Yourself – The Walker Brothers

I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin