Podcast 142: Jazzin' On John Lennon

Jazz musicians have never hesitated to record their versions of songs by the Beatles, but a careful check shows that the vast majority of the songs chosen were written primarily by McCartney, despite being credited to Lennon-McCartney. Clearly there is a preference for the more classic melodies and sounds that Paul took the lead on, rather than the more intricate and sometimes obtuse songs that John primarily wrote. Podcast 142 reaches into the bins to give you jazz artists who have recorded the songs of John Lennon, both his Beatles material and solo songs. I've gone to the Philip Norman book and given you a direct quote helping to explain or give some background for each number.Enjoy songs by Grant Green, Richard "Groove" Holmes & Ernie Watts, Bill Frisell, Helen Merrill and others. I find it astonishing to realize how brief Lennon's life was, and how much he packed into it. Those who have forgotten should realize that he was one of the biggest stars in the world at the age of 25, universally reviled because of his "Bigger than Jesus" comment at 27, through with the Beatles by 30, and dead by an assassin's bullet at age 40. In a world where rock stars routinely dodder on through their 60's, we can only wonder what John Lennon would have given us had he survived that fateful day in December.