There are only a handful of artists sophisticated enough to move the American songbook forward while creating music broad enough to expand the mainstream reach of that songbook. People like Stephen Foster, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Brian Wilson.
But what happens when one such genius puts his spin on the music of another?
We find out on Wilson’s “Reimagines Gershwin,” a reverent yet playful 14-track collection that finds the Beach Boy rearranging and reinterpreting Gershwin tunes that are nearly a century old as well as creating two new songs from musical fragments left behind by the master, who died in 1937.
A snippet of “Rhapsody In Blue,” one of Gershwin’s most well-known numbers, provides the basis for the album’s introduction and closing reprise, Wilson’s trademark stacked harmony vocals put to good use with wordless vocalizations. “Rhapsody” nicely bookends the album and pays tribute to the classical side of Gershwin’s repertoire and provides contrast to the more pop-oriented material, like the four songs from the opera “Porgy and Bess.”
“It Ain’t Necessarily So,” a song of religious doubt sung in “Porgy and Bess” by the drug-dealing character Sportin’ Life, is darkly glorious, with Wilson tackling leads, as he does on all the vocal songs. Over slinky organ, harmonica and saxophone, Wilson sings clever lyrics penned by Gershwin’s brother Ira, like, “Oh Jonah he lived in the whale/ Oh Jonah he lived in the whale/ For he made his home in that fish’s abdomen/ Oh Jonah he lived in the whale.” As he does throughout “Reimagines,” Wilson wisely updates some of the turn-of-the-century caricaturized black American dialect from the originals. So “hebben” is now “heaven,” and “de” is now “the.”
Wilson also brings some Beach Boys flair to the record, specifically on “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “I Got Rhythm.” He injects both songs with a fun sock hop rhythm and those breezy, rich vocal blends he pioneered.
Warner/Chappell Music and the Gershwin estates allowed Wilson access to more than 100 piano demos of unfinished or obscure songs or melodies, and from that treasure trove, he crafted “The Like I Love In You” and “Nothing But Love.” The former is sumptuous and laidback, with Wilson hitting just the right nuances on the chorus.
Rightly, the focus here is on Wilson and Gershwin, but Wilson’s band — which along with Wilson delivered a stunning show at the F.M. Kirby Center last year and has been a large part of his recent resurgence — deserves much credit, too. Probyn Gregory plays everything from theremin to trumpet, and longtime cohort Jeffrey Foskett as well as Taylor Mills and Darian Sahanaja, with Wilson, form the singing section.
Wilson, who in recent years finished his “Smile” record and released “That Lucky Old Sun,” seems to have, maybe temporarily, shifted his focus to honoring the music of others. “Reimagines,” a beautiful, vibrant tribute, is the first in a two-album deal with Walt Disney Records. The next one will be a collection of classic Disney movie songs, another project that has the potential to achieve greatness.
Rating: W W W W W
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