Tears for Fears will likely never be canonized for their contributions to the world of jazz, an exclusion that even the most casual fans of the genre would find understandable.
Shannon Butcher might disagree.
Butcher re–imagined the band’s early–’80s hit “Mad World” for her recent release, Words We Both Could Say. The album, which iTunes included in its 2008 top ten lists for Best Vocal Jazz Album and Best New Jazz Artist, also features Butcher’s take on No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” and Blondie’s “Call Me.”
“I love the idea of reaching that person who maybe doesn’t think of jazz as the music that they listen to,” she explains.
“When they hear a song that they know, like “Mad World”, I hope the lyrics will take on a new meaning because the style gives it a new inflection.”
That’s not to say her selections are gimmicky; Butcher is simply an ardent music fan as well as an artist, and spends her time trolling through YouTube clips and Myspace pages in search of the songs she loved while growing up. Her favourite tunes may not all be jazz classics, but songs that are as enjoyable to listen to as they are for her to sing.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of different styles,” explains Butcher, whose performances have been described as a fusion of jazz, pop, and rock.
“There’s been a lot of putting jazz in this sophisticated, martini–drinking, Cadillac–commercial vein. I don’t want people to think, ‘I have no idea about the history of jazz’ (and thus be hesitant to listen to new releases). You don’t have to have the Ken Burns box set to appreciate it.”
Butcher will be recording new material this year, a task she handles free from the constraints of record agency overlords by operating her own label, Summer Bloom Records. Butcher feels lucky that recent changes in the music industry coupled with accessible technology have made this possible.
“It’s an advantage today that you probably wouldn’t be able to do 20 years ago,” she notes.
