Blue Note has established itself as the most iconic jazz brand in the contemporary music industry. However, it’s been a while since the label has participated in the aesthetic hybridisation that characterises modern music and opened up to more multifaceted artists; for example, those who flirt with hip-hop (Robert Glasper) pop (Norah Jones) or country (Bill Frisell). This project, conceived and overseen by the great producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Melody Gardot, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux—his list of collaborations is endless…) under the Blue Note banner, is unquestionably part of this trend. It pays tribute to legendary Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen, inviting a host of prestigious singers from all stylistic backgrounds to cover some of his most beautiful songs (spanning some fifty years’ worth of recordings). Larry Klein successfully ensures the coherence and aesthetic continuity of the album by providing each vocalist with the same small ‘jazz’ band, composed around two ‘house artists’ (the great guitarist Bill Frisell and the young Afro-American saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, the label’s rising star).
There’s no lack of taste or intensity throughout these 12 covers, alternating great hits (‘Suzanne’ by Gregory Porter, another of the label’s heavyweights; ‘Hallelujah’ by Sarah McLachlan) with lesser-known songs (‘Coming Back to You’, beautifully interpreted by James Taylor in an unusually low register; ‘You Want It Darker’, which is lifted by Iggy Pop’s vocals). No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it on this album. From Norah Jones to Peter Gabriel, the record certainly features an extensive musical palette… It’s hard not to fall in love with the soulful version of ‘If It Be You Will’ by Mavis Staples and the sublimely sombre cover of ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’ by Nathaniel Rateliff. This is a real artistic success! © Stéphane Ollivier/Qobuz