As a young adult Burt Bacharach used fake IDs to get into 52nd Street jazz clubs to have his mind blown away by heroes of the bebop revolution like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Those early impressions could not but leave a mark in his sophisticated pop songs, seeds that would later make those very same songs blossom in the hands of jazz players, going full circle. As a composer and songwriter he had a remarkable gift for combining simplicity and complexity, the African roots of jazz R&B and soul with the European classical influences of French impressionism. The result were the unforgettable melodies he was admired for, many of which are featured in this playlist, as interpreted by a wide ranging of progressive musicians.

The playlist features Larry Goldings, Harry Allen; Toots Thielemans; Gabor Szabo; Isaac Hayes; Dee Dee Bridgewater; Charles Lloyd; Bill Frisell; Dionne Farris, Charlie Hunter; Steve Kuhn; Marie Mcauliffe; Benjamin Koppel.

Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/17011710/Mondo-Jazz (from "The Look of Love" onward).

Happy listening!