It’s one thing to re-work or re-arrange a standard; it’s quite another to render it unrecognizable. Why not just compose your own pieces?
Teamed with Nir Felder/g, Dayna Stephens/sax, Eric Harland/dr, Taylor Eigsti/p and Reuben Rogers/b Vasandani uses his rich and golden voice to sing the lyrics, but with no instrumental similarity to the original compositions. Sometimes, it works fairly well, with Vasandani singing the lyrics to “For All We Know” to create a tension of push-pull with the Latin grooved support, or hovering over the loose and lush tenor and rhythm on “Unforgettable”. The percussion and piano on “I Love Paris”, however, is so quirky that it sounds like something from a Tom Waits album, and the chaotic yet intricate rustling supporting Vasandani during “Very Early” almost overpowers the poor guy. Felder’s guitar gives and indie feel to a “Day In, Day Out” and a Nashville Skyline teaming with Stephens during “I Concentrate On You”. Is this like the Constitution, where the world is divided into “original intent” versus ‘a living, breathing document”?