Bare Necessities - Steve Tyrell
Next up on our spotlight on Disney orphans is the boy raised by wolves, Mowgli, from The Jungle Book.

There are three types of Disney orphans: The street-smart orphan who has learned how to survive on their own (Aladdin), the bratty orphan who has turned his back on the world because they think the world has turned his back on them (Peter Pan), and the clueless orphan who can't think for themselves and is used mainly as a plot device (Penny). Mowgli falls into the third category.

Even though he was raised by wolves and therefore has 'parents', he still lacks a lot of the social skills and independent thinking that comes with growing up as a human. Throughout the whole movie he is just pushed around from place to place to be influenced by whomever is nearby. The only time he ever does something for himself is when he fights Shere Khan with fire.

Today's cover song, Bare Necessities by STEVE TYRELL, is one of the many examples of Mowgli being influenced by whomever is nearby. Almost immediately after singing this song, Mowgli is taken to King Louie who dazzles Mowgli with a new song, making him forget the song that he just sang with Baloo. Even thought the sequel is not as good, Mowgli has much more character in Jungle Book 2.

Bare Necessities Steve Tyrell 2006

Labels: bare necessities, disney standards, jazz, jungle book, steve tyrell

  ¶ 7:45 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Bella Notte - Steve Tyrell
Based on Ward Greene's short story Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog, Walt Disney's 15th animated feature film, Lady and the Tramp, has gained a solid place in the history of the studio.

The most memorable song in the film has got to be Bella Notte, a love ballad that is sung to the titular characters as they shared the same plate of spaghetti. This scene, even though it was created for the film and was never in the original story, has become a well recognized scene. It is argued to be the most romantic moment in Disney animation and has been parodied many times over the years.

This version is by pop jazz artist STEVE TYRELL and is a classy reworking of the song. I particularly like it when he breaks into Italian toward the end.

Bella Notte Steve Tyrell 2006

Labels: bella notte, disney standards, jazz, lady and the tramp, steve tyrell

  ¶ 5:16 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  You'll Be in My Heart - Steve Tyrell feat. Dave Koz
I don't have very many covers of Phil Collins' You'll Be in My Heart. In fact I don't have very many covers of any modern Disney songs due to them being new. I know that seems to make sense, but it seems hard to believe that a song that hits #21 on the American Top 40 charts and can still be heard on Adult Contemporary radio all over the world isn't given more attention in the cover world. I mean, if Winnie the Pooh can get dozens of covers why can't You'll Be in My Heart?

For whatever reason, jazz musician STEVE TYRELL decided to include the Tarzan ballad on his 2006 album DISNEY STANDARDS. This song and When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 are the two newest tracks on the album, both having been featured in movies that came out in 1999. I can accept You'll Be in My Heart being called standard (although if it were a standard wouldn't it be covered more?) but would you really call When She Loved Me a standard? I don't know about that.

As it stands right now, it seems like the only covers of this song are off albums released by Disney Records, the newest one being a cover by Drew Seeley on next month's DISNEYMANIA 6. If any of you know a cover of this song that is not Disney produced, please let me know!

By the way, DAVID KOZ, a well known jazz saxophonist, plays the sax solo and I think he is singing back up vocals as well.

You'll Be in My Heart Steve Tyrell 2006

Labels: dave koz, disney standards, pop, steve tyrell, tarzan, you'll be in my heart

  ¶ 6:57 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Cruella De Vil - Steve Tyrell
To coincide with the DVD release of 101 Dalmatians that hits the stores today, I have posted a cover of Cruella De Vil to fit in with this week's theme, Villains Week.

Cruella is one of the most glamorous villains in the Disney Villains legacy. She is rich and a diva, but she is also completely insane! Her obsession with the dalmatians sets her apart from other villains who seem to keep their mind when pursuing their goal. Cruella is just plain crazy and her over the top expressions and outbursts a really fun cartoon character.

The scariest thing about Cruella is that she is a person. She is not a witch or a monster or something out of your imagination. She could actually exist in reality. I think the car chase scene is more frightening than Ursula growing gigantic or Maleficent turning into a dragon because it is an action that can be replicated in real life. She is truly a scary person.

Many artists have covered Cruella's theme song, including STEVE TYRELL who released a whole album of Disney songs in 2006. Steve is a jazz artist who got his start singing a song for the Father of the bride soundtrack. He has since gone on to become a popular modern jazz musician.

Cruella DeVil Steve Tyrell 2006

Labels: 101 dalmatians, cruella de vil, disney standards, jazz, steve tyrell

  ¶ 7:00 AM 1 Comments Links to this post