A few months ago I shared Jacob Collier’s version of “Moon River”. Today’s share is another of his creations – it comes from a few years earlier and features ‘only’ ten versions of himself rather than the 80 or so that appeared in Moon River.
It is straightforward to say that his harmonies are unique and here he takes a real Christmas favourite and produces a version very unlike every other version you have ever heard. Within the Salvation Army we often use “updated” versions of tunes in arrangements that bring new perspectives – so Jacob’s methods are not that dissimilar. Still, I don’t think we usually hear anything like the complexities of tonality and harmony that he brings to his creations.
I really like it (although I am sure there will be those who don’t – one of the comments on the video is “I’m not sure what Harold Darke would think of it”😃) – and after the relatively wild (albeit gentle) ride through different soundscapes I think it is really nice that at the end we find something very familiar.