Last year, Laufey blessed us all with one of the greatest vocal jazz performances with Valentine from her newest album, ‘Everything I Know About Love’. The only thing that could make that song better would be a full symphony to accompany the talented singer, which is what we got.

Jazz standards gain their notoriety from a combination of excellence, practice, and time. Songs that clearly ought to stand the test of time do so by gaining the mythical status ‘Jazz standard’. The first time I heard ‘Valentine’, I immediately felt as if it was a standard. I had to double check to make sure it wasn’t some old tune being performed by the incredible singer. The way the melody moves across the chords that are so similar to the tunes either used to represent a time of old in movies or by jazz enthusiasts is truly mesmerizing. Her performance both sounds modern with that tinge of 40s vocal jazz. The lyrics are another great way to ground yourself in the present, with lines such as ‘I’m scared of guys’. This performance with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra is breathtaking to say the least. The orchestration, while maintaining the fundamentals of the original recording, are rearranged to truly showcase the beauty of all instruments used in this composition. The quality of the recording is outstanding as well, sounding straight off the press of a studio. Not a blimp of audience cheer, you’re met with nothing but music performed by one of the greatest voices in modern jazz and a symphony to truly give the song the grace it deserves.

‘Valentine’ was already amazing enough as it was. The live rendition isn’t a replacement by any means, but its new spin stands confidently alongside the original. Listen to the original, then this version, in an endless loop. It never gets old, no matter how old the inspiration for the song gets. 

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.