Imagine Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. had all lived 10 years longer and covered some #1 hits of the 1980s and 90s, rendering modern pop songs in their signature Las Vegas sound.
That’s just what German singer Dwill Crooning is doing with his 10-piece band and song selection, interpreting latterday classics in his distinctive personal style.
Crooning covers songs by Ricky Martin, Robbie Williams, A-ha and Tears For Fears among others, exclusively arranged in the LA style inextricably associated with the 60s Rat Pack as well as doing popular classics by Sinatra, Martin, Davis Jr., Michael Bublé and Elvis Presley.
For example, Livin’ La Vida Loca, Ricky Martin’s million-seller hit from 1999, appears in Crooning’s version in a completely new musical guise. According to the project’s fictional storyline, Dean Martin would have recorded it as a big-band piece. But for this recording the song is rearranged as a cumbia, the Colombian musical form, some way from the surf-rock style of the original and therefore with an ironic slant. See Crooning’s reading on YouTube:
In his show, Dwill Crooning creates a symbiosis of jazz, swing and rock ’n’ roll, taking his audience on a special journey through time with his engaging stage presence.
He calls himself a Cross-Over Baritone, in reference to his cross-genre versatility. He says his independence is important to him, that he’s not about copying famous artists. He dismisses tribute-band impersonators, taking as his motto “I don’t imitate big stars; I interpret great songs!”
Crooning takes his music – and 10-piece band – to the stage on 30 November at the Metropol Theater, Bremen.
