MUSIC INDUSTRY: Burt Bacharach: Jazz Covers

Songs by the late Burt Bacharach worked neatly as instrumental covers, especially when jazz artists were compelled by labels to record with-it albums of contemporary hits in the 1960s and ’70s. Like Henry Mancini’s music, Burt’s melodies were clean and catchy and weren’t tied directly to specific artists, which is what made many rock-artist hits difficult to cover convincingly…