StLJN Saturday at the Movies: Cassandra Wilson's "'Round Midnight," plus Joe Sample with Randy Crawford

This week's videos feature two of the headlining acts for the upcoming St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, which will be held Saturday, May 31 in Clayton's Shaw Park. I've already expressed my disappointment with many aspects of this year's Festival lineup, but grumbling aside, there's no denying that the two headliners are good at what they do, and so I figured now's as good a time as any to get a look at them.

Singer Cassandra Wilson does write some of her own material, but she's really made a name for herself over the last decade by giving makeovers - sometimes extreme ones - to well-known songs written by others in a variety of genres, including jazz, pop, rock and blues.

Today's first clip, seen up top, showcases Wilson's version of the jazz standard "'Round Midnight." She doesn't rework this tune quite as radically as she does some others, but given the familiarity of the Thelonious Monk composition, I'm thinking this clip provides a sort of benchmark that conveys at least a general idea of her style and approach.

Today's second video features pianist Joe Sample and singer Randy Crawford performing "Street Life," which was a fairly big hit for the Crusaders back in the day and remains a favorite for many fans.

Crawford is, for me, a bit of an acquired taste, best enjoyed in small portions. As for Sample, I've always liked his playing a lot, but my favorite stuff of his remains the 1960s acoustic Jazz Crusaders recordings and the first few albums the band made after going electric in the 1970s.

After that, Sample got a bit too smoothed out for me. He sounds good on his own, but for my money, Joe Sample, Stix Hooper, Wilton Felder and Wayne Henderson really did have a special chemistry that they can't replicate while working with others. Anyway, I take this clip, recorded last year in London for the British TV program Live at Abbey Road, to be fairly representative of how Sample and Crawford are doing "Street Life" these days, and hereby submit it for your enjoyment and/or edification.