Van Morrison: “I’m a jazz singer, I always improvise”

The British newspaper The Sun interviewed Van Morrisonin the chat the Belfast musician declared that he considers himself a jazz singer because he always improvises and when he performs he doesn’t perform a song in the same way. He also praised Willie Nelson.

This is what the 79-year-old Morrison declared: “I don’t see myself as part of the world of rock and pop.

I’m basically a jazz singer. It doesn’t matter what genre I work in, I always improvise. Jazz is always on the move and looking to the future. I learned from the school of Louis Armstrong. Louis said: ‘I never sing a song the same way twice.’ That stuck with me. And I never sing a lyric the same way twice.”

Van Morrison he explains that he likes to sing songs that are as inspiring today as they were when they were written. “When I sing live, I often change the lyrics here and there, bringing them into the present.” And, speaking of singing live, he admits that he no longer feels connected to his 1967 classic “Brown Eyed Girl” and to be a little embarrassed when he does it. “How can a 79-year-old man sing something he wrote when he was 20? It’s basically a teenager’s song. Now I can’t relate to it.”

During the interview
Van Morrison
he later revealed that he had always wanted to record a duet with
Willie Nelson
and finally had the chance to do even two,
“What’s Wrong With This Picture?”
And
“Steal My Heart Away”
on his new album
“New Arrangements And Duets”
. “I had been meaning to do a duet with Willie Nelson for a long, long time, but hadn’t had the opportunity.”

The 91-year-old country folk legend struck a chord with Morrison, who said: “It was absolutely fantastic. Very relaxing and very professional. Willie came in and gave it his all. I played him those songs and he liked them. There’s not much to think about with this stuff. Willie covers all the bases and, to me, he’s very similar to Ray Charles. I like his work and I felt he liked mine.”