Although I've always liked the carol, "Fum Fum Fum," I never expected to say, "This version cooks," about any rendition of it. That's the case, however, with George Burton's take on it. It starts off with orchestral strings as you might expect them to sound in a Classical rendition. Shortly after that, however, the tune takes flight as a simmering jazz number, with Nancy Harms flying through the vocals.
Usually, when I hear "Fum Fum Fum," it's a choir singing a brisk rendition, enunciated crisply, and using a predictable arrangement. Burton, Harms, and company, however, made me hear the tune in a new light--and as unexpectedly jazz-adaptable. I've never declared that any other rendition swings, but this one does.
