Review’s Isolation Room: Nic Cester of Jet covers Over the Rainbow
From his home in Italy, the Jet frontman performs a beautifully sunny hit by a Hawaiian singer, itself a famous cover | WATCH
While holed up in his Milan apartment during Italy’s national lockdown last year, Nic Cester ordered a new musical toy to help pass the time.
The frontman of Melbourne-born rock band Jet has called the Italian city home since 2015, and his thinking was that the ukulele might be a smaller, lighter and easier musical starting point for his young daughter, Matilda, rather than a full-size guitar.
It’s that instrument to which Cester turned when filming his performance for Review’s exclusive Isolation Room video series.
From his brightly coloured couch, he sings and strums Over the Rainbow, an international hit released in 1990 by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, which was itself a cover song.
“His voice is amazingly beautiful, but it’s always really interesting to me when someone manages to cover something and breathes a whole new life into it,” Cester told The Australian. “That’s always impressive, but especially when it’s such a classic.”
Kamakawiwo’ole’s cover is a stirring reinterpretation of a song written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, and performed by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Earlier this year, his version was added to the US National Recording Registry as a work of cultural, historical and aesthetic significance, alongside music by Louis Armstrong, Janet Jackson and hip-hop artist Nas.
“There’s not many examples of someone who’s been able to deconstruct the original version and rebuild it in a way that’s arguably better,” said Cester.
“Joe Cocker maybe did it a couple of times, like on With A Little Help From My Friends [by The Beatles],” said Cester. “It’s a quiz I ask my friends sometimes: tell me a version where the cover’s better than the original, because it’s very, very hard to do. But this is one of the few.”
This past two-year stint has been the longest period that the Cesters have spent away from their home country.
“It has been particularly painful for our families over in Australia, because our daughter was one-and-a-half the last time we were there; now she’s three-and-a-half,” he said of Matilda.
“She has changed a hell of a lot – she can speak Italian now – and they’re some precious years that our family has missed out on,” he said. “Obviously it’s our decision to live over here, and that’s on us – but still, usually we would come back home a lot more frequently than what we’ve been allowed to.”
In March last year, Italy became the first country to implement a national lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of Covid, an experience which meant the Cester family spent nine weeks indoors – hence the introduction of ukuleles.
“It’s been frustrating to watch the slow pace at which Australia has grappled with this pandemic, while things here returned back to normal quicker,” said Cester.
“We’d love to come back as soon as humanly possible. I’d love to be back in Australia for Christmas, and we’re trying desperately to make that happen. But we still don’t know.”
The Jet frontman and solo singer-songwriter is the penultimate performer for Isolation Room, which is set to conclude later this week.
In the series, he finds himself sandwiched between country musician Kasey Chambers – who debuted a moving song at the weekend – and another iconic Australian singer-songwriter yet to be revealed.
When told of the artist booked to appear in the finale on Saturday, Cester said with a smile: “I’m a big fan of both of those wonderful ladies. I’m in good company.”
To rewatch our Review’s Isolation Room archive, click here.
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