One of the best jazz recordings in years from the legendary Tony Bennett – a set that has the singer paired with the piano talents of BillCharlap, in a mode that recalls Bennett's 70s classics with Bill Evans! Like those records, there's almost an equal focus here between piano and vocals – Tony sings a bit, Bill solos, then Tony comes back in to round things up – and the spare trio setting really reminds us that after all these years, Bennett's still a hell of an interpreter of the American songbook – in this case the work of Jerome Kern, featured on titles that include "All The Things You Are", "The Last Time I Saw Paris", "The Song Is You", "I Won't Dance", "Look For The Silver Lining", "The Way You Look Tonight", and "Nobody Else But Me". CD
As you can probably guess from the title, Carol Sloane and Clark Terry recreate some of the vocal magic of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong on Verve back in the 50s – but all in ways that are still quite fresh overall! The album's got a much more contemporary feel than you might expect – not in a modern way, but more in the way the trio's used behind the vocals, and the way the whole set's recorded – very much in the manner of some of the best Japanese sessions like this from the same time. Sloane's vocals really seem at the head of the set on most numbers, as Terry only vocalizes part of the time – and plays trumpet or flugelhorn at others, but not on every track. Other players include BillCharlap on piano, Marcus McLaurine on bass, and Dennis Mackrel on drums – and titles include "Can't We Be Friends", "I Won't Dance", "Tenderly", "Blueberry Hill", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Stars Fell On Alabama", and "Autumn In New York". CD