Music on the Web (UK)

Webmaster: Len Mullenger

[ Jazz index ] [Nostalgia index]  [ Classical MusicWeb ] [ Gerard Hoffnung ]

RALPH SHARON TRIO The Magic of Porter and Kern Avid AVC 863

CD1
1. You’re The Top
2. All Through The Night
3. Medley: Easy To Love, Get Out Of Town, You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To
4. I Concentrate On You
5. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
6. Down In The Depths On The 90th Floor
7. So In Love
8. Anything Goes
9. Let’s Do It
10. From This Moment On
11. What Is This Thing Called Love?
12. Do I Love You?
13. Night And Day
14. I Love Paris
15. Love For Sale
16. I Love You
17. All Of You
18. It’s All Right With Me
19. I Get A Kick Out Of You
20. Why Should I Care?
21. Just One Of Those Things
22. At Long Last Love
23. Begin The Beguine
24. Sorta Porter
CD2
1. The Song Is You
2. Long Ago (And Far Away)
3. Show Boat Medley: Bill, Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man, Make Believe, Ol’ Man River
4. In Love In Vain
5. Nobody Else But Me
6. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
7. All The Things You Are
8. Who?
9. Medley: A Fine Romance, Pick Yourself Up, The Way You Look Tonight
10. The Last Time I Saw Paris
11. Remind Me
12. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
13. Medley: You Were Never Lovelier, Dearly Beloved, They Didn’t Believe Me
14. Yesterdays
15. She Didn’t Say "Yes"
16. I Won’t Dance
17. I’m Old Fashioned
18. Jerome Alone
Ralph Sharon – Piano
Lennie Bush – Bass
Jack Parnell - Drums

This is a double album on which the first CD is devoted to the music of Cole Porter and the second disc consists of compositions by Jerome Kern, although the last track on each disc was composed by pianist Ralph Sharon in tribute to the two composers. The repertoire looks attractive: mostly familiar tunes but with some lesser-known items like Porter’s Down in the Depths on the 90^th Floor (sung by Ethel Merman in the 1936 show Red, Hot and Blue) and Kern’s Remind Me (from the 1940 film One Night in the Tropics).

Ralph Sharon is well-known as accompanist to Tony Bennett, and they have done some dynamic work together, but on this album Ralph plays almost all the tunes at a slowish tempo, so gently that they hardly make an impact. Perhaps the fault lies in the low-level recording: the drums are barely audible. The atmosphere is more cocktail lounge than jazz club. This understatement soon becomes monotonous, especially as the trio mainly sticks to stating the melodies and indulges in little improvisation.

Still, it’s pleasant enough if you want relaxing music for any occasion, and Avid has also released The Magic of Gershwin and Rodgers - another double CD by the same trio (AVC 862).

Tony Augarde

 

Return to Index