Customer Reviews

Beauty & The Beat

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For decades we've listening to the live-in-concert "Beauty and the Beat' and hearing a studio project with applause, announcements and low volume audience chatter dubbed in. Now all the distractions have been removed, along with the echoy sound necessary to make it all sound live, and what we have is a beautiful, detailed collection with great depth never before apparent. In the previous version Peggy sounded like she was socking it over to an enthusiastic audience; now, with the very same recordings, she sounds intimate and close. Shearing sounds the same--totally engaging and delightful, but even though these are the same recordings as on the L.P. and the original C.D. issue it becomes a different album.

A disc jockey friend present for this concert was dumbfounded when the album appeared. "Hey!" he said. "That wasn't the gown she wore! She never said those things between the songs!" True. More Capitol magic. The photos taken on the spot weren't good enough for a cover and the performance sounded strange without any announcements or conversations with the audience (Lee and Shearing had just been up 48 hours planning the concert and were exhausted).So they reshot the cover and added the announcements later. Also true, this album is a stunner from start to finish. This is Lee at her very, very best--vocally brilliant, stylistically shining, swinging on the upbeat numbers, heart-tugging and intimate on the ballads. And Shearing at the peak of his form, too. You just won't hear better jazz or pop and today it stands up, just as great as the beginning. The cover shot at Capitol Records is a classic, too.

Beauty and the Beat! Is a mostly live (yes, mostly live) album by the great Peggy Lee with the equally talented George Shearing at the piano. It's interesting that they recorded introductions to these songs after the live concert was recorded. However, despite this unusual feature this disc is extremely pleasing to the ear. Peggy sounds just great here and George plays his piano wonderfully. We also get two bonus tracks that apparently were not on the record album release of this recording; Peggy and George perform "Nobody's Heart" and "Don't Ever Leave Me."

"Do I Love You?" gives us Peggy singing at her very best and George plays piano so well to accompany her in grand style. The other musicians do a fine job of making the musical arrangement lush without being overbearing. "I Lost My Sugar In salt Lake City" features Peggy's vocals squarely front and center; she handles this number with panache. Peggy's' ability to effortlessly handle the numerous tempo changes in this number impresses me quite a bit. George plays the piano--flawlessly, of course!

"If Dreams Come True" again showcases Peggy's vocals and it seems that George Shearing was practically born to play alongside Peggy. The percussion enhances the natural beauty of this number. "Mambo In Miami" is a number that George Shearing and his buddies perform so beautifully; I always enjoyed a good mambo tune and this is certainly no exception! "Isn't It Romantic?" again features the musicians with George at the piano for a spectacular number. I must have played "Isn't It Romantic?" a million times on my CD player!

"You Came A Long Way From St. Louis" gets a fine, slow treatment from these artists and it all works very nicely. The percussion shines and Peggy sings this like the fine chanteuse she always was! Peggy's' diction bolsters her exceptional performance; I love this tune! "There'll be Another Spring" is a gentle romantic tune that exudes elegance and high style as Peggy, George and the others perform this flawlessly.

"Satin Doll" shines like gold; I rarely enjoy such fine piano playing! George and his pals really do this one up right. Then, of course, we get the two bonus tracks. "Nobody's Heart" is an elegant tune with a slow, romantic treatment that stuns me with its beauty; and the album ends very strong with "Don't Ever Leave Me" with Peggy making a passionate appeal to her one true love not to leave her alone. "Don't Ever Leave Me" tugs at my heartstrings and I predict you'll like this number very much.

In sum, Beauty And The Beat! Is another one of Peggy Lee's stupendous albums--this one with fantastic accompaniments by George Shearing and his buddies. I highly recommend this album for Peggy Lee fans. People who enjoy classic pop vocals should also get this album.

Just one more voice in a chorus of praise! I am told that pianist George Shearing is more famous for his work with singer Mel Torme. But it's hard to imagine anything better than this exquisite live session in Miami with singer Peggy Lee. This album cooks! It's hard to believe that what's here came as the result of just a couple days' preparation -- just goes to show what the pros in The Old School could pull off on short notice. This is great music, still fresh more than 40 years after it was made.

I especially love the "Afro-Cuban" elements in the set: thanks to conga player Armando Peraza, we have here the world's most campy recording of "Always True To You Darling In My Fashion." But we also get to hear Peggy Lee isinging at her best in ballad and blues modes, sultry and smoky, in tunes like "I Left My Sugar In Salt Lake City" and "You Came A Long Way From St. Louis." This is a fine album, easy to hear again and again, and a great introduction to this underrated singer.

I have one MAJOR complaint with this album: it is not NEARLY LONG ENOUGH. The combination of George Shearing and Peggy Lee is unbeatable. Why they did not record more and more together is a real mystery.

Anyone who hears this album, jazz lover, pop lover, Shearing lover, Lee lover, anyone-- will come away smiling. Obviously, Shearing and Lee not only had a great respect for each other as artists, they also were having a ball.

It's hard to pick out one or more favorites on an album that has no low spots, but the Latin arrangement of Cole Porter's "Always True To You In My Fashion" makes a standard into something new. I also loved Peggy Lee's sexually teasing way with "You Came A Long Way From St. Louis."

MUCH TOO SHORT BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Evidently I sent in two reviews in one day--such is the spell Miss Peggy Lee casts over the listener. So, putting it in a different way: One of numerous fake live albums from the '50s and '60s, "Beauty" has gained new lustre and depth without the applause, announcements and audience ambience dubbed into the original album to make studio sessions sound live. For the first time, the true depth and unerring musicianship of these performances come through clearly and without distractions. Peggy Lee is nothing short of brilliant; Shearing deft and engaging. Same songs, same recordings, entirely different results well-worth getting even if you have the L.P. or first C.D. issue.

There was a time, before the Cuba invasion and the black riots, when Miami Beach was glamorous and hip. If you want a sample of the zeitgeist, then listen to this wonderful concert with Peggy Lee and George Shearing.

As has been noted, "Beauty and the Beat" was made at a DJ convention, so it's not surprising that the sound here is far superior to that of the usual "live" recording. Moreover, the background of an animated and appreciative live audience actually enhances the listening experience.

This album represents some of the best of America's contribution to world music, which began with Tin Pan Alley and ended with the generation of Sinatra, Martin, Tormé, Lee and Shearing.

Peggy Lee would have liked to record more music with George Shearing but this is all that they managed. It is based on a live concert for which preparations and rehearsals were done intensively at short notice. During the concert, it seems that neither Peggy nor George said very much to the audience. When the time came to prepare the album for release, Peggy and George recorded spoken introductions for every song as well as two extra songs not performed at the concert. This is particularly interesting as audience interplay is normally reduced from live concerts when albums are released - here the opposite is the case.

As ever, Peggy is in top form. The songs, including three by Cole Porter (Do I love you, Always true to you in my fashion, Get out of town) and two by Rodgers and Hart (Isn't it romantic, Nobody's heart), are exactly the kind of songs you expect Peggy to sing. Peggy contributes one song of her own (There'll be another spring), which is a very romantic ballad. A couple of slow blues songs (I lost my sugar in Salt Lake City, You came a long way from St Louis) add variety to the album. Studio recordings of some but not all of the songs can be found on Peggy's other albums, but they often sound very different to the arrangements here.

If you are a Peggy Lee fan - or a George Shearing fan - you'll love this album. It may not be the best album with which to begin a collection of Peggy's music but it is certainly a worthy addition to such a collection.

The Peggy Lee/George Shearing live at the Miami DJ Convention LP was beset with recording problems and was actually a studio album with applause thrown in. Ace remasterer Ron McMaster has done his usual amazing job with the original tapes, and what you hear is an astoundingly different take on a very familiar album. Shearing recorded with other vocalists, but his cool chamber jazz style really offsets the Lee approach to a song.
If you can't wait for Blue Note to put this out again, jump on this great Japanese reissue, in a limited LP-style cover.

Two jazz greats set Miami afire with swinging Latin tempos! Here are two artist who are clearly having fun ... too bad they didn't record more albums together. When she is recorded live Peggy sounds huskier and sexier (if that's possible). "You Came A Long Way From St. Louis" is really top-notch ... probably the best version of this song ever recorded. Peggy's own "There'll Be Another Spring" is one of her most tender lyrics. Not just a love song, it has a deeper spiritual meaning that reveals the essence of Peggy Lee's philosophy about life. Cole Porter fans will love Peg's renditions of "Always True To You In My Fashion", "Do I Love You" and "Get Out Of Town"!

Sincere-Lee,

Robert Strom, President THE PEGGY LEE FAN CLUB 744 COLLIER DRIVE SAN LEANDRO, CA 94577