Customer Reviews

Music of Cole Porter

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Two great artists, one from the Jazz world, the other a Classical Master of the French horn, combine magnificently to showcase the songs one of the best composers and lyricists of the Golden era of American music, Cole Porter. While I own upwards of 700 CD's, this one rarely is ever placed back on the shelf, as its continual play never engenders ennui.

I agree with Mr. Nicholas Page's fine review with one exception. I differ with him on which is the most representative of the cuts. My personal favorite is "I Concentrate on You," not one of the obscure Porter numbers, but one of his best and better known pieces. The intrepretation by the two Masters is one of the most heart-rendering and emotional I have ever experienced.

If you've developed a preference for Cole Porter, I'll wager you've never heard it played more beautifully. Tuckwell's French horn is both memorable and haunting, and Shearing is his usual spontaneous self. This is a "must have" CD for Porter collectors.

We are used to the clarinet, saxophone and trumpet as jazz instruments, but not the French horn. On this CD, Barry Tuckwell, well known for his classical recordings, makes a convincing case for us to rethink our ideas. George Shearing has taken mostly less well-known pieces by Cole Porter and cleverly arranged them for French horn and piano (Shearing plays suavely as always), sometimes in duet, sometimes with a small combo and sometimes with orchestra. The arrangements are very elegant and perfectly tailored for the horn's plaintive,soft tones. There is not a trace of its strident hunting horn origin to be heard. The arrangements are generally quite close to the originals, and all the better for it. If you want to try just one track, take I've got you under my skin, which is for piano and horn alone. It starts off with a simple slow piano accompaniment sounding almost like the start of a Schubert song, and develops in a wonderfully lush and sensuous way. I'm sure Cole Porter would have loved it.

This is highly recommended CD, with two top class musicians in their own fields coming together in an original and very successful manner. Wonderful for bed-time listening after lights out!

I would give this CD more than 5 stars if possible. This is one of the most beautiful CDs I have ever heard. The combination of Tuckwell, Shearing and Porter is amazing. I'm used to hearing Porter tunes sung, and paying attention to the lyrics. This purely instrumental version overwhelmed me with the beauty and depth of the tunes themselves. Magical!

The performances of this record are just pure elegance in many levels. George Shearing is probably one of the few Jazz pianists that possesses the refined pianistic touch that rivals any fine Classical pianist. The orchestral arrangements, arranged by George Shearing and assisted by Frank Metis, are just pure enjoyment. One minute you thought you are hearing two fine soloists against a Mahlerian symphonic orchestra, next moment, you are transported back to a more intimate Jazz combo environment, and the transitions back-and-forth are almost seamless. Cole Porter certainly knows how to write beautiful melodies, which can be well-adapted in Jazz and/or Classical setting.

I automatically link the name Shearing with jazz, and in that respect this album is a bit short on the latter. Once you accept that, then this CD is worth the ocassional play.

The outstanding thing for me is the beautiful sound of Tuckwell's French horn. Deep, resonent, enchanting and frequently mournful. However it doesn't really gel with Shearing's modern jazz piano style. Nowhere in Tuckwell's solos do I detect anything approaching spontaneous improvisation and assume his solo pieces were actually written down.

One little bonus though is a couple of Cole Porter tunes I had never come across before.

George Shearing and Barry Tuckwell have created a stunning, hauntingly romantic version of Cole Porters music. The sound is so moody and sensual that you are drawn into an illusion of anything you might want to imagine as you listen.