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The Richard Rodgers Centennial Jazz Piano
Album
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| Cast |
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Bill Charlap, Benny Greenm, Fred Hersch,
Kenny Barron, Marian McPartland, George Shearing
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| Songs |
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Music Sample
- Nobody's Heart[Lyrics] (Rodgers & Hart) performed by Bill Charlap - 4:46
- The Blue Room [Lyrics] performed (Rodgers & Hart) by Bill Charlap - 5:23
- The Surrey With the Fringe on Top (Rodgers & Hammerstein) performed
by Benny Green - 4:38
- Manhattan [Lyrics] (Rodgers & Hart) performed by Benny Green - 5:21
- If I Loved You (Rodgers & Hammerstein) performed by Fred Hersch
- 5:26
- The Sweetest Sounds (Rodgers) performed by Fred Hersch - 4:13
- My Funny Valentine [Lyrics] (Rodgers & Hart) performed by Kenny Barron
- 7:42
- Have You Met Miss Jones? [Lyrics] (Rodgers & Hart) performed by Kenny
Barron - 3:19
- It Never Entered My Mind [Lyrics] (Rodgers & Hart) performed by Marian
McPartland - 4:14
- We Kiss in a Shadow (Rodgers & Hammerstein) performed by Marian
McPartland - 3:52
- Yours Sincerely [Lyrics] (Rodgers & Hart) performed by George Shearing
- 4:26
Label: Broadway Cares
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| Review |
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Fred Hersch has put together yet another memorable anthology, recorded
to benefit the fight against AIDS; this time it is a collection of
piano solos to help raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
The theme of a Richard Rodgers tribute is very appropriate, as he
created many memorable melodies for Broadway shows in collaboration
with Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers would
surely have appreciated Bill Charlap's interpretations of two less
frequently played songs, "Nobody's Heart[Lyrics]" and "The
Blue Room [Lyrics]." Charlap isn't afraid of using space in his arrangements,
allowing the natural beauty of the music to come to the surface without
excessive ornamentation. Benny Green's playful rendition of "The
Surrey With the Fringe on Top" and his inventive take of "Manhattan"
are followed by Hersch's breathtaking version of "If I Loved
You" and a lively dancing "The Sweetest Sounds," although
the latter obviously omits the rarely heard lyrics of Rodgers. The
last three pianists should be easy for any veteran jazz fan to identify
in a blindfold test. Kenny Barron's lovely yet roundabout introduction
to "My Funny Valentine [Lyrics]" puts his distinct touch on a piece
that has become a jazz standard; his approach to "Have
You Met Miss Jones?" is classic bop. Marian McPartland has
few peers as an interpreter of ballads; she captures the bittersweet
essence of "It Never Entered My Mind [Lyrics] " and adds a sparkling
"We Kiss in a Shadow" (from The King and I), a piece rarely
recorded in a jazz setting. Unlike the other pianists, George Shearing
is only featured on a single track, a beautiful take of "Yours Sincerely [Lyrics]." This highly recommended benefit CD is available exclusively
from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids at www.broadwaycares.org
and is surely destined to become a collector's item.
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www.broadwaycares.org
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