I Love Being Here with You: A Jazz Piano Tribute to Peggy Lee

by Beegie Adair

Overview

On paper, the idea of having a jazz pianist pay tribute to a pop singer by performing versions of songs associated with her might seem tenuous, but when the singer is Peggy Lee, the project makes far more sense. Lee was not a jazz singer per se, but she emerged from big-band jazz as the girl singer in Benny Goodman's orchestra, and she often employed jazz musicians as accompanists. Also, she was not just a singer, but also a songwriter, and some of the compositions in which she participated are included. Beegie Adair goes all the way back to Lee's breakthrough hit with Goodman, "Why Don't You Do Right," and also includes versions of Lee's own, self-written hit "I Don't Know Enough About You," as well as such efforts as her revised version of "Fever." Working with a rhythm section of bass and drums (neither of which ever solo), Adair sticks close to the melodies of the tunes, in effect substituting for Lee's vocal with her piano playing. She does add improvised, jazzy embellishments, but her approach is generally faithful to what the composers wrote. Occasionally, the connection to Lee is tangential, such as the inclusion of "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe." True, Lee did record it, but so did plenty of other people, and it isn't particularly associated with her. Still, the connection to the singer is a good excuse to gather up some jazz-friendly tunes and give them the Beegie Adair treatment. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	04/28/2023
Label:	Green Hill
UPC:	0792755644324
Rank:	2561

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Beegie Adair   Primary Artist,Piano
Roger Spencer   Bass
Chris Brown   Drums

Technical Credits

Sidney Mitchell   Composer
Beegie Adair   Liner Notes
Joe Bishop   Composer
Eddie Cooley   Composer
Kansas Joe McCoy   Composer
John Benson Brooks   Composer
John Davenport   Composer
Maceo Pinkard   Composer
Peggy Lee   Composer
Greg Howard   Executive Producer
Dave Barbour   Composer
Brendan Harkin   Mixing,Engineer
Mike Haynes   Mastering
Willard Robison   Composer
Sidney D. Mitchell   Composer
Paul Francis Webster   Composer
Sonny Burke   Composer
Jack Jezzro   Producer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Arthur Hamilton   Composer
Gordon Jenkins   Composer
Edna Alexander   Composer
Hubie Wheeler   Composer
Sidney Keith Russell   Composer
Bill Schluger   Composer
Edna B. Pinkard   Composer
Chad Smith   Cover Photo,Graphic Design
Joe McCoy   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer