The Nearness of You

by Beegie Adair

Overview

As part of a series of albums devoted to the work of classic pop songwriters, jazz pianist Beegie Adair turns her attention here to the "romantic songs" of Hoagy Carmichael. (It's hard to see how Johnny Mercer's lyrics to "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" or "Small Fry" could be considered romantic, but nobody's singing on this album, anyway.) Leading a trio, Adair addresses the melodies of some very familiar tunes in the jazz realm, such as "Stardust" and "Heart and Soul," along with some less-well-known Carmichael compositions such as "Memphis in June" and "One Morning in May." Invariably, she moves into embellishments and note substitutions, but never leaves the melodies for long. Fans of extensive jazz soloing won't find much to engage them here, but this and the other albums in the series could be put in a multiple-disc CD player and serve as the soundtrack to a romantic evening. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	05/13/2008
Label:	Green Hill Productions
UPC:	0792755541128
Rank:	7575

Tracks

1. Georgia on My Mind
2. In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening
3. Heart and Soul
4. Skylark
5. Ole Buttermilk Sky
6. Stardust
7. Ivy
8. The Nearness of You
9. Small Fry
10. Memphis in June
11. Two Sleepy People
12. One Morning in May
13. I Get Along Without You Very Well

Album Credits

Performance Credits

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

Technical Credits

Johnny Mercer   Composer
Ned Washington   Composer
Stuart Gorrell   Composer
Mitchell Parish   Composer
Brendan Harkin   Mixing,Engineer
Mike Haynes   Mastering
Will Friedwald   Liner Notes
Frank Loesser   Composer
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Paul Francis Webster   Composer
Jack Jezzro   Producer
David Langemann   Engineer
Russ Harrington   Photography
Kristen Beahm   Graphic Design
Paul Webster   Composer
Jack Brooks   Composer