Search - Peggy Lee, George Shearing :: Beauty & The Beat

Music for lovers only

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.

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Great easy listening jazz album...

Sonny Diego | Left Coast | 07/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I originally bought the LP as a kid of 13 and played it to death (1957). It was an early intro to jazz and I was a fan of big band music also. I recently have started to collect "older" albums that I had as LPs and was glad to see this one available. My other 1st album was Errol Garner "Concert By The Sea" that still is so soothing in traffic now that I have the CD.

I can highly recommend this album as well as Errol Garner. Ms Lee was in her prime and a joy to hear. Mr Shearing was one of the finest jazz pianists and pairs up with Ms Lee beautifully."

First ever live albums for both Lee and Shearing, and only a

Mary Whipple | New England | 03/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally recorded in 1959 and re-released in 1992, this landmark CD features all new arrangements developed during in an intense three days of rehearsal before this live performance. Shearing was relatively new to the US and its audiences, but Lee became a fan the minute she heard him and was thrilled to make an album with him. A saloon-singer/composer/jazz artist, and always a professional, she was known for her attention to the smallest detail, not a trait that lends itself naturally to albums recorded "live," but with Shearing at the keyboard and his quintet in the background, Lee sounds relaxed, swingy, and light-hearted here.



Featuring songs from the Great American Songbook--by Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Duke Ellington, and Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern--with some Afro-Cuban, blues, and the debut recording of her own romantic ballad, "There'll Be Another Spring," the CD offers variety, at the same time that it maintains its mellow approach and overall lightness.



Shearing is the consummate accompanist on the songs the two do together. Her voice is always out front, with his chords, runs, key changes, and playfulness on piano remaining in the background to enhance her voice and songs. The bluesy "I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City" and "Blue Prelude," a blues song given an upbeat treatment here, are among the most exciting and interesting on the CD. "There'll Be Another Spring," a beautiful, romantic ballad written by Lee, is recorded for the first time on this album, taking advantage of her restrained passion and dramatic, whispery voice.



Shearing, whose quintet was famous for his early adoption of Afro-Cuban rhythms and the fine blending of piano and vibes, solos with Armando Peraza's "Mambo in Miami," in which Peraza himself supplies the unusual percussion and syncopated beat. In his second solo, "Isn't It Romantic," he matches his arrangement with the lyrics, creating one of the most romantic songs on the album.



Two bonus tracks, including "Don't Ever Leave Me," a dramatic and passionate plea by Lee, and "Nobody's Heart," both recorded earlier and not part of the live performance, are added to this CD. Fine music by two fine musicians make this an album for romance-if one can ignore the fact that Lee's spoken intros to all the songs were added after the fact when the album was edited. Mary Whipple



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