Search - Lynne Jackson & Mike Palter :: Irving Berlin's America

Longtime singing/instrumentalist duo Lynne Jackson and Mike Palter continue to celebrate the major contributors to American popular music. This time they take a bow to one of the most prolific and successful of this group of composers, Irving Berlin. Taken from a live performance at the Orpheum in Massachusetts, this CD follows a pattern Jackson and Palter established with earlier releases in that most pieces are preceded by an anecdote about the composer, his music, and/or his times, usually told by Palter. These vignettes serve as lead-ins to the next set of tunes. The duo continues to use the medley format quite cleverly, combining tunes that, at first blush, don't belong together, but somehow the whole thing comes out sounding quite genuine and unaffected. Some of the more colorful combinations include "Always," "Puttin' on the Ritz," "There's No Business Like Show Business," "It's a Lovely Day Today," "Steppin' out with My Baby," and "Blue Skies." Most of the material is delivered by the two in concert. Jackson is frequently allowed to have the stage by herself and the result is always a good one. Her poignant rendition of "What'll I Do" is a highlight of the session. As always, the two are their own accompanists, Jackson on piano and Palter on bass. Sax player/flutist Jim Repa steps in from time to time, such as on "God Bless America" and "Shakin' the Blues Away." But the main attractions are the original, elegant, and entertaining interpretations of Jackson and Palter with fun thrown in to keep matters from getting heavy or serious. Most of all, they just sound good together. It's like having live cabaret in your living room.