So In Love

It would be difficult to overestimate the genius of Cole Porter. Thanks to his grandfather, J.O. Cole, one of the wealthiest men in Indiana, Cole was afforded both an excellent education and a lavish lifestyle. He worked hard, played hard, and left behind an incredible legacy of remarkable songs. Porter was one of the few contributors to the The Great American Songbook who wrote both his own music and lyrics. His songs run the gamut from the bawdy wit of Let's do It, to the haunting passion of So in Love. Over the years there have been countless recordings of Porter's music. I wanted to do everything I could to make a recording that would both live up to the material and be fun to listen to. Here are a few features of this CD that address my concern: - This little group swings like crazy. Get ready to smile and tap your feet! - You'll find that the songs enjoy a thoughtful balance of both highly arranged and improvised music. - For the most part, I've sung the songs as written. Porter was very fussy about his work. He once heard Frank Sinatra sing, I've got, got, got you under my skin. He had simply written, I've got you under my skin. Don't sing it he told Sinatra, if you can't keep to the line I composed! For a while, I thought I might call this CD A Tale of Two Coles. In addition to featuring the work of Porter, this recording also pays homage to another of my heros, the legendary Nat King Cole. In 1937, Nat started playing in a trio with Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Prince on bass. A drummer-less trio was revolutionary at the time. It allows for both a great deal of individual expression, and the ability to create a wonderful group dynamic. This is the instrumentation I have chosen to work with on So in Love. I am very lucky to be able to feature a couple of great players on this recording with whom I share a wonderful musical chemistry; Peter Tomlinson on piano, and Lou Pappas on bass. I am truly So in Love with this music. I hope that you will be too. Best wishes, Perry Beekman.