Track Listing

1. I Wants to Stay Here
2. I Was Doing All Right
3. 'S Wonderful
4. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
5. Strike up the Band
6. They Can't Take That Away from Me
7. Man I Love
8. I Got Rhythm
9. Someone to Watch over Me
10. It Ain't Necessarily So
11. I Wants to Stay Here [Alternate Take][#]
12. Someone to Watch over Me [Alternate Take][#]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #165323 in Music
• Released on: 1998-07-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition

Amazon.com
This "limited edition" (9,500 copies) reissue of clarinetist DeFranco's 1954 meeting with piano great Peterson is both charmingly mellifluous and slightly dated, in the manner of Charlie Parker's "with strings" recordings. (Norman Granz oversaw both.) But by the second cut--a languid workout on "I Was Doing All Right"--the charm wins out. The pair, aided by the likes of Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on bass, also apply a light once-over to "S'Wonderful," "They Can't Take That Away from Me," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and other well-chosen melodies from the Gershwin book. The CD adds two alternate takes. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous!
Beautiful renditions of Gershwin standards. Gorgeously warm arrangements and immaculate performances grace this well recorded disk nicely restored by Verve. An almost perfect album.

beautiful!!
Everything a person would expect from two of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, playing music by one of america's greatest melody writers. De Franco's clarinet sings over Peterson's incredible talent. One of my all-time favorite cds.

Do I ever love this album!
Being a fan of Buddy DeFranco, Oscar Peterson, and George Gershwin, how could I not enjoy this one? There are a few places where the strings lend a little schmaltz, but it happens seldom. I absolutely love DeFranco's playing on this one. He is normally known for using a minimum of vibrato, but here he does use it more, especially in slower stretches, and it sounds fantastic. A good example is the beginning of "The Man I Love." Garcia's orchestral arrangement of "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" is very powerful, just masterful. I also loved "Someone to Watch Over Me" (both versions), but it would have been better if Gershwin's intro bars were included. That intro is Gershwin's best; it has a life of its own. Of course, I very much enjoyed Peterson, though some of his passages were too quiet--had to keep adjusting the volume. Anyway, this is an album I've played numerous times without getting tired of it. One of my collection's true gems.