Track Listing

1. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
2. You're the Top
3. I Love Paris
4. So in Love
5. I Concentrate on You
6. Dream Dancing
7. I Love You
8. What Is This Thing Called Love?
9. Easy to Love
10. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
11. It's All Right With Me
12. Why Shouldn't I?
13. From This Moment On
14. Begin the Beguine

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124867 in Music
• Released on: 2001-02-27
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Listeners in the thrall of the great Cole Porter's lyrical sense and legendary melodic finesse probably don't need to be prompted to pick up an album featuring new piano-trio interpretations of 14 of the master's gems. The good news though, is that Nashville pianist Beegie Adair's Dream Dancing: The Songs of Cole Porter holds up as a first-rate piano-trio record on more than just the strength of Porter's melodies (this is equally the case on her Nat "King" Cole Collection, Frank Sinatra Collection, and even her Love, Elvis set of the King's ballads). An elder stateswoman of the Nashville music scene who's backed her share of country and pop performers over the years, Adair displays a formidable technique and a sensitive soloing style that may surprise even seasoned piano fans. She's helped by her regular rhythm team of bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown, both of whom play behind Adair as if they anticipate her every dynamic shift and nuance before it happens. They bring life to everything from the bluesy groove of "I Love Paris" to the gentle swing of "What Is This Thing Called Love." Dream Dancing shows Adair putting her technique in the service of these great songs rather than running all over them--so much so that even her interpolation of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" during Porter's "You're the Top" seems only to enhance that classic melody. --Ezra Gale

Customer Reviews

Swinging Trio Feeling
This is a great new addition to the Beegie Adair collection of CD releases. You will find that this CD has a swinging trio feeling and is beautifully designed to sustain an air of strong rhythm and improvisation throughout. If you are looking for a lyrical jazz CD that you can listen to over a great dinner with special guests, or a jazz CD that will put you in a great frame of mind while driving to the office, this is the one. Beegie Adair has an intimate feeling for the work of Cole Porter to whom she pays special tribute on this release. Enjoy.

Beegie's albums: Jazz or Pop, and one's expectations
I now own six of seven Beegie CD's (one is currently unavailable).My judgment is that Beegie is one of the master's of interpretation of the songwriter's intent. There has been some unhappiness voiced by some reviewers with two of Beegie's CD's; namely "Dream Dancing" and "Sax and Swing", while the others have found warm acceptance.Which albums you will like, seems to me to depend on the expectations you bring to her playing. Any given popular song can be played as written by the song writer, or "embellished" while adhering mostly to the melody, or finally, using the melody as a "jumping-off place" to explores one's own ideas. This latter approach, we call "jazz". If you want to hear popular songs embellished by a master of the craft, you should buy "The Frank Sinatra Collection", "The Nat King Cole Collection", "Love, Elvis", and "Jazz Piano Christmas". If you want to hear Beegie play some very good jazz,buy "Dream Dancing" and "Sax & Swing". Either way, you will be listening to an outstanding and accomplished pianist who is not very well known, but certainly should be.

"Cole Porter's De-Lovely featuring ~ Beegie Adair"
With the film hit "De-Lovely" the story of composer Cole Porter, this album shines as a must have for your ever growing Porter and Beegie Adair collection ~ the line up reads like this Beegie Adair [piano], Chris Brown [drums] and Roger Spencer [bass]...this group is so natural at performing jazz...Beegie's improvising is very melodic, takes you into another realm of jazz.

Any pianist can play straight jazz, but listen to "YOU'D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO", the opening track has creativity and swings hard ~ "I LOVE PARIS", rhythm section keeps the groove going ~ "SO IN LOVE", Beegie has the sensitivity that we've come to love ~ "I CONCENTRATE ON YOU", check out her swinging improvisations ~ "WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE", always a favorite of mine either vocally or instrumental, but this arrangement is a real treat and exciting ~ "EASY TO LOVE", wouldn't change a thing on this track, Beegie's timing is perfection and the group follows her lead ~ "IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH ME", an added plus of presentation and signature style is something to hear and enjoy ~ "FROM THIS MOMENT ON", Beegie nails this one the way Porter intended ~ "BEGIN THE BEGUINE", the Artie Shaw classic hit from the '40s, but sit back and listen to an outstanding and accomplished jazz pianist make this her own...Beegie Adair!

Total Time: 54:02 on 14 Tracks ~ Spring Hill 5227 ~ [2/27/2001]