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Ted Rosenthal Trio: Out of This World
ByPresenting ten time-honored and oft-recorded songs in a refreshing new manner is a challenge Rosenthal's trio meets rather convincingly. Whether re-harmonizing a tune or inserting an odd-meter arrangement, the pianist explores and stretches the limits in providing new interpretations of ageless contributions from Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin and Harold Arlen, among others.
Rosenthal's 9/8 rearrangement of Arlen's title track features strong bass work, and includes a few bars reminiscent of Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Porter's "So In Love" gets such an overhaul from the pianist that the melody is hard to distinguish, turning this old tune almost new. The trio swings to a swift-tempo rendition of "Have You Met Miss Jones" providing Rosenthal a format to show off a bit of his more than appreciable talents. In stark contrast, the group ventures into dark and somber territory on Gershwin's long and bluesy "Prelude # 2."
The music flows warm and gentle on Billy Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom," "How Long Has This Been Going On" and the familiar "In the Wee Hours of The Morning." The brisk swinging approach is covered on the sharp "People Will Say We're In Love," "Embraceable You" and the brief but charging "Cry Me a River." Performing music that is every bit as part of American culture and musical history, Ted Rosenthal and crew stay very earthbound here, crafting cleaver and inventive new reads to beautiful old tunes that are truly Out of This World.
Track Listing
Out Of This World; So In Love; Have You Met Miss Jones?; Prelude #2; Embraceable You; People Will Say We're In Love; Lotus Blossom; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Cry Me A River; In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning.
Personnel
Ted Rosenthal
pianoTed Rosenthal: piano; Noriko Ueda: bass; Quincy Davis: drums.
Album information
Title: Out Of This World | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Playscape Recordings