In 1981, singer
Barbara Lea
, vocalist/pianist
Bob Dorough
and cornetist
Dick Sudhalter
teamed up to record a set of
Hoagy Carmichael
tunes. In 1994, Audiophile reissued the music, augmenting them with live performances from 1984-85 and studio sessions from 1993 as two separate CDs. Fortunately, the quality is as high as that of the original smaller release. Because of the many sources, the personnel differs widely from track to track, with such fine players as pianist
Bill Charlap
, guitarists
Howard Alden
,
James Chirillo
and
Frank Vignola
Artie Baker
on woodwinds, and several bassists and drummers making contributions. On the first volume there are just three instrumentals (
Sudhalter
is featured on
"Riverboat Shuffle"
and makes his vocal debut on "Moonburn"), so the focus is primarily on
Lea
Dorough
. Highlights include
Lea's
"Skylark" and "One Morning In May," while
excels on "Hong Kong Blues"; the two singers duet on "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," "When Love Goes Wrong," "Moon Country," "We're the Couple in the Castle" and "Two Sleepy People." A delightful tribute. ~ Scott Yanow