Monday, May 10, 2010

CD of the Day - "Lena Horne & Michel Legrand"

CD of the Day
Lena Horne & Michel Legrand: "Lena & Michel" (Gryphon/BMG) 1975/2007

The recording sessions for this album, held on three consecutive February days in 1975 at RCA Studios in NT, were co-produced by Legrand, Norman Schwartz and Nat Shapiro for Schwartz's Gryphon label, then distributed by RCA. BMG prepared the CD reissue only for the Japanese market.
It features an all-star rhythm section comprised of Richard Tee (organ), Paul Griffin (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Grady Tate (drums), Ralph MacDonald (percussion) and Joe Beck & Cornell Dupree (guitars). Legendary contractor Emile Charlap also recruited The Howard Roberts Chorale, an unbelievable horn section (Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Marvin Stamm, Jon Faddis, Alan Rubin, Phil Bodner, Ray Beckenstein) and strings led by concertmaster David Nadien. French genius Michel Legrand arranged & conducted all tracks, of course.
The songlist includes "I Will Wait For You," "I Got A Name," "Nobody Knows," "Being A Woman," "Time In A Bottle," "Sad Song" and the lesser known Legrand ballad "One At A Time," which Shirley Horn loved to perform in her live appearances.

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