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New CD
Cole Porter Moods is the first recording in a series called the American Songbook for the Modern Ear released on HipBone Records. The American Songbook refers to popular songs from the 20’s to the 50’s written by the great Tin Pan Alley composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, and Irving Berlin, to name a few. Many of these songs were written for Broadway shows and became pop hits when recorded and performed by singers, vocal groups, and big bands of the time. I love these songs and feel they deserve a “make-over” for today’s world.  The Songs 1. Night and Day starts with some atmospheric chords followed by laughing and a Spanish drinking toast. The revelers begin to clap and a Spanish guitar starts to play. The song starts and we’re into a flamenco version of Porter’s most famous song. There’s an alto sax solo and some trippy vocal effects on the last verse. 2. Love for Sale is a funky Prince-style arrangement featuring a fat synth bass line, clean Stratocaster guitar, some flute, sax, and a faux tap routine! Check the ride out for some sleazy solicitations by Tom and Vicki Bell Peppers. 3. I’ve Got You Under My Skin A distant sax starts this techno “drum and bass” treatment. Moody keyboards drift over the simmering electric drums that drive this number. There’s an earthy tenor sax solo between vocal sections. 4. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a fun, high-energy Cuban cut featuring the slinky cubano guitar called the tres, owned and operated by John Benthal. Plenty of percussion and a flute solo make this a spirited ethnic romp. 5. From This Moment On is the only fully instrumental selection on the CD. Murray is featured on alto sax and dreamy synthesizers. This “smooth jazz” version also features some funky guitar work by Steve Benson. 6. I Love Paris is an up-tempo acid jazz smoker. Organ, guitar, jazz and funk drums fuel this rip. A bebop alto sax solo by Tom and some jazzy drumming by Ray Grappone fill out the arrangement, which ends with some jabbering in the style of Sammy Davis Jr. 7. Anything Goes is a reggae blast featuring carefree island sax. Cheesy organ, sliding guitar, and electro percussion give this cut a vacation feel. Watch out for the surprise hard rock bridge featuring the wailing, flailing guitar of Steve Benson. 8. So in Love is a sensual, romantic rumba. Lush flutes play the melody while international personality Hicham Rajai sprech-stimmes the lyric in French. Tom sings the bridge, then sends it back to Rajai to close. 9. It’s All Right With Me fuses Indian raga with modern dance hall with Cole Porter. Techno drums, Indian sitars and percussion, flutes, saxes, and a couple of teenyboppers singing the bridge make this a wild ride! Porter’s harmony is merely suggested through countermelodies over a constant drone. 10. Everything I Love is a rare Porter gem. Played as a romantic ballad, it features acoustic guitar, sweet keyboards, and a smooth vocal. Benthal plays a tasty guitar solo and Murray follows on alto sax in the style of the great Phil Woods (sax player on Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are). 11. You Do Something to Me Murray’s rough, old-style tenor sax starts this duo selection off. The vocal is sparse and haunting. Backed by tremolo guitar, it’s an understated conclusion to this collection of Cole Porter masterpieces. Hipbone Records is a label run
by artists for artists. From its inception, positioned with an open
ear for all styles of music, tied together by a common thread - that
it be soulful, that it groove, and contain a quality that can't be
questioned. Mostly known for jazzy, soulful house releases, HipBone
Records has had a strong presence in the dance music market since
1998. Having produced 20 single vinyl albums, licensed to over 40 CD
compilations worldwide, HipBone is always looking toward the future.
Contact HipBone Record or view their catalog at
www.hipbonerecords.com
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