True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter

by Harry Connick, Jr.

Overview

Following his foray into the uber-contemporary pop production of 2015's That Would Be Me, Harry Connick, Jr. returns to his swinging big-band sound with 2019's True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter. The singer's first album since signing with the storied Verve label, True Love is also his first extended exploration of a single composer's work. A burnished set of Porter standards, the album brings to mind Connick's late-'80s and early-'90s work, especially We Are in Love, Blue Light, Red Light, and his beloved soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally. Helping to capture this energy is Connick's big band, featuring seasoned players like bassist Neal Caine, New Orleans trumpeter Mark Braud, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, and others. On some tracks, he even brings in a full orchestra, creating a sound that evokes classic albums by his heroes Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. The best moments on the album are the punchy, midtempo swingers like "Anything Goes," "Just One of Those Things," and the buoyant "I Love Paris," all of which showcase Connick's vocal charisma and his band's dynamic instrumental skills. The latter song also includes a bluesy solo by New Orleans trombonist Lucien Barbarin, who also guests on a roiling and sultry rendition of "Why Can't You Behave." It's also nice to hear Connick take his turn at the piano, soloing several times on the album and offering an extended Cuba-meets-New Orleans bar-style intro to "Begin the Beguine." This is a lush, languorously paced album, but it never drags; even the slower songs benefit from bluesy instrumental solos and Connick's richly attenuated arrangements. True to Porter's urbane image, Connick offers an album as romantic as it is sophisticated. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/2019
Label:	Decca / Verve
UPC:	0602577992162

Tracks

1. Anything Goes
2. I Love Paris
3. I Concentrate On You
4. All of You
5. Mind If I Make Love To You
6. Just One of Those Things
7. In the Still of the Night
8. Why Can't You Behave
9. Begin the Beguine
10. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
11. True Love
12. You're Sensational
13. You Do Something to Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Harry Connick, Jr.   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Conductor,Orchestra
Bob Sheppard   Saxophone
Seneca Black   Trumpet
Armen Anassian   Violin
Dion Tucker   Trombone
Robert Brophy   Viola
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr.   Trombone
Wayne Bergeron   Trumpet
Rafael Rishik   Violin
Lucien Barbarin   Soloist
Neal Caine   Bass
Tereza Stanislav   Violin
Arthur Latin   Drums,Percussion
Andrew Duckles   Viola
Dan Higgins   Saxophone
Roger Wilkie   Violin
Timothy Loo   Cello
Alan Kaplan   Trombone
Susan Rishik   Violin
Dave Walther   Viola
Eun Mee Ahn   Violin
David Low   Cello
Greg Huckins   Saxophone
Charlie Bisharat   Violin
Dennis Karmazyn   Cello
Jerry Weldon   Saxophone
Lorand Lokuszta   Violin
Ana Landauer   Violin
Mark Robertson   Violin
Robert Schaer   Trumpet
Andrew Fisher   Keyboards
Mark Braud   Trumpet
Geoff Burke   Saxophone
Laszlo Mezo   Cello
Neli Nikolaeva   Violin
Lynne Richberg   Viola
Ashoka Thiagarajan   Violin
Erik Rynearson   Viola
Jonah Sirota   Viola
Cheryl Kim   Violin
Steinway & Sons   Piano
Andy Martin   Trombone
Corinne Sobolewski   Viola

Technical Credits

Tracey Freeman   Producer
Scott Moore   Assistant Engineer
Cole Porter   Composer
Ryan Hewitt   Mixing,Engineer
David Low   String Contractor
Steve Genewick   String Engineer
Harry Connick, Jr.   Arranger,Producer
Russell Bartmus   Copyist
Geoff Burke   Copyist
Eric Boulanger   Mastering
Ann Marie Wilkins   Executive Producer
Ryan Rogers   Design,Art Direction
Sasha Samsonova   Photography
Will Duperier   Assistant Engineer