Like their previous release, Sittin' on a Rainbow, Mike Palter & Lynne Jackson continue to pay honor to the geniuses of the Great American Popular Song. This time it's George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, two masters of the art. Recorded live at friends' houses during a tour of the West Coast, the Gershwin tunes are interspersed by short anecdotes about the brothers who wrote the music or those who performed it. This gives the album the feel of a true live performance in a club or musical theater. The play list is dotted with medleys, a device especially favored by this pair. One of the more entertaining combinations is "Love Is Sweeping the Country"/"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"/"They All Laughed." Their rendition of the middle piece recalls the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers fling with this tune on the 1937 film Shall We Dance. The two also apply some innovative interpretive adeptness during the Porgy and Bess medley, again preceded by an interesting story by Palter. The duo's rendition is quite dramatic and may not be every lover of that classic's cup of tea, but it does get one's attention. Jackson and Palter provide their own accompaniment, piano for Jackson and bass for Palter, no mean feat when it has to be done on the spot rather than be added later in the studio, a common practice when technological skills are as important as performing talent. Another daring and enduring effort by innovative artists. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Lynne Jackson (Editing), Lynne Jackson (Bass), Lynne Jackson (Piano), Lynne Jackson (Mastering), Lynne Jackson (Liner Notes), Lynne Jackson (Vocals), Lynne Jackson (Engineer), Lynne Jackson (Photography)
