Beegie Adair -- Centennial Composers

Beegie Adair

Centennial Composers

Green Hill Music GHD5298

Beegie Adair, piano; Roger Spencer, bass; Chris Brown drums

Perhaps somebody did it before her, though I don't recollect it being done all in one hit. Beegie Adair has gotten herself a good piano, found a sympathetic bassist and a reticent drummer and run through the book. Well, six books to be exact. The music of Richard Rogers, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern, a CD six-pack of intoxicating promise. Nothing disappointing here, the tunes are all too melodically strong to offer anything but a great opportunity to any half-decent musician. Ms Adair, one hastens to add, is fully decent. A lady of consummate (sorry, but the word really does fit) ability.

The improvisatory content is kept to a steady level (though they cook nicely on "Dancing on the Ceiling," among others), but it is all pretty irresistible. In a lesser pianist this would all come out as cocktail Jazz, but Ms Adair does lift it a notch or two. Her chords are rounded and full, and her right hand can get pretty uppity on occasion, and there is a lovely bounce and lift to her renditions of what is thoroughly familiar material. It has been lovely singing along - if only our lounge had the same acoustics as our bathroom, it could have been even better. Make no mistake, Ms Adair is one great piano player and this series should be welcome to anyone loving good music. Hmmm."It Never Entered My Mind".quite enchanting. Play it again, Beegie.

by Lawrence Brazier

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