Mark Murphy

Although I do not number Murphy among my favourite singers, his loose cannon approach to tradition does inspire those around him. This is exactly what happens here as Murphy re-examines Cole Porter, mambo-style. Porter is among the most elegant and sophisticated of the great Broadway composers and this Latin approach to his music inspires hot performances by a band that includes Tom Harrell, Al Bent and Peter Schimke, whose ability to swing ranges from vibrant versions of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "Experimental" to slow boleros like "In The Still Of The Night" and "Everything I love." The result is a refreshing merger of classic swing dynamics and Latin jazz.