“On the Turntable” — The Music of Cole Porter

February 25th, 2020

Painting of Cole Porter by Kate Boxer

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…..While preparing for an interview this week with Dominic McHugh. co-editor of The Letters of Cole Porter, I have immersed myself in Porter’s music, which has long been inspiration for a multitude of jazz recording artists. The interpretations of Porter standards like “Night and Day,” “Just One of Those Things,” “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” are countless and most always interesting – the diversity of ensemble and sound on these compositions alone serves as a sterling example of the brilliance of jazz itself.

…..Digging deep into Porter’s music allows the listener to discover less familiar recordings of his most beloved tunes. Sure, Artie Shaw made “Begin the Beguine” famous, but Art Pepper’s translation is elegant and joyous. Louis Armstrong is known for many wonderful renditions of Porter compositions – most of which are so familiar they don’t necessarily require additional listening – but Louis is sensational on the lesser-known “You’re the Top” (which really ought to be heard). And Louis and Ella’s versions of “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)” are unforgettable, but a spin of Eartha Kitt’s version is humorous and alluring and darn right sexy.

…..A few weeks ago I put together a Spotify playlist of Porter tunes with the goal being to hear differing translations of his most famous songs. The 77-song list is not intended to be comprehensive – its only purpose is to be a mix of a handful of familiar recordings of Cole Porter songs, along with others that are a bit more obscure.

…..Some of the artists on the playlist: Stan Getz, Bill Evans, Eartha Kitt, Louis Armstrong, Brad Mehldau, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Tal Farlow, Art Tatum, Artie Shaw, Art Pepper, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Mel Torme, Marilyn Monroe, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Van Morrison, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Julie London, Patricia Barber…

…..I invite you to listen to the playlist, which you can do by clicking here. The interview with Mr. McHugh will be published in March or early April (along with my interviews with Richard Crawford, author of Summertime: George Gershwin’s Life in Music, and James Kaplan, author of Irving Berlin: New York Genius)

Meanwhile…here is Armstrong performing “You’re the Top”