The album opens with an outstanding rendition of "Summertime," which begins gently, lovingly on piano. There is even a bit of a haunting vibe in those opening moments. Then Jeremy Brown leads the group into the main section of the song, and things begin to pop and sizzle. Oh yes, everything is working here. This is a song that I first fell in love with when I was twelve or thirteen and heard the Janis Joplin version. I've heard many recordings of it in the years since then, and this new recording by Gabriel Latchin Trio still feels fresh and alive. Gabriel Latchin's piano work is wonderful, and in the second half there is a really good lead on bass. That is something about Gershwin: this material rarely, if ever, feels out of date. This song was written for Porgy And Bess.
I was visiting my family in Massachusetts a few weeks ago, and my mom and I decided to watch films from an Audrey Hepburn boxed set that she has. We started with Funny Face, which features music by George and Ira Gershwin, including "How Long Has This Been Going On?" The scene with this song is good, but I've always felt that the song quite transcends the movie, the play, the story. And here Gabriel Latchin Trio delivers a thoughtful, introspective, yet warm rendition. It has a delicious late-night vibe. Then Gabriel Latchin selects another song from Porgy And Bess, "It Ain't Necessarily So." This is a very cool rendition, featuring some delightful work on bass. The piano seems to strut about, well aware of how cool it is. This is a fun number whose lyrics remind us to not take the stories of The Bible literally (this is, of course, an instrumental rendition). The trio then returns to Funny Face for "'S Wonderful," a song that never fails to make me smile. These guys capture the vibe of the song perfectly. The piano work is spirited, cheerful and totally hip. This song too is much better than the musical in which it appears (and, don't get me wrong, I do really like Funny Face). It is here that we get the album's first drum solo, so there is more reason to appreciate the trio's rendition. The drum work throughout the track helps give this rendition its snappy feel.
While many Gershwin songs were written for various musicals, some of these songs also ended up inspiring films themselves. "Embraceable You" is one such song, with a 1948 movie named after it. There is a great romantic air about this recording, which I greatly appreciate. In these dark days when the United States has turned to fascism, many of us just want to focus on our loved ones. What better way to spend one's time than embracing that special someone? For love is still the most important thing. This music puts you right in that moment. That's followed by "They All Laughed," another song that inspired a movie title. If you haven't seen the Peter Bogdanovich film They All Laughed, I highly recommend checking it out. It's another film to star Audrey Hepburn, by the way (and also Ben Gazzara and John Ritter). The song, however, was written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance. There is a pretty opening section, and then the tune kicks in to become a fun number. There is a delightful energy to this rendition. It's a lively, hopping track, the piano seeming to dance. It includes a good bass lead. And then we get the album's title track, "The Man I Love." This song too inspired a movie title, the 1947 movie The Man I Love, though twenty years earlier it was included in the musical Strike Up The Band. The version here has a good deal of pep, and we get that sense right away, as it opens with drums. There is a strong rhythm throughout the track.
One of my favorite Gershwin songs is "Someone To Watch Over Me." And, guess what, there is a movie named after this song too. It came out in 1987 and stars Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers (in the movie, Sting performs the title song). The song was written for the 1926 musical Oh, Kay! This song gets in my head all the time, and I often find myself whistling that opening section, which is cut from several versions, but is included here as a piano solo. The other musicians come in after that. This is a wonderful rendition, feeling like it grows naturally from that first section. I love the way it builds. This is one of my personal favorite tracks. It's followed by another of my favorites, a lively rendition of "Love Walked In" that begins with some great stuff on drums and features some excellent drumming throughout. The trio is cooking here. This is the second track to feature a drum solo, and, sure, my love for this track is due partly to that drum solo, but this is a totally enjoyable and exciting rendition from beginning to end. And, yes, there is a movie named after this song. The trio wraps things up with another lively number, "I Got Rhythm," one to get you off your seat and moving around. This rendition is a lot of fun, and it too includes a drum solo. This album makes it perfectly clear why Gershwin music continues to be so beloved.
CD Track List
- Summertime
- How Long Has This Been Going On?
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- 'S Wonderful
- Embraceable You
- They All Laughed
- The Man I Love
- Someone To Watch Over Me
- Love Walked In
- I Got Rhythm
The Man I Love is scheduled to be released on May 9, 2025.
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