Dream Dancing: Songs of Cole Porter

Nashville pianist Beegie Adair's Dream Dancing: The Songs of Cole Porter holds up as a first-rate piano-trio record on more than just the strength of Porter's melodies (this is equally the case on her Nat "King" Cole Collection, Frank Sinatra Collection, and even her Love, Elvis set of the King's ballads). An elder stateswoman of the Nashville music scene who's backed her share of country and pop performers over the years, Adair displays a formidable technique and a sensitive soloing style that may surprise even seasoned piano fans. She's helped by her regular rhythm team of bassist Roger Spencer and drummer Chris Brown, both of whom play behind Adair as if they anticipate her every dynamic shift and nuance before it happens. They bring life to everything from the bluesy groove of "I Love Paris" to the gentle swing of "What Is This Thing Called Love." Dream Dancing shows Adair putting her technique in the service of these great songs rather than running all over them--so much so that even her interpolation of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" during Porter's "You're the Top" seems only to enhance that classic melody.