The Cole Porter Song Book

Oscar Peterson Trio; Oscar Peterson Plays The Cole Porter Song Book

I once heard an interview with the daughter of Oscar Hammerstein II. She made the interesting claim that Richard Rodgers didn’t write “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning”. He wrote “Da, da ,da ,da ,da ,da, daaaaaaa, daaaaaa; da, da, da, da, da, da, daaaaaaa …” Oscar Hammerstein wrote “Oh, what a beautiful morning, Oh, what a beautiful day…” Cole Porter, at one time, wondered aloud why it took two people to write a Broadway musical. Well, thank you, Mr. Porter. We all wish that we could be as talented as you.

It’s true, though. Cole Porter took out all of the complications of song writing by making himself head of both departments: Words and Music by Cole Porter. So many times in the realm of show music, words and music are inseparable; the two elements need each other in order to achieve the desired effect. Not so with Mr. Porter. Without the words you still have a great tune. Without the tune you still have very creative poetry.

Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen recorded this album in 1959. I know I’ve said it before, but these guys swing so hard. The only other appropriate word in my description arsenal for this music is the word jolly. Every song has a smile on its face. These fellows must have had a fantastic time in the studio putting this recording together.

Pound for pound, “It’s All Right With Me” offers the best deal. Oscar offers up six times the notes in half the time. The follow up tune, “Love for Sale”, on the other hand, goes for a casual stroll around the block. If I may, though, offer a complaint: The songs are, and the CD is, waayyyyy too short. I desire many more minutes of swinginess.

Mr. Peterson closes the album with the wonderful “It’s Delovely”. Although nobody sings the number on this album, I’d like to point out that Mr. Porter chose his wittiest pen when writing the verse to this number.

I feel the sudden urge to sing

The kind of ditty that invokes the spring

So, control your desire to curse

While I crucify the verse

This verse you’ve started seems to me

The Tin-Pan-tithesis of melody

So to spare you all the pain

I’ll skip the darn thing and sing the refrain.

Credits: To Rodgers and Hammerstein; for the epic nature of their creations and their refusal to back away from social issues. Thank you for “The Sound of Music”. It has made my sisters very happy.