kenny and leah – april in paris

a new release from jazz musical artists kenny & leah presents refreshing new treatments of a collection of timeless classics along with multi-lingual delights. opening with strong performances on “april in paris” and “you stepped out of a dream,” featuring leah singing in english and spanish, offers a refreshing rendition of a ageless standard. leah oozes passion on michel legrand’s “how do you keep the music playing” with kenny’s sensitive and tasteful playing ever present. “moon river,” “never never land” and “that old black magic” keep the momentum going, followed by kenny’s hard swinging saxophone on luis bonfa’s “menina flor.”

keeping the brazilian flavor flowing, leah pours it on with her version of jobim’s gem “caminhos cruzados.” then in italian leah double times burton lane’s “on a clear day,” a clear winner. kenny’s laid back, dreamy saxophone compliments perfectly the lovely melody of cole porter’s “dream dancing,” first elegantized by the timeless fred astaire. leah’s performance on ivan lins sensuous ballad, “the island” is offered passionately in both english and portuguese by leah and makes one want to, well…

“speak low,” from kurt weil’s three penny opera is obviously a favorite, they really swing it. obviously tongue in cheek, the medley of “lulu’s back in town” and “spinning wheel” is just plain fun! all in all, another outstanding performance by: kenny & leah.