Pre-order here: Available February 28, 2020.
It takes an extraordinary artist to re-imagine some of the most beloved songs of the 20th century and make them completely their own. Unlike most who have tackled similar material, American Standard’s beautifully simple, stripped-down arrangements are based on the 2-guitar collaboration of James Taylor and John Pizzarelli, rather than standard piano arrangements. James was determined to keep that sound at the center of the project, and the effect is mesmerizing.
American Standard was primarily recorded at James's home studio, TheBarn in MA, with additional work done at United Recording and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and Treasure Isle and Blackbird Studios in Nashville. An all-star array of Taylor’s musical comrades make significant contributions here including:
- Steve Gadd, drums,
- Luis Conte, percussion
- Jimmy Johnson, bass
- Viktor Krauss, upright bass
- Larry Goldings, melodica/Hammond B3 Organ
- Walt Fowler, trumpet/flugelhorn
- Lou Marini, clarinet/sax
- Stuart Duncan, violin
- Jerry Douglas, dobro
- Arnold McCuller, vocals
- Kate Markowitz, vocals
- Andrea Zonn, vocals
- Dorian Holley, vocals
- Caroline Taylor, vocals
Track listing:
1. My Blue Heaven (Walter Donaldson-George A. Whiting)
2. Moon River (Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer)
3. Teach Me Tonight (Gene De Paul-Sammy Cahn)
4. As Easy As Rolling Off A Log (M.K. Jerome-Jack Scholl)
5. Almost Like Being In Love (Frederick Loewe-Alan Jay Lerner)
6. Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat (Frank Loesser)
7. The Nearness Of You (Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington)
8. You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
9. God Bless The Child (Billie Holiday-Arthur Herzog Jr.)
10. Pennies From Heaven (Arthur Johnston-Johnny Burke)
11. My Heart Stood Still (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)
12. Ol’ Man River (Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II)
13. It’s Only A Paper Moon (Harold Arlen-Yip Hardburg-Billy Rose)
14. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
Growing up in a musical family, James fell in love with the exquisite melodies, impeccable phrasing and concise storytelling of the early era songwriting masters absorbing the qualities that would become essential to his work in popular music a few years later. American Standard is a reminder of the things that make James Taylor so special, a supreme dedication to his craft and an abiding appreciation for the everlasting power of the American song.
Video Credits:
Director: Jeff Coffman, jeffcoffmanfilm.com
Exec. Producer for Fantasy Records: Joel Amsterdam
Music Producer: Dave O'Donnell
Additional Video/Photos: Ellyn Kusmin
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