Herb Geller - Plays the Arthur Schwartz Songbook (2005)

One of the great songwriters from the golden era of the American songbook, Arthur Schwartz never became as famous as Gershwin, Porter, or Berlin. However, a glance at the songs performed by the great altoist Herb Geller on this CD shows that Schwartz wrote many superior hits during the prime years. Geller, teaming up with a top-notch British rhythm section, is lyrical and melodic during these performances while not feeling shy to reshape and modernize the music a bit with inventive arrangements. "A Shine on Your Shoes" and "How Sweet You Are" were performed at a slightly later session as duets with pianist John Peace, whose chord voicings and subtle solos are major assets to this fine tribute set. Recommended.