COMPOSERS: Steven Sondheim
LABELS: Sony
WORKS: Anyone Can Whistle; Every Day A Little Death
PERFORMER: Various artists
CATALOGUE NO: SK 66566 DDD
Color and Light, a multi-artist CD, has jazz sketches by some of the greats including Nancy Wilson with Terence Blanchard taking aim at 'Anyone Can Whistle', Grover Washington, Jr swinging 'Every Day A Little Death', and Herbie Hancock teaming with Stephen Sondheim (no, it's not a misprint) in a lovely performance of 'They Ask Me Why I Believe In You' from an unproduced television special.
New to me, new to everybody, it has a touching piano solo from the composer, just enough of a statement to give Hancock a place to go musically, and a melody quite unlike most of what we know as Sondheim. A word of warning, however. This CD is more jazz than Sondheim and if you object to improvisation with your musical theatre or if you can't bear a lack of lyrics, this isn't for you.