Cheryl Bentyne
The Gershwin Songbook
Artist Share
www.artistshare.com
By George W. Harris

One of the truly underrated singers, Cheryl Bentyne has over the years built up an impressive non-Manhattan Transfer catalogue of her own, thank you. This latest one is a collection of Gershwin tunes, mostly familiar ones, but one, “Isn’t It A Pity,” being quite an obscurity. She keeps the material fresh and interesting by having Corey Allen and “Ted Howe” creating some intriguing arrangement. Her take of “Summertime” refers to the classic Davis/Evans rendition, with Bentyne producing some unbelievable vocal gymnastics, while her duet with Mark Winkler on “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” is MGM whimsical. The team of first rate LA cats Corey Allen-Ted Howe/p, Kevin Axt/b, Larry Koonse/g, Peter Gordon/fl, Dave Tull/dr and guest Ken Peplowski/cl keep the toes tapping on “A Foggy Day” and “Love Is Here To Stay,” but it’s Bentyne’s rich, elastic and cozy voice that keeps you coming back for more. A mix of Sarah Vaughan’s range and Archie Comic’s Betty’s cuteness wins the day here.