John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman: Lush Life
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Impulse GRD-157)
Composed by Billy Strayhorn.
Recorded: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, March 7, 1963
Rating: 100/100 (learn more)
If you know someone who hates jazz, try an experiment. Secure a rope, tie that person to a chair (not too tight) and play "Lush Life" for them. Donít forget your stopwatch to measure how quickly their expression dissolves from resentment to bliss. The folks at Guinness World Records keep track of such things. Cynics may dismiss this song about "jazz and cocktails" as make-out music, with more atmosphere than oxygen. But it boggles the mind that a youthful Strayhorn could write so profoundly, just as the mature Hartman's romantic baritone boggles the heart. (Hart-man indeed!) "Lush Life" is make-out music for the gods.
Reviewer: Alan Kurtz