Dick Hyman and Ken Peplowski - Counterpoint Lerner & Loewe

2019 release

Hyman and Peplowski's Counterpoint Lerner & Loewe displays the incomparable improvisational connection between these two world-renowned artists in addition to a ground-breaking contrapuntal style - presenting well-loved melodies in unexpected and exhilarating ways. For instance, according to Ken, giving "a classical kind of setting with these ominous chords underneath the melody" to My Fair Lady's famously ardent "On the Street Where You Live," the song takes on an almost solemn sound instead of its customary love-at-first-sight ebullience. Camelot's usually haunting "Follow Me" gets a rhythmic bounce. Its lush romantic ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You" becomes stunningly simple. And the sweet, gentle melody of "Waitin' for My Dearie" from Brigadoon is, instead, jaunty with a modern syncopation.

Hyman says of his musical relationship with Peplowski: "We've been working on contrapuntal playing for some years now. Getting to unexpected territory is one of the pleasures of our collaboration: we listen to each other and we trust each other. Loewe's music is very melodic, but it is our jazzman's tradition to fill up the harmony, and to make the whole thing a little more adventurous. Sometimes we go off on strange tangents and kind of dare the other fellow to understand what we're doing or create something in contrast, just to make something come out in ways we didn't expect."

from

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Arbors-Records-to-Celebrate-Lerner-Loewe-with-Two-Albums-20190910