Cole After Midnight  (Audio CD) 
by Marcus Roberts Trio

The liner notes were among the best I have seen, as Roberts lays out his project, goals, and tactics on every song. Very informative.

He also seems committed to letting the trio flex its muscles, so that we get a lot of variety in drumming styles, a lot of work for the bass, including duets and interesting solos.

There is also care taken to blend the music, with interesting bookend versions of "Answer Me, My Love," some great interludes, and the very good original bridge "Cole After Midnight."

Structurally, this is a very sound album, leaving only personal taste to judge between a 3-star and 5-star effort. I come down in the middle.

8 of 10 found the following review helpful:

"latin to jazz...and back again"  Sep 03, 2001
Before I really get into this review...would like to point out the highlight of this CD..."WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE", Marcus gives this standard tune his all, great arrangement and outstanding performance...Sinatra put this tune on the charts with his signature style, but there is something about Roberts rendition, grabs you and doesn't let go.

There is a lot of Ella on many of the tracks...being one of my favorites, think this might be the case with our pianist...Marcus backup is truly terrific ~ Roland Guerin (bass), Thaddeus Expose' (bass), Jason Marsalis (drums), Leon Anderson (drums), listen as this group mix the perfect ingredients for a Jazz trip down the avenue known as "Cole!"

Total Time: 65:21 on 16 Tracks ~ Sony/Columbia CK-69781 ~ (2001)

19 of 22 found the following review helpful:

solid, but not outstanding  Jul 21, 2001
mr. roberts returns to the format he used on his previous album, "gershwin for lovers" for this set of cole porter standards with a couple of originals thrown in for good measure. the results are a fine reading of the porter songbook with each tune easily recognizable and downright hummable. but therein lies a problem. in the best standards collections, the tunes are revealed in the first couple of bars, but then the artist gives their own interpretation illuminating their own personal spin and relationship with each song--a fine example being any of the keith jarrett "standards" sessions, or even mr. roberts' gershwin set. mr. roberts offers very little new or extraordinary in his solos, and with eleven of the tracks weighing in four minutes or less, there really isn't much room for exploration. oh, well... if you love cole porter, this is a great set. if you love cole porter and jazz exploration of mr. porter's songbook, go with oscar peterson or mr. jarrett.