This Beautiful Love

Total Time – 73:52

PART ONE: PIANO SOLOS

  1. DREAM COME TRUE 4:45
  2. THREE MELODIES 3:50
  3. MEDLEY 5:42
    1. LIKE A MORNING GLORY
      (IN BLOOM)       (3:04)
    2. EMERALD GREEN (2:38)
  4. IVY'S TUNE 1:31
  5. THEY SAY IT'S WONDERFUL 6:30
    (Irving Berlin)

    PART TWO: DUETS

  6. THIS BEAUTIFUL LOVE * 4:51
  7. RUBATO ** 4:02
  8. YOU'RE THE ONE * 4:18
  9. SHELTER ** 3:30
  10. IVY'S THEME * 3:03
  11. KANSAS LULLABYE ** 3:28
  12. RINGING IN THE NEW
    WITH YOU     * 3:33

    PART THREE: PIANO SOLOS

  13. A HELP IN TIMES
    OF TROUBLE     3:19
  14. THREE FOUNTAINS 2:48
  15. MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE 4:00
    (Guy Wood/Robert Mellin)
  16. IVY'S LULLABYE 2:34
  17. ANOTHER LULLABYE 2:25
  18. QUARTER NOTE LULLABYE 3:21
  19. MISSOURI LULLABYE 2:50
  20. BIRTHDAY LULLABYE 2:40
  • * piano/guitar duet
  • ** piano/vocal duet
  • Compositions by Paul Hofmann (PBH Music BMI) except:
  • They Say It’s Wonderful
    (Irving Berlin Music Corp. ASCAP) and
  • My One And Only Love
    (Sherwin Music Pub. Corp. ASCAP)
  • Produced by Paul Hofmann
  • Engineered by Ron Ubel
  • Recorded digitally, December 8, 1992, August 11-12, 1993 and June 16, 1994 at Soundtrek Studio I, Kansas City, Missouri
  • Digital editing by John Blank
  • Art direction and design by Keith Kavanaugh
  • Kevin Mahogany appears courtesy of ENJA Records

This Beautiful Love

“To music’s pipe the passions dance.”

— MATHEW GREEN (1737)

“Who can find a woman of worth? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, and he shall have no lack of gain. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

— Proverbs 31:10-12

I’m confident that this collection of music ranks with my best work to date. The original pieces were intermittently written from 1989-1994; this resulting project was recorded over four days spanning an interval of some eighteen months. I’ve divided the program into three segments: portions one and three consisting of solo piano performances, with the middle section a series of alternating duets featuring Rod Fleeman’s smooth guitar work and the vocal artistry of Kevin Mahogany.

Part One offers a varied range of piano styles and moods – some decidedly jazzy; others more serious, more notated. Dream Come True kicks things off in a playful bebop vein, followed by a fairly ambitious juxtaposition of Three Melodies. The ensuing two-song coupling adopts as its model those memorable medleys Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn used to produce: my combination of Like A Morning Glory (In Bloom) and Emerald Green recalls this introspective approach. Then we have Ivy’s Tune, a brief romantic waltz (with a nod to Schubert), which leads directly into Irving Berlin’s chestnut They Say It’s Wonderful.

Part Two commences with the Bill Evans-like This Beautiful Love, where Rod clearly displays his love for Jim Hall’s lyrical lines (the classic Evans/Hall piano-guitar duo serves as the primary model for our other interpretations as well). Next up, Rubato features a more vigorous “McCoy Tyner style” of playing/writing, and dig Kevin’s luxurious voice – like velvet. You’re the One, the most buoyant duet performance, is a bossa nova that has Rod and me in a Brazilian mood. Kevin does a stellar job with the ballad Shelter, and Rod takes another poetic turn on Ivy’s Theme. Kevin utilizes his cello-like sonorities to the fullest on the wistful Kansas Lullabye, his third wordless vocal performance. Finally, Rod joins me again for the Ringing in the New with You – written on New Year’s eve, 1992-3.

Part Three fully develops the contemplative atmosphere. A Help in Times of Trouble is a bebop ballad. Three Fountains takes its name from the apartment complex I lived in during my first few weeks in Kansas City. The final selections bring quiet closure to the program.

To all of you who’ve purchased this album, I sincerely hope this recording affords you many enjoyable hours of listening.

Paul Hofmann

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©1995 MHR Records. All Rights Reserved.