Beauty and the Beat!

In 1957, while Peggy Lee was entering the peak of her career with Capitol Records, Jack Kerouac published On the Road, which contained a dizzying passage bearing witness to the godlike genius of blind British jazz pianist George Shearing. That genius is on display in Shearing's 1959 collaboration with Lee, Beauty and the Beat!. At a time when many regarded Lee as a female correspondent to Frank Sinatra, this album returned her to the style of her early years, when she recorded misty tunes with a small combo. The big-band clichés and suburban pop confections of the late '50s drop away on this album, which is pure jazz, played close to the vest, with utter elegance. Never a belter, Lee lets her emotions come out much more clearly alongside Shearing’s leadership. “All Too Soon,” “There’ll Be Another Spring," and “Nobody’s Heart” are among the most beautiful performances she recorded, and even abbreviated treats like “Mambo in Miami” and “Blue Prelude” display wit and expertise. Just as Kerouac understood Shearing, Shearing understood Lee. This is how she was meant to be heard.