(Concord)

Al Jarreau and The Metropole Orkestra Live makes clear that the veteran singer/vocalist can still hold an audience in his hand, whether they’re in an auditorium or cruising along the highway listening on a car stereo. On Jarreau’s first project for Concord Records, his magic is perfectly paired with the top shelf accompaniment of the Netherland’s based, 53-piece Metropole Orkest (or Orchestra). Added to this pairing is the arranging and conducting of the great Vince Mendoza, to make this quite a special production. The recording highlights a two-night engagement at the Theater aan de Parade, located in Den Bosch, Netherlands. Jarreau and company cover a broad swath of his vast signature songbook on this effort, and in a way that is as beautiful and spellbinding as ever.