When Andrew Burashko of the Art of Time Ensemble asked John Welsman if he'd like to do an arrangement for Songbook 7 with Madeleine Peyroux, he accepted immediately. “As a long time fan of Peyroux's, and hearing the song they'd chosen for me, 'What's the Matter With Love' by Fred Walker, I knew we had a potent mix of artist and song that seemed to cry out for an entirely new treatment. Rather than taking L'il Green's more sassy approach to the song, I imagined this as the singer's wistful lament for unrequited love – bittersweet as it moves effortlessly from heartache to hope and back again."
This isn't Welsman's first outing with the Art of Time – last year he did an arrangement of 'When I'm Sixty-Four' for the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band show. A huge success in its initial run, it will be performed again this November 29th at Toronto's Koerner Hall.
Madeleine Peyroux performs Songbook 7 with The Art of Time Ensemble in Toronto on May 31 and June 1, at the Enwave Theatre at Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queens Quay West.
The Art of Time's website.