Proof that a performer raised on the post-WWII blues of Texas can interpret Kurt Weill is found in Boz Scaggs’ recording of “Speak Low,” the title track of his second collection of standards.
His breathy baritone makes his reading of Ogden Nash’s word one of the most affecting interpretations of his career – and I happen to be a huge fan of his versions of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Waiting for a Train” and Fenton Robinson’s “Loan Me a Dime.”
Scaggs brought in jazz pianist Gil Goldstein to produce, arrange and lead a quartet that features  Bob Sheppard on woodwinds, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Alex Acuna. The repertoire includes a couple of Johnny Mercer tunes (“This Time the Dream’s on Me,” co-written with Harold Arlen, and “Skylark,” co-written by Hoagy Carmichael), Duke Ellington (“Do Nothing till You Hear From Me”), Jobim’s “Dindi” and “I'll Remember April” by Gene De Paul, Patricia Johnson and Don Raye.
Goldstein came into Scaggs’ life one rainy night when the singer walked past the Blue Note jazz club and heard vibes, strings and horns – the sounds he wanted to explore  on his second venture in this new area. Different as it is from his days blending soul and blues in funky configurations (1969’s “Boz Scaggs” and “Moments”) or slick ones (1976’s “Silk Degrees” and 2001’s underrated “Dig”) he has a pretty keen idea as to the source.
“Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland is the king of them all and I know this stuff (standards) got in there. I even asked Bobby this, and he said it’s through the influence of Nat King Cole,” Scaggs says. “Now there’s also Joe Turner, a little Sinatra, Mel Torme. To have discovered my connection to this wonderful, relevant music has opened a whole new world.”
The vinyl version of the album will be released Tuesday, which will make it eligible for this year’s Grammy Awards, and on Oct. 28 in all other forms.
He spoke about being intimidated by the jazz musicians in his band, session musicians he has worked with over the years, among them Duane Allman, and how, this time around, he’ll fit some “Silk Degrees” material into his jazz shows

Once Boz Scaggs wraps up his tour of small theaters, he will hit a few jazz clubs in support of his second album of standards, "Speak Low," which will be released Oct. 28 on Decca.
He will also unveil jazz versions of hit tunes from "Silk Degrees": "Lowdown," "JoJo" and "Lido Shuffle." Since the album is all ballads, those tunes could go a long way to bringing some pep to the show.
Scaggs will perform at Jazz Alley in Seattle Oct.30-Nov.2;Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis on Nov. 5 and 6; UCO Jazz Club in Edmond, Okla., on Nov. 7; the Blue Note in New York  Nov. 10-11 and 14-16;
Blue Alley in D.C. on Nov. 19;  Ram's Head on Stage in Annapolis, Md., on Nov. 20; and Boston's Wilbur Theatre on Nov. 23.

Boz Scaggs will take a second dip into the standards repertoire and Decca Records will make sure he is eligible for the best traditional pop vocal album Grammy by releasing his album on the awards' final date of eligibility.
"Speak Low" will be released on vinyl on Sept. 30 and in all other forms on Oct. 28.
Gil Goldstein produced, arranged and plays piano on the record. Rest of the quartet backing Scaggs is Alex Acuña (drums), Bob Sheppard (woodwinds), and Scott Colley (bass). Intriguingly, his website has a a Japanese poster for a show featuring Toto as a co-headliner; the members of Toto were Boz's backing band  during his "Silk Degrees" heyday.
The track list
1. INVITATION (Bronislaw Kaper)
2. SHE WAS TOO GOOD TO ME (Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers)
3. I WISH I KNEW (Mark Gordon and Harry Warren)
4. SPEAK LOW (Ogden Nash and Kurt Weill)
5. DO NOTHING TILL YOU HEAR FROM ME (Edward Kennedy Ellington and Keith Sidney Russell)
6. I'LL REMEMBER APRIL (Gene De Paul, Patricia Johnson and Don Raye)
7. SAVE YOUR LOVE FOR ME (Buddy Woodrow Johnson)
8. BALLAD OF THE SAD YOUNG MEN (Frances Landesman and Thomas J. Wolf, Jr.)
9. SKYLARK (Hoagy Carmichael and John H. Mercer)
10. SENZA FINE (Campos Cesarea, Gine Paoli, and Alec Wilder)
11. DINDI (Aloysio De Oliveira, Ray Gilbert, and Antonio Carlos Jobim)
12. THIS TIME THE DREAM'S ON ME (Harold Arlen and John H. Mercer)