One of the most celebrated mavericks in 21st century vocal jazz, Patricia Barber has long carried a fascination for Cole Porter, noting that "he has always been my songwriting idol. I love his music and I've been singing his songs for so many years." The Mix follows the all-original epic release, Mythologies, offering Barber's interpretations of lyrics often as insightful and sarcastic as her own original words, as well as three original songs that could be modern-day translations of Porter. Her core quartet features her own piano, melodica and voice, along with long-time partners Neal Alger (guitar), Michael Arnopol (bass) and Eric Montzka (drums), with Nate Smith filling in on drums on 3 tracks and Chris Potter adding tenor sax on 5 tracks.