Gettin' Away with Murder

Gettin' Away with Murder is a studio album by American jazz singer Patti Austin, released in 1985 on Qwest Records.^[1][2] The album peaked at No. 25 on the US Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 39 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums chart.^[3][4]

William Rhulmann of AllMusic declared, "Austin gives her all in any guise they devise for her -- sultry balladeer, disco diva, pop princess."^[5]

Musicians and Vocals

• Patti Austin – vocals, backing vocals (1–3, 5, 6, 8), doo wop vocals (1)
• Patrick Henderson – acoustic piano (1)
• Robbie Kilgore – keyboards (1, 2, 6), synth bass (1, 4), additional keyboards (4), drum programming (6)
• Jeff Lorber – additional keyboards (1), synth solo (1)
• John Mahoney – Synclavier programming (2, 6)
• Richard Scher – sequenced synthesizer programming (2), drum programming (2)
• Terry Lewis – keyboards (3), drum programming (3), percussion (3, 8, 9)
• Monte Moir – acoustic piano (3, 8), keyboards (3), synthesizers (3, 8), drum programming (8), percussion (8, 9)
• Randy Goodrum – keyboards (4)
• Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (5, 7), synthesizers (5, 7)
• Lee Blaske – Emulator 2 programming (8)
• Herb Pilhofer – Synclavier II (9)
• Todd Yvega – Synclavier programming (9)
• Michael Landau – guitars (1, 4)
• Ira Siegel – lead guitar (1), additional guitars (2), guitars (6)
• Tony Maiden – guitars (2)
• Paul Jackson Jr. – guitars (5, 7)
• Neil Stubenhaus – bass (1)
• Abraham Laboriel – bass (5, 7)
• Steve Ferrone – drums (1, 4, 5, 7)
• Bob Riley – drum programming (1, 2, 6), Simmons toms (2, 6)
• Gordy Knudtson – drums (3, 8)
• Ralph MacDonald – tambourine (1)
• Jimmy Jam – percussion (3, 8, 9), acoustic piano (9), synthesizers (9), drum programming (9)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (7)
• Michael Brecker – saxophones (1)
• Randy Brecker – trumpet (1)
• Jeanne Ekholm – harp (3)
• Lani Groves – backing vocals (1, 2, 5)
• Dan Hartman – backing vocals (1)
• Billy Joel – backing vocals (1), doo wop vocals (1)
• Russ Titelman – backing vocals (1), doo wop vocals (1)
• Jocelyn Brown – backing vocals (2)
• Chaka Khan – backing vocals (2)
• Luther Vandross – backing vocals (2)
• Lucia Newell – backing vocals (3, 8)
• Gordon Grody – backing vocals (5)

Strings on "The Heat of Heat"

• Julie Ayer, Helen Foli, Sachina Isomura, Frank Lee, Ralph Matson, Brenda Mickens, Karl Nashan and Marcia Peck – string players

Strings on "Sunmer Is the Coldest Time of the Year"

• Edouard Blitz, Bob Jamieson, Joshua Koestenbaum and Marcia Peck – cello
• Bruce Allard, Julie Ayer, Carolyn Daws, Hanley Daws, Helen Foli, Ralph Matson, Karl Nashan and Hyacinthe Tlucek – violin

Arrangements

• Billy Joel – doo wop arrangements (1)
• Russ Titelman – doo wop arrangements (1)
• Robbie Kilgore – additional synthesizer arrangements (2)
• Richard Scher – basic track arrangements (2)
• Luther Vandross – BGV arrangements (2)
• Patti Austin – vocal arrangements (3, 8), BGV arrangements (6)
• Jimmy Jam – rhythm arrangements (3, 8), vocal arrangements (3, 8)
• Terry Lewis – rhythm arrangements (3, 8), vocal arrangements (3, 8)
• Monte Moir – rhythm arrangements (3, 8), vocal arrangements (3, 8)
• Lee Blaske – string arrangements (3)
• Bob James – string arrangements (4)
• David Nadien – string contractor (4)
• Robbie Buchanan – music arrangements (5, 7)

• Michael Ostin – executive producer
• Russ Titelman – executive producer, producer (1, 2, 4, 6)
• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – producers (3, 9)
• Tommy LiPuma – producer (5, 7)
• Monte Moir – producer (8)
• Kyle Davis – production coordinator (1, 2, 4, 6)
• L.A. Fishman – production coordinator (5, 7)
• Laura LiPuma – art direction, design
• Stuart Watson – front cover photography
• Phyllis Cuington – back cover photography
• Otis – cover cat
• Weisner-DeMann Entertainment – management

Technical credits

• Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
• Humberto Gatica – basic track recording (1, 4)
• Malcolm Pollack – mixing (1, 6)
• Steve Wiese – recording (3, 8, 9)
• Jack Joseph Puig – recording (5, 7), mixing (5, 7)
• Jim Boyer – additional recording (1, 4), recording (2, 6), mixing (2, 4)
• Bradshaw Leigh – additional recording (1, 2, 4, 6), string recording (4)
• Andy Hoffman – additional recording (1, 2, 4, 6)
• Alan Meyerson – additional recording (2)
• Josh Abbey – additional recording (5, 7)
• Erik Zobler – additional recording (7)
• Bruce Buchalter – assistant engineer (1, 4, 6)
• Elisa Gura – assistant engineer (1, 2, 4, 6)
• Tom Souce – assistant engineer (1, 4)
• Jon Goldberger – mix assistant (1), assistant engineer (6)
• Gail King – assistant engineer (2)
• Bobby Warner – mix assistant (2, 4)
• Bruce Smith – assistant engineer (4)
• Dan Nash – mix assistant (4)
• Dan Garcia – second engineer (5, 7)
• Steve MacMillan – second engineer (5, 7), mix assistant (7)
• Garry Rindfuss – second engineer (5, 7)
• Michael C. Ross – second engineer (5, 7)
• Jamie Chalef – assistant engineer (6)