# By George!



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

PROGRAMMING NOTE
Yes, the _Tuesday Blog_ returns after a summer hiatus, but we will be changing things somewhat programming-wise.

One thing I discovered during this long summer break was that _it's really nice to have time to dedicate to other things! _In an effort to try and do just that going forward, I decided to significantly reduce my activities here and elsewhere, at least for the foreseeable future. I plan to post maybe a few times a month on TC, with an emphasis on providing thoughts and musical illustrations. This month, I don't plan any Vinyl on _YouTube_ or a set of suggested acquisitions - we may get back to some of that in the coming months, depending on what I have going on.








Much of my activities this month (see the "teaser" below) are commemorating the World Premiere of *George Gershwin*'s folk opera _Porgy and Bess_, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. In a couple of weeks, I will be sharing something specific on that opera on the Tuesday Blog, but this week we dip into the _Podcast Vault_, and recycle an all-Gershwin program.

The bulk of the montage provides a series of adaptations and settings of some of Gershwin's famous tunes, going from virtuoso etudes by *Earl Wild *to jazz adaptations by *Benny Goodman *and *Miles Davis*. The latter, from his Porgy and Bess concept album, will get further discussion in a couple of weeks.

Two tracks feature Gershwin _as a pianist_, both in-person and virtually. According to an article by Jack Gibbons for Piano Magazine , "by all contemporary accounts Gershwin's piano playing was phenomenal; such legendary virtuoso pianists as Rachmaninov and Josef Hofmann were deeply impressed with the natural ease and inventiveness of his playing. […]The examples of his playing that have survived - including some electric recordings, recordings of radio broadcasts, two sound films, and a considerable number of piano rolls - reveal a youthfulness, a vigour, a 'pep' which guaranteed to make him the centre of attention at any social gathering."

We hear Gershwin play one of his three piano preludes, and from a vintage piano roll, Gershwin attacks his famous _Rhapsody in Blue _at a break-neck pace.

Happy Listening!

_ITYWLTMT Montage #79 - In Memoriam - George Gershwin
(Originally published on Friday, 9 November 2012)_​
*Royland Earl WILD (1915 -2010)*
7 Virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin Songs (1973) - Selections
Earl Wild, piano

*George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)*
Prelude no. 2. in C-Sharp Minor
George Gershwin, piano

_Strike Up the Band_ (From the Musical Comedy, 1927)	
André Kostelanetz & His Orchestra

_Facinating Rhythm_ (from Lady, Be Good!) / _Someone To Watch Over Me_ (from Oh, Kay!, 1926)	
Morton Gould (piano) & His Orchestra

_Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) _(from Show Girl, 1929)	
Benny Goodman (clarinet) & His Orchestra

_Mine _(from Let 'Em Eat Cake, 1933)	
Dick Hyman, piano with uncredited accompaniment

_They Can't Take That Away from Me _(from Shall We Dance, 1937)	
Charlie Parker (Saxophone) With Strings (Carnegie Hall 1950)

_Porgy and Bess_ (1935)
Instrumental arrangements and sung selections

Overture & Medley
Russell Garcia & His Orchestra

_Summertime	_
Oscar Peterson, piano
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, double bass
Jake Hanna, drums

_I Wants to Stay Here (a.k.a. I Loves You, Porgy)_ 
Miles Davis - trumpet & flugelhorn
Gil Evans - musical director

_Bess, You Is My Woman Now_ 
Robert McFerrin & Adele Addison
MGM Studio Orchestra
Andre Previn, conducting

_There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York_ 
Cab Calloway 
MGM Studio Orchestra
Andre Previn, conducting

_Blues _(Arrangement of An American In Paris, 1928)	
Harry James (trumpet) & His Orchestra

_Rhapsody in Blue_, for piano and jazz orchestra (1924)
George Gershwin, piano roll (Aeolian Company, 1925)
Columbia Jazz Band
Michael Tilson-Thomas, conducting


Original Bilingual Commentary: http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca/2012/11/montage-79-in-memoriam-george-gershwin.html
Detailed Playlist: https://archive.org/stream/pcast079-Playlist
Internet Archive Link: http://archive.org/details/InMemoriamGeorgeGershwin 
Pod-O-Matic Link (Valid until 30 september 2015): http://itywltmt.podomatic.com

*To read and listen to my musical selections this month, please visit my programming pages on both my English and French Blogs. Past music montages can also be heard on our Pod-O-Matic podcast channel.*


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