RE: Henry's book

[Marvin3809 <Marvin3809...>]

Columbia LP M 34205 (1976) has the Rhapsody In Blue conducted by Michael
Tilson Thomas.  The orchestra is the Columbia Jazz Band playing from the
Whiteman Band arrangements, with the piano played by Gershwin!  The piano part
was actually a tape of the Duo-Art piano rolls that Gershwin made in 1925,
edited to remove embellishments that Gershwin added, which were not in
Whiteman's arrangement.  (I know someone who has one of those piano rolls and
a Steinway grand player piano.  It is great to listen to.)

The jacket notes say that Ferde Grofe made two arrangements for Whiteman.  The
second is the one that we all know, and it was used in this recording.  The
notes continue, "Legend has it that the famous opening clainet solo was
written" (i.e., by Grofe) "especially for Ross Gorman (Whiteman's first
clarinet player) who was uniquely capable of the glissendo that has become
permanently associated with the first bar of the rhapsody.  Gershwin spent
hours with Gorman rehearsing this important coloration, whose task it was to
establish instantly the vocabulary of the piece."

I take no position on the facts of this matter.

> From: bjacobs (at) globaldialog(dot)com (Bob Jacobson)
> Sender:       owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
> Reply-to:     jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
> To:   jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org (World music from a Jewish slant.)
> Henry,
> When and where will your book be available and who is publishing it?
> 
> Bob Jacobson
> bjacobs (at) globaldialog(dot)com
> 
> 
> >As I show in my forthcoming book "Klezmer! A History of Yiddish Music in
> >America" The famous opening of "Rhapsody in Blue" with its characteristic
> >"klezmer" glissando, was not of Gershwin's making. The original Gershwin
idea
> >(and the music on the stands played by the Whiteman orchestra) had not, the
> >famous "cry"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>