Americana

George Gershwin (Artist), John Novacek (Artist), Charlie Chaplin (Artist), Scott Joplin (Artist), Manuel Ponce (Artist), Henri Vieuxtemps (Artist), Spiritual Traditional (Artist), Stephen Foster (Artist), Leila Josefowicz (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 10, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B00004YWU9
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,864 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Four Rags: Intoxication

2. Four Rags: 4th Street Drag

3. Four Rags: Cockles

4. Four Rags: Full Stride Ahead

5. Smile

6. Yankee Doodle (Variations Burlesques): Souvenir D'Amerique

7. Ragtime For Violin: The Ragtime Dance

8. Esterllita (My Little Star, Mexican Serenade)

9. Short Story

10. Three Preludes: 1 Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso

11. Three Preludes: 2 Andante Con Moto E Poco Rubato

12. Three Preludes: 3 Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso

13. Ragtime For Violin: The Easy Winners

14. Deep River

15. Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair

16. Old Folks At Home

17. Porgy And Bess Suite: Summertime - A Woman Is A Sometime Thing

18. Porgy And Bess Suite: My Man's Gone Now

19. Porgy And Bess Suite: It Ain't Necessarily So

20. Porgy And Bess Suite: Bess, You Is My Woman Now

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lighthearted, musical fun, December 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Americana (Audio CD)

Leila Josefowicz has shown us, through her previous recordings, that she can play all the "heavies" of the violin repertoire with the best of them. Now she's back, with a catchy, fun recording of jazzy American showpieces. Don't let the cover of the cd fool you into thinking this is a pop princess album, it's not. True, the pieces on here are not heavy, they're purely fun, but she still pulls them off with the same flair and panache as she does in her more serious albums. As Leila states in the liner notes, this album WILL bring a smile to your face! Go out and buy this recording--it's wonderful to listen to when your spirits need a lift.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good clean fun., February 21, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Lehman (Market Harborough, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Americana (Audio CD)

I have enjoyed most of Leila Josefowicz's recordings very much, but this is my favorite. The songs are mostly in a style more or less like rag-time, and they are a lot of fun besides being impressive.
The most amazing piece on this disc is the delightful Yankee Doodle Variations by Vieuxtemps. A fun and virtuosic set of, you guessed right, variations on the song Yankee Doodle. Her perfomence on this piece in particular makes it worth the cost of the entire disc.
Ms. Josefowicz's technique is flawless and her tone is gorgeous. The accompaniment equally good, and the recording quality leaves little to be desired.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spirit of American music, July 22, 2001

By 

Howard Brown (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Americana (Audio CD)

Ms. Josefowicz has created an amazing recording. Her style is incredibly spirited and one can tell she is having great fun with the music. These are pieces familiar to many and yet her performance leaves one feeling they are hearing them for the first time. She is to be commended for producing and replicating the enthusiasm of the American musical tradition. The Gershwin pieces are masterpieces in their own right. I would love to see her produce a Gershwin recording. I think you will find yourself listening many times to this amaizing recording.