Gershwin: Piano Music

George Gershwin (Composer), Joan Morris (Performer), William Bolcom (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Joan Morris, William Bolcom
• Composer: George Gershwin
• Audio CD (April 9, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005IY8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,451 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #92 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Languages > English

Track Listings

1. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Swanee

2. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Nobody But You

3. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise

4. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Do It Again

5. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Fascinating Rhythm

6. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Oh, Lady Be Good

7. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Somebody Loves Me

8. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Sweet and Low Down

9. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: That Certain Feeling

10. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: The Man I Love

11. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Clap Yo' Hands

12. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Do Do Do

13. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: My One and Only

14. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: 'S Wonderful

15. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Strike Up The Band

16. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Liza

17. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: I Got Rhythm

18. Gershwin Song-Book, song transcriptions (18) for piano: Who Cares?

19. Rialto Ripples, rag for piano

20. Preludes (3) for piano: Allegro ben ritmato e deciso

See all 37 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gershwin Never Sounded Better!, June 25, 2002

By 

Cowboy Buddha "David" (Essex UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gershwin: Piano Music (Audio CD)

This is a fantastic CD! Back in the 70's, pianist William Bolcom and his singer wife Joan Morris made a delightful series of albums on the Nonesuch label of old songs from the first half of the twentieth century - just glorious voice backed by brilliant piano. As Ira Gershwin might say - who could ask for anything more? The music is not only beautifully performed, you can hear the joy of the performance in every note. And Bolcom and Morris were never better than when doing Gershwin.

A combination of two albums, the first part of this CD is all piano. The Gershwin Songbook consists of brief (some under a minute) versions of some of his more popular songs in the way that Gershwin himself famously played them at parties. They demonstrate that Gershwin was as gifted a pianist as he was a composer. The other instrumental tracks are some of Gershwin's solo piano pieces, including the wonderful Rialto Ripples, a rag written when he was just seventeen. For me, the pinnacle of both Gershwin's and William Bolcom's artistry is reached on the second of the three preludes - a classic study of a bluesy mood.

Just when you think things can't get any better, Joan Morris arrives. She effortlessly sings and swings her way through ten of Gershwin's best songs from the cheeky comedy of By Strauss to the smoky moodiness of Someone To Watch Over Me. Maybe I'm just an incurable old romantic, but the ballads are the best of all.

No Gershwin collection can be complete without this CD. Now if only I could find a copy of that Bolcom/Morris song about Humphrey Bogart...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Peculiar, January 25, 2005

By 

Richard Wirtz "Dick" (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gershwin: Piano Music (Audio CD)

I can see how someone might enjoy this album. William Bolcom is a top-flight pianist and the idea of playing the tunes as George Gershwin played them at parties is intriguing.

Because my ear is used to it, I guess, I would like to have heard longer performances of fewer songs. Each one sounded to me like a snippet -- over too soon. Because of that, plus the fact that I'm not a fan of Joan Morris' showy voice, I give the album one thumb up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great -- but not for everyone, July 4, 2008

By 

J. BURGESON (Stratford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gershwin: Piano Music (Audio CD)

No doubt the Gershwin Bros. would approve of this gem from the 1970s. The vocals and the piano are both top flight. One of my favorites. But then, I have eclectic tastes in music, and not everyone on the room will approve of Joan Morris' operatic treatment of the material. Still, if your friends can't at least appreciate songs like "Just Another Rumba," maybe you might want shop around for new friends.