Customer Reviews

Great Songs of George Gershwin

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According to Will Friedwald on liner notes, "Gershwin songs are everything you want them to be." Mr. Friedwald is absolutely right and I certainly agree with him. From "Rhapsody In Blue" and "Fascinating Rhythm" to "Love Walked In" and "Love Is Here To Stay," his compositions are the most beloved not only by artists and musicians but music aficionados and listeners as well. For somebody who has never attended a formal music conservatory, he's truly a musical genius gifted with special talent in making melodious music that are so pleasant to the ears.

The year Gershwin wrote his first song was the same year my late father was born. Little did my father know that someday he would be a huge fan of this extraordinary composer and would collect all Gershwin-related records. My recollection on Gershwin music was when I first heard "Rhapsody In Blue" from one of my father's records. I thought it sounded so good with its erratic tempo, the clarinet solo, the orchestra and the way it was played by the composer himself. I like everything about this piece of classic in the Modern era. From that moment on, I became interested in his music.

This one gem of a CD offers eighteen of the best songs composed by the great Gershwin Brothers as interpreted by the finest performers, the likes of Benny Goodman, Fred Astaire, Doris Day, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Jo Stafford, Mel Torme, Johnny Mathis and George Benson, among others.

Highlights, in my opinion, are the performances of Doris Day in "But Not For Me," Andy Williams' "Our Love Is Here To Stay," Johnny Mathis' "Love Walked In," Mel Torme's "Isn't It A Pity," Mildred Bailey and Her Orchestra's "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and a jazzy rendition of "A Foggy Day" by George Benson.

This is one of my absolute favorite CDs. Great CD. Great Performers. Great Songs. Great team of Gershwin Brothers. Greatly recommended!

This is a great cd with a variety of performers doing their renditions of Gershwin's songs. The mood is upbeat & jazzy, but strangely relaxing. I drive to work listening to it a great deal & feel not only a little more cultured, but refreshed. A great cd if you're looking for a good spectrum of old showtune-type songs! :)

These are popular arrangements of Gershwin's music, more jazz-club style than broadway. They are original recordings sung by the stars of the era. While there is some remastering, there remains noticeable extra sounds, so be forewarned that these are not 'pristine' CD-quality recordings, understandably.

George Gershwin's short but productive career has always been associated in my mind with the Broadway musical. Much more so than that another composer from that same period of the 1930's-1940's whom I recently reviewed in this space, Cole Porter. They both worked this milieu but I always think more of New York (or Paris) cabarets and cafés with Porter's work and the theater with Gershwin (and I will tag along his brother, Ira, here as well). Perhaps, it's because George Gershwin's name is most associated historically with the classic Broadway black musical "Porgy and Bess". In any case this little CD is filled with songs by many well-known singers who won their spurs in Broadway productions of his work, or wished they had.

So here we have Billie Holiday doing her trademark "Summertime" from that "Porgy and Bess" mentioned above. The virtuoso pianist Teddy Wilson doing "Embraceable You". The underrated Mildred Bailey on " They Can't Take That Away From You". The recently departed Mel Torme doing "Isn't It A Pity" and the still legendary Tony Bennett on "Fascinatin' Rhythm" (from Lady, Be Good). If your thing is Gershwin show tunes you have definitely come to the right address.

My mom liked the music of George Gershwin. It was the music of her youth, I suppose; but we never really had music playing in our home when I was a kid. In my home, however, music plays almost constantly and we listen to a very wide variety of music. While looking to boost our collection of music from past decades, I stumbled upon this Cd and I'm so glad that I did! The recordings are of the folks that knew the tunes best, Fred Astaire, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett and more. My entire family is enjoying this CD and I LOVE hearing my boys (ages 9 and 14) singing along!