Customer Reviews

The Greatest Songs Of George Gershwin

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Thirty songs from Ira & George. The charts are REALLY good. So if you like to go beyond the simple, play-along-with-the-chords versions, you can play it like George wrote it. It's pretty exciting to be able to play like a forties lounge pianist -- moving bass and big open jazz chords. It's accurate too. All you have to do is add a bit of swing. Of course, the tuxedo and tip glass are optional. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" is the quintessential American reminisce. In a certain way, Ira's wistful lyric -- "Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note. Though by tomorrow you're gone" -- is reminiscent of Brazilian bossa nova lyrics. Both recognize the inevitable failure of love but focus on the memory that remains. This one song alone makes it worth putting the book in the piano bench. Unfortunately there's quite a lot of Porgie & Bess. Too many "Summertimes" in previous lives soured me. Save me from 1930's New York liberals in "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin." All in all, it's a positive experience. But unless you're great at reading charts, be prepared to slog it out. Once you've learned your one or two Gershwin tunes, sit back and enjoy. Nod your head and smile when someone drops a buck in the tip glass.

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