Release Date: 30 September 2005
Label: Naxos - Nostalgia / Naxos Nostalgic
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 636943282823
Genres: Jazz
Description
S WONDERFULSongs of GEORGE GERSHWINOriginal 1920-1949 Recordings'I like a Gershwin tune,how about you?' asks thefamous Arthur Freed-Burton Lane song and mostlisteners would agree emphatically.There's something about the music of GeorgeGershwin (especially when coupled with theidiosyncratic lyrics of his brother Ira) that makes itstill sound as fresh today as it did when firstwritten. This eclectic collection of twentynumbers takes us through his all-too-brief careerand gives us an ample sampling of his genius.I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise waswritten with Buddy DeSylva. Although created asthe Act I Finale of George White's Scandals of1922, you probably won't be able to listen to itwithout remembering that scene from AnAmerican In Paris where Georges Guetary sangit climbing a giant staircase, which illuminatedstep by step as he ascended.Irving Caesar claims that he and Gershwinwrote Swanee in less than an hour one eveningafter dinner. Caesar was prone to exaggeration,but one thing is clear: once Al Jolson got throughsinging it in a 1918 show called Sinbad,Gershwinfound himself with his first hit at the age of 21. TheGreat Jolson sings it here in a 1920 studio recording.We're now so used to well-integratedmusicals, that we often forget that during the1920s, producers would sign up a cast first, thenbuild a show around them. 1924's Lady Be Goodwas one of those cases. The Gershwins had to plytheir craft not only for Fred and Adele Astaire, butfor the then-popular novelty performer CliffEdward, better known as 'Ukulele Ike'. Here'swhat he sounded like on Fascinating Rhythm.Gertrude Lawrence was one of the majorsuperstars of her time, but it's hard to see howfrom listening to her frail voice, which often wentquaveringly off-key. All critics said you had toimagine her charm. So do that, and picture herclutching a tattered Pierrot doll as she sat alone ina spotlight and broke everyone's heart singingSomeone to Watch Over Me from a trifle calledOh, Kay!One of the most interesting things about thenext selection 'S Wonderful is the lady singing it.Vaughn De Leath was known as 'the First Lady ofRadio' in the 1920s, appearing all over the dial.But after 1931, personal troubles drove her out ofperforming and she died in alcoholic obscurity.Listen to her here at the height of her fame in 1928.For a hit song, The Man I Love has a highlyunsuccessful history. It was originally cut fromLady Be Good in 1924, then sung in the flop outof town tryout of Strike Up The Band in 1927, cutagain from Rosalie in 1928 and finally rejectedfrom the revised version of Strike Up The Band in1929 - because it had become too popular fromindependent recordings. You never can tell.The number Liza,written for the 1929musical Show Girl is best remembered as an AlJolson number, although he wasn't officially in theshow. His wife,Ruby Keeler,was appearing in theproduction and very nervous about it. Jolson tookto standing up in the audience and singing alongwith the song, supposedly to gi
Tracklisting
Various
Wisdom:Grenfell:Murray
Whiteman
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various
Various
Various
Various
Various
Various
VARIOUS
Various
