|
Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls | 
 enlarge
| Creators: George Gershwin, Frank Milne
Label: Nonesuch
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $14.99
You Save: $3.99 (21%)
New (34) Used (56) Collectible (1) from $2.30
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 18899
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 79287
UPC: 075597928723
EAN: 0075597928723
ASIN: B000005J1I
Release Date: November 9, 1993
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
| |
| Tracks:
| • | Sweet And Lowdown - George Gershwin, | | • | Novelette in Fourths - George Gershwin, Gershwin, George | | • | That Certain Feeling - George Gershwin, | | • | So Am I - George Gershwin, | | • | Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin, Gershwin, George | | • | Swanee - George Gershwin, Caesar, Irving | | • | When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Wan - George Gershwin, Gershwin, George | | • | Kickin' The Clouds Away - George Gershwin, | | • | Idle Dreams - George Gershwin, | | • | On My Mind The Whole Night Long - George Gershwin, | | • | Scandal Walk - George Gershwin, | | • | An American in Paris - George Gershwin, Gershwin, George |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Album for a Friend August 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I sent a copy of this cd to my best friend Art who is learning to play the piano. Here is what I wrote.
Dear Art,
The 1890's and early 1900's had their Ragtime music. In the 1920's the popular sound was know as Tin Pan Alley. As a young composer George Gershwin was a major contributor to the Tin Pan Alley music genre.
This album is comprised mostly of Gershwin's Tin Pan Alley tunes with two exceptions; the most notable of these is a piece that he debuted in concert in 1925. It was a jazz/classical work that clearly shows its Tin Pan Alley roots. While it was panned by the critics of the day it is now considered to be one of the great works of classical music. It is his Rhapsody in Blue (track 5).
After listening to this album I now know that not only was Gershwin a great composer, he was a fantastic pianist. He had a terrific sense of rhythm anad he played around with the tempo of the music with wondrous effect.
I hope that you enjoy the album as much as I did. If not, at least you have a new coaster for your tea glass.
Your friend,
Bill
Who better to play Gershwin than Gershwin? May 27, 2008
I suppose when it comes right down to it, there is no better interpreter of a person's music than the composer himself. From that axiom alone, this CD takes on an educational and historical perspective that makes it well worthwhile. I say educational, because there can be no doubt that Gershwin is, well, a Gershwin authority. And although it is true that the recordings are a little "flat", especially when it comes to dynamics, the producers used the given technology (computers and a disk clavier) expertly enough to make the listener at least aware that these are no ordinary performances of Gershwin tunes. Particularly with Rhapsody in Blue, the movement through the range of emotions and tones is really quite stunning and exciting, setting itself apart from every other version you've ever heard. Even from there, the CD goes to Swanee, and it is hard not to feel you are back in the early jazz era, sitting in a parlor listening to a relative or family friend while away the hours playing "contemporary" music. Every song brings out some feature of George's playing, and while it may not be a tribute CD in that sense, it is east to believe that it was, in any event, possible George knew he was recording for posterity when he first sat and made the rolls. This is, in short, a very fascinating CD. I would think any student of American music could not do without it, and any jazz music collector could definitely build his or her early jazz collection around this recording.
 A Caveat January 7, 2008
Astonishing as it may be to hear "performances" by famous pianists and composers on the reproducing pianos, it must be kept in mind that the "expression" (i.e. dynamics) were all added later, that is, after the pianist recorded the roll, to a special "coding" channel on the margins of the piano roll. We have no way of knowing whether this was done by the original player or by a piano roll editor. So these recordings may represent the original pianist's intentions in the area of tempo and timing, but not necessarily as regards dynamics.
Recomendo September 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Uma boa leva de escritores que se aventura a rabiscar algumas linhas sobre jazz sempre acaba repetindo: o jazz surgiu do encontro da musica africana com a musica europeia. Ou ainda: o jazz e a musica europeia interpretada pelo musico africano. Essa simplificacao e indevida ou, na melhor das hipoteses, ingenua. E como olhar a fita de Moeebius e afirmar que ela tem dois lados. Na verdade ela tem apenas um. Da mesma estranha safra e o jazz: ele nao tem dois lados: tem apenas um. E uma forma musical absolutamente original, distinta de todas as fontes que lhe serviram de inspiracao. E as fontes nao foram apenas a rica polirritmia e os "desafinados" cantos africanos somados a simploria musica popular inglesa ou a genial musica classica alema. A cidade portuaria onde nasceu o jazz, New Orleans, sofreu tambem imensa influencia latina, quer seja em funcao dos colonizadores franceses e espanhois que por la deram as ordens, quer seja pelo enorme afluxo de imigrantes de diversas origens. Alem disso, New Orleans diferenciava-se da maioria das cidades norte-americanas pela liberalidade catolica - que permitia aos negros tocarem seus instrumentos improvisados, dancarem e entoarem seus cantos religiosos, inclusive o voodoo. Na verdade, os registros historicos demonstram que pouquissima musica africana ou europeia chegou ao Novo Mundo.
Os primeiros imigrantes ingleses que por la chegaram eram, em sua imensa maioria, quakers ou puritanos que renegavam a tradicao classica de um William Byrd ou de um Thomas Tallis, tradicao esta ligada ao papismo por eles condenado. Mais interessados em sobreviver na nova terra, suas preocupacoes nao consistiam em tocar violino ou compor sinfonias, mas sim em construir casas, plantar hortas e lutar contra indios. Os unicos resquicios de alguma musica eram os singelos hinos religiosos, totalmente voltados para a manutencao da fervorosa e rigida fe puritana. Ninguem cantava ali para se divertir ou fazer arte pela arte. Cem anos depois, chegam os primeiros negros, arrancados violentamente de varias aldeias distintas e amontoados praticamente nus em poroes de navios. Sem poderem trazer qualquer instrumento musical, toda a sua musica estava depositada em suas mentes escravizadas. Cantos, dialetos e ritmos de diversas regioes da Africa foram obrigados a conviver, fornecendo aquilo que se costuma denominar de heranca musical africana: uma colcha de retalhos de vagas lembrancas musicais misturadas entre si pelo liquidificador da escravidao.
E desse quadro caotico e musicalmente fragil que, ao longo de quatrocentos anos, surgem as formas musicais populares e eruditas no Novo Mundo. Na arena classica, somente no seculo XX o EUA se libertara do absoluto dominio da musica classica alema - e essa libertacao se deve muito mais as guerras com a Alemanha do que por uma vitalidade real da musica erudita norte-americana. E tambem apenas no seculo XX que os musicos brancos iriam abandonar o lucrativo habito de ridicularizar o homem negro atraves do minstrel e passariam a criar um teatro de revista com musica popular que podemos denominar de genuinamente norte-americana. Tem coisa mais norte-americana que a Brodway? E, tambem apenas no seculo XX, os negros e mulatos (creoles) criam o jazz, forma de arte popular que melhor representa o espirito, o corpo e a medula musical desse novo pais. Assim, considerando a musica norte-americana como uma fita, ela sera como a fita de Moeebius: parece ter dois lados, mas possui apenas um.
Toda a inseguranca e pobreza da musica classica norte-americana e atenuada pela solidez e complexidade de sua musica popular. Atuando como uma especie de caldeirao musical, o jazz soube utilizar a estrutura da musica popular - tao apreciada pelo publico norte-americano em detrimento da opera - para produzir uma forma de arte original, unica, absolutamente distinta de qualquer outra tradicao musical. Reunindo todos os elementos que encontrava pelo caminho, o musico de jazz terminou por realizar aquilo que ninguem poderia imaginar: colocou um fim na rigida divisao entre o popular e o erudito. Mostrou que a musica, assim como a estranha fita, tem apenas um lado. Embora nao seja classificada como jazz, a musica de Gershwin faz parte desse processo centrifugo de criacao musical, sabendo reconhecer a beleza de certas contribuicoes trazidas pelo jazz a musica popular tradicional. Ele talvez tenha sido um desses grandes musicos norte-americanos que incomodaram bastante a tradicao: sua musica e complexa demais para ser considerada popular, mas e simples demais para ser considerada classica. No Gramophone Jazzseen voce ouve Rhapsody In Blue, tocada pelo proprio Gershwin e registrada num rolo de pianola em 1925. Agora decida voce mesmo: quantos lados tem a fita ?
Wonderfully American May 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've had a copy of this CD for years and love it. The power and optimism of the music is really quite remarkable... regardless of who or what is actually playing here. The arrangement of Swanee is light but rich with major chord trains like you just want to go marching around the room. And American In Paris leads you on a swaying, dischordy journey the deeper you go, as the narrative begins to trade delicacy for passion. (and I love renditions where you can hear the MUSIC and the instruments don't get in the way, like four-voice midi versions of Bach which reveal the eloquence).
When I listen to this CD now, and which is most surpring to me, I hear a profound pride in America - back "before." I play it when I have people over and we put burgers on the grill. This CD is the song of sitting in my back yard with the clouds blowing by and for the moment things feel OK.
"Before" - OK, there is no old perfect Amercia; but I'm thinking of the time before we learned to distill petroleum into toxic pollution, before pride meant vanity and thuggery, before hate-filled invective became public amusement, and before presidents went to war because it was good for business.
|
|
|
Copyright 2006 - CD Shopper | |
