Paul Whiteman's 1938 Gershwin Recordings

Paul Whiteman will always be linked with George Gershwin's music. He commissioned Rhapsody in Blue, and introduced it during his famous Aeolian Hall concert in February 1924. The composer himself was the pianist.

George Gershwin

But Gershwin's other major concert works - the Concerto in F, An American in Paris, the Cuban Overture and the Second Rhapsody - were not premiered by Whiteman. They all were introduced by - and scored for - symphony orchestras.

The bandleader still retained a strong interest in the composer, however. For example, in 1928 he made the first recording of the Concerto, with Roy Bargy as the soloist. And he often performed Gershwin's works live with his Concert Orchestra, invariably including one work in his annual concerts of modern American music.

This present album shows what those concert performances must have been like. Whiteman puts aside the symphonic orchestrations that Gershwin himself produced for An American in Paris, the Cuban Overture and the Second Rhapsody. Instead, he employs excellent orchestrations from his staff arrangers. These were tailored to the Concert Orchestra's personnel at the time - a large jazz band plus oboe, seven violins, two violas and one cello. The results are irresistible.

Paul Whiteman

Is it a sacrilege to toss out the composer's own scores? Maybe, but consider that most performances and recordings have not used them either. Gershwin's scores were edited after his death by his publisher, and in one instance (the Second Rhapsody) completely re-orchestrated by composer Robert McBride.

The Whiteman recordings date from October 1938. They were first issued in a 78 set, then transcribed into LP form in 1949. Brief notes about each piece follow.

Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin's most famous work was orchestrated three times by Ferde Grofé, who was Whiteman's chief arranger from 1920-32 - the 1924 version, a revision in 1926 for theater orchestra, and a symphonic orchestration in 1942. It is believed that the 1938 recording uses the original arrangement, with some amendments and additional instruments. The piano soloist is Roy Bargy, who was in Whiteman's employ from 1928-40.

Cuban Overture. This composition, dating from 1932, was initially titled Rumba in honor of the Cuban dance that was then becoming popular in New York. In it, Whiteman's orchestra does a creditable imitation of a rhumba band - certainly far better than the symphonic versions that are often heard. The soloist is Rosa Linda, in her early 20s and already a superb pianist. She is more fluid and produces a more beautiful tone than Bargy. The bandleader had premiered this excellent orchestration by Allan Small in that year's Carnegie Hall concert of American music.

An American in Paris

An American in Paris. This piece, dating from 1931, benefits from another terrific arrangement, this time by Nathan Van Cleave, later a well regarded Hollywood orchestrator.

Second Rhapsody. Perhaps Gershwin's least-loved concert work, the Second Rhapsody (née Rhapsody in Rivets), is nonetheless an enjoyable work that benefits from the strong advocacy of Whiteman and Bargy. It dates from 1931. I haven't been able to determine who did the arrangement here, but it might be Small or Van Cleave.

Roy Bargy in Whiteman's 1930 film The King of Jazz

Now a few words about the sound. I used an original pressing of the LP for my first transfer. It has remarkably vivid sonics that show off Whiteman's terrific ensemble to advantage. However, the pressing is a bit noisy and there is some peak distortion in the louder piano passages. This should not be too distracting if you listen via speakers, but it will be noticeable on headphones.

That being the case, I also did a second transfer from a very clean later pressing. However, this pressing is a re-dub with added reverb, which was entirely unnecessary. The echo blunts the impact of the band's performance. Some of you may prefer this cleaner sound, of course, so I'll make the second transfer available for a limited time.

The caricatures of Whiteman and Gershwin above and the illustration of An American in Paris are by the wonderful artist Miguel Covarrubias, who regularly contributed to Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

The music of George Gershwin has been a constant presence on this blog - and continuously popular with readers. I hope you enjoy this latest addition to the Gershwin collection.