Gershwin Among Friends
Bill Vitt (drums), Linn Maxwell (mezzo-soprano), Ava Ordman (trombone), Rich Ridenour (piano), Mike Crawford (double bass)
Every label that specializes in American music, at one time or other, does an album devoted to the music of George Gershwin; trying to come up with a disc that is unusual and interesting is the challenge. As the title suggests, all the musicians on this album are friends; the instrumentalists are all members of the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. Just as George Gershwin was himself a product of diverse cultural influences, so his songs represent a variety of musical forms, styles and mediums. The collection on this disc spans the entire creative period of Gershwin's life, from The Real American Folk Song (written in 1918, and his first collaboration with his brother Ira) to the songs for the 1938 movie "The Goldwyn Follies," Love Walked In, I Love To Rhyme, and Our Love is Here to Stay, which were released after the composer's sudden death. Gershwin's friendships and alliances are evident in the songs as well. There are eight songs written for Fred Astaire and-or Ginger Rogers, two songs from the Broadway musical "Girl Crazy," (notable for the fact that the show was the Broadway debut of Ethel Merman and featured a pit Orchestra that included the likes of Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey and Benny Goodman), and further selections which feature Linn Maxwell Keller with the musicians as well as the musicians alone.
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| By Strauss | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| I Got Rhythm | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| S'Wonderful | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Slap That Bass | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| It Ain't Necessarily So | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| The Real American Folk Song | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Prelude No. 1 | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Prelude No. 2 | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Prelude No. 3 | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Funny Face | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Love Walked In | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Promenade | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| They All Laughed | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| I Love To Rhyme | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Three Quarter Blues | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Someone to Watch Over Me | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| Our Love Is Here to Stay | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| But Not For Me | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| They Can't Take That Away | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
| O Lawd, I'm on My Way | George Gershwin | Linn Maxwell Keller, mezzo, Rich Ridenour, piano, Ava Ordman, trombone, Mike Crawford, bass, Bill Vits, drums |
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