The Gershwins and Me

The Gershwins and Me
Author: Michael Feinstein
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2012-10-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1451645309

Michael Feinstein was just 20 years old when he got the chance of a lifetime: a job with his hero, Ira Gershwin. During their six-year partnership, Feinstein blossomed under Gershwin's mentorship and Gershwin was reinvigorated by the younger man's zeal. Now, in The Gershwins and Me, Michael Feinstein shares unforgettable stories and reminiscences from the music that defined American popular song, along with rare Gershwin memorabilia he's collected through the years. Includes an accompanying CD packed with Feinstein's original recordings of 12 Gershwins' songs.

Summertime: George Gershwin's Life in Music

Summertime: George Gershwin's Life in Music
Author: Richard Crawford
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 700
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0393635414

“Elegant and authoritative.” —Thomas Brothers, author of Help!: The Beatles, Duke Ellington, and the Magic of Collaboration New York City native and gifted pianist George Gershwin (1898–1937) blossomed as an accompanist before his talent as a songwriter opened the way to Broadway, where he composed a long run of musical comedies, many with his brother Ira as lyricist. But his aspirations reached beyond commercial success. Appealing to listeners on both sides of the purported popular-classical divide, his first instrumental composition, Rhapsody in Blue, was an instant classic. He pushed boundaries again a decade later with the groundbreaking folk opera, Porgy and Bess—his magnum opus. In 1936, he and Ira moved west to write songs for Hollywood, but their work was cut short when George developed a brain tumor. He died at thirty-eight, a beloved artist who had fashioned his own brand of American music. Drawing extensively from letters and contemporaneous accounts, acclaimed music historian Richard Crawford traces the arc of Gershwin’s remarkable life, seamlessly blending colorful anecdotes with a celebration of his unforgettable music-making.

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
Author: Anna Harwell Celenza
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2006-07-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1607340372

George Gershwin only has a few weeks to compose a concerto. His piece is supposed to exemplify American music and premiere at a concert entitled "An Experiment in Modern Music." Homesick for New York while rehearsing for a musical in Boston, he soon realizes that American music is much like its people, a great melting pot of sounds, rhythms, and harmonies. JoAnn Kitchel's illustrations capture the 1920s in all their art deco majesty.

Let 'em Eat Cake

Let 'em Eat Cake
Author: Susan Jedren
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2010-02-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307557367

When the heat in Brooklyn climbs to a hundred, there's only one thing worse than being a delivery man for HomeMade Cakes. It's being a delivery woman for Homemade. Because Anna, the feisty heroine of this earthy and irreverent novel, has to put up with things that her male co-workers can't imagine, from a boss who despises women to storekeepers who feel her up when they aren't trying to rip her off for the price of a carton of Chocos. As realized by Susan Jerden, Anna is a true representative of blue-collar, no-glitz New York, a valiant single mother, whose attempts to keep her head above water—and her dignity intact—are both hilarious and uplifting. Let 'Em Eat Cake is a novel for anyone who has ever worked at a demeaning job and dreamed of dancing on the merchandise, a book as real as a corner bodega and as refreshing as an open hydrant in the middle of a scolding summer.

The George Gershwin Reader

The George Gershwin Reader
Author: Robert Wyatt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2007
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 019532711X

A collection of articles, biographical reminiscences, reviews, musical analyses, and letters relating to the life and music of George Gershwin.

Of Thee I Sing

Of Thee I Sing
Author: George Gershwin
Publisher: Samuel French, Inc.
Total Pages: 132
Release: 1935
Genre: Musicals
ISBN: 9780573680373

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Author: Robin Thompson
Publisher: Amadeus Press
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2010
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 157467191X

(Amadeus). In 1935 George Gershwin continued the melding of theatrical, classical, and jazz idioms he began with "Rhapsody in Blue," bringing DuBose Heyward's novel and play Porgy to the musical stage with Porgy and Bess . Collaborating with his brother Ira and Heyward, Gershwin created what was deemed at the time a "folk opera" a work that over the years has passed through cycles of praise and criticism, finally achieving recognition as a great American theatrical achievement and inclusion in the repertoire of opera companies around the world. In this lavishly illustrated 75th anniversary volume, created with the participation of the Gershwin estate, opera producer and author Robin Thompson recounts the history of Porgy and Bess as he looks at the various interpretations of the work and the many layers of meaning to be found in the story of the crippled Porgy, the conflicted and vulnerable Bess, the dope peddler Sportin' Life, and the other residents of Catfish Row. Packed with unique, rarely seen archival photographs and documents associated with the production, Porgy and Bess commemorates this uniquely American blending of musical, ethnic, and creative styles and the people, the performers, and the times that produced it.

The Gershwins and Me (Enhanced Edition)

The Gershwins and Me (Enhanced Edition)
Author: Michael Feinstein
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2012-10-16
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1476709424

This special enhanced eBook includes twelve Gershwin classics performed by Michael Feinstein and commentary from the author on the music and the lives of George and Ira Gershwin. From celebrated entertainer Michael Feinstein comes a beautifully illustrated account of the lives and legacies of the Gershwins—told through stories of twelve of their greatest songs. The “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook” Michael Feinstein was just twenty years old when he got the chance of a lifetime: a job with his hero, Ira Gershwin. During their six-year partnership, the two became close friends. Feinstein blossomed under Gershwin’s mentorship and Gershwin was reinvigorated by the younger man’s zeal for his and his brother George’s legacy. Now, in The Gershwins and Me, the only book of its kind, Michael Feinstein shares unforgettable stories and reminiscences from the music that defined American popular song, along with rare Gershwin memorabilia he’s collected through the years. From “Strike Up the Band” to “Love Is Here to Stay,” each of the twelve chapters highlights one of the Gershwins’ classic songs, exploring the brothers’ lives, illuminating what the music meant to them, and telling the stories of how their iconic tunes came to life. Throughout the star-studded narrative, Feinstein unfolds the moving chronicle of his own life with the Gershwins, describing his vision for their enduring presence today. No other writer could give us such an authoritative inside perspective on these titans of American culture—and no other writer could include such a soulful collection of music as Feinstein’s original recordings of the twelve songs. A timeless classic and the definitive account of the Gershwins and their legacy, The Gershwins and Me will having you humming with every turn of the page.

Lyrics on Several Occasions

Lyrics on Several Occasions
Author: Ira Gershwin
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
Total Pages: 436
Release: 1997
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780879100940

One of the most distinguished lyric-writers of his time, Ira Gershwin wrote for his brother George as well as Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Harold Arlen and others. Limelight presents a selection of stage and screen lyrics written for sundry situations and now arranged in arbitrary categories, to which have been added many informative annotations and disquistions on their why and wherefore, their whom-for, their how, and matters associative. "Gershwin's comments, witty and irreverent, and his anecdotes about the making of many favorites, are invariably interesting and frequently surprising." Chicago Tribune