DICK HYMAN: THE GERSHWIN SONGBOOK - JAZZ VARIATIONS

Name: DICK HYMAN: THE GERSHWIN SONGBOOK - JAZZ VARIATIONS
Brand: JAZZ HERITAGE SOCIETY
Availability: InStock

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1 Fascinating Rhythm 00:54
2 Fascinating Rhythm (Variations) 01:40
3 Somebody Loves Me 01:08
4 Somebody Loves Me (Variations) 02:35
5 I Got Rhythm 01:15
6 I Got Rhythm (Variations) 02:57
7 Nobody But You 00:48
8 Nobody But You (Variations) 01:58
9 Stairway To Paradise 00:43
10 Stairway To Paradise (Variations) 03:00
11 Do It Again 01:32
12 Do It Again (Variations) 02:45
13 Strike Up The Band 01:01
14 Strike Up The Band (Variations) 04:07
15 Who Cares 01:11
16 Who Cares (Variations) 03:47
17 Liza 02:25
18 Liza (Variations) 04:38
19 Swanee 00:42
20 Swanee (Variations) 03:03
21 The Man I Love 02:06
22 The Man I Love (Variations) 04:02
23 That Certain Feeling 01:17
24 That Certain Feeling (Variations) 02:59
25 Oh, Lady Be Good 01:10
26 Oh, Lady Be Good (Variations) 02:33
27 Do, Do, Do 01:07
28 Do, Do, Do (Variations) 02:29
29 Sweet And Low-Down 01:03
30 Sweet And Low-Down (Variations) 02:27
31 Clap Yo' Hands 00:53
32 Clap Yo' Hands (Variations) 02:53
33 's Wonderful 00:54
34 's Wonderful (Variations) 02:38
35 My One And Only 00:52
36 My One And Only (Variations) 01:55

HYMAN GERSHWIN VARIATIONS LINER NOTES

"Playing my songs as frequently as I do at private parties," George Gershwin wrote in 1932, at age 34, "I have naturally been led to compose numerous variations upon them, and to indulge the desire for complication and variety that every composer feels when he manipulates the same material over and over again." By all accounts, Gershwin played his own songs brilliantly; the few recordings he made bear this out. Keeping his melodies clearly audible, he added rhythmic, harmonic and contrapuntal embellishments and devices that turned the songs into virtuoso piano pieces. Fortunately, Gershwin notated variations on eighteen of his songs, most of them classics, in a songbook published by Simon and Schuster in 1932. By then Gershwin was world-renowned as the composer of Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, and An American in Paris, as well as hundreds of songs for musical comedies with lyrics by his brother Ira. Like other great jazz pianists since Gershwin's time, Dick Hyman has improvised throughout his career on many of Gershwin's standards. For this recording, Hyman, perhaps the most eclectic pianist on the scene today, has taken a unique approach: he plays each of Gershwin's tiny gems as written. He then uses the complex Songbook transcriptions, rather han the simpler sheet music, as the basis for improvisation. This is indeed a landmark album.

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"In 1932 George Gershwin published variations of 18 of his songs, turning some of his classics into more challenging workouts. Sixty years later Dick Hyman recorded the 18 pieces in two versions apiece: first a brief and straight rendition of the original sheet music and then his own versions, based partly on Gershwin's 1932 songbook. It would have been interesting to hear Hyman actually perform Gershwin's varitions, for one can only guess how much of his own improvisations are taken from the composer's embellishments. In general the flavor of Gershwin is quite strong throughout this date but Hyman does feel free to insert some obvious departures such as his hot stride on "Fascinating Rhythm," a bit of Tatum and Tristano on "Strike up the Band," hints of Bix on "Do, Do, Do" and some Errol Garnerisms on "Clap Yo' Hands." Although a tad gimmicky, this CD does have its fascinating moments and plenty of typically brilliant playing from Dick Hyman."

--Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

11/29/2024

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