Modern Jazz Quartet – Porgy and Bess

   The pure melodic genius of songwriting and ambition to tell complex, meaningful story gives George Gershwin and his only opera place of crucial importance. The unquestionably position of Porgy and Bess takes its strength from crossover qualities of the work. The work noted as first American national opera was the work based on jazz and Afro-American folk music, perfectly filling the old form with a new soul. It’s difficult to count all performances in original version and in various orchestrations and transcriptions. In 50’s and 60’s virtually every jazz musician played melodies from Gershwin’s opera as standards or set own suite of most popular themes taken from the work. Among many Porgy and Bess versions the one of special power was album signed by Modern Jazz Quartet.
   In history of jazz the instant success and sustained position of Modern Jazz Quartet is rare phenomenon. Starting in 1946 as the side project of musicians playing in Dizzy Gillespie’s Orchestra, then as Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951, and then changed into MJQ, this ensemble was initially be-bop combo. Pianist and composer John Lewis and Milt Jackson playing vibraphone started it as a pure jazz project and after 1952, with Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums, Modern Jazz Quartet started their own style merging cool jazz and be-bop with elegant third stream with elements of classical music, especially polyphonic ideas of baroque music. 

Modern Jazz Quartet – Porgy and Bess (1965) 

   The instrumental version of Gershwin’s opera in MJQ characteristic cool jazz style was recorded during three days, July 23 and 26 1964 and April 26, 1965. The producer of this album was Nesuhi Ertegun, one of most influential producer in jazz world. Recording session took place in RCA Webster Hall in New York City. Album was published in 1965 in US and Philips label in UK and Netherlands. Next year album republished in US and in Austria. All American editions were pressed under Atlantic label and all European were published by Philips. There was also different title: American album was titled The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, while European edition was The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays the Music from Porgy and Bess. Just like there were two different albums.
   The interesting characteristic of Modern Jazz Quartet was the style of the ensemble. From the very beginning musicians of the quartet tend to create clear and stable sound structures with lots of space for vibraphone chamber sound and minimalistic phrases. Pianist John Lewis was also the composer and musical director, the gray eminence of the quartet. As a front man was sometimes seen Milt Jackson, who was playing the vibraphone or vibraharp as this instrument was called sometime ago. His style of playing was two-mallet grip so he was playing mainly melodic lines with no harmonization, but with precision and elegant touch. Light and transparent structures are also the merit of perfect rhythm section of Percy Heath playing the upper bass and drummer Connie Kay.

Porgy and Bess Original Broadway Cast

   First album offered out as original Broadway cast of Porgy and Bess was recorded in October 1935, just days after stage opening on Alvin Stage Theatre. It was not even close to the original cast. Album of four 78 rpm shellac records labeled by Victor Records was a moderate success. This was due to the fact that in contrast to the stage cast with African American actors, studio recording was made with white opera singers pretending to sing Gullah-influenced language. In 1940 and in 1942 Decca Records released two sets of 78 rpm vinyl discs. First set was 4, second 3-recording and both were marked by one title – Decca Presents Selections from George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess. And these recordings were made with original stage cast members participation.
   Although these recordings are closest to the shape accepted by composer and to the production giving this work prominent position in history of American culture, this was not exact the original cast. Featured artists from original cast were Todd Duncan (Porgy), Anne Brown (Bess), Georgette Harvey (Maria), The Eva Jessye Choir and conductor Alexander Smallens. Avon Long sung Sportin’ Life in 1942 Broadway revival. The Decca Symphony Orchestra was hired specially for this recording. Combination of this material was re-edited on one LP record in 1950 by Decca as Selections from Porgy and Bess (DL 7006). After merging Decca with MCA in 1962, this record was reissuing just as Porgy and Bess (Original Cast) (DL7-9024) and in 1972 as George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with headline Original Broadway Cast Album (MCA-2035).

Porgy and Bess Original Broadway Cast Album (1972)

   The star of this record is without fail Todd Duncan, who sings Porgy and Sportin’ Life’s  song It Ain’t Necessarily So. His perfectly trained baritone has a strong operatic background. His achievements, including his debut in Cavalleria Rusticana with Aeolian Opera and his later career made him prominent personality of American music. Anne Brown sung with nice, clear voice and in many fragments one can look for George Gershwin’s influences, because it is known fact the composer hired Anne Brown for the role. Although today her performance looks weak in expression and marked by old fashion mannerisms, it still can be valuable document of the style of early performances. The fragments with original cast members are the best parts of the recorded material. Prior performing routine could be helpful. Better understanding the place of the fragment in the whole narration once more gave artists a chance to find quite a relevant interpretative idea.

George Gershwin – Porgy and Bess – 1959 Soundtrack

   George Gershwin was one of great musical talents of his times. For his melodic invention, his songs and melodies became popular and made him rich, but his basic ambition was to be regular composer with full symphonic possibilities. Important part of these aspirations was opera Porgy and Bess. Although Gershwin himself called this work “folk opera”, it turned out to be probably the most important opera in American history. The power of this music was based on various influences in one balanced work of art. Romantic composers created many stylized works to establish national musical basis for many European cultures. In United States cultural situation was more complicated and different influences were like a patchwork of various ingredients. This way Dvorak composed imagined American identity in his New World Symphony. This was always the problem of ideological balance between idiomatic motifs and rhythms. So Gershwin made one step further and melted elements into something overriding differences between cultures and trying to create universal American musical idiom. Although his output was not as numerous as other composers, he has strong position in collective memory. Porgy and Bess and other Gershwin works begin the process of establishing all American music.

   In 1959 Gershwin’s opera was filmed as the musical movie directed by Otto Preminger with Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge in title roles and Sammy Davis, Jr. as Sportin’ Life, Pearl Bailey as Maria and Brock Peters as Crown. It was last picture produced by Samuel Goldwyn and according to his plans it has to be a jewel in the crown. Problems begin with appointing the director and actor cast. Actors were dubbed by opera singers, but Leontyne Price refused saing “no body, no voice”. Two main characters we sung by Adele Addison and Robert McFerrin. Problems with cast was also due to rejections of playing roles actors considered as demeaning. This sheds some light on the approach to human rights in America of the fifties. Due to legal issues the movie voice of Sammy Davis, Jr. has been placed on soundtrack album by Cab Calloway.

George Gershwin – Porgy and Bess (1959)

   Making this movie was great dream of Samuel Goldwyn since he saw original Broadway stage production in 1935. But in 1959 this was already a blockbuster and every artist in the crew has private interests and ambitions.  It was also possible to hear Porgy and Bess in many different renditions, jazz, popular and symphonic. Since first recording of complete opera by Columbia Masterworks in 1951, it was recorded by Mel Thormé and Frances Faye in 1956, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald in 1957, Miles Davis with Gil Evans Orchestra in 1958 and Sammy Davis, Jr. with Carmen McRae in 1959.  Movie was nominated to three Oscars but win only one Oscar and a Golden Globe, soundtrack album won Grammy award, but whole project was not enough successful in critics reception and in sales. Also Gershwin family had not accepted the picture and after 15 years licence period led to the withdrawal it off the distribution.

   Among many problems with the movie, the musical style of the score was one of issues. It was a matter of differences between producer who want to preserve original composition style and director who was against opera style and suggested a jazz style arrangement. Musical score, supervised by André Previn and Ken Darby and conducted by André Previn became an effort to satisfy both, Goldwyn and Preminger. And it is quite accurate attempt to render Gershwin’s musical ideas in a way consistent with the aesthetics of the fifties. Vocal performances by Robert McFerrin and Adele Addinson are great, sung by beautiful voices and with perfect balance between professional vocal culture and esthetics of folk opera. Also the movie appearances of Sammy Davis, Jr. as well as Cab Calloway’s recordings are phenomenal and close to primary ideas of Sportin’ Life’s character. Over half of the century after it was produced, in 2011 Samuel Goldwyn’s Porgy and Bess considered as an “overlooked masterpiece” had been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of Library of Congress as “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant”.

Jazz Inspired Piano Compositions

Decades before jazz became ambitious and sophisticated stream of music for connoisseurs, when it was still a dance style strongly linked with night life and casinos, some composers pay attention to possibilities of improvisation as a medium forming an expression. One of greatest composers, Maurice Ravel was under great impression of technical and artistic possibilities he found in new dance music. In 1975 the leading Czech label Supraphon published the double album of piano music influenced by jazz. The collection of works by nine composers in interpretations of five pianists was a kind of the homage to inspiring power of early jazz music. Program of this album has been recorded in performances by Peter Toperczer, Jan Vrána, Emil Leichner, Jan Marcol and Miloš Mikula.

Jazz Inspired Piano Compositions

The French composers took place on the opening of this collection. Claude Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cakewalk (No. 6 from Children’s Corner Suite) is well known as semi-popular piece. In context of popular European dance music remain two cycles: Eric Satie’s Jack in the Box and Georges Auric’s foxtrot Adieu, New York! Also the cycle of Jazz Piano Preludes by George Gershwin, though it is still deep-rooted in romantic ideas, gives quite new glance to the bounds of early 20th century concert music with the jazz. In style of French composers remains works by Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff. And he is the only author presented by two cycles: Esquisses de jazz and Rag Music. 

Connecting to ideas draw from jazz music gave hope of reviving music in times of anti-romantic breakthrough. Almost ideal example is Suite “1922” op. 26 by Paul Hindemith. Interesting solution of creative dilemmas is the cycle Four Piano Blues by Aaron Copland. It has been based on a few idiomatic motifs, thus harmonic language is free of function tensions. Connection with blues in title of Copland’s cycle refers to emotional contents and characteristics of this style. Modern in style and in formal foundations are also Préludes by Bohuslav Martinů and American Suite for Two Pianos by Emil František Burian. These two Czech composers are closer to after-war jazz and third-stream experiments.

Leonard Bernstein's Gershwin

Leonard Bernstein was „one of most prodigally talented and most successful musician in American history”, as Donald Henahan wrote twenty years ago in New York Times obituary. It is natural he made great bunch of époque recordings.  He recorded almost every position from great repertoire of classical and romantic period. Some of this repertoire more than once. Many great works of later composers owe him significant part of their fame. He is vivid part of 20th century music. Both as original composer and as the conductor. Also great pianist and  gifted  lecturer, TV-personality and educating animator. Man of so many talents who has the chance to fulfill his destiny. And as we know from many eye-witness relations, he was even better when off the record, doing music in private for friends, his improvisations and good societal aura were legendary.

Gershwin - Rhapsody in  Blue (1979)

George Gershwin was prodigy but in time he was growing, his talent was like cashiers check. He was new kind of worker, artist who has been producing popular melodies which can be merchandise as any other consuming goods. So he was producing popular songs and dreaming about great music and serious composition. Step by step he was heading towards this aim. Big step forward and the very first serious composition was Rhapsody in Blue in 1924. Gershwin wrote it for two pianos and Ferde Grofé arranged Gershwin's piece for jazz band as ordered by Paul Whiteman. Later this piece has been transcribed  for symphonic orchestra by the same Ferde Grofé. This work made Gershwin famous and rich.  He tried to learn composition. The same 1924 he traveled to Paris where he ask Nadia Boulanger to be her student. The legendary professor of dozens of composers rejected him saying she is afraid to kill most valuable part of his talent. He was trying to learn also from Henry Cowell, Wallingford Rieger and Arnold Schoenberg, but they refused his proposals. So Gershwin bought books on instrumentation and musical forms and learned himself everything he needed. After visit in Paris, he traveled to Vienna where he wrote symphonic poem An American in Paris. This time the orchestra score of this symphonic poem has been readied all by composer himself. It is clear George was learning faster than any student. His later works among many other were Piano concerto in F (1925) and folk opera Porgy an Bess (1935). When he died, aged 39, he was well known around the world as the first composer in American history. In fact he was either first nor unique, but this is not the question about facts. 

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on Hungaroton pressing (1980)

What is Gershwin’s music like when conducted by Bernstein? It’s not enough to say it’s good. This are probably the best interpretations ever! Bernstein’s piano performance is so much syncopated as it can be. One step more and he would lost the character of symphonic work. Both orchestras sound like musicians have jazz in their veins. Two of very few so good symphonic orchestras ever recorded. Columbia Symphony Orchestra in Rhapsody in Blue and New York Philharmonic Orchestra in An American in Paris. Both recordings produced for CBS in 1959 and copyrighted for edition in CBS Masterworks series in 1979. By the way, this is second edition I have, after one bought in Hungaroton license press (the photo of that old cover you can find here too). Absolutely classical rendition!  So the answer for the first question should be divided into two opposite questions. First: how would be Gershwin’s works without Bernstein? Not so well, it’s out of the question. And second: how would be Bernstein’s career without Gershwin? He would be still one of greatest directors in recorded history of music. In fact, we will never know if without Gershwin’s music in the second half of 20th century some jazz inspired compositions would be possible in shape we know. George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess opened a new perspective before American music. One of best effects of this attitude was Leonard Bernstein’s musical West Side Story.

Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story (1985)

Maybe this note is too much personal. George Gershwin as Bernstein made him. Leonard Bernstein in Gershwin's music only. And everything else between this two great musicians. Today, on August 26th 2010, he would be 92. I am not sure if birthday of an artist should be occasion to think of his work. Great Lennie Bernstein! It is hard to write about him in any other way than as I know him in private. Indeed I did not. When I was child, my father pointed him as one of greatest artists of our times. And as a child I was not so sure about it. Great artists usually are like pieces of bronze, I thought. They do not smile to the public, they are not speaking to children and even not trying to show that serious music is not so serious as we like to believe. Especially, great artists tend not to show how simple it is to be an artist. Now I am smiling when I think, how unhappy were those counting to be future bronze monuments when hearing Bernstein's CBS programs. Maybe that was the reason he had addressed his best lectures about music to children. I feel I am one of them - even if my generation was more than decade later - and maybe this is why I can't write about him any other way than this.