2024 is the centennial of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue,” serving as an excellent excuse for exploring his music. Classical pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and pianist-singer Michael Feinstein find common ground on Gershwin Rhapsody, a collection of famous and lesser-known Gershwin pieces.
The 18 compositions (three are performed twice and two are in a medley) feature Thibaudet as a solo pianist on eight numbers, Feinstein as a pianist-vocalist on four songs (one of which has Thibaudet’s accompaniment), and eight piano duets with Tedd Firth arranging most of the latter. Starting with a brief excerpt from “Rhapsody In Blue,” one song generally segues into another throughout the program. While “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” and “The Man I Love” have been performed a countless number of times over the years, one also gets to hear such forgotten mood pieces as “Sleepless Night,” “Dance Of the Waves,” “Graceful And Elegant,” and “Under The Cinnamon Tree”; the latter two had never been recorded before. For a change of pace, Vincent Youmans’ “Tea For Two” is included and arranged as if Gershwin had written the tune.
Most of the performances are written-out and Gershwin Rhapsody is not a jazz album, but the music (which includes Gershwin’s ragtime-inspired “Rialto Ripples”) is well played and should be of interest to anyone who enjoy
