Gershwin By Grofe: Original orchestrations & arrangements

"This is a wonderful disc in every respect. Paul Whiteman clarinet/sax player Al Gallodoro passed away a few weeks after this recording was made, at the ripe old age of 95. You'd never guess his age from his playing: whether in the raucous opening glissando of Rhapsody in Blue or in the numerous solo licks elsewhere, he rocks, plain and simple."
(10/10 ClassicsToday April 2010)

In this swinging set of 'symphonic jazz', Steve Richman and the Harmonie Ensemble/New York recreate the original orchestrations made by Ferde Grofé for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. The programme features Gershwin's immortal Rhapsody in Blue (with soloist Lincoln Mayorga and legendary reedman Al Gallodoro), the I Got Rhythm Variations, and a selection of George's Broadway tunes, including Summertime in a beautiful reading by Al and Lincoln. Not to be missed is the acoustic (!) version of The Yankee Doodle Blues which the HE/NY recorded on a wax cylinder using a 1909 Edison Fireside phonograph.

"Richman's spot-on sense of pacing, balance and emphasis guarantee that every Grofé-conjured utterance receives discerning and shapely animation. The ensemble and solo playing likely would bowl over both the composer and Whiteman." Gramophone

"[Mayorga's] playing is assured, with an appealing flexibility. And the contribution of Steven Richman's Harmonie Ensemble New York is a delight: beautifully recorded (you can actually hear the banjo for once), crisply played, and stylistically spot-on...Altogether, a fascinating and hugely enjoyable disc."
(BBC Music)