Gershwin from Kostelanetz, Plus More from Weston

My last post presented two of the recordings that Columbia made to mark the release of the 1945 George Gershwin biopic, Rhapsody in Blue - the Rhapsody with Levant and Ormandy, and An American in Paris with the New York Philharmonic and Rodziński.

Cover of 78 set

The label's third contribution to the Gershwin fest was an album of song arrangements led by its pops maestro, Andre Kostelanetz. Like the concert pieces, Kosty's efforts enjoyed a long life in the catalogue - first the 78 set (left), then a 10-inch LP (cover above), and finally a 12-inch LP (cover at bottom of post). The first part of today's post consists of a transfer of the 10-inch LP, with the addition of the extra items from the 12-inch album.

Now why (you might ask) didn't I just record the 12-inch LP? Well, the name of this blog was a consideration, but the main reason was simply that the older LP had better sound. By the time the 12-incher came out in 1955, it was a ironclad item of faith among transfer engineers that everything sounded better with reverb. The mid-50s version of "More cowbell!!" was "More echo!!" So my download presents the unclouded sound of the 10-inch LP, then adds "I Got Rhythm,""Mine,""Bess, Oh Where's My Bess," and "Strike Up the Band," all taken from the 12-inch disc.

As always with Kostelanetz, the arrangements are busy but full of interest, if lacking in the emotional depth that is an integral element of many of Gershwin's songs.

I decided to add a bonus to the Kostelanetz post in the form of a 1953 10-inch LP from fellow mood music maven Paul Weston. As in my previous Kosty/Weston dual post, the records have one song in common (Gershwin's "Soon"), so you can compare and contrast the differing approaches of these fine arrangers.

Weston's LP is titled Whispers in the Dark after the 1937 Leo Robin-Frederick Hollander song from the film Artists and Models. It's one of the many wonderful songs from that era that are almost unknown today. As with the previous Weston album, the program is enjoyable and satisfying, and the sound is excellent - as it is on the Kostelanetz program.

Cover of 1955 LP