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Michael Gurt AMERICAN CLASSICS Michael Gurt teaches at Louisiana State University, the Sewanee Summer Music Center, the National Music Festival and has been Chair of the Louisiana Music Teachers Association. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Juilliard School. In 1982 he won First Prize in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and was a prize winner in competitions held in Pretoria and Sydney, Australia. He has performed as soloist with major orchestras in the United States, South Africa and China. JAZZ NOCTURNE Hot Springs Music Festival Arkansas’ Hot Springs Music Festival pairs world-class mentors with talented pre-professional apprentices on full American scholarship; the two groups play side by side in orchestral, chamber music, solo recital, vocal, choral and opera repertoire. For two weeks, these musicians form a unique community, presenting twenty concerts and over 250 open Concertos of rehearsals for music lovers from across the globe. Over 20,000 people attend Festival events each year, and recordings from its concerts are broadcast nationwide via National Public Radio. the Jazz Age Richard Rosenberg Conductor Richard Rosenberg is the Artistic Director of the National Music Festival. Earlier music directorships include the Hot Springs Music Festival, RESONANCE, the Corpus Christi Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of California, the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony and the Pennsylvania Ballet. He Johnson • Reser also served on the conducting staffs of the Baltimore Symphony, the Oakland Symphony, the London Classical Players and the Aspen Music Festival, and as Acting Director of Orchestras at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. As a Gershwin • Suesse guest conductor, Richard Rosenberg has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, Miami City Ballet, and symphony orchestras and ballet companies throughout the United States, Europe and South America. Rosenberg’s teachers include Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan and Sir Roger Norrington. His numerous orchestrations and his corrected editions of Bach, Schoenberg and the complete orchestral music of Gottschalk and the Créole Hot Springs Music Romantics have received performances by orchestras all over the globe. He appears on ten recordings of American music for the Naxos Records label, and has produced several CDs with jazz legend Dave Brubeck. Festival Symphony Orchestra Richard Rosenberg 8.559647 8 559647 bk Jazz Nocturne US 23/11/10 11:48 Page 2

Gary Hammond JAZZ NOCTURNE Pianist Gary Hammond is a graduate of the University of Washington and the Juilliard School. American Concertos of the Jazz Age His teachers include Randolph Hokanson, Bela Siki, Josef Raieff and Herbert Stessin. He is on the faculties of Hunter College, City University of New York; CUNY; New Jersey City 1 University and Sewanee. He has served as Artist-in-Residence at Emory University, the James Price Johnson (1894-1955): Académies Internationales du Grand Nancy, France; Musiques en Mer, Croatia-Italy; Yamekraw, A Negro Rhapsody (arr. W.G. Still Musikdagar, Sweden; the Colorado College Music Festival, Colorado Springs and the Oregon for piano and orchestra) (1927) 15:32 Coast Music Festival. (First complete recording of the orchestral version) Harry Reser (1896-1965): Don Vappie Suite for and Orchestra (arr. D. Vappie) 11:07 Once a featured performer in the Preservation Hall Band, banjoist Don Vappie now leads and 2 I. Heebie Jeebies (1925) 2:55 tours with the Créole Jazz Serenaders. Recent recordings include Banjo A La Créole and Swing 3 II. Flaperette (1930) 3:45 Out. With the Créole Jazz Serenaders, his music incorporates the musical legacy of the New Orleans Créole culture. He has transcribed many early jazz recordings of Jelly Roll Morton, 4 Photo: Brad Edelman III. Pickin’s (1922) 4:27 Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. He is a regular guest with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz At Lincoln Center. 5 (1898-1937): A (arr. F. Grofé for piano and jazz band) (1924) 16:50 Tatiana Roitman Mann (First complete, unabridged recording of the manuscript) Pianist Tatiana Roitman Mann has appeared as a soloist across North America and Europe. She premièred Speak No Evil by E. McKinley at the American Composer’s Forum, and performed 6 For Don by Milton Babbitt in celebration of his ninetieth birthday at Tanglewood’s Dana Suesse (1909-1987): Jazz Nocturne Contemporary Music Festival, where she worked with James Levine, Dawn Upshaw, Yo-Yo (arr. C. Huxley for piano and orchestra) (1931) 4:20 Ma, Charles Rosen and Claude Frank. She holds degrees from the Royal Academy of Music, (First recording of this orchestration) School of Music and the University of Minnesota. Dana Suesse: Concerto in Three Rhythms (arr. F. Grofé for piano and orchestra) (1932) 22:54 7 I. Fox Trot: Allegro ma non troppo 9:27 Peter Mintun 8 II. Blues: Adagio 8:48 9 Peter Mintun has become one of today’s most sought after and respected society pianists. III. Rag: Presto 4:39 Among his ever-expanding activities have been the release of four recordings: Deep Purple, Grand Piano, Peter Mintun Piano at The Paramount, and Yours for a Song–Here’s to the Editions courtesy of Richard Rosenberg 2-5, Ira Gershwin 5; Ladies. He has appeared at New York’s Film Forum, Town Hall and the National Arts Club, unpublished materials courtesy of Judith Anne Still and Barry Glover 1, and leads his own Peter Mintun Orchestra at the San Francisco Symphony’s New Year’s Eve Gala at Davies Symphony Hall. Peter Mintun and Robert Stern 6-9 8.559647 2 7 8.559647 559647 bk Jazz Nocturne US 23/11/10 11:48 Page 6

concert in 1927 and was undoubtedly influenced by his met in a rehearsal room three weeks before the concert Jazz Nocturne philosophy. In a 1937 interview, she remarked, and tried to look engrossed with orchestral scores; the American Concertos of the Jazz Age “… there’s certainly no harm in writing [music] in such photo was used in publications worldwide. It was not a form that large numbers of people can enjoy it.” Suesse’s first meeting with Gershwin, and subsequently James Price Johnson (1894-1955): notable. The most popular songs that he wrote include Between her first meeting with Whiteman (1931) she would be a guest in his Riverside Drive apartment Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody, The Charleston, Old Fashioned Love, and If I Could Be and the “Experiment” concert (1932), Suesse’s fame and on his radio broadcast. orchestrated by William Grant Still with You One Hour Tonight. continued to grow with the publication of another short The concert on 4th November 1932 Johnson’s symphonic works, according to composer instrumental, Jazz Nocturne. The Nocturne’s first offered (among others) a fox trot arrangement of James P. Johnson, a Gunther Schuller, use “basic Negro musical traditions theme, a restless, major/minor feeling, captured the Ravel’s Bolero, Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody, highly influential that emulated roughly Liszt’s approach in his Hungarian spirit of the Jazz Era; the second theme was an obvious Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite African-American jazz rhapsodies”. Clearly inspired by the success of his candidate for a popular ballad. Since Syncopated Love and Suesse’s Concerto In Three Rhythms. pianist who also wrote friend George Gershwin’s 1924 composition, A Song had been made into such a successful song with Leonard Liebling of The Musical Courier called the popular songs and Rhapsody in Blue, Johnson created his own composition text, Suesse considered making a popular song out of concert “... an arranger’s holiday, and that fact speaks composed classical of similar format and scale in 1927 as his first large- Jazz Nocturne. Her boss, Larry Spier of Famous Music, eloquently for the musical significance of the composers works, was the founder scale semi-classical composition. Johnson felt that as an Inc., wouldn’t hear of it. While Spier was on a vacation, who were experimenting in serious art forms... Miss of the stride piano African-American composer he was perhaps even better the story goes, created a lyric to the Suesse represents the best type of jazz writing. She idiom, a crucial figure qualified to fuse jazz and classical forms than Gershwin Nocturne’s second strain and submitted it to the rhythms expertly with themes that have character; in the transition from had been. (Johnson and Gershwin had first met when publisher’s acting manager as My Silent Love. Suesse harmonizes adroitly and colorfully; and tells her musical ragtime to jazz. both men were cutting piano rolls for the Aeolian felt she had truly arrived when, in 1933, she went to the story convincingly... The composer played her work Growing up in New company around 1917, and had both written songs for a movies and heard heartthrob singing My with sure technique and a refreshing measure of feeling Brunswick, New Jersey, show in England in the early 1920s.) The foreword to Silent Love as the opening song in the Mack Sennett and gusto. She had a rousing response from the Johnson studied classical the first publication of Yamekraw describes the intent of short, Blue Of The Night. audience.” and ragtime piano the work as “A genuine Negro treatise on spiritual, Because of the success of My Silent Love, publicity In reviewing a subsequent Suesse/Whiteman techniques, and by his late teens he was performing in syncopated and ‘blue’ melodies by James P. Johnson, for the Whiteman concert at Carnegie Hall took on a concert (16th December 1933), The New Yorker saloons, in dance halls, and at parties in a black expressing the religious fervor and happy moods of the more intense quality. Whiteman asked Gershwin and magazine printed the headline: “Girl Gershwin.” community near Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. While natives of Yamekraw, a Negro settlement situated on the Suesse to pose for a publicity photo to attract attention playing for dancers before 1920 he became noted for his outskirts of Savannah, Georgia.” to the upcoming concerto concert. The three of them Peter Mintun rare ability to create embellishments, variations, and Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody was first performed improvisations on popular songs, including the blues, at a concert produced by the “Father of the Blues” W.C. which were relatively new at the time. He made piano Handy, at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1928. rolls followed by recordings of his own songs. He also Unfortunately, Johnson was not released from his duties composed and orchestrated music for stage revues in as conductor of the musical Keep Shufflin’ that evening, collaboration with his leading student, Fats Waller. so his protégé Thomas “Fats” Waller played the piano As played by Johnson, stride piano, a development solo part at the concert. The piece was quite successful – of ragtime, used two-beat left-hand rhythms to it was used as the soundtrack of a 1930 Vitaphone accompany right-hand melodies that featured motion picture short subject also entitled Yamekraw, uncommon interpretative variety. Representative pieces and as the overture to Orson Welles’ production of range from the heartily swinging, up-tempo Carolina “Macbeth” later in the 1930s, and was recorded in Shout and Carolina Balmoral to the delicate, reflective abbreviated versions several times. This success and slower-paced Blueberry Rhyme and Snowy Morning inspired Johnson’s further efforts in the jazz-classical Blues. Grace and elegance of musical line characterize fusion area, such as his Harlem Symphony (1932), a his solos, and among his accompaniments, his work in symphonic version of W.C. Handy’s St. Louis Blues singer Bessie Smith’s Backwater Blues is especially (1937), and his concerto Jazz A’ Mine (1934).

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Furthermore, William Grant Still, who arranged the network. This weekly half-hour show, sponsored by concert stage at New York’s Aeolian Hall, performance of the unabridged version, including all of orchestral parts for that concert, was evidently inspired Clicquot Club ginger ale, made Reser quite well known accompanying singer Eva Gautier in a program that the previously omitted measures, in March of that year by the piece’s success to go on to create his own and was on the air until 1935. During the 1920s and included American jazz songs. , who had with Janina Dumont O’Brien as the soloist. This disc compositions for full orchestra, such as his Afro- 1930s, he also led many bands using an amazing conducted and was impressed with the Gershwin- marks the unabridged concerto’s first recording. American Symphony (1931). This disc marks the number of pseudonyms (The Bostonians, The DeSylva Blue Monday, asked George to write an première recording of the complete, final orchestral Californians, The Clevelanders, Cliquot Club Eskimos, original blues composition in which Gershwin himself Richard Rosenberg version of the work. As one of the first successful large- Denza Dance Band, Jazz Pilots, Six Jumping Jacks, could show off his extraordinary Tin Pan Alley pianistic scale musical works by an African-American composer, Tennessee Happy Boys, The Vagabonds, etc.). Reser virtuosity. Nothing further was discussed, and Gershwin Nadine Dana Suesse (1909-1987): Yamekraw thus played an important rôle in the continued to be quite active in music for the rest of his soon forgot about the chat. Jazz Nocturne, orchestrated by Carroll Huxley development of American music in the twentieth life, touring, leading television studio orchestras, On New Year’s Day, 1924, George Gershwin was Concerto in Three Rhythms, orchestrated by century. playing in Broadway orchestras, recording and writing beating Buddy DeSylva in a game of billiards when his Ferde Grofé several popular banjo, guitar and ukulele instruction brother, Ira, interrupted bearing a clipping from the New Harry F. Reser (1896-1965): books. His 1927 Harry Reser’s New Instructional York Herald. The article indicated that George Dana Suesse spent Suite for Banjo and Orchestra, Course for Tenor Banjo mail-order course provided one Gershwin was completing a jazz concerto for the her childhood in the orchestrated by Don Vappie lesson per week. When the students mailed the tests Experiment in Modern Music slated for Lincoln’s spotlight of Kansas back, they received personalized advice in Reser’s own Birthday at Aeolian Hall. Gershwin lost the billiard City, Missouri, giving Harry Reser, one of the handwriting. As a composer, bandleader and performer, game but began work on the concerto at once. His piano recitals, appear- greatest banjoists of all Harry Reser set the standard by which all aspiring rhapsodic form took shape quickly – the synopsis and ing in vaudeville, time, possessed extra- banjoists would be judged. He was inducted into the overall language of A Rhapsody in Blue (the title is broadcasting on radio ordinary technique, National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 1999. courtesy of George’s brother, Ira) were inspired by the and writing poetry for often creating the “steely, rattlety-bang rhythms” of the train he rode to the newspapers. She impression of playing George Gershwin (1898-1937): Boston. moved to New York on two at the A Rhapsody in Blue, complete original version Gershwin feared he would not meet the 12th City in 1926, and same time. The Pickers’ for jazz band, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé February deadline, and requested that Whiteman within weeks of her Digest described him provide Grofé’s assistance in orchestrating the concerto. arrival she had copy- as “Not just a master In 1920 Paul Whiteman He suggested ideas to Grofé and was generally pleased righted piano solos and banjoist, but the banjo and Ferde Grofé with Grofé’s modifications – especially regarding tried her hand at master.” He got his organized the New rhythm, chordal spacing and part-leading. Grofé knew popular songs. Her instrumental, Syncopated Love Song, start playing in dance York City dance the special talents of the Whiteman musicians and was was first performed on radio in 1928. bands in his hometown emporium, “Palais uniquely qualified to customize the score to maximize By 1930 the entertainment industry was paying of Piqua, Ohio but Royal”. Combining its impact. close attention to Dana Suesse. Lyricist moved to in 1921, where he quickly danceable tunes with Owing to the expected three-hour length of their created a lyric, Have You Forgotten? for the second became a sought-after recording session musician. jazz elements, the upcoming concert (it eventually lasted almost four strain of Syncopated Love Song, and the song was Reser’s numerous 1920s recordings proved that the Palais Royal concerts hours) and to the complexity and harmonic language of recorded on every label in America and Britain. Soon banjo, thought of as strictly a rhythm instrument, was in became a huge success. portions of Gershwin’s new concerto, Whiteman and after, she was signed by Famous Music Publishers and fact a solo instrument. In the autumn of 1923, after Three years later, Grofé encouraged the young composer to make his composed two more international hits, Whistling In The being featured in a highly successful, long-running Whiteman had the idea concerto more concise, and Gershwin reluctantly Dark and Ho Hum! show with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra at the London of transposing American complied. Thirty bars were compressed into existing Paul Whiteman, who owed much of his fame to Hippodrome, Reser returned to the United States with jazz to the respectable solo sections and sixteen bars were entirely deleted. bridging popular music and concert music, believed his greatest commercial triumph yet ahead of him. In confines of the concert In 1978, Ira Gershwin, George’s older brother and Suesse was another Gershwin, and made her the 1925, he was invited to become the director for the hall, where it could get the recognition he felt it lyricist, gave me a copy of the original A Rhapsody in centerpiece of his Fourth Experiment in Modern Music Clicquot Club Eskimo Orchestra on the NBC radio deserved. George Gershwin had just appeared on the Blue manuscript and parts. I conducted the first at Carnegie Hall. Suesse attended her first Whiteman

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