Béla Fleck Instagram – I first became aware of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as a youngster growing up in New York City. My Uncle Steve loved to take me and my big brother, Louie, to see old movies at the Thalia on West 95th Street, just a few steps off of Broadway. One day, Uncle Steve took us to see the film Rhapsody in Blue. It had a huge impact on me and I became a fan of Gershwin and his composition from then on. I had never heard anything like it – it was love at first listen.
My newest album expands and explores Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue by paying tribute to the legendary composer while redefining an American classic—just in time for its centennial. Available February 12, a hundred years to the day Gershwin premiered the work at Aeolian Hall in New York City, my Rhapsody in Blue album includes three variations: “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)” performed by My Bluegrass Heart (@sierradawnhull, @michaelclevelandfiddle, @bryansuttond28, @markschatzmusic, @justinmosesmusic); “Rhapsody in Blue(s)” with @sambushband, @jerrydouglas, @victorwooten; and the classic orchestration, but with banjo featured instead of piano, performed by the @vasymphony and conducted by @ejacobsenmusic. The set also features Gershwin’s “Rialto Ripples” and “Unidentified Piece for Banjo,” an unrecorded and unreleased gem discovered at the Library of Congress.
Album art by the incomparable @styleproof
Listen to the first single now, and pre-order your copy at the link in bio. | Posted on 08/Dec/2023 21:07:41
