GERSHWIN • COPLAND • IVES • SCHUMAN • THOMSON : American String Quartets 1900-1950 (The Kohon Quartet) 2CD (1993) RM | The American Composers Series – VoxBox2 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

CD1
William Schuman
Quartet No. 3 (23:47)
Howard Hanson        
Quartet In One Movement, Op. 23 17:47
Virgil Thomson
Quartet No. 2 (22:16)
George Gershwin
Lullaby For String Quartet 11:24
CD2
Roger Sessions
Quartet No. 2 (32:19)
Charles Ives
Scherzo For 2 Violins, Viola And Cello – 1:45
Peter Mennin
Quartet No. 2 (17:29)
Walter Piston
Quartet No. 5 (16:55)
Aaron Copland
Two Pieces For String Quartet (8:50)

Ensemble [String Quartet] – The Kohon Quartet
Cello – W. Ted Hoyle
Viola – Eugenie Dengel
Violin – Harold Kohon, Isadora Kohon

XIAYIN WANG – American Piano Concertos (2013) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Chinese pianist Xiayin Wang emerged as something of a specialist in American music with her spectacular recording of Earl Wild's Gershwin fantasias in 2010, and she continues to amass a strong track record with this Chandos release, nicely recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. It's interesting how novel the trio of piano concertos by Gershwin, Copland, and Barber are as a program, for they all have a great deal to say to each other, and each finds its way between jazz and modernistic influences. Given that you get here a Chinese pianist teaming with Scottish musicians, with not an American in sight, it's safe to say that the music is beginning to get the respect it deserves. Wang's performances of the Barber Piano Concerto, Op. 38, is wonderful. With clean, delicate passagework in the upper registers, she finds the composer's characteristic lyricism in this sometimes thorny score, and in the modernistic jazz of Copland's Piano Concerto, composed in 1926, is very nearly as good, tough and rhythmically brash. The weakest performance of the three, oddly enough in view of Wang's stellar work in Gershwin-related material previously, is the Gershwin Piano Concerto in F (not F major as the packaging and booklet have it here); there is nothing to object to, but the performance lacks the contained jazz energy that makes great readings of the piece work. The restraint may come from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Peter Oundjian, who are peppy throughout but are not confirmed Gershwin interpreters. This is, however, a revelatory program, very well performed. James Manheim  Tracklist + Credits :

CHRIS CONNOR - Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac of Song (1989) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 

Most of this highly recommended set is taken from a series of 1957 sessions in which singer Chris Connor exclusively interprets songs of George Gershwin. To fill out the CDs, additional Gershwin cuts from other, otherwise unrelated dates by the vocalist have been added. Connor's cool delivery gives many of the largely familiar songs new life. She is assisted by such fine musicians as trumpeter Joe Newman, tenorman Al Cohn, flutist Herbie Mann, vibraphonist Milt Jackson and pianist Ralph Sharon, who add tasteful and concise solos. Many of the selections were quite rare before this well-conceived and appealing reissue was put together. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist 1 :
1    But Not for Me 3:47  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
2    Of Thee I Sing 1:26   
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
3    Strike Up the Band 2:31 
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
4    I've Got a Crush on You 2:15
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
5    Soon 2:00
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
 6    Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) 2:38   
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / Gus Kahn
7    Looking for a Boy 3:02
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
8    I Got Rhythm 1:45
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
9    (I've Got) Beginner's Luck 2:09  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
10    Slap That Bass 1:58
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
11    For You, for Me, for Evermore 3:35
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
12    Love Is Sweeping the Country  2:54 
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
13    The Man I Love 2:35 
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
14    'S Wonderful 2:24  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
15    A Foggy Day 3:16
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
16    Medley from Porgy and Bess: Summertime/There's a Boat That's Leav 6:35      
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
Tracklist 2 :
1    Nice Work If You Can Get It 1:19 
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
2    Blah, Blah, Blah 2:54
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
3    They Can't Take That Away from Me 2:10  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
4    Clap Yo' Hands 2:26  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
5    Little Jazz Bird 3:08  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
6    I Was Doing All Right 2:15
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
7    My One and Only 02:39  
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
8    That Certain Feeling 2:12  
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
9    Fascinating Rhythm 2:34  
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
10    Love Is Here to Stay 3:16  
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
11    They All Laughed 2:15  
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
12    How Long Has This Been Going On? 4:00     
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
13    I Can't Be Bothered Now 1:48      
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
14    Love Walked In 2:58  
15    Somebody Loves Me 2:22
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin / Ballard MacDonald
16    Embraceable You 2:33
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
- Bonus Tracks -
17    Strike Up the Band 2:07    
 George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
18    Summertime 3:11
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward

BARBARA HENDRICKS - Sings • Singt • Chante Gershwin (1981) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1 The Man I Love 5:25
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
2 They Can't Take That Away From Me 3:10
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
3 Medley: Love Is Here To Stay 1:38
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
4 But Not For Me 2:24
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
5 Embraceable You 2:42
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
6 Nice Work If You Can Get It 2:53
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
7 I Got Rhythm 3:14
Lyrics By – Ira Gershwin
8 Summertime 6:12
Lyrics By – DuBose Heyward
9 Has Anyone Seen Joe 12:06
Lyrics By – B. G. De Sylva
10 I Loves You Porgy 3:54
Lyrics By – DuBose Heyward, Ira Gershwin
Credits:
Arranged By – François Jeanneau
Music By – George Gershwin
Piano – Katia Labèque, Marielle Labèque
Soprano Vocals – Barbara Hendricks

GERSHWIN : I Got Rhythm ; Music for Two Pianos (Katia & Marielle Labèque) (1988-2012) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

SHARON KAM - American Classics : Music for Clarinet (2002) APE (image+.cue), lossless