Porgy and Bess

[mgraham333]

I really enjoy the music of Porgy and Bess. I guess I know it best from the Miles Davis version.

I've seen versions by Joe Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald and know about the upcoming one from Hank Jones.

Any comments or recommendations?

Inspired by this thread

Edited March 29, 2004 by mgraham333

[jlhoots]

Miles / Gil is the best.

The Henderson is fine.

I also really like The Jazz Soul Of Porgy & Bess.

This is a big band led by Bill Potts with soloists like Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Gene Quill, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Jimmy Cleveland, etc..

[jazzbo]

The Bethlehem two lp/two cd set is interesting.

Here is my favorite:

This Sony Classical recording from 195 is da bomb.

Edited March 29, 2004 by jazzbo

[AfricaBrass]

I've heard a bunch of versions...

Miles / Gil for me.

[Rooster_Ties]

Not the version with Joe Henderson. The only album of his that really doesn't do it for me.

[medjuck]

Does anyone remember a version with Ray Charles and Cleo Lane?

[jazzbo]

I know there was one, but I've never heard it!

[AfricaBrass]

That Joe Henderson was a real disappointment to me.

I need to hear that Sony Classical version that Jazzbo recommended.

[A Lark Ascending]

I really love the Davis/Evans...my favourite of their discs.

The following recent release is also really enjoyable...a post 2000 take on the Davis/Evans score:

2002

Paolo Fresu - trumpet

Nguyen Le - guitar

Antonello Salis - piano, Rhodes, accordion

Furio Di Castri - double bass

Roberto Gatto - drums

Dhafer Youssef - voice, oud

[JohnS]

Mundell Lowe did an interesting version for RCA with Art Farmer and Ben Webster. It was particularly notable for some fine baritone from Tony Scott.

[garthsj]

Does anyone remember a version with Ray Charles and Cleo Lane?

The interesting thing about this recording is that they were NOT in the studio at the same time .. each recorded their parts separately ... it is hard to detect this from listening to the album though.

[brownie]

A favorite - unfortunately out of print - is the 'Modern Interpretations of Porgy and Bess' LP by Buddy Collette that was recorded back in 1957 for Interlude. The rhythm section was Jim Hall, Red Callender and Louis Bellson with Pete Jolly featured on the accordion and doing a very effective job.

Also - nobody's mentioned that one yet - the Ella and Louis album on Verve. This one had great moments too!

[jazzbo]

How did we overlook Ella and Louis!

Still, I think that I have to contend that the full opera is very interesting to experience. . . There is a lot of material that does not get jazz treatments, just as there are big chunks of the Miles and Gil that aren't from the opera! The 1951 "cast" recording really is the best I've heard. . . .

[danasgoodstuff]

OK, let me try this again (I tried posting a shile ago and wipped it out somehow). I, too, really dig P & B. I think the music's beautiful and the story moving; people who take issue with it are doing so for reasons that have little, if anything, to do with the work itself. I love Miles & Gil's interp and Bechet's "Summertime". The fact that "Summertime" in particular has supported so many widely varying versions is evidence of it's strenght as a work. I also have the 'cast' recording pictured above by Jazzbo/Lon. Quite good in a v. 'as intended' by George sort of way. At 3 LPs it has the full score, including the recitative (the sung narative that makes it an Opera, not 'merely' a musical). At $2.00 it was quite a deal too! I would've loved to have heard the Atlantic Records roster of the '60s have a go at it: Aretha as Bess, Otis as Porgy and the Wicked Picket as Sporting Life. Makes more sense to me than the Wiz, but what do I know...

[medjuck]

At 3 LPs it has the full score, including the recitative (the sung narative that makes it an Opera, not 'merely' a musical).

Was it originally performed with the recitative ? I know it's been performed that way for a couple of decades but for some reason I'm under the impression that although Gershwin wrote it that way it was originally perfomred with spoken dialogue between the songs. Maybe I think that because an opera troupe in the 70's made a big deal about using the recitative. Surely the Cab Calloway production that toured in the 50's (60's?) didn't include it. Or did it?

[garthsj]

Has anyone mentioned the great, idiosyncratic version by Ella and Louis? .. This is a real gem, with great orchestral arrangements by Russ Garcia, who now happily lives in isolation in New Zealand. ....

[Jazzmoose]

I was never much on this music at all until I heard Nina Simone's version of I Loves You, Porgy. That was as powerful as a kick in the balls.

[danasgoodstuff]

medjuck,

I'm not sure about the history of using/not using the recitative in P&B, if I have a chance I'll poke around on the web and see what I can find out.

[danasgoodstuff]

OK, I looked around a bit and what I found out is this: George originally (1935)conceived of it as a proper opera with recitative, but it has often been performed with all or some of that cut and spoken dialogue instead (the 1941 stage version that was it's first success and the film version with Sidney P.). In fact I think it wasn't done in full score by an Opera company til the '70s.

[chris olivarez]

The Ella and Louis version of "Summertime" is THE version of the song IMO.

[Edward]

I really enjoy "Oscar Peterson Plays Porgy and Bess" (the Verve release, NOT the Pablo date with Joe Pass that I heard is just awful - Peterson plays the harpsichord on this one!) Unfortunately, this disc has been OOP for several years now.

Edited March 31, 2004 by Edward

[medjuck]

OK, I looked around a bit and what I found out is this: George originally (1935)conceived of it as a proper opera with recitative, but it has often been performed with all or some of that cut and spoken dialogue instead (the 1941 stage version that was it's first success and the film version with Sidney P.). In fact I think it wasn't done in full score by an Opera company til the '70s.

Thanks. I did some research in a bio of Gershwin but it wasn't clear about the original production. From your research I take it that even the original production was done with dialogue not recitative.

[danasgoodstuff]

The source I looked at wasn't clear on the use of recitative v. spoken dialogue in the original (1935) Broadway production. But since that was a relatively short run, the more successful 1941 use of spoken dialogue seemed to have more of an impact that has only relatively recently been replaced by a return to Gerge & Ira's 'original intent'. Personally, I think they should drop the 'blacks only' requirement and let peoples do it any old way they feel like, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms...

[Alec]

I'm waiting to hear the Carmen Mcrae/ Sammy Davis Jr. version. Jazzmatazz has had the "Complete Carmen Mcrae/ Sammy Davis Jr. on Verve" listed as an upcoming set for literally years.

Anyone know if it will ever see the light of day?

[ghost of miles]

I'm waiting to hear the Carmen Mcrae/ Sammy Davis Jr. version. Jazzmatazz has had the "Complete Carmen Mcrae/ Sammy Davis Jr. on Verve" listed as an upcoming set for literally years.

Anyone know if it will ever see the light of day?

←

Came out a couple of months ago, at long last... I'm listening to it right now. Working on a Night Lights show about the 1950s jazz revival of P & B and just came across this thread today, which mentions several of the versions that I'll be using:

Miles/Gil

Ella/Louis

Hank Jones

Mundell Lowe

The MJQ (came out in '64, but I'm probably going to include it anyway)

Bill Potts

Carmen/Sammy

The Bethlehem version (which I must admit sounded awful when I first put it on... but it's grown on me a bit and has its moments. An editorial comment on Amazon claims that this 1956 version spurred the many that followed... true? I thought it stemmed more from the advance publicity for the film that finally came out in '59.)

Didn't know about the Buddy Collette... that sounds good indeed. I'll keep an eye out for it.