Gershwin In His Time (A Biographical Scrapbook, 1919-
1937), edited by Gregory Suriano and with a foreword
by Marvin Hamlisch, takes a look at Gershwin's life from
a singularly unique angle. This book is not a biography
of Gershwin and that is not it's aim. Instead the pages
are filled with articles and reviews, pictures and
playbills from the 1920's and 30's. Each and every one
of these historical tidbits is about George Gershwin and
his music. The major difference here though, is that
all of the words have been written by HIS contemporaries,
instead of some historian. This gives the reader some
insight into how Gershwin's revolutionary new sound
effected the cultural fabric of this country. The
various articles also trace the ups and downs of
Gershwin's career ie some of the musicals he contributed
to were flops or a popular critic is less than
flattering. Gershwin In His Time lets you listen
to the same voices that Gershwin himself heard.
The words were written by such luminaries as Alexander
Wolcott, Paul Whiteman and Gershwin himself-all well
known in their time-but mainly forgotten now with
the exception of Gershwin. The Pictures in this book
are wonderful and include many stills from the movies
and plays that Gershwin contributed to. Fred Astaire,
Ginger Rogers, Ethel Merman etc are all included. Posters
from Broadway musicals are reproduced and reflect the
tones of the times. This collection does not attempt nor
does it want to be a definitive biography. The pages
are scattered with small paragraphs each containing
a brief factual account concerning Gershwin's career.
These paragraphs act as an anchor and give the reader
some basic knowledge of George Gershwin. Tin Pan
Alley echoes through the pages of this book and the
syncopation is pure Gershwin.
The book is 140 pages long and includes a chronology
of all of the composers work including dates, lyricists
and book.
If you love George Gershwin as much as I do, then this
book will be a welcome addition to your Gershwin Library.




Recommended: Yes