The Classical-Jazz Affair

Get in touch! By the 1920's, jazz had grown too large for its humble origins in New Orleans and was impacting the musical world, including the greatest classical European musicians and composers, as well as American listeners and fellow jazz musicians. What came next was an explosion of creativity among the musical who's who of the day. The world's stage was filled to capacity with Europe's heavy-weights, like Toscanini, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky and American classicists, like Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, not to mention the greats of the jazz world, like Louis Armstrong, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington, just to name a few. All these mind-blowingly awesome artists were active and collaborating among each other. Could this have been the history's greatest musical period? Find out what happened and how it happened, right here on American Song. Tracks: The Rite of Spring - Igor Stravinsky Charleston - Sidney Bechet Fireworks - Louis Armstrong Golliwogg's Cakewalk - Claude Debussy; performed by Branford Marsalis Ragtime for 11 Instruments - Igor Stravinsky Central Park in the Dark - Charles Ives Tea For Two - Art Tatum Andre Previn and Oscar Peterson talk about Art Tatum Livery Stable Blues - Original Dixie Land Jass Band Ferde Grofe talks about working with George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue - Paul Williams Orchestra, pianist George Gershwin Ira Gershwin Talks About George Gershwin La Creation du Monde - Darius Milhaud; performed by Branford Marsalis Aaron Copland Talks About Himself Rodeo; I: Buckaroo Holiday - Aaron Copland Music for the Theater; Aaron Copland, performed by Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic Four Piano Blues: 3 - Muted and Sensous - Aaron Copland; performed by Leo Smit Jazz Suite No. 2; 3: Dance - Dmitri Shostakovich Ebony Concerto - Igor Stravinsky; performed by Woody Herman and His Thundering Herd Overture From Westside Story - Leonard Bernstein; Film Soundtrack, 1961 Leonard Bernstein Talks About Himself Preludes, Fugues, and Riffs - Leonard Bernstein; performed by Leonard Bernstein, Benny Goodman and the Colombia Orchestra Creole Rhapsody - Duke Ellington Concerto for Cootie - Duke Ellington Dont' Get Around Much Anymore - Duke Ellington Black, Brown & Beige - Duke Ellington