Much of my thinking has been recently directed over the intersections of Jazz and Classical traditions. This may be the perfect example of “the meeting,” a hand-in-hand adventure of two of the respective forms’ best and brightest.

George Gershwin is responsible for a whole lot of music, in fact, most of his Broadway and Classical compositions have become the most well-known jazz standards. In addition to his many musical outings, his forays into Opera may be less talked about, but no less wonderful. Beginning with Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin set about to create a shift, a movement: To bring Jazz out of the rollicking discord as interpreted by the American public, and elevate it to the classical realm of cigars and distinction. Unfortunately, Porgy and Bess was met with decidedly lukewarm inquisitions around Gershwin’s level of authority in matters of African-American music. This cooled his reception in both the classical and jazz crowds, who viewed him as not enough of either.

In 1958, Miles Davis put down the consummate recording of this “American Folk Opera”, arranging an all-instrumental invention that raps on your ears and face with gentle brass and cloyingly skinny door-knocker insistences. Twenty-three years after the fact, with hits and standards like “Summertime” flourishing in nighttime speakeasies and jukejoints, Davis took the white composer’s interpretation of black music and made it black music, perfecting Gershwin’s unrealized dream of elevating his two favorites musics to equal positions of merit, respectability and worth. (Notable: Miles’ arrangements wildly deviate from the original chord patters, yet faithfully retain the melodies (a mark of both musicians’ elastic quotability).

Enjoy.

( album )