As I scrolled through my photos of vinyl records taken before moving to campus, I was searching for my next blog topic. Pondering what I could write about, I noticed the large names Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong sticking out and I remembered a comment from my last post. Special thanks to Gennadii for inspiring today’s post featuring the opera Porgy and Bess sung by jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

I know I said opera but please don’t tune out just yet! This is one of the most monumental works in the jazz world because the music for this show was written by legendary composer and pianist George Gershwin. It’s an opera with entirely jazz music! The lyrics were written by his wife Ira Gershwin in addition to author DuBose Heyward. This opera was first performed long ago on September 30th, 1935 in Boston before eventually moving to Broadway. One of the most notable aspects of this opera is its feature of a cast of classically trained African-American singers – which was a risky choice due to the racial climate in the United States at the time. As you may have guessed, it was initially unpopular among the public but reproduction in 1976 sparked its popularity and propelled it to its current prestige as one of the famous operas of all time. The opera’s storyline follows Porgy, a disabled black street beggar who lives in the slums of Charleston. He tries to rescue Bess from royalty as well as her lover and her drug dealer. I have never seen the opera and don’t know the music all too well, but I will definitely be watching this in the near future. The film adaptation of the opera released in 1959 with a number of songs from the opera being recorded by numerous artists. (Wikipedia)

Now on to the music! By a long shot, “Summertime” is the most popular song that came from Porgy and Bess. This song has been recorded by a whole host of jazz artists and it is considered a standard to this day. Particularly, it has nearly 70 million streams on Spotify compared to the next highest of about 3 million on the album. It’s a slow ballad featuring orchestral strings, Louis Armstrong’s famous trumpet sounds, Ella Fitzgerald’s silky voice, and Armstrong’s distinctive voice as well. I’m sure you must have heard “Summertime” at least once in your life! This recording of the music of Porgy and Bess was recorded in 1957 and released in 1959. It was released on the Verve Records label and it was the third and final album that Fitzgerald and Armstrong recorded together. This particular recording of Porgy and Bess is so significant because of the famous duo’s work. It was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001 as it is considered the most successful recording among jazz vocal recordings of the opera. Other prominent recordings of the opera feature the collaboration of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. (Wikipedia).

What I love most about the album is its integration of orchestra sound with jazz sounds and themes. Last semester, I wrote a blog post detailing my love for jazz pieces with strings. Something about this combination adds so much depth to the music and it really features it from big-band albums. If you listen to the instrumental Overture, the first song on the album, you will be able to hear all of the musical themes represented in one song. As overtures typically are, it is a musical representation of the entire opera (or musical/play) condensed to a song to introduce the audience. If you’re familiar with “Summertime” you’ll notice that it is very prominent in the overture. The music for this opera is absolutely beautiful and very enjoyable to listen to while also featuring upbeat and happier sections throughout the opera. If nothing else, give the overture a try! If you like what you hear, continue on through the rest of the tracks on the album – you won’t regret it!