CD Details
All Artists: George Gershwin, Robert Fisher, John Musto, Mark Baker, Andy Taylor, Emily Loesser, Rachel Coloff, Lee Wilkof, Alet Oury, Lewis J. Stadlen, David Garrison, Patrick Cassidy, Theresa Lee, Philip Chaffin, Evelyn Halus, Christine Ebersole, Sally Mayes
Title: The Gershwins:Tip-Toes/Tell Me More
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: New World Records
Release Date: 10/30/2001
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks, Classical, Broadway & Vocalists
Styles: Opera & Classical Vocal, Musicals
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 093228059820 |
Synopsis
Album DescriptionTip-Toes, which made its Broadway debut on December 28, 1925, was produced by Alex A. Aarons and Vinton Freedley, who had been the producers of the Gershwins' smash hit Lady, Be Good! the year before. Attempting to repeat that success, they once again combined the same book writers, Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, with the Gershwin brothers. Tip-Toes was well received by audiences and the press, and ran for 194 performances. It was given a subsequent production at the Winter Garden Theatre in London, opening August 31, 1926, running for 181 performances. One of the most overlooked Gershwin shows, Tell Me More was also the most unlikely of Jazz Age musicals. In an era marked by lavish extravaganzas and brash star vehicles, Tell Me More, which opened on April 13, 1925, relied on charm, modesty, and an impish sense of humor. Because it failed to recoup its investment on Broadway, it was relegated to the list of Gershwin flops; because its score was largely forgotten, it has been widely regarded as a minor effort. In truth, it's a key show. As the only full-length collaboration between George and Ira Gershwin and B.G. DeSylva, it combines the delicacy and grace of the scores George had written earlier in the decade with DeSylva and the bold wit he had pioneered in partnership with his brother Ira four months earlier in Lady, Be Good! The best of both worlds, Tell Me More was a one-of-a-kind achievement.
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CD Reviews
Two restored little Gershwin gems F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 11/10/2001 (5 out of 5 stars) "Although the Princess shows of Kern, Bolton and Wodehouse back in 1917 tried to introduce a solid plot into the American musical comedy, the story lines still did not amount to much until "Show Boat " set the standard. So when George and Ira Gershwin opened with two musicals in 1925, the first was based on a mistaken-identity situation already a cliché in the genre (Bolton did the book); and the second (again with Bolton, plus B.D. de Sylva) was about the Florida land boom that also formed the basis of Berlin's "The Coconuts" the very same year. Both "Tell Me More" and "Tip-Toes" were part of the discovery of many Gershwin manuscripts buried in a New Jersey warehouse; and we can be most thankful to New World Records for restoring the scores and bits of the dialogue in a two-CD boxed set (80598-2). The music is what you would expect from Gershwin: 1920s jazzy with that special core of Gershwin genius. Yes, a good deal of it sounds like Berlin and Kern--as did just about every other contemporary composer except Romberg (who sounded like Herbert). On the other hand, "Kickin' the Clouds Away" from the earlier show seems to be the inspiration for Berlin's "Shakin' the Blues Away" written two years later! "Tell Me More" also does not shy away from ethnic jokes (i.e., mistaking a request to disguise oneself as British for doing so as Yiddish) that do not offend at all. And if we moderns grow impatient with the rich bubbleheads of the F. Scott Fitzgerald crowd, they are still a breath of fresh air after the population of "Miss Saigon" and plays of that sort. The game casts have voices just right for this sort of characterization and delivery. The "Tip-Toes" production is taken from the Carnegie Hall Concert version and is outstanding. This New World set deserves a place of honor among the other Gershwin Brothers restorations on other labels. And do not forget the New World complete recording of Kern's "Sitting Pretty," which (like these two Gershwin shows) did not produce any hits but is delightful from overture to Finale Ultimo." Gifts from musical theater heaven! Elkhart | Moscow, Russia | 07/23/2005 (4 out of 5 stars) "The restoration of several complete Gershwin scores in recent years has been a gift from the theater gods. These two shows lack the bite of "Strike Up the Band," "Of Thee I Sing" and other earlier releases, but they have no lack of the Ira's wit and George's effortless melodies. Upbeat tuners "Kickin' the Clouds Away" and "Sweet and Low-Down" are especially engaging, and the authentic-sounding orchestrations lend a nostalgic aura. The first-rate casts seem to be having the time of their lives."
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Track Listings (36) - Disc #1