The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

I sure hope that Burt was contacted about this. Whether or not he would want to get involved is another issue.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... 8188.story

Notice this passage:
"Todd Gershwin said Wilson is the first to move ahead, but some uncompleted songs also may be used in a Gershwin tribute album that veteran engineer and producer Phil Ramone is putting together with a dozen artists for release in 2010."

Based on Burt's long, long-standing association with Phil, I'd hope such a collaboration is in the offing, or I'd guess Phil at least approached Burt about it. Fingers crossed.

Joe, seconding Bill's recommendation of Nellie McKay's cover of "Send Me No Flowers"...it's really wonderful!!

LEts see what Brian came come up with! I think Burt would also be a choice to complete Gershwin songs...and Burt does freely admit Gershwin's influence on his own music.(Rhapsody in BLue) which he did on one of his tv specials back in the early 70's.....
Steveo

Am I alone in opining that these unfinished Gershwin compositions should be left undisturbed?
How would Burt like someone (say,Marvin Hamlisch) to come along and "complete" his unfinished work posthumously?
Would Brian Wilson authorize Bono to polish up his incomplete tapes?
Let sleeping genius lie. Burt has plenty to do in his remaining time, and Brian Wilson is another (sadder) story.

Interesting thought, BLair............and a point well taken! I disagree BTW, lol

Steveo

Blair N. Cummings wrote:Am I alone in opining that these unfinished Gershwin compositions should be left undisturbed?
How would Burt like someone (say,Marvin Hamlisch) to come along and "complete" his unfinished work posthumously?
Would Brian Wilson authorize Bono to polish up his incomplete tapes?
Let sleeping genius lie. Burt has plenty to do in his remaining time, and Brian Wilson is another (sadder) story.

I agree 100%. I think the idea is ridiculous. And your point about someone finishing a Burt Bacharach composition is very well taken.

I was very careful. I said I wish that Burt was consulted, since the idea has more than taken shape. Someone is going to do it. The question is who and whether Burt is interested.

As always happens, there are trade-offs involved. I agree that when faced with an imperfect status quo (unfinished Gershwin work) one should't simply jump at an unexamined alternative (find someone to "complete" the compositions). For this reason Blair's point is very well taken. The alternative has its own shortcomings.

On the other hand, neither should we reject an alternative because it isn't perfect. After all, neither is the satus quo. Although I am not thrilled to think of other people reworking Gershwin, neither do I feel comfortable with incomplete Gershwin works lying in possibly unecessary obscurity if Burt could be allowed, by the proper Gershwin descendants, to give them some thought.

That's why I think that there is nothing wrong in wishing Burt to be consulted if somene is going to be allowed to work on incomplete Gershwin material. Does anyone think that Burt wouldn't like to be consulted while others were being allowed to work with such material? Quite frankly, if I were him, I would, in such instance, feel either insulted or dismayed at the lack of musical sensibility or knowledge on the part of those in charge. (In fact, he may already feel that way even if he was approached.)

(Does anyone know who really has the rights over this incomplete material? I'm assuming that since it is made of incomplete works it is in the hands of his descendants or other rightful relatives.)

Burt over Brian, no doubt.

A Burt-Gershwin collaboration might inspire Burt to some top-level writing, like when he paired up with Elvis C. 10 or 12 years ago ...

Not to diminish Brian, but the days when he wrote great songs are long past.

That said, the state of songcraft is bad off these days everywhere. Not a single young writer has risen the last few decades that can do anything as inspired as the old-line guys (Great American Songbook era, and I include the 60s, maybe 70s, in that, because the writers of that generation are almost old now). I wonder if young people can even hear a great melody, could recognize a great tune with inspired melody, if they heard one. It just keeps getting worse with time, as if gene may have dropped out of the DNA sequence of kids these days. Great songwriting may be a lost art, like the guys that made Faberge eggs or something. Lost is the ability to make them, and with it, lost is the ability to appreciate them ... (Not to make a bad pun, but I wonder if it is a chicken-egg deal .... which is lost first?)

On the positive side, enjoy video of G. Gershwin at the piano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H743wwpuj6w

Are any of you familiar with Melody Gardot and the very fine album of mostly original material that she released earlier this year? I think she, too, would make an interesting choice to contemplate Gershwin's unfinished melodies. A very nice article on Ms. Gardot recently appeared in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/arts/ ... wanted=all. It would be interesting to know how this project unfolded and what the process was for selecting Mr. Wilson. For example, did Brian's people promote their man better than representatives did for other artists? I know that Brian has long cited Rhapsody In Blue as his favorite piece of music. He also did an a cappella version of that composition (yet to be released) for the Orange Crate Art album that he and Van Dyke Parks worked on together some years back and which offered up a lesser known Gershwin piece as its closing track. Could that have been used as a selling point? Just a few ruminations on the matter...

igtmfo33 wrote:...That said, the state of songcraft is bad off these days everywhere. Not a single young writer has risen the last few decades that can do anything as inspired as the old-line guys (Great American Songbook era, and I include the 60s, maybe 70s, in that, because the writers of that generation are almost old now).

In general, I totally agree with you. I think that Neyo, however, can write some really exciting and catchy music. I love Neyo's "Knock You Down" sung by Keri Hilson, "Let Me Love You" sung by Mario, and "Miss Independent" sung by Neyo himself. He really knows how to write a hit song. Another very well crafted song is "Chasing Pavements" by Adele, which she co-wrote. My point is that occasionally some very well written songs do break through.

FWIW, there were/are lots of unfinished Gershwin songs.

The songwriter Kay Swift, also Gershwin's lover for a long while, made it her late-life's work to get them to the public. The following is from her Website bio:

"Kay Swift's intense lifelong devotion to George Gershwin and his music led her to spend much time and creative energy on Gershwin projects from shortly after his death in 1937 until she was well into her 90's. Working with Ira Gershwin, she created the first posthumous Gershwin piece of music, "Dawn of a New Day," the theme for the 1939 World's Fair. A great deal more work with Ira on unfinished songs followed over several years, including the entire score for the movie "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim." Owing to her intimate knowledge of the music and its creator, she was frequently consulted on various elements of numerous Gershwin shows and performances, especially "Porgy & Bess," which for many years she was able to play in its entirety without a glance at the score. Many Gershwin pieces that would otherwise have been lost after his death were preserved in her memory, and she continued to transcribe his music, with careful notations about original keys and tempi, until just two years before her death in 1993, at age 95, in Southington, Connecticut."

Sorry one more ... Three more unfinished/posthumous Gershwin songs were completed by Ira Gershwin and appeared in the 1964 movie "Kiss Me Stupid ..." ... Hey I'm no expert, just what I found out on the Web ...

So you wonder what leavings Brian is working with ... possibly stuff that Kay Swift or Ira rejected. His heirs said these fragments/nearly completed tunes had laid "virtually untouched" all these years ... so they are not some completely new treasure trove it appears ....

Thanks for the info on Kay Swift...Im familiar with her, she wrote some famous songs on her own, such as "Fine and Dandy". Eydie Gorme did a verison
of it in the mid 50s off of her 1st album.
Any time I can hear a new Gershwin progresson, I'm jazzed!(no pun intended)
By the way, the Great Dean Martin and Carol Lawrence do a Gershwin tune-
"Somebody Loves ME" on his 60's show.,(youtube) where he messes up..it's a lot of fun....dont have the link , but if its still on there I'll find it and post it later.

Steveo