Jazz, love, and Gershwin never looks as good in words as it does to the eyes and ears, especially on the stage of Carnegie Hall, where the New York Pops celebrates one hundred years of all things Gershwin, in “Jazz, Love, and Gershwin: A Century of Rhapsody in Blue.”
Ever the showman, director and conductor Steven Reineke bounds onto the stage to delighted applause and he treats the audience to a rousing overture from Crazy for You featuring the beloved orchestra, bows dancing in unison and instruments sparkling under the bright lights. Reineke gives us all a warm welcome, gushing over the evening’s dedication to the American icons George and Ira Gershwin.
It has been one hundred years since the duo burst onto the early 20th music scene, making the kind of music that has endured an entire century and shows no sign of diminishing.
After the bright overture, Reineke introduces his guest singer for the evening, Montego Glover (Memphis), who takes the stage in stunning attire and in even more gorgeous voice, giving
us “Strike Up the Band,” “Clap Yo’ Hands,” and “‘S Wonderful,” just three of the Nelson Riddle arrangements that would be presented in the evening. Glover’s manner is confident and easy, and she makes the songs and space her own. Reineke and Glover have a winning rapport; they cajole and banter together effortlessly. Reineke thanks her for working on her birthday, as he raises the orchestra and the audience in a chorus of the traditional happy birthday song.
Glover continues with richly warm renditions of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “The Man I Love”, and the New York Pops rounded out the act with “Cuban Overture”, a brisk and bright piece that makes one feel they’re on holiday in the streets of Havana itself.
Glover’s performances lean slightly to the formal, and yet are passionate and powerful. All told, she appears merely a mere band singer (and oh what a band singer!) in the light of the true star of the evening, George Gershwin. In the short 13 years before his untimely death, George Gershwin managed to make an indelible mark on American music, and this fact is never clearer after the orchestra delivers its most splendidly ravishing rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue,” made more astonishing by the remarkable talents and improvisations of renowned pianist Lee Musiker. Musiker practically dances on the keys, forehead glistening and eyes shining, and there can’t ever have been heard a more breathtaking “Rhapsody in Blue” to these ears, and likely not any time soon. An historical moment.
Not to be outdone, Glover took the final moment to sing “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, and what a brilliant performance she gives!
Truly a magnificent evening of gorgeous vocals, sexy brass and sassy strings, a magical night to remember.
The New York Pops Celebrates Centennial of “Rhapsody in Blue (one night only, February 9, 2024)
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, 881 7th Ave, in Manhattan
For more information about future shows, visit https://newyorkpops.org/