A Cappella Gershwin

Product Description "A Cappella Gershwin," a modern tribute to the craft and enduring musical genius of George and Ira Gershwin, aims for the heart. The album celebrates the centennial of Ira Gershwin's birthday; George was born two years later. In contrast to the vulgarity of much of today's popular music, lead vocalist, Ed Nalle, believes "A Cappella Gershwin" reinforces what is great about American music and art. "Some of the most popular artists in the U.S. are communicating about violence, extra-marital sex, and rebellion against all authority. Against that backdrop, we have chosen to make a recording of great American music written by a prolific composer whose songs comprise much of the musical vernacular of the twentieth century. Sophisticated harmonies, strong melodies, and clever lyrics are hall marks of Gershwin and the essence of this recording." The tunes cover the gamut of Gershwin themes, from the clever and witty "They All Laughed" to the yearning and romantic "The Girl I Love", in which Nalle's tenor voice sends arrows straight to the heart. A dozen tunes are performed including GLAD's "Gershwin Overture", a tour de force medley of six everlasting Gershwin classics incorporatinga cappella treatments of "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris". There's much more, from the jaunty "They Can't Take That Away From Me" to a dazzling performance of "Someone To Watch Over Me," with harmonies and invention rich enough to put mere mechanical musical instruments to shame. "I think that if you select great music to perform, then that performance should be in service to the composer," said Ed. "It's an honor for us to perform this music and we wanted to do it as well as humanly possible." Review "A Cappella Gershwin presents familiar George and Ira Gershwin compositions with inventive vocal arrangements and skillful harmonies." -- Pulse, June '96 "The singing, built around Ed Nalle's uncanny high tenor, has the elegance and sophistication the source material demands." -- Charleston Gazette, July '96 "these veterans... they have ballroom-danced across the status quo." -- Contemporary Christian Music, May '96 About the Artist GLAD, one of America's premier vocal groups, blend their voices with the gifts of some of the finest vocal arrangers of our time. Gene Puerling, David Maddux, Don Hart, and the group's own Paul Langford, together with GLAD create a modern, vocals-only tribute to the grand song writing team of George and Ira Gershwin. The members of GLAD have long followed the recorded works of Gene Puerling. He is well known for his association with the HI-LO's and The Singers Unlimited. He has received fourteen Grammy nominations for various arrangements, and a Grammy Award for his vocal arrangement of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" for Manhattan Transfer. Gene last worked with GLAD on "Acapella Hymns" ("Fairest Lord Jesus"). David Maddux is a gifted composer, arranger, and vocalist whose pieces for GLAD include "All Glory, Laud and Honor" from "The Acapella Project II" and "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow" from "An Acapella Christmas". He orchestrated a new musical, "Red, Red, Rose," based on the life of Scottish poet Robert Burns, a production initiated by Los Angeles theater producer David Gest. He recently completed an original, two-act contemporary opera, "Yeats," based on the life and writing of William Butler Yeats. David arranged and produced the Grammy-nominated vocal album, "An Evening in December," for vocal group, First Call. Don Hart's friendship with GLAD dates back to 1989 and The Symphony Project (orchestrations for "The Great Storm is Over", "There is Hope", and "He'll Always Defend You"). He also contributed to An Acapella Christmas ("Joy to the World" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel") in 1991. Don works as a free-lance arranger/composer for artists and clients such as Amy Grant, Jodi Benson (Disney's Little Mermaid ), Sandi Patti, Phil Keaggy, and Turner Broadcasting System (CNN Evening News theme 1985-91). His accomplishments include a CLIO Award for best instrumental arrangement of an existing song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Dodge Overture), and a Dove Award for best musical of 1990, Handel's "Young Messiah." Paul Langford is a talented arranger and aficionado of vocal music; he was also GLAD's keyboardist and tenor from 1993 to 1995. His arrangements of "Love is Here to Stay" and "They All Laughed" reveal a deft hand with chordal textures tailor-made to the voices of GLAD.
ASIN: B00005U5CE
VSKU: DBV.B00005U5CE.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Glad
Binding: Audio cd
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Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!