Reflections on meeting Ira Gershwin
by Richard Glazier

April 2, 1975 will always remain a highlight of my life. On that day, at the age of 12, I visited with Ira Gershwin. My interest in Gershwin began several years earlier when my aunt introduced me to the Oscar Levant recording of the Rhapsody in Blue. After hearing the original 78rpm recording, I promptly sat down and wrote a fan letter to Ira Gershwin. Because Ira was not in the best of health, his assistant, Edgar Carter, answered my letter. A correspondence then began which ultimately led to an invitation to Ira's Beverly Hills home.

As I entered, I saw George Gershwin's Steinway sitting in the corner of Ira's living room as a shrine to his beloved brother. It was on this piano that George and Ira composed Porgy and Bess in 1934 and 1935. When the Gershwins moved to Hollywood from New York in 1936, the piano was put in storage. After George's death, in 1937, Ira remained in California and had the piano moved from New York because it was George's favorite. Imagine how thrilled and honored I was when Ira gladly gave me permission to play this very special instrument! Playing on George's personal piano while Ira sang along is a memory that will always echo in my mind.

As I reflect back on our meeting, I am reminded of what a brilliant and generous human being Ira Gershwin was. Ira appreciated my youthful enthusiasm for Gershwin music and encouraged it. Twenty years later not one bit of my enthusiasm for this great music has diminished. It is as fresh and inventive to me as it was when I first heard the old 78's of Levant.

This recording represents the culmination of my many years of study and dedication to the music of the Gershwins and includes rare and previously unrecorded arrangements and transcriptions. The Gershwins were truly the "modern romantics" and it is my wish that this recording will represent that.