Rhapsody in Blue

2024 marks the centennial of Rhapsody in Blue, which premiered on February 12, 1924, at Aeolian Hall in New York City - Gershwin blended classical and jazz traditions to celebrate the energy and diversity of early 20th-century America: he composed Rhapsody in Blue in just three weeks, inspired by the sounds of a bustling train ride!!

Known as the "Poet of the Organ," Jesse Crawford popularized theater organ music in the 1920s and arranged this version of Rhapsody that I am excited to share.

I am using the "Modern Fox Wurlitzer" sampleset by Mellotone, with all reverb processing in hauptwerk (dry samples on perspective 1 panned as the chambers might be; perspective 2 is the included "Hall" reverb, and perspecitve 3 is the Melborne Town Hall reverb - a little bit of delay between all three.

The Fox Wurlitzer pipe organs, known as the "Fox Specials," -- these were custom-designed for grand movie palaces with their massive size and versatility. They are iconic symbols of the golden age of cinema