Ferdy (sometimes called Ferdie) Grofe was one of Paul Whiteman’s regular arrangers, and as such was entrusted with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for its world premiere in 1924 at the famous ‘Experiment in Modern Music’ concert organized by Whiteman. With Gershwin himself as soloist the piece immediately became a key work in the history of American music. Grofe rearranged it in 1927 for a larger orchestra than the original jazz band and then again, after the composer’s death, in 1941 Grofe made the arrangement for a version with symphony orchestra – the one most often heard now. The recording here was the second Gershwin made with the Whiteman band and obviously has an importance all of its own. The sound quality is modest, but Gershwin’s playing is definitive.
Gershwin recorded solo extracts from his Concerto in F, but for Whiteman’s recording, slightly abridged, Roy Bargy is the energetic soloist. For a long time this was the only version available. Gershwin, probably with a helping hand or two, made his own orchestration of the concerto, as he did for all his other works after Rhapsody in Blue; nevertheless Grofe’s contribution remains crucial to the impact of the piece – as does that of Ross Gorman, clarinet soloist at the first performance, whose improvisations at rehearsals had established the famous ‘wail’ at the opening.
Grofe’s own Grand Canyon Suite, with its Puccini-influenced opening “Sunrise” (he must have listened to the opening of Act 3 of Tosca very carefully) and folksy hop-along variations, has often been recorded (notably by Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra). The Mississippi Suite, though, is a comparative rarity. The barn-dance style “Huckleberry Finn” opening gives way to a nostalgic “Old Creole Days” with its own wailing trumpet; this is followed by the finale, “Mardi Gras”, with tinny banjo and swooning strings vying for attention in the big tune. No pianist is credited but possibly it is Grofe himself – he was Whiteman’s regular pianist in the early 1920s. The sound varies from 78 side to side but for Whiteman and Gershwin enthusiasts this is richly evocative material.'