Mintus about his brand new trio production A GERSHWIN PLAYGROUND: "After two albums of mainly original music, I felt ready to take on this adventure..

Guy Mintus about his brand new trio production A GERSHWIN PLAYGROUND:'After two albums of mainly original music, I felt ready to take on this adventure and make an artistic statement revealing my own voice through some of the most well known pieces in jazz, some of which I know since I'm about 10 years old, while bringing them into 2020 with a new light. All of the interpretations take their cues first and foremost from the lyrics/ the story telling of each song - at times with a more 'poppy-singer song writery' approach, at other times with some groovy middle eastern elements or with a meditative, 'prayer like' mindset but above all with lots of swing,playfulness hum and joie de vivre.Making a Gershwin album in 2020 is also important for me as an Israeli and Jewish person who has spent quite a big chunk of his life in NY. It is a way to highlight and celebrate the long tradition of Jewish African-American allyship, very much present in the lineage of Gershwin who fought for integration of African-Americans in the opera world (Gershwin refused to premiere Porgy & Bess at the Metropolitan as they wouldn't include African-Americans in their productions when the opera was written) and wasthe first composer to write anti-war musicals.Lastly, my relationship to Rhapsody in Blue (featured on the album in a solo version) is kind of special for me having performed it for my first time with Bayerische Philharmonie at a concert commemorating 70 years for a concert Leonard Bernstein gave in Landsberg with the 'Displaced Person's Orchestra' (comprised of survivors of world war II). Since then, this piece, which is essentially a celebration of life, is part of my DNA I've got to perform it with several orchestras, dozens of solo concerts and even in the salon of Jamie & Nina Bernstein, the daughters of the maestro.'

Additional Details

Label: Enja Records

Genre: Jazz

Run Time: 50 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 01/15/21

UPC: 063757968320