King of Jazz: PAUL WHITEMAN and Orchestra / George Gershwin 1925-26 Tour Program

Description

This is a rare souvenir program from the 1925-1926 Transcontinental Tour of PAUL WHITEMAN and his Greater Concert Orchestra
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Biography: PAUL WHITEMAN (
1890
— 1967)
was an
American bandleader, called the “King of Jazz
” for popularizing a musical style that helped to introduce jazz to mainstream audiences during the 1920's and 1930's.
Whiteman, who was originally a violinist, conducted a 40-piece U.S. Navy band
in 1917–18 and then developed a hotel orchestra
in California, which he took to New York City
in 1920. He hired the best white jazz players, but he allowed little room for improvisation in his arrangements and greatly simplified jazz rhythms. He was successful as a co-composer of popular songs during the 1920's and led his orchestra in Broadway musicals.
Whiteman commissioned George Gershwin's
Rhapsody in Blue
and conducted it's premiere at Aeolian Hall, New York City, in 1924, with the composer as piano soloist. Whiteman also introduced the
Grand Canyon Suite
(1931) by Ferde Grofe,
who had arranged the
Rhapsody.
The
Rhapsody
became Whiteman’s theme, and he established the Whiteman Awards for compositions
in a “symphonic jazz” style. The 1930 film
King of Jazz
was the first of four in which his orchestra appeared. Whiteman was the host of several national radio programs during the 1930's, wrote three books
, and recorded extensively. His popularity waned in the late 1940's, but he came back as a television-series host in the 1950's and occasionally led bands up to the time of his death. (Britannica)
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DETAILS: The oversized 24 page program measures 8 7/8" X 11 5/8" inches and includes full production credits, list of the members of the orchestra, an extensive bio and a number of photos of Whiteman and the orchestra, several caricatures of Whiteman, photos of six American composers (including George Gershwin) who contributed to the Whiteman repertoire, excerpts from a number of reviews
and wonderful vintage advertising ..... CONDITION: (Please Note!) The covers are separated at the seam and detached from the program and the front cover shows considerable edge wear with some paper loss. Despite these flaws, this rare program will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.