Mom, Apple Pie, Chevrolet and … ‘Rhapsody in Blue’

It seems every orchestra and their third cousins are playing Rhapsody in Blue this season to mark the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s once-controversial 1924 musical composition that combined elements of classical music with jazz piano – billed back then as an Experiment in Modern Music. Our own Santa Barbara Symphony is no exception. But it’s also been almost three decades since jazz pianist Marcus Roberts created his own arrangement of the iconic work to feature his piano trio as the soloist; an entirely fresh re-imagining of the piece more radical than even Gershwin’s original. 

Roberts, who played with the symphony just two years ago, will be reunited with his original trio – drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Roland Guerin – for next weekend’s pair of concerts (May 18 and 19) featuring Rhapsody in Blue with the Santa Barbara Symphony, and will also perform his Rhapsody in D Gershwin-inspired composition for piano and orchestra. 

The Trio will also return to the Lobero on May 16 for a straight jazz show, dubbed Rhythm in Blue, which is also the title of Roberts’ forthcoming CD finally expected to be released this year. We caught up with the keyboardist-composer over the phone last week.

Q. What made you want to tackle composing an adaptation of Rhapsody for your own jazz trio to play with the symphony? 

A. The truth is I’d been living with that piece internally for years. It was always on my mind, but more in the background. I have always loved orchestral music and enjoy the work of great composers and conductors, so it was an exciting thing to do but also very deeply demanding. At that time, I was just starting with my trio and I was very interested in recreating the jazz trio approach, re-imagining it so that the bass drums had a much more active, definitive role in what a trio could do … My focus was on integration, bringing the classical world into a really authentic jazz environment that incorporated the big band, to find that ground of collaboration that felt authentic between both styles … From a piano standpoint, I just honestly wanted to give a real jazz perspective of the piece. I had no clue that almost 30 years later, we’d still be talking about it. 

As one review said back then, you reconceived the piano part with new themes, harmonies, and modern approaches including dissonance and more. What was the concept?

My biggest goal with Rhapsody was to transform it into the jazz environment that Gershwin could not have anticipated in 1924. Just think about it: By 1996, Duke Ellington had kept the band together for 50 years, Charlie Parker had been on the planet, along with John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, to name just a few. I felt comfortable with Gershwin, because as jazz musicians, we play Gershwin’s music, his standards, all the time. The orchestral works still have the folk thematic material you hear in the songs, and his themes are easy to improvise with; full and blues and soul. 

As you said, it’s been more than 28 years. What keeps you excited about playing Rhapsody in Blue again? And for that matter, why do you think Gershwin’s original is such a symphonic staple?

It’s like apple pie. it captures the feeling of American culture, and you can absolutely tell that it’s Gershwin whose songs have also stood the test of time…. (with my arrangement) at this point it’s almost total improvisation. What makes it special for me and the audiences who hear it is that it really is a journey of new improvised material. There is a structure, and we don’t just randomly go off into the stratosphere. You’ll recognize Gershwin’s themes, but we’re using the piano vocabulary from Europe, from America, from Cuba, New Orleans – whatever musical experiences that I’ve had or what I’ve heard that strike me at the time, all completely organically. There’s a lot of freedom in Rhapsody for you to go wherever the moment takes you. But I’m not thinking about it: I don’t want the subconscious improvisational process to be disturbed with too much deliberate stuff. 

What can we expect from your trio show at the Lobero? 

With the new album coming out, there will be songs by Gershwin and Cole Porter, and we’ll do “Mack the Knife,” and things like that. There’s nothing wrong with playing “old” music. Soup that your great-grandmother used to make that you loved, if you cook it today, it’s still going to be good, especially if you put your own twists on it. Roland and Jason, they helped me develop my trio conception way back in 1995, and what they can do rhythmically is insane. They’re so talented and charismatic they can do just about anything and still have it sound musical.

Going Mad for Jazz

Elsewhere in the jazz-orchestra world, the Santa Barbara Jazz Society hosts SBCC’s Monday Madness Jazz Orchestra at SOhO on Sunday afternoon, May 12, cramming the 19-piece band composed of many of the best musicians and jazz educators in the city on the club’s stage. Monday Madness was created 35 years ago by Dr. Charles Wood to uphold the big band jazz tradition of Swing Era legends Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, Dizzy Gillespie, and others – along with modern orchestra leaders such as Alan Baylock, Bob Mintzer, and Gordon Goodwin. Andrew Martinez, who held the sax tenor chair for many years, is now the director. Details at www.sohosb.com.