Manhattan: Music from the Woody Allen Film

by Mehta,Zubin

Overview

George Gershwin died about 40 years before the start of principal photography on writer/director/star Woody Allen's Manhattan, yet, as with An American in Paris, which appeared more than a decade after Gershwin's death, he can be considered the film's scorer simply because all the music is his. Allen decided Gershwin's music perfectly matched his black-n-white vision of the island he was celebrating in his '70s comedy, and it's hard to disagree. To provide the music, he engaged the New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta. Sixteen-and-a-half of the soundtrack album's 40 minutes are taken up by a full-length treatment of "Rhapsody in Blue," with Gary Graffman sitting in on piano in place of Gershwin. Otherwise, the score consists mostly of brief arrangements of songs Gershwin wrote for shows and films, usually lasting only a minute or two each. There are two jazz performances. "Mine" is done as a piano (Dick Hyman), bass (Milt Hinton), and drums (Eric Cohen) arrangement in a '20s style, and "Love Is Here to Stay" features Hyman and Hinton supporting Lewis Eley's violin on one of Gershwin's final songs. The music is familiar, of course, and fans of it may wish for more complete versions of the songs. But it really does evoke Manhattan, whether of the '20s or the '70s. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	03/02/2010
Label:	SONY MASTERWORKS
UPC:	0886976114527

Tracks

1. Rhapsody in Blue
2. Land of the Gay Caballero
3. Someone to Watch Over me
4. I've Got a Crush on You
5. Do, Do, Do
6. Mine
7. He Loves and She Loves
8. Girl Crazy~Bronco Busters
9. Oh, Lady Be Good
10. 'S Wonderful
11. Love is Here to Stay
12. Sweet and Low-Down
13. Blue, Blue, Blue
14. Embraceable You
15. He Loves and She Loves
16. Work(s)~Love is Sweeping the Country & Land of the Gay Caballero
17. Strike up the Band
18. But Not for Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

New York Philharmonic   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Zubin Mehta   Primary Artist,Conductor
Dick Hyman   Piano
Milt Hinton   Bass
Lewis Eley   Violin
Brian Koonin   Guitar
Gary Graffman   Piano
Eric Cohen   Drums

Technical Credits

Ray Moore   Engineer
Tom Pierson   Adaptation,Orchestration
Bud Graham   Engineer
Ferde Grofe   Orchestration
Andrew Kazdin   Producer
George Gershwin   Composer