King of Jazz: PAUL WHITEMAN Gershwin "Rhapsody in Blue" 1925 Hippodrome Program

Description

This is a rare souvenir program from the B. F. Keith's Bill of International Artists at the New York Hippodrome in New York City ..... One of the headliners, in his last New York appearance prior to his International Tour, was PAUL WHITEMAN and his Greater Concert Orchestra with excerpts from GEORGE GERSHWIN's "Rhapsody in Blue" (
HARRY PERELLA,
soloist). Whiteman also presented the first public performance of "Mardi Gras" from FERDE GROFE's "Mississippi" Suite (premiered August 31st, 1925) and
B. Hinton's "NADINE" with saxophone soloist CHESTER HAZLETT. Other acts included SUN FONG LIN and his Chinese Wonder Workers; WARREN and O'BRIEN in "Bits of Eccentricity"; BOSTOCK'S RIDING SCHOOL with LILLIAN ST. LEON in "How Circus Riders are Made"; the KELLER SISTERS and LYNCH "The Spirit of Youth"; WILLIAM and JOE MANDELL offer an Unusual Occurrence; Direct from the London Coliseum, ALBA TIBERIO "Most Versatile Girl in the World"; the Funniest Blackface Comedians GEORGE MORAN and CHARLES MACK "Two Black Crows" and "THE APE" a Romance of the Jungles featuring AMERIQUE and NEVILLE and the 16 Hippodrome Girls
.....
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)
.....
DETAILS: The oversized 36 page program measures 8 5/8" X 10 7/8" inches and includes full production credits, list of acts, individual photos of several of the performers, beautiful
Jules Erbit cover artwork, p
romotional text, a history of the Hippodrome and wonderful vintage advertising ..... CONDITION: (Please Note!) There are several small edge tears to the cover including a clipped corner at the bottom right, minor surface rubbing and moderate edge wear. 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.