I’m not sure when I first listened to George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” which premiered 100 years ago this week, from start to finish. Snippets had played throughout the soundtrack of my life as a ...

"My idea for the concert," Whiteman wrote in his autobiography, "was to show these skeptical people the advance which had been made in popular music from the day of the discordant early jazz to the ...

First there was a clarinet trill — like a cat shaking off sleep. Then the cat stret-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-tched itself — from a low F to a high Bb. And the world of concert music changed forever. That shock ...

George Gershwin’s 1924 composition Rhapsody in Blue is so timeless that it seems scarcely possible that he composed it 100 years ago. Its centenary offers us a special opportunity to celebrate this ...

Composer George Gershwin is photographed in 1934 during a recording session at the CBS studio in New York. (CBS Photo Archive ) I’m not sure when I first listened to George Gershwin's “Rhapsody in ...

George Gershwin, photographed in his 72nd Street apartment in New York in 1934. His "Rhapsody in Blue" premiered 100 years ago on Feb. 12, 1924. "My idea for the concert," Whiteman wrote in his ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. "My idea for the concert," Whiteman ...