Adam Carroll plays Gershwin "Porgy & Bess" Selections

Adam Carroll was one of the most prolific arrangers of popular music rolls for the Aeolian-American Company, and he created this Ampico roll medley of three songs from Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess" very shortly after the opera was first performed in 1935. The songs are the Bess's lullaby-aria "Summertime", the cynical gospel sermon by dope-dealer Sportin' Life "It Ain't Necessarily So" and Porgy's well-known bass-baritone solo "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin." Lyrics were by George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. Late rolls like this, from the end of the player-piano era, were often among the best arrangements, but they are also typically more rarely heard, since relatively few copies of the rolls were sold in the depths of the depression. The performance is heard from Ampico roll # 71833-G on a 1926 Knabe 5'4" Ampico grand that was fully restored in early 2011. For more information, see www.historicpianos.com.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Adam
• Carroll
• George
• Gershwin
• Ira
• Porgy
• Bess
• Ampico
• Knabe
• Summertime
• It
• Ain't
• Necessarily
• So
• reproducing
• piano
• player
• roll

[aknabea]

Love it!!! Wonderful roll and wonderful piano!! Thanks! Love the Knabe pianos!!

[sdegrace]

Very interesting this arrangement and to see and hear this is something.My grand piano 7'9'' is a Knabe piano too(around 1925). I've always like the sound. I have it since 1990.

[aknabea]

@WelteMax Still Stretching so it would need more tuning! Tune it and put more videos on, please!! Thanks!

[WelteMax]

But stil IT is a superb roll! great arangement!! and the player works very well!=)

[WelteMax]

@aknabea but it would be even better when it would be tuned -_-'.

[pianmn199]

Great Roll and piano. Thanx for posting

[aknabea]

Very nice.  The Knabe "clarity" really shows on this one!

[hotsickle]

Excellent performance !