Fascinating Rhythm
"Fascinating Rhythm" is a popular song written by George Gershwin in 1924 with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
"Fascinating Rhythm" | |
---|---|
Song by Cliff Edwards, Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire | |
Published | 1924 |
Composer(s) | George Gershwin |
Lyricist(s) | Ira Gershwin |
It was first introduced by Cliff Edwards, Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire in the Broadway musical Lady Be Good.[1] The Astaires also recorded the song on April 19, 1926 in London with George Gershwin on the piano (English Columbia 3968 or 8969).[1]
Many recorded versions exist. One of the rarest recordings is one by Joe Bari (a pseudonym of Anthony Dominick Benedetto, later better known as Tony Bennett) for Leslie Records in 1949 and issued as catalog number 919 with "Vieni Qui" as the flip side. Having rerecorded it as a duet with Diana Krall in 2018 for their duet album Love Is Here to Stay, he currently holds the Guinness World Record for the "longest time between the release of an original recording and a re-recording of the same single by the same artist".[2]
"Fascinating Rhythm" inspired the riff to the 1974 Deep Purple song "Burn".[3]
The 1926 Astaire/Gershwin version and a 1938 version by Hawaiian steel guitarist Sol Hoʻopiʻi have both been added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" American sound recordings.[4]
Recorded versions
- Maxene Andrews
- Victor Arden and Phil Ohman (piano roll duet)
- Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire with George Gershwin on piano - rec. April 19, 1926 - released on Columbia 3969 (WA 3184-1)
- Fred Astaire - rec. December 1952
- Tony Bennett (1949, as Joe Bari, re-recorded in 2018)[5]
- Louis Bellson - rec. February 1954 - released on the LP The Amazing Artistry of Louis Bellson
- Georgia Brown
- The Carpenters
- Petula Clark
- Rosemary Clooney
- Jacob Collier - rec. August 2014 - released on the album In My Room
- Zez Confrey (piano roll)
- Come Shine
- Xavier Cugat
- Jamie Cullum
- Vic Damone
- Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra - rec. January 12, 1943 - from the movie "Girl Crazy" (1943)
- Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards - rec. December 18, 1924 - released as Perfect 115690, matrix 105713-2
- Les Elgart
- Percy Faith
- Michael Feinstein
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)
- Wayne Fontana
- The Four Tops
- Judy Garland
- George Gershwin
- Jack Gibbons
- Benny Goodman
- Stephane Grappelli
- Dave Grusin
- Vince Guaraldi Trio (1956)
- Ted Heath
- The Hi-Lo's
- Earl Hines
- Sol Hoʻopiʻi
- Dick Hyman
- Antonio Carlos Jobim - recorded on the LP Passarim in 1987
- Salena Jones
- Stan Kenton
- Morgana King - rec. 1964 - released on the LP A Taste of Honey
- Lee Konitz
- André Kostelanetz
- Cleo Laine
- Enoch Light
- Herbie Mann
- Billy May
- Susannah McCorkle
- Maureen McGovern
- Jane Monheit and Mark O'Connor
- Mark Murphy
- Red Norvo
- Virginia O'Brien
- Art Pepper
- Oscar Peterson
- Eleanor Powell - (1940s film Lady Be Good)
- John Pizzarelli
- André Previn
- Buddy Rich
- Freddie Rich (piano roll)
- George Shearing
- Stuff Smith
- The Spinners
- Tommy Steele
- Claude Thornhill
- Mel Tormé
- Leslie Uggams
- Caterina Valente
- Sarah Vaughan - rec. August 15, 1964 and Gershwin Live!, 1982
- Scott Hamilton - Live At Brecon Jazz Festival, 1995
- Paul Whiteman
- Guillermo Klein - Una Nave (2005)
References
- Billman, Larry (1997). Fred Astaire - A Bio-bibliography. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 57, 235. ISBN 0-313-29010-5.
- http://time.com/5395612/tony-bennett-guinness-record/
- Moskowitz, David, ed. (2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. ABC_CLIO. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-440-80340-6.
- "The National Recording Registry 2011". National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. May 24, 2012.
- Hart, Ron. "Tony Bennett & Diana Krall on Gershwin Duets Album 'Love Is Here to Stay' & Their Mutual Admiration". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2018.