I Got Rhythm

These three words constitute the title for probably the most famous song ever written for the Broadway stage. In an interview on the Rudy Vallee Show, George Gershwin declared it his favorite of all the show tunes he had composed. (You can hear a clip from that episode of the  Rudy Vallee Show here, and Gershwin plays “I Got Rhythm” starting at 6:51, after having played three other songs of his.) Every jazz musician needs to learn this song and master how to improvise across its chord changes, which are second only to the 12-bar blues as groundworks for jazz. There are probably dozens if not hundreds of “Rhythm tunes” – new melodies based on the chord progression underlying “I Got Rhythm,” usually without the “tag” that Gershwin included at the end of the chorus (though Sidney Bechet’s “Shag” is a wonderful example of a Rhythm tune that includes the tag) – and several of those are also part of a working jazz musician’s repertoire. Those of my generation will probably remember one Rhythm tune in particular: the theme song to “The Flintstones.” But though almost any alternative is good for a change of pace, none of the Rhythm tunes is nearly as good as the Gershwins’ original masterpiece.

I’d like to talk about a famous recording of the song as interpreted by Ethel Merman, in 1947. Merman created the role of Kate Fothergill in the 1930 debut of Girl Crazy, the musical which includes “I Got Rhythm,” at the age of 21, and performed the song often in recitals as well as in the theater. When you listen to this recording, you will notice the verse (introduction – that is, the sung introduction, not the intro the orchestra plays in this arrangement). It’s not often performed, but it’s great. With other lyrics, its rather dissonant minor music would sound very mournful, but in this context, it is more nearly contemplative, and perfectly prepares the chorus of what’s probably the most joyous celebration of music in any musical. The chorus has the well-known melody, but try to listen to it once again, as if for the first time. Note how the syncopations are almost breathless, not wanting to wait to shout for joy.

As for Merman, hear how healthy her voice was. She performed in the days long before microphones were used on Broadway, and when she sang, the customers in the last row of the highest balcony had to be able to hear her and understand every word. So she had to sing very loudly and clearly, without straining. Undoubtedly, part of this was just her luck in having great vocal cords, but she took very good care of them, which is why she had a long career. The time of the classic Broadway shows, when there was no amplification and full orchestras played live every night, will never return, but aren’t we lucky that, through the magic of recording, we can still ask the question “Who could ask for anything more?” along with the late Ms. Merman?