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16 Winter 2025 • sai-national.org Cposers W hen SAI Rebecca Cordes realized the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue was fast approaching, she knew she had to do something. First premiered in 1924, Rhapsody in Blue is one of George Gershwin's most recognizable pieces. It straddles the line between classical and jazz, united by what Cordes calls the "DNA of the blues." Though a key piece of music at the height of the Jazz Age, it had a strong influence on the blues of its time as well. In planning the tribute album that later became American Blue, Cordes asked herself: what is the sound of American music? What other pieces would fit alongside this genre- bending masterpiece? She turned to Gershwin's contemporaries. "Rhapsody in Blue is recognized as having this iconic 'American' sound. When I asked myself what made it American, the answer I came up with was the blues." Some composers on the album will be familiar, like Duke Ellington and Aaron Copland. But others might be less familiar, such as Florence Price and Mary Lou Williams. Including these women not only provided a chance to showcase artists that may be lesser-known, but also proved how influential they were on the genre—sometimes, behind the scenes. Florence Price Florence Price Scenes in Tin Can Alley Scenes in Tin Can Alley Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas (mere hours from where Cordes lives in Texas). She was a composer, pianist, and music teacher who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Price was the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a piece performed by a major symphony orchestra (Chicago Symphony Orchestra). Scenes in Tin Can Alley has a unique history of its own. Believed to be written between 1927 and 1938, it wasn't discovered until 2009—when a number of Price's handwritten manuscripts were discovered in an abandoned home in St. Anne, Illinois. Thanks to the work of musicologist John Michael Cooper (also in Texas), the piece was finally published and performed in 2020. When Cordes discovered Scenes in Tin Can Alley in her research for American Blue, she hadn't known it was previously lost. Prior to its inclusion on the album, few recordings existed. She knew she had to bring this long-lost gem to light. It speaks to the social issues of its time in each of its movements: movement one, "The Huckster," suggests a traveling salesman hawking his shady wares; movement two, "Children at Play," about children pausing to stare at an old, crippled woman before resuming their play; and movement three, "Night," a sordid scene with a dark, slinking figure among the tenements. Like Rhapsody in Blue, it blends elements of classical and jazz, with bluesy undertones in its final movement. Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams Lullaby in Rhy thm (arr.); Chili Sauce Lullaby in Rhy thm (arr.); Chili Sauce Mary Lou Williams was in high demand as an arranger. She arranged for all the big bands, including Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington (who is also featured on American Blue). At one point, Goodman requested to sign her on as his exclusive arranger, but she refused. In her own music, Williams redirected the evolution of stride piano, a fast-paced style emerging from ragtime. She played alongside several groups, including Duke Ellington's orchestra, while also arranging the music for them. Later, after converting to Catholicism, her music became an expression of faith, composing various hymns and Masses. Williams had no formal musical training—she learned to do it on her own. Cordes wanted to include something that honored Williams's skill as an arranger, and "Lullaby in Rhythm" fit the bill. Originally a big band piece for Benny Goodman, Williams transforms the winds, brass, and percussion into something wholly different on solo piano. "Chili Sauce," by contrast, shows off her talent as a pianist, being half stride piano, half boogie-woogie. American Blue describes the turn of the twentieth century in a way no words can. With its blends of classical and jazz, and underlying themes of wholly American blues, it's a return to a lost era. It's meeting a friend in a dim jazz club and making new ones. It's a flurry of notes from a stage, a discovery of a musician you know will hit it big. It's a return to America's roots, both musically and culturally. American Blue is available on all streaming platforms, and CDs can be purchased at www. rebeccacordes.com. AMERICAN BLUE Rhapsody in Blue's 100th Anniversary Rhapsody in Blue is recognized as having this iconic "American" sound. When I asked myself what made it American, the answer I came up with was the blues. With that framing, the album provided an opportunity to highlight not just the usual suspects, like Gershwin, Ellington and Copland, but also some of their historically overlooked contemporaries, Florence Price and Mary Lou Williams. - REBECCA CORDES - PI CHAPTER INITIATE Bart Marantz photo Bart Marantz photo

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