Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

What were the towering achievements of twentieth century American culture? Since you’re asking, I’ll make a case for the moon landings (featured here the other day) and for Rhapsody in Blue. This is the original, acoustic recording from 1924, the year it was written. It is said that Gershwin himself was present for this recording, although I think that might be an urban myth. The composer also, in the same year, made a piano roll of the piece which you can buy on a CD or download from the usual sources.

Download the MP3 from the Internet Archive.