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This is to announce the release of a major historic piano reissue
series called "Keyboard Wizards of the Gershwin Era" on the Pearl
label.  Further information about the series can be found at:

    http://www.keyboardwizards.com/

Artis Wodehouse

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Keyboard Wizards of the Gershwin Era

Artis Wodehouse, producer
Pearl Records Historic reissue project


With the explosive growth of the music business in the United States
during the first quarter of the 20th century -- in music publishing,
recording (both piano rolls and phonograph records) and radio --
a new breed of pianists came to the fore in American popular culture.
White, and largely trained in the traditions of classical music,
they were lured to assimilate the suspect but wildly popular new
idioms of ragtime, jazz and the blues.

Traveling the same professional road as George Gershwin -- from song
plugger, to roll arranger, to published composer, to the phonograph
recording studio, and finally, to radio -- dozens of these gifted
pianists enriched mainstream American musical life and created a new
piano idiom intended for the general public to both listen to and
to play.

The music they produced is the last time a distinctly recognizable
piano idiom achieved mass distribution. After the Second World War
and the precipitous drop in amateur piano playing, new piano music for
mainstream audiences and home players faded away.  Sadly, the names,
music and performances of these brilliant American composer/pianists
have been largely forgotten.

The artists were chosen for their uniqueness, excellence, and
relative familiarity to the general public when musically active.
Selections show them in their best 78 and broadcast performances,
averaging three minutes duration per title.  Transfer engineer for
the series is Seth B. Winner.  Joseph Patrych is artistic consultant.

  Volume 1 - Pauline Alpert.   Pearl GEMM 9201
  Volume 2 - Dana Suesse.      Pearl GEMM 9202
  Volume 3 - Arden and Ohman.  Pearl GEMM 9203
  Volume 4 - Zez Confrey.      Pearl GEMM 9204
  Volume 5 - Arndt, Bernard, Bargy, Banta, Bloom.  Pearl GEMM 9205
  Volume 6 - Lawnhurst, Pollock, Mering.           Pearl GEMM 9206.
  Volume 7 - Raie da Costa.    Pearl GEMM 9207.