Prelude II by George Gerschwin [solo guitar arr. Kenny Burrell]

George Gershwin (1989-1937)
Prelude II (1926)
Arr. [for solo guitar] Kenny Burrell
Arr. [for jazz combo] Simon Needle

Josh Hayward - Alto Saxophone
Grady Housworth - Trombone
Josh Ingles - Baritone Saxophone
David Schroeder - Bass
Zack Smith - Drum Set
Simon Needle - Guitar

Credited as one of America’s greatest composers and pianists George Gershwin adapted the increasingly popular Jazz styles he heard in New York into works for Piano, Orchestra, Musical Theater and Film. American guitarist Kenny Burrell honored Gershwin’s storied importance to Jazz music by arranging one of Gershwin’s piano Preludes for piano for solo guitar and featuring it on his Guitar Forms album in 1965.
This arrangement opens with an interpretation of Burrell’s arrangement for solo guitar, which then becomes the main melody for the full band. The chart resembles a slightly adapted blues form. Gershwin was acutely aware of the importance of the blues in jazz music and wrote with this in mind. The B section features contrasting melodic material featured in the low voice with a sneaky harmonic context provided by the horn section.

Thank you again to my excellent instructor Trey Wright, Brandon Boone for his Engineering work, and Rachel Rabeneck and Andrew Niehoff of Partita Studios for videography.