Why we need ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ more than ever as it turns 100 Composer George Gershwin is photographed in 1934 during a recording session at the CBS studio in New York.

But Downes hears more than just jazz in Gershwin's piece — she hears politics. "Just three months after Rhapsody in Blue was performed, the Johnson-Reed Act was passed," she points out.

After it is over, audience members leap out of their seats for a standing ovation. Such has been the response to “Rhapsody in Blue” ever since its premiere 100 years ago, on Feb. 12, 1924.

The rhapsody was programmed as the culmination of a concert titled “An Experiment in Modern Music,” which proposed that jazz, then new to the American mainstream, was serious music worthy of a ...

With the wail of a clarinet, George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' electrified audiences 100 years ago. Today we still love it — and argue about it ...

The 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” has sparked celebrations and thoughtful reappraisals of the musical milestone. First performed at Manhattan’s Aeolian Hall on ...

His Rhapsody in Blue premiered 100 years ago on Feb. 12, 1924. It was cold and snowy in New York City 100 years ago today, and Aeolian Hall, across from Bryant Park, was packed.

Fleck describes adapting “Rhapsody in Blue” as a musical Everest. “On a piano, you have 10 fingers and 81 keys. On a banjo, I can only strike three notes at a time,” Fleck said.