George Gershwin in Jazz
George Gershwin is one of the most important American composers of the 20th century. Born September 26, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York, he did not begin playing piano before the age of 12, but by his mid-teens, he had quit school and was earning a living in music as a “song-plugger” — pitching sheet music in department stores — on New York’s Tin Pan Alley. “It was George Gershwin who paved the way for jazz to become America’s only indigenous music”
In his 38 short years, he managed to compose an enviable body of music, including “Summertime” (the most recorded song ever), and has inspired musicians, particularly in jazz, ever since.