[78-L] Martin Williams (was: Blistering exchange between Leonard Feather and Chris Albertson)

[Jack Raymond]

Mike Biel writes that Martin Williams "had Jack Tower do some 'creative
editing' to fix some skips in George Gershwin's piano performance of
'Someone To Watch Over Me'" -- which misled Artis Wodehouse when she
transcribed and performed Gershwin's improvisational playing of the song
at an ARSC conference.

He continues:

> She started by saying she was going to present analysis of three
> pieces using the printed scores, the printed improvisations, and
> recordings.  I said a silent prayer that she was NOT going to use
> Someone To Watch Over Me.  And then 2/3s of the way thru a brilliant
> presentation, she said, "Lastly I am going to discuss 'Someone To
> Watch Over Me.'"   I whispered "Oh No!" to Fred Williams who was
> sitting next to me.  And over in the back of the auditorium I saw
> Martin Williams slump lower and lower into his seat. She had written
> out the notation of the creatively edited recording and played it
> note for note, including the place where the editing had Gershwin
> repeating a measure exactly the same way twice.

As far as I know, the only Gershwin recording of "Someone to Watch over 
Me" that the Smithsonian ever re-issued is the 1927 commercial record he 
made in England for Columbia.

-- Jack  Raymond