The Complete Porgy and Bess
1956 album
This 1956 recording based on George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess was the second "complete" recording of the opera after the 1951 version, and the first recording of the work to feature jazz singers and musicians instead of operatic singers and a classical orchestra.
Russell Garcia arranged Gershwin's work for the Bethlehem Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Australian Jazz Quintet, the Pat Moran Quartet and the Stan Levey Group. Mel Tormé sang the role of Porgy and Frances Faye the role of Bess. The Ellington Orchestra plays "Summertime" as the overture, but does not appear elsewhere on the album.
Originally released by Bethlehem Records in 1956 (3BP-1); reissued in the 1970s (EXLP-1). Highlights from this recording released by Bethlehem as BCP 6040 and BCP 6009. On CD: Bethlehem Records #BET6028-2 (Released 1994), Rhino Records #75828 (Released 1999).
Cast
Mel Tormé (Porgy)
Frances Faye (Bess)
Johnny Hartman (Crown)
Betty Roche (Clara)
George Kirby (Sportin' Life)
Sallie Blair (Serena)
Frank Rosolino (Jake)
Loulie Jean Norman (Strawberry Woman)
Joe Derise (Honey Man)
Bob Dorough (Crab Man)
Pat Moran Quartet (Pat Moran McCoy, John Doling, Johnny Whited, Bev Kelly)
Orchestra
Duke Ellington Orchestra): Duke Ellington, piano; William "Cat" Anderson, Willie Cook, Clark Terry (trumpet); Ray Nance (trumpet, violin); Quentin Jackson, John Sanders, Britt Woodman (trombone); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone); Jimmy Woode (bass); Sam Woodyard (drums)
Australian Jazz Quintet: Dick Healey (alto saxophone, flute); Erroll Buddle (tenor saxophone, bassoon); Jack Brokensha (vibraphone); Bryce Rohde (piano); Jimmy Gannon (bass); Frank Capp (drums)
Stan Levey Group: Conte Candoli, (trumpet); Frank Rosolino (trombone); Richie Kamuca (tenor saxophone); Sonny Clark (piano); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Stan Levey (drums) [1]
External links
Dachslager, Earl L. (Winter 2000). "Various Artists: George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess". Songbirds.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Complete Porgy and Bess” as 1956 album. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1956 album. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 23, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7727169. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1956, 1951, 1994 and 1999.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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