Alexis Gershwin Sings Tunes Penned By Uncles

At last we have a recording of Gershwin songs sung by a Gershwin - Alexis Gershwin, niece of composers George and Ira.

“I’ve been singing my uncles’ music since before I could even talk,” says Alexis Gershwin, whose album is titled “I’ll Take Romance” (Group Inc./Cristofur Records). “My mother’s a Gershwin, so the music was always playing around our house.”

Although she can’t remember George Gershwin, who died in 1937, Alexis used to visit her uncle Ira at his Los Angeles home at least once a week (Ira died in 1982).

“I’d sing for him, and he just loved it,” she says. “He wasn’t in the least critical of my delivery, just very, very supportive.” Even though she got an early start at singing her uncles’ music, Alexis devoted her early adult years to marriage and children. After her divorce, she began studying music in earnest with Phil Moore, who had also coached Marilyn Monroe.

“Phil’s philosophy was that singing is more than just voice,” she explains. “It’s emotion, phrasing, and even body language - which is probably why I enjoy performing live so much.

“The ability to act is important for a singer, because you have to know how to be real in your portrayal. If you’re too inward, you can’t reach your audience.”

After becoming a regular on the Los Angeles nightclub circuit, Alexis branched out and began singing in clubs throughout the United States and Europe. She is looking forward to 1998, when she will take center stage in a centennial celebration honoring her famous uncles.

“No one has written music like theirs before or since,” she says. “Their music is very romantic, but at the same time it has a jazzy feel because they were able to marry poetry and witticism through unique rhymes. I’m afraid few composers today ever learned how to do that.” Four Gershwin songs are included on “I’ll Take Romance” - “‘S Wonderful,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” “Naughty Baby” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” The rest of the album is made up of songs by composers such as Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael, and Victor Young.