Classical music came from Europe. Jazz arose in the American deep south as a combination of multiple music genres, most noticeably black folk music and French influences. How ironic that it would take two descendants of Russian Jews to fuse the two together into a distinctly American style of music. The two composers are George and Ira Gershwin. George is the more famous of the two, but both by himself and with his sibling they composed multiple great scores of musics. Many of these have stood the test of time and are now commonly heard in the mass media; Rhapsody in Blue is the ultimate example, and it leads of this two-disc set. Other pieces were composed for operas (Porgy and Bess), Broadway shows (Funny Face), and movies. All of this and other works are found on this set. The recording is great, the sound quality is flawless and the compositions well chosen to provide 2+ hours of music. All told, a great buy for the price.

Absolutely the best, still after all these years. I'm very happy with the album.