Northeast Clarinet Convergence - Blue Skies

Live Performance at Midwest Musical Imports.
Blue Skies (1926) - Irving Berlin (1888-1989) (arr. R. Percival)
The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Betsy, opened in Washington D.C. on December 20, 1926, and Blue Skies was composed a mere four days prior, on December 16. One story claims that Belle Baker complained to producer Florenz Ziegfeld that the show didn’t have a “star quality” song for her to sing, and another version has Ziegald approaching Irving Berlin because he felt that the musical would fail without a show stopper. Regardless, Berlin penned this song as a last minute addition and it was added to the show without even telling Rodgers and Hammerstein. Since then, it’s seen numerous star performances across all genres, from Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald, to Willie Nelson, to Lieutenant Commander Data, in Star Trek: Nemesis. Benny Goodman’s orchestra recorded the piece in 1935, making it an apt choice for clarinet choir.