"Music must reflect the thoughts and aspirations of the people and the time," George Gershwin wrote in the early 1930s. "My people are American. My time is today." The works of Gershwin and of his lyricist brother Ira, were indeed of their people and of their time. But put on a recording today of "Embraceable You", "Summertime", "The Man I Love" or most any of the hundreds of songs they wrote together or apart, and you know that after all these years, those powerful melodies and wry lyrics are as fresh, inventive, and exuberantly and sassily playful as ever. And they are as well magnificently resilient in the face of just about any treatment, from new musical settings and vocal interpretations, to jazz improvisation and swing or blues arrangement. A Gershwin song transcends time as written, transforms beautifully, and still thrills the spirit and touches the heart.