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Not to dismiss Gershwin, but Gershwin is the chip; Ellington was the block.

He's a world-famous name to people who care about his music, but there are many people who have never heard of George Gershwin and those numbers increase.

We hear about the Gershwins, the Kerns, and the Berlins, but there were some great little writers like Theodore Morse, Charles K. Harris, and Ernest R. Ball, who wrote 'Let the Rest of the World Go By.'

I was lucky enough to have the songs in my first show written by George and Ira Gershwin. Then Cole Porter wrote five shows for me.

The Gershwin legacy is extraordinary because George Gershwin died in 1937, but his music is as fresh and vital today as when he originally created it.

My father was always playing the piano. He played all kinds of music - Gershwin, all kinds of stuff.

You might lose your spontaneity and, instead of composing first-rate Gershwin, end up with second rate Ravel.

For me, when you are talking about perfect songs, you're talking about Gershwin, 'Someone To Watch Over Me.' Or Larry Hart and Richard Rodgers. Or some of the great Cole Porter songs, whether it's 'Night and Day' or some of the comedy songs. Or Irving Berlin, of course.