wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

George Gershwin’s opera "Porgy and Bess" opened in New York 75 years ago, with an overture and then its first song, "Summertime." As the first day of summer approaches, Sara Fishko considers the song...in this edition of The Fishko Files.

A new book by composer Lalo Schifrin is called "Mission Impossible" – after Schifrin's famous TV theme. As WNYC’s Sara Fishko tells us, Schifrin's musical life has been rich with possibilities.

Schifrin's book will be available on Scarecrow Press.

Explore Lalo Schifrin's discography at dougpayne.com.

Watch the iconic ...

At one time, songs had lyrics and they had melodies. At some point, singers began to throw away the words AND the melodies, and the result was some of the most exciting, mouth-curling improvised music ever. Sara Fishko has been listening to scat-singers, and that’s the subject of this edition ...

The work of Hoagy Carmichael, the musician and movie actor born more than a hundred years ago, is in a period of rediscovery. Richard Sudhalter's book, Stardust Melody, published by Oxford University Press, is just out. And so is Bill Charlap's CD of Carmichael songs, on the Blue Note label, ...

There are certain pieces of music that act almost like blank canvases: they are particularly good at letting musicians be themselves. One seasonal song, Sara Fishko tells us, is remarkable for the fact that it has inspired more than 100 wildly different ways to say "summer." Here's the next Fishko ...

In the late '30's, a short, simple song both horrified and fascinated those who heard it. A new book shows there's still controversy and painful history surrounding the song and its story.