I can't believe there are no reviews for this album. Porgy and Bess is an American Opera written by the great Geore Gershwin. The music and lyrics are exactly what you would expect from Gershwin. Breathtaking. The songs have an easy, fairy tale quality thanks to the languid tempo and haunting strings and Satchmo's minimalist trumpet. The soundtrack has been recorded many times and many recordings have become a bit dated at this point. This recording, however, is still fresh and mind-boggling after more than half a century. Put simply, it is the collaboration of two of music's most talented and original performers at the top of their game, before age had started to take it's toll. While a few of the songs are forgettable, others are timeless. "Summertime" is, in my opinion, the greatest jazz recording ever. The album is worth buying just for that song.