Foxtrot was a popular music and dance trend of the early 20th-century that was influential in the development of jazz. Curiously, it is also the more long-lasting of any of the other ragtime animal dances, which included the Turkey Trot and the Grizzly Bear, among others. George Gershwin flourished into one of the architects of modern American popular music at the peak of its popularity. In fact, many of his early compositions were labeled as Foxtrot, including “Sweet and Lowdown.” This sprightly composition, which allows for virtuosic showcases on piano, was composed for the 1926 musical Tip-Toes. A version recorded by Gershwin himself from the same year has survived as a piano roll.
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