Lecture Series - The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? Duke Ellington Edition

2Kerrytown Concert House is honored to continue its exciting new lecture series, The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? featuring the incomparable Brent Wagner (University of Michigan Emeritus Professor of Musical Theatre) with pianist/vocalist Tyler Driskill (U-M Asst. Prof of Musical Theatre).

This third installment of a 4-part lecture series centers around the great Duke Ellington, of whom Bob Blumenthal (jazz critic for The Boston Globe) wrote: “…[i]n the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington.” A major figure in the history of jazz, Ellington’s music stretched into various other genres. In this presentation, Wagner and Driskill will give a lecture/demonstration about Ellington’s contributions to the ‘Great American Songbook’ with an emphasis on the impact of the combination of music and lyrics to make a powerful new work.

About the series…

Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter — these marvelous writers created so many lasting standards in the early 20th century that their contribution to that era has been termed ‘The Great American Songbook.’ These songs have been recorded hundreds of times by pop singers, jazz artists, dance bands, and even opera singers, and new generations of performers are constantly discovering and rediscovering the depth and artistry of these mini-masterpieces.

But why have these songs lasted so long? What exactly makes them ‘great’? Professor Wagner will explore the repertoire, detailing and demonstrating some of the characteristics that make these songs part of an enduring and rewarding legacy.   

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