Results for "The Great American Songbook"

The Great American Songbook

The 1940s: WWII, Singers Take Center Stage

by Joan Merrill
August 4, 2026

The 1940s might have been the 20th century's most pivotal decade for America and the world. Millions died as war gripped the globe once again, and the Atomic Age and Cold War sprang up in the latter half of the decade as peace was finally achieved. Through it all, music and entertainment reflected the times.

The 1930s: Soup Kitchens, Shirley Temple and Swing

by Joan Merrill
June 2, 2026

Just as the 1920s were defined by the Jazz Age, the 1930s were also defined by swing, the popular music of the time. Jazz had become danceable. But as America swung through the decade, the country endured two horrendous disasters: the Great Depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929, and the Dust ...

The 1920s: Jazz Becomes America's Soundtrack

by Joan Merrill
April 2, 2026

With the end of both World War I and the deadly flu pandemic that killed untold millions of people, the United States welcomed the new decade with open arms and a sense of optimism. The 1920s were one of the most eventful periods in American history. The Prohibition Era, from 1920 to 1933, gave ...

The Great American Songbook Goes To The Movies

by Joan Merrill
January 23, 2026

Broadway bombed. Hollywood boomed. Movies learned to talk. The stock market crashed in 1929 and burst the popularity bubble of Broadway. Going to see a play or a musical was common practice in the Roaring Twenties. There were hundreds of them playing on the Great White Way and millions of Americans of all classes ...

Doris Day Was So Much More Than The "Girl Next Door"!

by Joan Merrill
September 25, 2025

Doris Day was often called America's “girl next door"--friendly, wholesome, relatable, and unintimidating. Women wanted to be her and men wanted to marry her. It was an image so firmly attached to her that it overshadowed her remarkable talent. In her book Holding my own in No Man's Land, film critic ...

Jeannette Miller

Jazz vocalist Jeannette Miller is known for her “swanky take-charge vocals” (Sound Views) and her love of improvisation. Her interpretations of classic songbook standards draw on years of experience as a pop/folk singer-songwriter, training in classical piano, and improvisation studies with Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs, Rhiannon, and Jay Clayton.

As a singer/songwriter, Jeannette’s original songs have garnered multiple awards in national songwriting competitions. The title track from her EP “Dreamtime” was featured in a CD compilation by Fast Folk Music Magazine, and is now archived in the Smithsonian Collection.  More at jeannettemillermusic.com 

Marie-Claire Giraud

Born: June 8, 1987

Marie-Claire Giraud is a soprano, jazz singer, songwriter and  actor. Born on the island of Dominica and raised in The Bronx, NY.  Marie-Claire started her operatic training in Rome, Italy. The pandemic afforded Marie-Claire the luxury of time to reflect and expand her creative spirit- writing her first musical, and discovering her true voice of soprano. 

The artiste’s impressive career has taken her to legendary venues such as Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden, New York City Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, and Small’s Jazz Club in NYC. In July and August 2024 Marie-Claire took the stage in Honolulu for the Hawaii Classical Music International Competition Winner’s Concert and headlined a sold-out performance at Maui’s Jazz Maui Sunset Jazz Series.  She also has performed at international festivals like the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival and the Cartagena Jazz Festival, under her belt.

How Two Stars Revived Their Careers at Concord Records

by Joan Merrill
April 18, 2025

From 1996 to 2002 I produced 15 shows--mostly on vocalists--or NPR's Jazz Profiles. I was fortunate to have as subjects two legendary vocalists--Ernestine Anderson and Rosemary Clooney--both of whom I interviewed in their homes in Seattle and Beverly Hills. In learning about their lives, I was struck by how they had seemed to be following similar ...

The Great American Songbook Goes Legit—Thanks to Michael Feinstein

by Joan Merrill
March 17, 2025

A mutual friend introduced them and before the meeting was over, Michael Feinstein had a job. He was to sort out lyricist Ira Gershwin's extensive record collection. At the time, 1976, Feinstein was 20 and Gershwin 80. Perhaps the age difference was the basis for their friendship. Gershwin enjoyed the enthusiasm of the young ...