Results for "The Great American Songbook"

Dorothy Fields, The Only Major Female Songwriter Of The Golden Age

by Joan Merrill
December 22, 2024

Whenever there's a discussion of the great songwriters of the Golden Age of popular music (1920s to 1960s), we hear the names Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, Frank Loesser, George Gershwin, and a few others. You don't very often hear names Yip Harburg, PF Webster, Johnny Burke, Sammy Cahn, or ...

Shanna Carlson

Born: June 25

Crescent Super Band

Active since: 2000

The Crescent Super Band comprises many of the nation's most acclaimed jazz musicians, ages 15–18. DownBeat Magazine has repeatedly named the 20-piece group the best youth jazz ensemble and top big band in the world with 28 Utah Best of State Awards (Best Professional Band, Best Vocal/Instrumental Group, Best Rock/Blues Soloist, Best Youth Performing Group), 2 Utah Best of State Statue Awards for Arts & Entertainment, and 22 prestigious DownBeat Magazine Awards.

The band has worked with many of the biggest names in music, including members of The Killers, Toto, Journey, AC/DC, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, the Saturday Night Live Band, and jazz legends like Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, Herbie Hancock, Randy Brecker, and others. However, one of the crowning performances of the band's career was their headlining debut at Carnegie Hall in May of 2013.

Shawnn Monteiro

Exciting, captivating and completely distinctive” is how most jazz cognoscenti describe Shawnn's pulsating lyric style. Whether in the intimacy of a club date or the glitter of a Las Vegas showroom, Shawnn has delighted audiences from USA to Europe with her highly popular jazz repertoire laced with blues-oriented improvisations. Evident in Shawnn's liveliness of lyrical phrasing and intermittent scat variations is the influences of Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan, from whom she draws that inner core of creative energy. But good genes help, too. Shawnn's father was the late renowned bassist Jimmy Woode, veteran of the Duke Ellington band

Linda Kosut

Born: March 21, 1946

Linda Kosut, a cabaret/jazz singer swings jazz, pop and folk, easily sings a repertoire from the standard to the obscure with fresh interpretations. Linda has performed over the years in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Seattle. She grew up in the Bronx (NY), and as she tells it, had a lifelong dream of singing and performing - yet she did not make that into reality until “later in life.” Since making that shift, and “putting one foot in front of the other, I have created opportunities and achieved a success with my music that I did not think was possible.”

Fifth Element

Active since: 2016

In classical thought, the four elements are earth, water, air and fire. The fifth element, quintessence or spirit, is captured in the music we love to play. A jazz quintet featuring Ron Johnston, Jack Gelbloom, Glenn Anderson, Kurt Lund and Nina Richmond.

Sparky Koerner

Born: November 26, 1948

Sparky is a trumpeter and leader of the “Jazz Express” www.sparkysjazzexpress.com performing in the Galveston/Houston Texas area. He performs regularly with Trio Du Jour at The Tremont House in Galveston. He is also a member of the group “Jazz Sunday” which performs at various churches in the area. When not performing or directing jazz you can find him in the principal trumpet chair of the Galveston Symphony Orchestra, and he has performed in the pit orchestras during the summers at the Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals or College of the Mainland’s Biggest Li’l Theatre in Texas. Sparky Koerner, professor of music, has been director of Jazz and Instrumental Studies at College of the Mainland (COM) located in Texas City, TX since 1983

The Great American Songbook

Gemma Sherry

Subtle, precise, engrossing and delightful, accomplished Australian vocalist, Gemma Sherry pours her heart and soul into her music. Her interpretation of jazz standards is unique and refreshing. Since moving to the U.S. eight years ago to study music in NYC, this soul-jazz singer, songwriter & saxophonist has released a number of house music records on various European record labels and has now released 4 studio albums. Her debut album was "Songs I Love" which she recorded in England with the exquisite pianist Billy Woodman. This was followed by the released of her short play EP "Sings Bossa Nova" which got her a following in Brazil

Deelee Dube

Born: January 15

Deelee Dube (/'diːliː 'duːbɛ/), born Sithandile Agatha Dube on January 15, is a British vocalist, songwriter, and musician of Southern African lineage.

On November 20th, 2016, Dube became the first British winner and recipient of a Sassy Award at the 5th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition hosted by Rhonda Hamilton and held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, which landed her a Concord Records contract and a chance to appear at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Onstage she was accompanied by a trio consisting of Sergio Salvatore (piano and musical director), Lisle Atkinson (bass), and Buddy Williams (drums). The panel judges included Sheila Jordan, Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Sheila E. Anderson, and Mark Ruffin. While in Newark, Deelee attended rehearsals and was greeted by co-producer of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Carl Griffin. This was followed by an interview with former WBGO radio broadcaster Nicole Sweeney before her triumph in the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition at the NJPAC, where she also met and befriended Dorthaan Kirk and Linda Moody (wife of the late jazz saxophonist James Moody) as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival held at the NJPAC. Dube was presented with the Sassy award by NJPAC President & CEO John Schreiber (formerly Sarah Vaughan's road manager) and signed to Concord Jazz via Mark Wexler (former Chief Operating Officer at the Concord Label Group).