[Note: Stay tuned at the end to hear the band play Blue Skies!]

It has been said that Irving Berlin didn’t write American music ... he was American music. Indeed, the scope and length of his career, and his vast body of work in a variety of musical contexts give credence to this argument. One of the very few songwriters of his generation who wrote his own lyrics as well as the music, it is staggering to realize that English wasn’t even his native language. Many of his witty, urbane lyrics belie the fact that he grew up speaking Yiddish, primarily. Jazz musicians have embraced his strong melodies and interesting harmonic twists for generations. The fact that he really never studied harmony and could only play on the black keys of the piano make his output even more astounding!

[Note: Stay tuned at the end for some music from the band!]

Thomas “Fats” Waller (born May 21, 1904) grew up the son of a preacher in the vibrant musical community of Harlem. He played the organ for his dad’s church as a child, with the organ pumped for him by Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. His prodigious keyboard abilities were soon encouraged by many of the lions of stride piano in the neighborhood, who bought him his first pairs of long pants so he could attend their “cutting” sessions and benefit from their experience and tutelage. From an early age, he started performing his original piano compositions, soon adding his idiosyncratic vocals as well. He became a well-loved entertainer, in addition to adding a number of compositions that have become standard repertoire in the great American songbook. He is often credited with composing the first jazz waltz, Jitterbug Waltz.

It’s impossible to overestimate the impact that Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (born April 29, 1899) had on jazz and indeed the world of music in general. Even if his myriad contributions to the Great American Songbook were his only accomplishment, he would be one of its most hallowed creators, but his legacy is far more sweeping. He managed to field an orchestra for several decades consisting of totally unique musical personalities for which he tailored new compositions to feature their individual and combined strengths in a way that was completely original and influenced literally everything that came after him.