THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK PART 3 (30) Prestwick Chase, Congress Hall, 100 Saratoga Blvd., Saratoga

Wednesdays, 11:00am-12:30pm, STARTS April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13

This course explores one of American’s greatest cultural legacies: the timeless songs written for Broadway, Hollywood, radio, television, recordings and sheet music publication between the late 1950’s and the 1960’s. The format of the class includes discussion, viewing of video footage, audio recordings and live “cabaret-style” performances.

1. The Entertainment Capital of the World: Sinatra, the Rat Pack, and Las Vegas; swing, swagger and, self-definition take center stage in the entertainment capital as nightclubs sustain the “Songbook.”

2.The Rock and Roll Alternative:  A new generation of “star” singers come into their own in the 1960s, offering an alternative to rock-based music, including Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Glen Campbell, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand.

3.  Live performance of American Songbook standards from the 1950’s through the 1960’s.

4. Broadway’s Second Golden Age: Big Stories, Big Emotions and Big Stars launch a host of blockbuster musicals on Broadway. These musical scores sustain the influence of the American Songbook, including Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot, Mame and Funny Girl, among others.

5. Film, Jazz, and the Expanding Songbook: Hollywood continues to be a major source of American Songbook standards with compositions from Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Foreign influences enlarge the Songbook with contributions from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse and Michel Legrand.

6. Live Performance of American Songbook standards from the 1960’s.

Text: Suggested reading: David Lehman: “A Fine Romance, Jewish songwriters, American Songs,” (hardcover) ISBN:978-0-8052-4250-8, published 2009, Amazon $24.99

Leader: Ken Blatt has pursued the study and practice of singing, playing the piano, songwriting, acting and lecturing for the past thirty-five years. He actively performs a wide variety of musical styles and genres to audiences throughout the Albany Capital District/Saratoga County area, as well as areas around New York State and Florida.  His passion for music spans the Great American Songbook, jazz and swing tunes, classic rock n roll, the music of Broadway and popular music from the 1960’s to the present day. Ken has taught on the faculty of various colleges and universities and has lectured and led discussion groups and workshops with students from every age group.