Event

Broadway Ballads and Barbershop

From the twilight of the "Gilded Age" through the Roaring Twenties, up to the infamous stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression, one tiny corner of New York City kept America's toes tapping. In about 1885, several music publishers set up shop on one block of West 28th Street in lower Manhattan. From the windows of these buildings, the sounds would waft down to the street below, as songwriters banged out melodies on upright pianos. The name "Tin Pan Alley" refers to the tinny sound of these instruments, together making a cacophony like banging on pans in a back alley. The popular tunes catapulted many musicians to stardom, ensuring that the likes of George M. Cohan, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter became household names. Songs like "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Give My Regards to Broadway," and "Shine On, Harvest Moon" became part of the American tapestry. Naturally, over these decades, the styles shifted from sentimental ballads to Ragtime to Barbershop and Jazz. The singers of VOX 3 Collective engagingly present a collection of these tunes, with rare gems alongside the familiar standards, accompanied by a fabulous jazz trio.

Come out to the Marunde Ballroom at DANK Haus at 7:30pm on Friday, October 11 for Broadway, Ballads, & Barbershop: The Sounds of Tin Pan Alley! The program will be repeated at the Skokie Public Library at 3:00pm on Sunday, October 13, as part of their American Songbook series of events.

Performers include:

Matthew Bentsen, tenor
Magdalena Golecka, mezzo-soprano
Ian Hosack, baritone
Ashley Johnson, soprano
Elizabeth Rudolph, soprano
Brian von Rueden, baritone

Adam de Groot, clarinet
Martin Stonikas, bass
Scott Simon, drums
James Morehead, piano