A celebration of the music that kept America company in the 1920s-1940s
The Story
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The Artists
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The Music
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The Story It was in 1944 that Bing Crosby made the Johnny Mercer tune, Accentuate The Positive, a hit in film and on radio. It later became known as one of the songs that got Americans through World War Two. The popular songs of the day, most often written for Broadway, became an unofficial catalogue of music that comforted and connected Americans at home and abroad during hard times— the Spanish Influenza epidemic, the World Wars, Prohibition and the Great Depression. Fast forward to 2022. The performing arts world has struggled to remain afloat during the pandemic and is slowly reopening. But rather than focus on the difficulties, JB is doing something that reflects the spirit of its mission and the music they support—they decided to accentuate the positive. With that inspiration, JB asked talented artists around the world to record songs written and composed between 1915 and 1945, songs that make up the Great American Songbook. The album was released in late 2021. Now that theaters and concert halls are reopening, JB will share this memorable music in a live performance. It's a legacy of music that is both a reminder of the tumultuous times in our country’s history and a testament to our strength and spirit.
The Artists While we are always adding new artists to our programming, we have a roster of well-known artists we usually pull from for our larger productions
Konrad Paszkudzki Artistic Director of JB and Jazz Pianist
Catherine Russell (vocals) Carmen Bradford (vocals) Champian Fulton (piano, vocals) Jane Monheit (vocals)
Anderson Brothers (clarinet, saxophone) Olivia Chindamo (vocals) Samara Joy (vocals) Nicki Parrott (bass, vocals)
Greje Angel (vocals)l Adrian Cunningham (vocals, clarinet, saxophone) Pasquale Grasso (guitar) Molly Ryan (vocals)
Benny Benack (trumpet, vocals) Duchess (vocals) Alphonso Horne (trumpet, vocals) Byron Stripling (trumpet, vocals)
The Music Accentuate the Positive celebrates the music of the 1920s though the 1940s, all the standards audiences recognize and love. Selections include: Tea For Two Manhattan Look For The Silver Lining Accentuate The Positive (My) Blue Heaven Blue Skies Sunny Side Of The Street As Time Goes By Wrap Your Trouble In Dreams Stompin’ At The Savoy Things Are Lookin’ Up Over The Rainbow Pennies From Heaven Nice Work If You Can Get It It’s Been A Long, Long Time
Listen to samples from the album
here
Kennedy Center May 2021
presented by