The American Songbook Association presents its first annual gala The Joint Is Jumpin’! – Celebrating America’s Black Songwriters and Singers with a starry cast and a special performance by Achievement Award recipient Marilyn Maye on Monday, September 17, 2018 at 7:30 PM at The Pershing Square Signature Center.
Starring in The Joint Is Jumpin’! are a host of Broadway and Cabaret stars, including Danny Bacher, Aaron Lee Battle, Natalie Douglas, Cady Huffman, N’Kenge, Nicolas King, Joel A. Martin, Ken Page, Vivian Reed, Kissy Simmons, Stacy Sulivan and Jon Weber. ASA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Marilyn Maye, will also perform a special tribute, with her Music Director Tedd Firth at the piano. The Award wil be presented to Maye by her longtime friend, the noted fashion designer, Bob Mackie.
Host of The Joint Is Jumpin’! is Todd Murray, with Music Director Eugene Gwozdz on piano and Mark McClean on drums, with soprano saxophone contributions by Danny Bacher. Featured will be the music and songs of Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Fats Waller, Eubie Blake, W.C. Handy and more. Represented will be iconic singers such as Ella Fitgerald, Nat King Cole, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Short and others. The Gala Honorary Committee is chaired by The Honorable David N. Dinkins, former Mayor of the City of New York, and co-chaired by Evelyn Jones Rich, prominent educator and civil rights activist.
The American Songbook Association Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in New York State, which seeks to preserve, promote and advance the legacy of American popular music, t
he Great American Songbook (classic and new), and the unique art form of cabaret. The ASA publishes the long-established Cabaret Scenes magazine, conducts educational programs in New York City public schools, and creates performances serving its audience of seniors, students and others.
The Joint Is Jumpin’! – Celebrating America’s Black Songwriters and Singers is at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 W. 42nd Street, New York City, on September 17, 2018 at 7:30 PM. Tickets, available by going to www.americansongbookassociation.org, are from $45 to $150. TICKETS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. There is a reception after the concert for all Gala patrons in The Pershing Square Signature Center lobby space.
For further information, email info@americansongbookassociation.org or call 347-387-4945.
Leave a Reply