Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers
Many of the bright, insightful songs that found their way from Broadway Musicals to countless variations in jazz ensembles can be traced to Porter (“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”) and Rodgers (“My Funny Valentine”). Rodgers, with his lyricists, revolutionized musical theatre; Porter struck a chord, especially, among the great jazz vocalists.

Marjorie Eliot: Composer Series
A neighborhood legend and a longtime collaborator with both the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling and the Jazz Foundation of America, Marjorie Eliot exemplifies “playing from the heart.” A multi-talented artist in the fields of jazz and theatre, she is best known for welcoming listeners into her Edgecombe Avenue parlor every Sunday since 1992, in celebration of life. 

For this series, for children of all ages, Eliot examines the composers and the historical context behind the songs that comprise the story of jazz. “The American Songbook is a gift to the world,” says Eliot, “we all can share it.”