The Best is Yet to Come, Come Sunday: The Music of Duke Ellington and Carolyn Leigh – Songs from the Great American Songbook with Tyler Driskill and Friends

This concert appears as part of KCH’s new The Great American Songbook Lecture/Concert Series with Brent Wagner & Tyler Driskill

Continuing the exploration of writers featured in his lecture series with Brent Wagner, Tyler Driskill presents a program highlighting lesser-known works by two greats in the field of American popular song: Duke Ellington and Carolyn Leigh. Ellington, whose catalog numbers in the range of some 3,000 works, described his own output and compositional style as “beyond category.” Similarly, Carolyn Leigh enjoyed great success as a lyric writer in the worlds of popular music, musical theatre, and film, giving us such hits as “Witchcraft,” “I’ve Got Your Number,” and “Young At Heart.” Joining Driskill are current students and graduates of U-M SMTD’s Jazz and Musical Theatre Depts.

About the series…

Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter - these marvelous writers created so many lasting standards in the early 20th century that their contribution to that era has been termed ‘The Great American Songbook.’ These songs have been recorded hundreds of times by pop singers, jazz artists, dance bands, and even opera singers, and new generations of performers are constantly discovering and rediscovering the depth and artistry of these mini-masterpieces.

But why have these songs lasted so long? What exactly makes them ‘great’? Professor Wagner will explore the repertoire, detailing and demonstrating some of the characteristics that make these songs part of an enduring and rewarding legacy.     

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