Help Frank and Bing and all of us songbook-lovers as we toast in a new year of Ojai's American Songbook Today's concerts and workshops. Many of you were there as we began our monthly series, "Standards & Showtunes," with October's "Tribute to Irving Berlin" and November's election-days-inspired and very fitting "Songs for Peace."
But we cannot do these performances without your continued support to pay for venue rental, lights & sound, advertising, printing, and stipends for some performers, musicians, and tech staff. So if you care about seeing and hearing the American Songbook, please support us. We are one of the very few non-profits solely commited to this mission Your donation is tax-deductible. No amount is too small nor certainly, too large. You can also help us by volunteering. [email protected]
On Sunday, January 15th, 630PM, join some of Ventura County's most talented performers for our "Tribute to Cole Porter." Our new home is the Ojai Valley Woman's (not a typo!) Club, 411 East Ojai Ave. Wine, beer, and water available. A required $10 donation at the door. Reservations needed by writing [email protected]
Mr. Porter gave Fred and Ginger and the entire world songs like Night and Day (above) plus so many more including I Love Paris, Just One of Those Things, I've Got You Under My Skin, The Whiffenpoof Song, I Get a Kick Out of You, I'm a Gigolo, Anything Goes, It's Too Darn Hot, All of You, Brush Up Your Shakespeare, In the Still of the Night, My Heart Belongs to Daddy, The Can Can, Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love), Miss Otis Regrets, Don't Fence Me In, Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love, etc. etc.
Our other Songwriter Tributes will be Rodgers & Hart in February, The Gershwins in March, Kander & Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret, etc.) in April, Women Songwriters in May. Plus future months will include Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Lerner & Lowe, and many more.
The mission of American Songbook Today, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is "to celebrate the American Songbook, to preserve it, and to foster it for future generations. So we are proud to announce that on Sunday, January 29th, we will present Ojai's very own, 26-year-old Jared Beau Bergmann in "Standard Time," an evening of just that - American Songbook Standards by the likes of Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini, Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parrish, George and Ira Gershwin, etc. Young Mr. Bergmann has already played to sell-out audiences with his wildly popular Bluegrass Band - The Rose Valley Thorns - along with his brother, Josh. Watch for further details as his concert will definitely sell out.
During Oscar week in early March, we will present an encore performance of "An Evening of Oscar-Winning Songs," which played to a sold-out, standing ovation audience three years ago. Only the pandemic prevented us for two enocre shows back then.
Where else can you hear sung live the truly-deserving Oscar winners of days of yore (good – got to use a nice New Year’s Eve word)? Songs such as Over the Rainbow, Moon River, It Might as Well Be Spring, Gigi, All the Way, Lullaby of Broadway, Thanks for the Memory, The Way You Look Tonight, You’ll Never Know, Let It Go, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, etc. As opposed to the more recent winners (also destined to become American standards??????): No Time to Die, Fight for the Feeling, Love Me Again, Writing’s on the Wall, Glory, Skyfall, The Weary Kind, and my true favorite Oscar-winner from 2005, destined to live on forever - It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp. WTF. Just sayin.’
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Please support us and spread the word that American Songbook Today is happening in Ojai. Another one of our future programs will be a "Songwriting Workshop" wih Ojai's own longtime resident, Amanda McBroom. Ms. McBroom became famous for writing The Rose for Bette Midler's film of the same name. But she has written dozens of many more terrific songs. Stay tuned for more details.
Thank you, here's to a healthy new year for all of us,
Michael Estwanik
Founder, American Songbook Today