Broadway generated a staggering number of hit songs during the Big Band Era of the '30s, '40s and '50s. Widely popularized- by recording and performing artists on radio and television and in dance halls across the country, standards like "There’s No Business Like Show Business", "Luck Be a Lady", "Singin’ in the Rain", "Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend", and "I Get a Kick Out of You" became part of the Big Band Songbook.
Veteran Broadway conductor Keith Levenson captures and celebrates this vast contribution by Broadway composers and lyricists during the Big Band Era.
Review: 'Broadway' has style, starts OPAS season off right
By JIM BUTLER
Eagle Staff Writer
“Broadway: The Big Band Years,” a bonus program for MSC OPAS season ticket holders, was a pleasant way to start the second half of a powerhouse season.
The nimble feet of British tenor Alfred Boe enhanced his expressive voice in a well-chosen selection of songs by noted composers of the mid-20th century. Chanteuse Robin Skye contributed a 1940s vocal style to such standards as “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”
Orchestra conductor Keith Levenson kept the mood light with his whimsical introductions of each section and his repeated references to Secretary of State-designate Condoleeza Rice.
The superb 10-member band filled up Rudder Auditorium with a big-band sound.
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The best of big band
'De-Lovely' concert makes its way from Beaufort to Savannah
By Amy Morris
Savannah Morning News
Once upon a time, strong songwriting -- not clever sampling -- placed a song in the Top 40. "Broadway! The Big Band Years," a show that celebrates the songbook from the 1930s-'50s, was staged Friday at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and will make its way to the Georgia Southern University Performing Arts Center in Statesboro on Saturday.
The Beaufort venue was packed with baby boomers who braved the cold to hear Broadway vocalists Alfred Boe and Robin Skye , accompanied by artistic director Keith Levenson's The Curtain Up Orchestra, perform more than 20 big band classics, including "Guys and Dolls," "The Lady Is a Tramp" and others.
Levenson, who reminded me of Letterman sidekick Paul Shaffer -- only likeable -- quickly established a rapport with the audience. Every few songs he'd interject a snappy, mini-biography of famed songwriters, such as Cole Porter, Bobby Darin and Richard Rodgers , that both amused and informed.
Skye and Boe also contributed to the relaxed, intimate atmosphere of the show -- at times it seemed like we were all guests at a party who cajoled the most talented of us to get up there and sing a song or two...
...These days, when old greats like "Night and Day" and "Someone To Watch Over Me," are being used to shill for medicines and insurance companies on television, it's a nice change to hear them as they were intended -- played live by talented musicians.
Each member of The Curtain Up Orchestra had his chance to shine during the course of the evening, but with the exception of "Mack the Knife," don't expect long stretches of instrumentals a la Lawrence Welk. This gig is a singing showcase from start to finish.
Also, don't expect costume changes, props, special effects or spectacular dance moves. What you can expect is an evening of big band-era music, sung and played in a cozy setting by people who do it very well.
Lullabye of Broadway, I Get A Kick Out of You, Night and Day, Mack The Knife, Guys and Dolls, The Saga of Jenny, Sam and Delilah, Everything's Coming Up Roses, Luck Be A Lady, Someone To Watch Over Me, Where Or When, My Romance, A Foggy Day, West Side Story, Heart