“Fantastic!”
[The Morning Show, Global TV]
We’ve all heard of the Great American Songbook. But what exactly is it? Drawing on his popular CBC feature, The Musical Almanac, Scott regales his audience with the often surprising, frequently funny, and sometimes poignant stories behind some of the most enduring popular songs of the 20th Century.
The stories include:
♪ The song inspired by a near-death experience in a Parisian taxicab.
♪ The song that arrived unexpectedly in the mail.
♪ The song that enticed a major backer to a Broadway show – and then was promptly cut.
♪ The classic Cole Porter song that received a classic Noel Coward treatment.
♪ The song inspired by a songwriter’s unrequited love affair with a beloved movie star.
What Exactly is The Great American Songbook? features the music of:
Jerome Kern ♦ George Gershwin ♦ Cole Porter ♦ Irving Berlin ♦ Johnny Mercer ♦ Burt Bacharach ♦ Cy Coleman ♦ Rodgers & Hart ♦ Michel Legrand ♦ Stephen Sondheim ♦ Frank Loesser