COOKHAM FESTIVAL 2009 

A Celebration of Arts and Music

Friday 24 April 2009 - Monday 4 May 2009

2009 Cookham Festival Highlights

GREAT AMERICAN TUNESMITHS OF THE 20th CENTURY

27 April 2009 - HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

with thanks to Charles Benson

click on photo for large image

The history of popular music, in all its forms, is complex but there are times when individuals, or groups of individuals, put down such solid markers that their stories and their music need to be shouted out loud - lest we forget!  And such was this entrancing 2 2 hours of the music of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers, and one or two lesser known composers, presented by Gordon Collins on the piano with John Crayford rendering the lyrics of  many of the songs.  Gordon gave us a brief rundown on the lives of each of these three great composers of popular music, illustrated with piano pieces, vocal pieces and, occasionally, by records and lightened by a number of anecdotes.  

Gordon reminded us that the three pillars on which popular music is founded are theatre music, film music and Tin Pan Alley. Few of the audience seemed young enough to be drawn towards the latter but we must never forget that much of the early music of our three heroes, albeit written for the theatre and/or cinema, contributed to the Tin Pan Alley of their times. The world of popular music has moved on a little since  then but this evening reminded us that the best of their products live on today, particularly in the worlds of light music and jazz.  

Other great composers and lyricists were not forgotten but time flies by when you are having fun!  Maybe Gordon will explore other exponents of this genre at the 2011 Festival?  Gordon's excellent piano renderings and John=s sympathetic singing raised the whole experience up to another level.  

An enchanting evening bringing great memories, I am sure, to everyone in the audience, regardless of age.