Jazz pianist John Eaton continues his Wolf Trap series of musical observations with “The Swinging ’30s,” one of the most productive and memorable decades of American music when popular music helped to sweep away the gloom of the Depression. The decade introduced the big bands, Hollywood musicals and George Gershwin’s folk opera “Porgy and Bess.” “You can take any year during the ’30s and have more than enough great music to fill a program,” Eaton said. “Things were dreadful with much human suffering during that period in history, but music sailed on above it because people didn’t want to hear about a darker life. The ’30s were a continuation of the great pop song explosion during the Roaring ’20s jazz age. During this period, jazz and pop evolved hand in hand to become the swing era. It was a time when two important new writers emerged, Cole Porter and Harold Arlen. Porter composed in the ’20s, but his greatest work was between 1932 and his accident in 1937 (his legs were crushed by a horse). Both he and Arlen were originals who came out of nowhere.
The Swinging ’30s with John Eaton
| On stage |
| Where: The Barns at Wolf Trap |
| When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday |
| Info: $25 at 877-WOLFTRAP (965-3872) or wolftrap.org |
“During the ’40s, jazz was changing. The bebop movement and artists like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie affected pop songs. World War II was a defining event. Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern, who were writing popular music at the time of World War I, were still active and popular.
“After the war, we hear a different flavor in the music. Jules Styne and Frank Loesser, two new composers who had been around for a short time, were a fresh voice. Then Rodgers and Hammerstein emerged. The ’40s was the last decade in which there was some cohesion and continuity of tradition. The ’50s brought an enormous change.”
One year ago, Wolf Trap Recordings released “John Eaton presents … Hooray for Hollywood, the Music of Harry Warren.” It was his fifth album in a planned series of 13 to be produced live at the Barns. The release party for his sixth and next album occurs at his March concert, “The Fabulous ’40s.” Part of the Songwriters Series, it will be strictly instrumental and feature two legendary bass players, Jay Leonhart and Tommy Cecil. This time around, Eaton forgoes his signature conversation to allow room for more songs. He recorded them during two sessions in December, half with Leonhart and half with Cecil. Leonhart is heard on such numbers as “The More I See You” and “Lulu’s Back in Town,” while Cecil joins Eaton for the half featuring “It Might As Well Be Spring,” “All the Things You Are,” “Sometimes I’m Happy,” and other timeless favorites. Future releases in the series will focus on Berlin, Gershwin, Styne and popular composers with European classical training, such as Vernon Duke and Kurt Weill.
“Tastes are formed early in life and you enjoy listening to what you know,” Eaton said. “Affection for music lasts and if you take your cue from the record industry, you’ll see that nostalgia for these fabulous songs lives on.”
