Irving Berlin & Blue Skies

[Note: Stay tuned at the end to hear the band play Blue Skies!] It has been said that Irving Berlin didn’t write American music ... he was American music. Indeed, the scope and length of his career, and his vast body of work in a variety of musical contexts give credence to this argument. One of the very few songwriters of his generation who wrote his own lyrics as well as the music, it is staggering to realize that English wasn’t even his native language. Many of his witty, urbane lyrics belie the fact that he grew up speaking Yiddish, primarily. Jazz musicians have embraced his strong melodies and interesting harmonic twists for generations. The fact that he really never studied harmony and could only play on the black keys of the piano make his output even more astounding!