John Eaton - Hooray for Hollywood!

Yet another for one of my favorite venues, The Barns of Wolf Trap. For those of you who aren't as familiar, John Eaton is considered one of the 20th centuries' best interpreters of the American Popular Song, channeling the innovation of artists like George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter. Mr. Eaton offers a unique combination of ultra-tasteful jazz and fascinating observations. Pianist, vocalist, musicologist and humorist - John Eaton is one of America's true musical treasures. A graduate of Yale University and a student of renowned classical teacher Alexander Lipsky, Eaton has been performing professionally for more than 30 years. He was named to the Steinway Concert Artist roster in 1988. This concert; Hooray for Hollywood – The Music of Harry Warren, Jimmy Van Heusen, and many more 1930’s movie masters, will be fabulous! He has been travelling to Wolf Trap's Center for Education for a few years now to record volumes for his "American Popular Song" series during which he presents casual radio-style commentary along with musical selections from historic American songwriters. In conjunction with Mr. Eaton, Wolf Trap has released these recordings through our in-house record label, Wolf Trap Recordings. You can listen to selections from his celebration of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein on Volume One by accessing this link to Wolf Trap's online store. From shows at smoky jazz clubs to a command performance in the East Room of the White House, he has appeared both as a soloist and with such legendary artists as Zoot Sims, Benny Carter, Clark Terry, and Wild Bill Davison. He is a featured player at the Kool Jazz Festival and a mainstay of the Smithsonian's Performing Arts Jazz series. For twelve years, Eaton has given more than 200 sold out lecture/concerts for the Smithsonian Institution on American popular song both in Washington, D.C. and around the country. The series was broadcast nationally on National Public Radio and Radio Smithsonian. If you appreciate live music in a storytellers type format (very similar to the intimacy you experience from watching an MTV unplugged performance or a storytellers with Bruce Springsteen or Pearl Jam, except more so), John Eaton could not fit the bill more perfectly. Oh... do I want to spend an hour listening to a world-class jazz pianist who has performed at the White House? Yes, please.