T he P ro g ram - Lincoln Center`s American Songbook

The Program
Saturday Evening, January 23, 2016, at 8:30
Rita Moreno
Russ Kassoff, Music Director and Piano
Jay Anderson, Bass
Ted Sommer, Drums
This evening’s program is approximately 75 minutes long and
will be performed without intermission.
Please make certain all your electronic devices are switched off.
Major support for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook is provided by Amy & Joseph Perella.
Endowment support provided by Bank of America
This performance is made possible in part by the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center.
Steinway Piano
The Appel Room
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
American Songbook
Additional support for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook is provided by The DuBose and
Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, The Shubert Foundation, Jill and Irwin B. Cohen,
The G & A Foundation, Inc., Great Performers Circle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of
Lincoln Center.
Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Artist catering provided by Zabar’s and zabars.com
MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center
UPCOMING AMERICAN SONGBOOK EVENTS
IN THE APPEL ROOM:
Wednesday Evening, February 3, at 8:30
Craig Finn
Thursday Evening, February 4, at 8:30
The Songs of Todd Almond
with special guests Courtney Love, Sherie Rene Scott, and Brandon Victor Dixon
Friday Evening, February 5, at 8:30
Janis Ian
Saturday Evening, February 6, at 8:30
Jerry Dixon & Mario Cantone
Wednesday Evening, February 17, at 8:30
Foreigner: The Hits Unplugged
Thursday Evening, February 18, at 8:30
A Coffin in Egypt: An Opera-in-Concert
featuring Frederica von Stade
Friday Evening, February 19, at 8:30
Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!
Saturday Evening, February 20, at 8:30
Andy Karl & Orfeh
The Appel Room is located in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
For tickets, call (212) 721-6500 or visit AmericanSongbook.org. Call the Lincoln Center Info
Request Line at (212) 875-5766 or visit AmericanSongbook.org for complete program information.
Join the conversation: #LCSongbook
We would like to remind you that the sound of coughing and rustling paper might
distract the performers and your fellow audience members.
In consideration of the performing artists and members of the audience, those who
must leave before the end of the performance are asked to do so between pieces.
Flash photography and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in the building.
AUSTIN HARGRAVE
Meet the Artists
American Songbook I Meet the Artists
Rita Moreno
One of the few performers to win entertainment’s grand slam of an Oscar,
Grammy, Tony, and Emmy, Rita Moreno remains one of the busiest stars
in show business and was recognized for her achievements in the 2015
Kennedy Center Honors. Ms. Moreno has been cast to co-star in the
Latino remake of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom One Day at a Time for
Netflix, and most recently released her first all-Spanish-language album,
Una Vez Más, produced by Emilio Estefan. She provides the voice of
Abuelita in the animated series Nina’s World, and her first book, Rita
Moreno: A Memoir, became a New York Times bestseller. In 2011 she
premiered her one-woman biographical show, Life Without Makeup.
Such creative diversity has been the hallmark of Ms. Moreno’s nearly 70year career. She won the 1962 Oscar for her role as Anita in the film version of West Side Story. The Tony was for her 1975 comedic triumph as
Googie Gomez in Broadway’s The Ritz, and she won a Grammy for her
1972 performance on the original cast album of The Electric Company.
Ms. Moreno won not one, but two Emmys—the first for a 1977 variety
appearance on The Muppet Show and the second for a dramatic turn the
following year on The Rockford Files.
Ms. Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverio in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and
moved with her mother to New York at the age of five. She made her
Broadway debut at just 13 in Skydrift, starring Eli Wallach. Then, in true
Hollywood tradition, a talent scout spotted her and arranged for her to meet
MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer, who signed her to a film contract. Her numerous film appearances include Singin’ in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, and as
Tuptim in the classic The King and I with Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.
Although early roles sometimes found her typecast as a Mexican spitfire or
Indian maiden, Ms. Moreno broke the Latina mold playing an Irish teacher,
an Italian widow, a proper Englishwoman, and a Southern belle.
American Songbook I Meet the Artists
Ms. Moreno’s long stage career has included starring roles in Hal Prince’s 1962
production of She Loves Me and the 1997 West End run of Sunset Boulevard,
among others. In New York, she has starred in Lorraine Hansberry’s The Sign in
Sidney Brustein’s Window, opposite Robert Shaw in Gantry, with James Coco
in Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and more.
In addition to her film, stage, television, and concert commitments, Ms. Moreno
lectures on such varied topics as diversity, the power of language, and getting
older. She has served on the National Council on the Arts and as a member of
the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. In 2013 she received a
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Russ Kassoff
Russ Kassoff (music director, piano) is an accomplished jazz pianist, conductor,
composer, orchestrator, and arranger. He toured as pianist to Frank Sinatra from
1980–91, including on The Rat Pack—The Ultimate Event Tour featuring Sinatra,
Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Liza Minnelli, with whom he toured for 18
years. On Broadway he was music director and conductor for Twyla Tharp’s
Come Fly Away (2010) and was conductor/pianist for Charles Aznavour in concert (1998). He has served as music director to Rita Moreno since 2003.
In 2007 Mr. Kassoff appeared as a featured guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano
Jazz on NPR as a result of his critically acclaimed CD Somewhere. In addition to
Moreno, Sinatra, and Minnelli, Mr. Kassoff has accompanied Perry Como, Vic
Damone, Carly Simon, Debbie Gravitte, and Luciano Pavarotti in a wonderfully
eclectic career. In the jazz world he has enjoyed a 30-year-plus association with
Bucky Pizzarelli, and has recorded with the likes of Red Norvo, Chris Connor,
Mimi Hines, Rod Stewart, and Sylvia Syms. The Russ Kassoff Big Band is in concert annually at the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium in New York’s Baha’i Center,
and as part of Midtown Jazz at Midday at Saint Peter’s Church in the Citicorp
Center. In 2010 Mr. Kassoff released his CD Bird Fly By.
Jay Anderson
Jay Anderson (bass) is among the most versatile and respected jazz artists performing today. A bassist and composer, he has performed and recorded with a
wide range of jazz artists, including Woody Herman, Carmen McRae, Michael
Brecker, Paul Bley, Bob Mintzer, John Abercrombie, Dave Liebman, Joe Sample,
Maria Schneider, Stanley Cowell, John Scofield, Lee Konitz, Vic Juris, Red
Rodney, Ira Sullivan, Mike Stern, Anat Cohen, Toots Thielemans, Kenny
Wheeler, and Jay Clayton. Collaborations with non-jazz artists include Osvaldo
Golijov, Dawn Upshaw, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Robert Spano
(Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), Michael Franks, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Tom
Waits, Chaka Khan, Michel Legrand, Allen Ginsberg, and Celine Dion. Mr.
American Songbook I Meet the Artists
Anderson has been featured on more than 300 recordings, five of which
received Grammy Awards. He has conducted clinics around the world and is
a professor of jazz bass studies at the Manhattan School of Music. He currently co-leads the critically acclaimed group Bann, featuring Seamus Blake,
Oz Noy, and Adam Nussbaum.
Ted Sommer
Ted Sommer (drums), a much-in-demand percussionist, has performed on
hundreds of albums, including the Grammy-nominated Percussive Mariachi
(Solid State Records), Drum Suite (RCA), and Puente Goes Jazz (RCA). He has
performed and recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett,
Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Lena Horne, Sara Vaughan, Tito Puente,
Zoot Sims, Bobby Hackett, Lionel Hampton, Phil Woods, and Ron Carter.
Broadway credits include 42nd Street, Music Man, and Over Here! He has
also performed on television and radio shows, including the Tonight Show
starring Johnny Carson, the Perry Como Show, and hundreds of commercials.
Mr. Sommer has also been on the staff orchestras at NBC and ABC.
American Songbook
In 1998, Lincoln Center launched American Songbook, dedicated to the celebration of popular American song. Designed to highlight and affirm the creative mastery of America’s songwriters from their emergence at the turn of
the 19th century up through the present, American Songbook spans all
styles and genres, from the form’s early roots in Tin Pan Alley and Broadway
to the eclecticism of today’s singer-songwriters. American Songbook also
showcases the outstanding interpreters of popular song, including established and emerging concert, cabaret, theater, and songwriter performers.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles:
presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and
community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and
educational activities annually, LCPA offers 15 programs, series, and festivals
including American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival,
Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart
Festival, and the White Light Festival, as well as the Emmy Award–winning
Live From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS. As manager of the
Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln
Center complex and the 11 resident organizations. In addition, LCPA led a
$1.2 billion campus renovation, completed in October 2012.
American Songbook
Lincoln Center Programming Department
Jane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic Director
Hanako Yamaguchi, Director, Music Programming
Jon Nakagawa, Director, Contemporary Programming
Jill Sternheimer, Director, Public Programming
Lisa Takemoto, Production Manager
Kate Monaghan, Associate Director, Programming
Charles Cermele, Producer, Contemporary Programming
Mauricio Lomelin, Producer, Contemporary Programming
Regina Grande, Associate Producer
Luna Shyr, Programming Publications Editor
Nick Kleist, Company Manager
Olivia Fortunato, House Seat Coordinator
For American Songbook
Matt Berman, Lighting Design
Scott Stauffer, Sound Design
Amy Page, Wardrobe Assistant
Matt Berman
Matt Berman is the resident lighting designer for Lincoln Center’s American
Songbook. He continues his design work for Kristin Chenoweth, Liza Minnelli,
Alan Cumming, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Lea Salonga, and Elaine Paige on the
road. Through his work with ASCAP and several U.S.-based charities, Mr.
Berman has designed for a starry roster that includes Bernadette Peters,
Barbra Streisand, Reba McEntire, Melissa Errico, Deborah Voigt, Michael Urie,
Stevie Wonder, India Arie, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, and Sting. His international
touring schedule has allowed him to design for iconic venues such as Royal
Albert Hall, the Paris Opera, the Olympia theater in Paris, Royal Theatre Carré
in Amsterdam, the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, the Acropolis, the famed
amphitheater in Taormina, Sicily, Luna Park in Buenos Aires, and the Sydney
Opera House. Closer to home, he has done work for the Hollywood Bowl,
Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Mr. Berman’s television work includes
Chenoweth’s recently released special, Coming Home, as well as seven Live
From Lincoln Center broadcasts, and the Tony Award–winning Liza’s at the
Palace, which he also designed for Broadway. Other Broadway credits include
Bea Arthur on Broadway, Nancy LaMott’s Just in Time for Christmas, and
Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony at the Belasco Theater.
Scott Stauffer
Scott Stauffer has been the sound designer for Lincoln Center’s American
Songbook since 1999; the Actors Fund concerts of Frank Loesser, Broadway
101, Hair, and On the Twentieth Century; and Brian Stokes Mitchell at Carnegie
American Songbook
Hall. His Broadway credits include A Free Man of Color, The Rivals, Contact
(also in London and Tokyo), Marie Christine, Twelfth Night, and Jekyll & Hyde.
Off-Broadway Mr. Stauffer has worked on Promises, Hereafter, A Minister’s
Wife, Bernarda Alba, Third, Belle Epoque, Big Bill, Elegies, Hello Again, The
Spitfire Grill, Pageant, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. His regional credits
include productions at the Capitol Repertory Theatre, University of Michigan,
Hanger Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and
Alley Theatre. As a sound engineer, Mr. Stauffer has worked on The Lion King,
Juan Darién, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Carousel, Once on This Island, and
Little Shop of Horrors (Off-Broadway).
jazz at lincoln center
january
fred hersch & friends:
intimate moments
JAN 15–16 • 7PM & 9:30PM | THE APPEL ROOM
Pianist Fred Hersch joined by pianist Sullivan Fortner, clarinetist
Anat Cohen, guitarist Julian Lage, and vibraphonist Stefon Harris
jazz in the key of life
JAN 15–16 • 8PM | ROSE THEATER
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and
music director Vincent Gardner plays the music of Stevie Wonder,
Donny Hathaway, and more
our love is here to stay:
the george gershwin songbook
JAN 28–30 • 8PM | ROSE THEATER
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
charles lloyd & the marvels
featuring bill frisell
JAN 29–30 • 7PM & 9:30PM | THE APPEL ROOM
NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Charles Lloyd with guitarist Bill Frisell,
drummer Eric Harland, pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz, and bassist
Reuben Rogers
Frederick P. Rose Hall
Broadway at 60th Street
Box Office: Ground Floor
CenterCharge: 212-721-6500
jazz.org