SONGBOOK SUMMIT, Featuring Tunes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and More, Comes to 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters welcomes 59E59 favorites Peter & Will Anderson with SONGBOOK SUMMIT, featuring the music of Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, George Gershwin and Richard Rodgers. Produced by Reardon-Anderson Music and featuring jazz vocalist Molly Ryan, SONGBOOK SUMMIT begins performances tonight, August 2, for a limited engagement through Sunday, August 27.

Chill out with scorching tunes during the month of August at 59E59 Theaters! Identical twins Peter & Will Anderson - called "virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone" by The New York Times, return to 59E59 Theaters for a celebration of the Great American Songbook. Shining the spotlight on the distinguished career of one storied composer each week, a six-piece ensemble featuring vocalist Molly Ryan will perform hits such as 'Summertime,' 'My Favorite Things,' 'Night & Day,' 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' and 'Rhapsody in Blue.'

August 2 - 6: Cole Porter
Cole Porter, whose musicals dominated Broadway from the 1930s to the 1950s, kicks off the SONGBOOK SUMMIT. Performance selections include ''Night & Day,' 'Begin the Beguine,' 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'I've Got You Under My Skin,' 'Just One of Those Things,' and more!

August 8 - 13: Harold Arlen
Oscar-winner Harold Arlen is the next featured songwriter in the SONGBOOK SUMMIT. Selections feature 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' 'I've Got the World on a String,' 'Stormy Weather,' 'It's Only a Paper Moon,' 'That Old Black Magic,' and more!

August 15 - 20: George Gershwin
One of the greatest composers of his generation, the prolific George Gershwin takes center stage for this week's SONGBOOK SUMMIT. Selections include 'Rhapsody in Blue', 'Summertime,' 'I Got Rhythm,' 'They Can't Take That Away from Me,' 'Our Love is Here to Stay,' and more!

August 22 - 27: Richard Rodgers
The legendary Richard Rodgers, arguably the greatest influence on the American musical, wraps up the SONGBOOK SUMMIT. Musical selections feature 'My Favorite Things,' 'Blue Moon,' 'My Funny Valentine,' 'Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered,' and more!

Peter Anderson (tenor sax, clarinet), Will Anderson (alto sax, clarinet, flute) and Molly Ryan (vocals) perform as part of a sextet that includes Jeb Patton (piano), Tardo Hammer (piano), Steve Ash (piano), Clovis Nicolas (bass), Neal Miner (bass), and Philip Stewart (drums).

The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:00 PM, Friday at 8:00 PM; Saturday at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; and Sunday at 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM. Schedule adjustments: There is an added performance on Saturday, August 26 at 5:00 PM; there is no evening performance on Sunday, August 27. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). A four-show package is available for $120 ($98 for 59E59 Members) and includes one ticket to your choice of performance for each composer. To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

Peter and Will Anderson are known for their unique renditions of classic jazz songs and innovative original music. They hail from Washington, DC, but moved to New York City to attend Juilliard. Peter and Will have performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Village Vanguard Orchestra, Jimmy Heath Big Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D'Rivera, Kenny Barron, Bob Wilber, Albert "Tootie" Heath, live on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, and are featured on the 2014 Grammy Winning Soundrack of HBO's Boardwalk Empire with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks.

The Anderson's have headlined at The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Sarasota Florida Jazz Festival, South Carolina's Jazz Corner, Seattle's Triple Door, Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, DC's Blues Alley, and Arizona Music Festival. Their ensemble has performed in over 40 U.S. States, toured Japan, and featured four times in NYC's famed "Highlights in Jazz" series, alongside Lou Donaldson, Ken Peplowski, and Warren Vache. As guest clinicians, Peter and Will have visited Temple University, Xavier University, University of South Florida, University of Central Oklahoma, Florida State University, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, University of Scranton and others.

Peter and Will's debut release from 2012, Correspondence, features Kenny Barron and was listed in Vanity Fair magazine alongside MiLes Davis in "Four New Releases to Make You Love Jazz." The Washington Post called their music, "imaginatively unfolding in ways that consistently bring a fresh perspective to classic jazz." Their newest album, Deja Vu, features Albert "Tootie" Heath and was called "a burner that reveals the band's cohesiveness and spirit" by JazzTimes. In 2016, they performed live on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, playing a duo version of "Lotus Blossom" commemorating Billy Strayhorn's centennial.

Molly Ryan's (vocalist) silvery voice and lush, elegant vocal style evokes the big band singers of the 1930s while breathing new life into familiar standards. Since moving to New York City from Roseville, CA in 2003, she has become one of the most sought-after vocalists on The New York jazz scene. She has performed at such prestigious Manhattan venues as the Café Carlyle, The Town Hall, The Waldorf Astoria, Rainbow Room, Birdland, Iridium, The New York Historical Society Museum and The Player's Club. She has performed alongside such prominent jazz artists as RAndy Reinhart, Jon-Erik Kellso, Bria Skonberg, Dan Barrett, Mark Shane, Rossano Sportiello, as well as with the preeminent 1920s-style orchestra, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks. She is a member of Gordon Au's Grand Street Stompers, and appears on the band's Christmas album, released in November 2012. Molly is the rhythm guitarist and vocalist with James Langton's New York All-Star Big Band, which performed to a sold-out audience at Midsummer Night Swing and is currently appearing monthly at the Rainbow Room. Molly also performs periodically with the gypsy jazz group Fête Manouche. Molly has appeared at numerous jazz festivals and parties throughout the U.S. and abroad including North Carolina Jazz Festival, New York Hot Jazz Festival, Old Jazz Meeting "Zlota Tarka" in Ilawa, Poland, Winter Jazzfest in New York City, Jeff and Joel's House Party, Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in Essex, CT, the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival, Orange County Classic Jazz Festival in Southern California, Sweet and Hot Music Festival in Los Angeles, and the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, at which she has appeared both with her own group and with a band led by her friend and mentor, pianist Bob Ringwald. She has headlined in Paris at jazz clubs such as the famed Le Petit Journal and Autour de Midi, and has been featured as a guest vocalist with Andrej Hermlin's Swing Dance Orchestra throughout Germany in a monumental tribute to clarinet legend Benny Goodman. Molly took part in a spectacular re-creation of Goodman's Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, as well as at the 2004 JVC Jazz Festival's centennial tribute to Jimmy Dorsey at New York City's famed jazz club Birdland. She has headlined at Birdland for the club's Sunday evening showcase, "Jazz Party" and has performed there with James Langton's New York All-Star Big Band, as well as with her own band in a critically acclaimed tribute to Mae West. Her debut album, Dream a Little Dream, featuring Bob Ringwald, was released in 2002. Her second solo album, Songbird in the Moonlight, featuring Dan Levinson, Mark Shane, Kevin Dorn, and Jon-Erik Kellso, came out in 2008. Molly can also be heard on the albums Steppin' Around with Dan Levinson's Canary Cottage Dance Orchestra (Stomp Off Records, 2006), At the Codfish Ball with Dan Levinson's Swing Wing (Loup-garous Productions, 2009), and Four on the Floor with the Palomar Quartet (Loup-garous Productions, 2008). In 2013 she released Swing For Your Supper, featuring Bucky Pizzarelli and guest vocalists Banu Gibson and Maude Maggart. Molly's latest album, entitled Let's Fly Away, features piano legend Dick Hyman. Molly can be heard on the Grammy Award-winning HBO television series Boardwalk Empire.

To post a comment, you must register and login.