Concerts

The great American songbook has enjoyed unbroken popularity in Europe for many years. Song composers such as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porte and George Gershwin are well-known to many music lovers in Germany. Far too little is known to many music lovers, however, about the true creators of the musical forms with which the aforementioned white composers became known: the great African-American ragtime, blues and jazz composers from the beginning of the 20th century. From Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime” to William Christopher Handy, the “Father of the Blues” and Clarence Williams, the jazz legend from New Orleans. Sylvia Cordes (vocals) and Marcus Schwarz (piano) present a comprehensive cross-section of songs by these brilliant composers who have had a lasting impact on American music history. The diverse spectrum includes ragtime, blues and jazz songs from the first 30 years of the 20th century.

Saturday, April 18, 2026, 7:30 p.m., Goethes PostamD, Kassel