Peggy's House Band play: Titans of the Great American Songbook

About

Sunday 26 July 2026 | 2pm - 4pm
Peggy's Skylight 
Tickets: £12.50

Three composers. Endless standards. Gershwin's jazz brilliance, Porter's razor-sharp wit, and Kern's soaring melodies shaped Broadway and beyond. Titans of the Great American Songbook celebrates the music that defined a nation—and still swings and soars today.

George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern stand as towering figures who defined the sound of American popular music in the first half of the 20th century. Their work did more than entertain—it captured the sophistication, optimism, and emotional breadth of a rapidly changing nation, shaping a musical tradition that continues to resonate today as the Great American Songbook.

George Gershwin forged a bold and unmistakably American musical voice by blending classical forms with the rhythmic vitality of jazz. His work moved seamlessly between the concert hall and the Broadway stage, reflecting the energy of modern city life with confidence and imagination. Gershwin's music embraced innovation without sacrificing accessibility, helping to legitimize popular music as a serious artistic force and expanding the boundaries of what American composition could be.

Cole Porter brought elegance, wit, and cosmopolitan flair to American popular music. Writing with remarkable sophistication, Porter infused his work with charm, irony, and emotional nuance, creating music that felt both glamorous and deeply human. His refined sensibility and impeccable craftsmanship elevated Broadway to new levels of style, influencing generations of composers with his balance of intelligence, humor, and melodic appeal.

Jerome Kern played a pivotal role in transforming musical theater into a unified dramatic form. He believed music should serve story and character, and his approach helped establish a more natural, emotionally grounded style of musical storytelling. Kern's gift for melody, combined with his commitment to dramatic integrity, laid the groundwork for the modern American musical and inspired collaborators and successors alike.

Together, Gershwin, Porter, and Kern created a lasting musical legacy that defined an era and continues to shape American culture. Their collective influence endures on stages and concert platforms around the world—true titans whose music remains vibrant, relevant, and timeless.

Line up:

Eliot Richards – tenor saxophone

Paul Deats – piano

Simon Paterson – bass
Andrew Woody Wood – drums