Production of the United Sounds of America is made possible with leadership support
from Joe and Madeleine Glossberg, with additional funding from the Komarek-Hyde-
McQueen Foundation and Patricia Hyde. Symphony Center Presents extends special
thanks to Joe Glossberg for chairing this concert series.
Media Sponsor:
New York City FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 8:00
BILL CHARLAP piano
Kurt Elling vocals
Ken Peplowski clarinet
Jeremy Pelt trumpet
Jimmy Greene tenor saxophone
Peter Washington bass
Kenny Washington drums
SUZANNE VEGA guitar and vocals
Tom Paxton guitar and vocals
Richard Julian guitar and vocals
Gerry Leonard guitar
Mike Visceglia bass
Th is portrait of New York’s rich and varied musical
history focuses on two distinct and important eras.
First, Bill Charlap directs an all-star ensemble,
including Chicago native and jazz vocalist Kurt
Elling, on a journey through the music of the Roaring
Twenties, Broadway, Ellington, Bernstein, Sinatra and
be-bop. In the second half, accomplished singer-songwriter
Suzanne Vega and guests Richard Julian and legendary folk singer
and Chicago native Tom Paxton celebrate the New York folk music
scene of the 1950s, ‘60s and beyond.
Route 66 SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 8:00
Inspired by America’s “Mother Road,” this performance
is directed by legendary folk singer Arlo Guthrie, and
showcases the nostalgic songs and music of an era when
this famous highway was the path of choice through the
American west, uniting people on their journey from Chicago
to Los Angeles. With its starting point adjacent to Symphony Center at the
corner of Michigan and Adams, Route 66 celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2011.
Singer-songwriters Vance Gilbert, Eliza Gilkyson and Chris Smither join Guthrie
for this celebration of America’s most famous highway.
ARLO GUTHRIE guitar and vocals
Vance Gilbert guitar and vocals
Eliza Gilkyson guitar and vocals
Chris Smither guitar and vocals
New Orleans SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 7:00
Th e birthplace of the great American brass band tradition, New
Orleans is home to one of the fi rst black neighborhoods in America,
Treme, which is the heartbeat of the city and home to Congo Square.
“A Night in Treme” (Th e Musical Majesty of New Orleans), produced in
conjunction with HBO, features the legendary Rebirth Brass Band joined
by Mardi Gras Indian Chief and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., clarinet
virtuoso Dr. Michael White, funky trombonist Big Sam Williams, charismatic
trumpeter James Andrews, and narrator Wendell Pierce, star of HBO’s Treme.
DONALD HARRISON, JR. alto saxophone and vocals
Rebirth Brass Band
Dr. Michael White clarinet
Big Sam Williams trombone and vocals
James Andrews trumpet
Wendell Pierce narrator
Memphis THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 8:00
From the early jug bands to today’s crunksters, Memphis
has given birth to some of America’s most infl uential
musical styles including blues, southern soul, gospel and
rockabilly. Th e renowned recording studios and record labels
of Memphis have spread these sounds throughout the world.
Celebrated saxophonist and CEO of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Kirk Whalum leads an ensemble of Memphis legends including Stax/Volt
pioneer William Bell and contemporary songstress Wendy Moten.
KIRK WHALUM tenor saxophone
William Bell vocals
Wendy Moten vocals
Detroit FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 8:00
While Detroit is synonymous with Motown Records, the city also boasts
a rich history of jazz, rhythm & blues, gospel, rock & roll, hip-hop and
techno. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Marshall Crenshaw developed
this concert, focusing primarily on the jazz, rock and R&B scene of yesterday and
today in Detroit, featuring special guest Regina Carter as well as the great lady of
soul Bettye LaVette, Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs and Mick Collins of the
Dirtbombs.
MARSHALL CRENSHAW guitar and vocals
Special Guest Regina Carter violin
Bettye LaVette vocals
Brendan Benson guitar and vocals
Mick Collins guitar and vocals
Wayne Kramer guitar
Amp Fiddler keyboards and vocals
Ralphe Armstrong bass
Ali Jackson drums
Austin SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 8:00
Austin boasts a diverse and vibrant live music scene. It
is home to a thriving Tejano music community and to
some of the fi nest songwriters in modern American music.
Insightful and eclectic, Alejandro Escovedo explores over
100 years of the “Live Music Capital of the World” with many of
Austin’s fi nest musicians such as singer-songwriters Roky Erickson
and Butch Hancock.
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO guitar and vocals
Roky Erickson guitar and vocals
Butch Hancock guitar and vocals
David Pulkingham guitar and vocals
Stephen Barber keyboards and vocals
Cindy Cashdollar dobro and guitar
Joel Guzman accordion and vocals
Glenn Fukunaga bass
Chris Searles drums
S Y M P H O N Y C E N T E R P R E S E N T S
a journey through musical roots
J U N E
1 0 - 1 2 & 1 6 - 1 8
Symphony Center Presents, in association with Absolutely Live Entertainment, showcases a series of unique concerts that will put a unifying spotlight
on the immense variety of American sounds that have emanated from our country’s musical capitals. Highlighting music from the “Great White Way”
to the Memphis blues, from the sweet soul of Detroit to the brass band traditions of New Orleans, and from the fi ne melodies of Austin to the road
songs of Route 66, these concerts will bring together artists with often-divergent musical styles in multigenre and multigenerational collaborations.
6 UNIQUE 6 UNIQUE NIGHTS &COLLABORATIONS
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Consulting Producer for The United Sounds of America: Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC Danny Melnick, President and Director
For each concert, these seven musical directors have designed a program exploring the unique
sounds of their city, inviting special guest artists to collaborate on these dynamic and distinctive
concerts. See the concert listings within for complete program and artist information.
Artists, prices, and programs subject to change.
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRASYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS
220 South Michigan AvenueChicago, IL 60604-2559
Join us for this journey through America’s musical roots!
T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W A T
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New York City JUNE 10 Route 66 JUNE 11 New Orleans JUNE 12 Memphis JUNE 16 Detroit JUNE 17 Austin JUNE 18
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