Jazz Police - “Have Mercer On Us!” Johnny Mercer Centennial Tribute, September 26th

Twin Cities vocalist and radio personality Arne Fogel describes Johnny Mercer as “a memorable personality, an adept and rhythmic singer, composer of several successful melodies, trailblazing music biz executive, and most importantly, one of America’s most distinctive and prolific lyricists.” A frequent purveyor of Mercer’s tunes, Fogel created “Have Mercer On Us!” to celebrate the 100th birthday of “one of the most successful tunesmiths of the 20th century,” premiering at the Bloomington Center for the Arts on Saturday, September 26th at 7:30 pm. Joining Fogel on stage will be singers Nancy Harms, Sheridan Zuther, and special guest, Connie Evingson.

Johnny Mercer grew up in Savannah Georgia, where he was not only exposed to music at home (both parents sang) but also to the music of the African American community, particularly the music of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. His brother also turned him on to the songs of Irving Berlin and Tin Pan Alley. Although he never had formal music training, he sang in choirs and attempted trumpet and piano (with little success); he aspired to be a composer but found he had greater facility in singing and writing lyrics. Moving to New York at 19, Mercer took a variety of day jobs, did some singing and began writing lyrics, with his first song published a year later. He made his recording debut with the Frank Trumbauer Orchestra in 1932, and ultimately joined forces with Hoagy Carmichael on the hit tune, “Lazybones.” He also found work with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra before moving to Hollywood in 1935. His years in Hollywood included a long list of successful collaborations with Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen, Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, and Warner Brothers and MGM studios. He also was more infamously tied to Judy Garland.

Nancy Harms©Andrea Canter

In 1964, Mercer became the only lyricist whose songs were covered by Ella Fitzgerald in her famous collection of “Songbooks” on Verve. Although he was approached for a collaboration by Paul McCartney in 1975, Mercer was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died a year later. He left behind a raft of hits that have become part of the jazz vocal canon, encompassing the gamut of mid-20th century life, from pre-war swing (“I’m an Old Cowhand,” “Too Marvelous for Words”) to the sophisticated 60s (“Moon River,” “Summer Wind”). Along the way he created such popular melodies as “Skylark,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby,” and “Come Rain or Come Shine.”

“Have Mercer On Us!” presents not only some of the most beloved tunes of the great Johnny Mercer, but some of the most acclaimed voices of Twin Cities jazz:

Arne Fogel’s 40+-year career has brought the songs of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mercer and more to stages throughout the Twin Cities (most recently, at the Dakota, Times, Hell’s Kitchen and more), while his radio shows (including Singers and Standards and The Bing Shift) have further promoted a love for the great singers and songwriters. Arne’s recent productions include the title role in “Bing and the Andrews Sisters” at the Bloomington Center for the Arts (2008) and “And the Nominees Were” (songs that lost the Oscar) at the Hopkins Center for the Arts (2009). Fogel was recently inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame. Bob Protzman (St Paul Pioneer Press) called Arne "...one of the Twin Cities' most interesting people -- a singer, musician, actor, composer, writer, producer, music-film-comedy and entertainment historian, collector and oral encyclopedia." His recordings include You Call It Madness (1989), Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (2001), and a duo with vocalist Maud Hixson, Let’s Not Be Sensible (2005).

Sheridan Zuther

Nancy Harms is fast becoming one of the most popular young singers in town. Growing up in Clara City, MN, Nancy found opportunities to sing “at almost every community event” until she finished high school. Notes Nancy, “A friend once told me that I sing more than I speak and he was only slightly kidding.” Although she studied classical voice at Concordia College in Moorhead, she felt drawn to jazz and was soon singing with bands in the Fargo-Moorhead area. She taught school for a few years before making the move to the Twin Cities in 2007 where she has concentrated on her music career. Among her sources of inspiration, she counts Louis Armstrong, Harry Connick, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and, more recently, Kurt Elling.

Sheridan Zuther, making her solo concert debut, has several years’ experience as a member of the group Five By Design. Growing up in rural North Dakota, Sheridan used to sing in silo on the family farm because it had good acoustics. She went on to study music, earning a degree in voice/opera performance at the University of Missouri/Kansas City Conservatory of Music. While pursuing a masters’ degree, she became more and more interested in jazz and gospel, and the nighttime club scene around Kansas City, leading to the end of her opera studies. After a few years of daytime corporate jobs, she finally was able to devote fulltime to her singing career when she was tapped to join Five By Design, a vocal group devoted to the songs of the 1940s-1960s—coincidentally, the heyday of Johnny Mercer.

A native of Hibbing in northern Minnesota’s Iron Range, Connie Evingson was just five when she first performed publicly in her church and school choirs. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in speech/communications, Evingson sang around town in clubs did a brief stint with the Minnesota Vocal Jazz Ensemble before joining the popular vocal quartet, Moore By Four, in 1986. In 1998, she was chosen by Jazziz magazine as "one of the top unsigned vocal talents in the country,” was among the top 15 contestants in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, and received McKnight Artist Fellowship Awards in 2000 and 2005. Connie has released a series of acclaimed recordings reflecting her diverse tastes—from Peggy Lee to the Beatles to hot club to her most recent release, the songs of David Frishberg. She’s performed nationally from Jazz Alley in Seattle to Blues Alley in Washington, DC and has also toured Japan and Scandinavia. And she’s an old cohort of Arne Fogel, with whom she hosted Singers and Standards on KBEM.

“Have Mercer On Us!” will also feature the Tanner Taylor Trio, with Taylor on piano, Keith Boyles on bass and Dick Bortolussi on drums. Tickets are $22 ($19, students and seniors).

The Bloomington Center for the Arts is located at 1800 W. Shakopee Rd in Bloomington. For information and tickets, call 952-563-8575 or visit the website at www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org.