Tin Pan Alley Cats

Concert at Bridgewater Library  —  May 9, 2014 @ 7:30 pm

Pop tunes from America's finest songsmiths

Vintage guitars from 1920s, 1930s and 1940s

Friends of Bridgewater Public Library will host a free concert by Ken Lelen on Friday, May 9, 2014, at 7:30 pm in the Program Room, 1 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Info at 908-526-4016 and Bridgewater Library website.

Thomas "Fats" Waller
"I'm through with flirtin'; it's just you I'm thinkin' of,
Ain't misbehavin'; I'm saving my love for you."

    Lelen will sing pop tunes composed by America's greatest songsmiths — including George & Ira Gershwin, Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart, Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Jule Styne, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg, Richard Whiting, Johnny Black, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael and others. In addition to the songs, the musician will offer amusing anecdotes on the composers and lyricists, Tin Pan Alley and music of the mid-20th Century.
      The music program may include such songs as: "The Lady Is A Tramp" (Rogers & Hart), "She's Funny That Way" (Whiting), "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" (McHugh & Fields), "Blue Moon" (Rogers & Hart), "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Waller), "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (Berlin) and "Over The Rainbow" (Arlen & Harburg).

     "Mr. Lelen is a genial performer, with a pleasant tenor," said the New York Times. "The songs he plays will never go out of date."

     The musician will display and play steel-stringed acoustic guitars from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Made by Gibson, Martin, Regal, Schmidt and other U.S. firms, they produce an authentic, back-in-the-day sound that is striking for its tone, character and sustain without the use of pick-ups or electronic gimmicks.

     "People of all ages love the songs," Lelen said. "And they're pleasantly surprised by the robust sound and classy look of the vintage guitars."

Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart
"Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls,
Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls,
That's why the lady is a tramp."

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     ©  2014 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Sunny Side of the Street

Concert at Denville Library  —  April 14, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Mirthful pop tunes from 1930 - 1939

Acoustic guitars from the same era

Hoosier Hot Shots - Chicago - 1936
"She broke my heart in three places:
Seattle, Chicago and New York"

Denville Public Library will host a free concert by Ken Lelen on Mon., April 14, 2014, at 7 pm in the Theatre, 121 Diamond Spring Rd, Denville NJ. Info at www.denvillelibrary.org and 973-627-6555.

     Lelen will tell amusing tales and sing tunes with memorable melodies and clever lyrics from 1930 - 1939. Composed by Tin Pan Alley's greatest songsmiths, the tunes were meant to soften the Great Depression's sting, offer love advice to threadbare sweethearts and poke fun at society's upper crust, which seemed immune to the era's economic woes.

     In addition to "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," songs may include: "Bye Bye Blues," "The Lady Is A Tramp," "When I Take My Sugar To Tea," "Pennies From Heaven," "She's Funny That Way," "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" and "Over The Rainbow."

     "Mr. Lelen is a genial performer, with a pleasant tenor," said the New York Times. "The songs he plays will never go out of date."

     The musician will play steel-stringed acoustic guitars from the 1920s and 1930s for an authentic, back-in-the-day sound. Made by Gibson, Martin, Regal, Vega and other US firms, they produce music that is striking for its tone, character and sustain without the use of pick-ups or electronic gimmicks.

     "People of all ages love the songs," the musician said. "And they're pleasantly surprised by the robust sound and classy look of the vintage guitars."

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     ©  2014 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

Denville Library event photos

PHOTOS: Mary C. Martin

Ken Lelen with 1932 B&J Serenader

Ken Lelen with 1938 B&D Groton 1

2013 — Concert Schedule — Final
Jan  9     Heath Village, Hackettstown NJ

Mar  1     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ

Mar  4     Glebe, Daleville VA

Mar  5     Deerfield, Asheville NC
Mar  6     Stewart Health Center, Charlotte NC
Mar  7     Springmoor, Raleigh NC

Mar  8     Cypress, Raleigh NC
Mar  9     Heritage, Raleigh NC
Mar 12     Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem NC
Mar 15     Country Meadows, Hershey PA
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Mar 16     Artists Series Concert — A Fine Romance
              7 pm, Nicarry Meeting House, 717-624-2161, www.crosskeysvillage.org
                  Cross Keys Village, 2990 Carlisle Pike, New Oxford PA 17350
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Mar 18     Lakewood Manor, Richmond VA
Mar 19     College Walk, Brevard NC
May  2     Arbors, Manchester CT

May  7     Kirkland Village, Bethlehem PA
May 14    SW PA Veterans Center, Pittsburgh PA
May 14    Laurel View Village, Davidsville PA
May 15    Springhill, Erie PA 
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May 22    Council on Aging Concert — Sunny Side of the Street
                 1 pm, Activity Room, 508-210-5570, www.holdenma.gov
              Senior Center, 1130 Main Street, Holden MA 01520
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May 23    Countryside Health Care, Milford MA
May 23    Overlook, Charlton MA
Jun   3     Shannondell-Ashcroft, Audubon PA

Jun   7     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ
Jun  13    Country Meadows, Hershey PA
Jun  14    Lake Prince Woods, Suffolk VA
Jun  15    Plantation Estates, Matthews NC
Jun  16    Bishop Gadsden, Charleston SC
Jun  17    Stewart Health Center, Charlotte NC
Jun  18    The Oaks, Orangeburg SC
Jun  30    Applewood Estates, Freehold NJ
Jly  19     Pleasant View, Manheim PA
Jly  22     WV Lakes Manor, Willow Street PA
Sep  4     Heath Village, Hackettstown NJ

Sep  6     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ
Sep 16     SW PA Veterans Center, Pittsburgh PA
Sep 17     St Barnabas, Gibsonia PA
Sep 18     Springhill, Erie PA
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Sep 20    Village Concert — Tin Pan Alley Cats
             1:30 pm, Club Encore, 732-657-1658, www.lvwa.net
             Leisure Village West, 3 Buckingham Drive, Manchester NJ 08759
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Sep 22     Public Library Concert — Folk Song Boomers
              3 pm, Community Room, 973-827-8095, www.sussexcountylibrary.org
              Dorothy Henry Branch Library, 66 Rt 94, Vernon NJ 07462
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Sep 26     Crane's Mill, West Caldwell NJ
Oct   3     Wellington, West Chester PA

Oct   4     Edenwald, Towson MD
Oct   5     Country Meadows, Hershey PA
Oct   7     Glebe, Daleville VA
Oct   8     Arbor Acres, Winston-Salem NC
Oct   9     Bermuda Village, Advance NC
Oct  10    Stewart Health Center, Charlotte NC
Oct  10    Springmoor, Raleigh NC

Oct  11    Cypress, Raleigh NC
Oct  12    Heritage, Raleigh NC
Oct  14    Lakewood Manor, Richmond VA
Oct  16    College Walk, Brevard NC
Oct  17    Plantation Estates, Matthews NC
Oct  22    Arbors, Manchester CT
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Oct  23    Greendale Mens Club — Tin Pan Alley Cats
              9:30 am, Gymnasium, 508-852-6694
              YMCA, 75 Shore Drive, Worcester MA 01605
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Oct  23    Community Concert — Big Band Idols
              7:45 pm, Performing Arts Center, 508-434-2317, www.overlookcharlton.com
              Overlook, Charlton MA 01507
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Oct  27    Public Library Concert — Vintage Guitars + Vintage Songs
              2 pm, Rotunda, 845-221-9943, http://eflibrary.org
              East Fishkill Community Library, 348 Rte 376, Hopewell Jnctn NY 12533
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Oct  29    Riddle Village, Media PA
Nov  4     Shannondell-Bradford, Audubon PA
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Nov  6    Public Library Concert — Tin Pan Alley Cats
             2:30 pm, Ayers Room, 732-388-5999, Clark Public Library
             Clark Public Library, 303 Westfield Ave, Clark NJ 07066
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Nov  7     Homewood, Frederick MD
Nov  8     Lake Prince Woods, Suffolk VA
Nov 11    The Oaks, Orangeburg SC
Nov 19    Pine Run, Doylestown PA
Nov 23    Monroe Village, Monroe Twp NJ
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Nov 24    Public Library Concert — Juke Joint Jive
             2 pm, Large Meeting Room, 732-329-4000, www.sbpl.info
             South Brunswick Public Library, 110 Kingston Lane, So Brunswick NJ 08852
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Nov 26    Country House, Wilmington DE

Dec  6     Mayflower House, Hackettstown NJ
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  ©  2013 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved