Talks take place on Thursday afternoons, starting at 2pm, and usually take place in the Lecture Hall, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA. These are free for Oxford u3a members but you are welcome to attend as a guest for a donation of £5 (£2 for members of all other U3As).
Most talks are recorded on Zoom for the benefit of those Oxford u3a members who are unable to attend Rewley House.
In the event of adverse weather conditions, please telephone Rewley House (01865 270360), to enquire whether the talk has been cancelled.
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Nick Gill – Irving Berlin: Prolific Song Writer of the Jazz Age
6th March 2025 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Nick Gill is an Oxford based classic jazz and ragtime piano player/singer who has been giving performances in all kinds of different venues for many years. His activities also include musically illustrated talks on aspects of pre-war jazz and ragtime as well as the great musicians and song writers of the era.
Prolific song writer of the Jazz Age, Irving Berlin (1888 – 1989) was one of the most successful and ingenious of the Great American Songwriters. From humble beginnings as a singing waiter in the Bronx, he established himself as the King of Tin Pan Alley and ensured life-long prosperity with Alexander’s Ragtime Band in 1911. He wrote many enduring classics for the Hollywood Musicals, including Top Hat, White Tie and Tails and Cheek to Cheek. In this talk we will look largely at his pre-World War II career. There will be numerous live musical interludes of songs displaying influences from ragtime, jazz and the sensual art-deco elegance of the 1930s movies and shows.
Classical London