Beyond the Neighborhood: The Music of Fred Rogers

Live in the Lobby: Koger Center Jazz Beyond the Neighborhood

The Music of Fred Rogers

Featuring Grammy-nominated pianist, Kevin Bales

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Fred McFeely Rogers – the cardigan-wearing, sneaker-shod, quintessentially gentle Presbyterian minister known as Mister Rogers on the awards-winning children’s TV show that aired for nearly 35 years – also wrote the songs he sang on his program. He wrote a lot of songs, and he wrote them well. As a kid you might not have noticed the craftsmanship of these songs, but as an adult, you can’t miss it. These songs left their mark on three generations of children who made Mister Roger’s Neighborhood part of their after-school routine.

The songs, which up until now were specifically tailored for a child’s ear, are now presented as reinvented gems that are wise and wistful, simple but not simplistic, and even, in some cases, a bit sultry. In this concert, Mister Rogers’ songs not only relate to adults; they seem to have been written for adults in the first place.