American Songbook in Full Bloom

Sunday, July 19, 2026
3:00 pm

Hosted by Dan Mueller & JoAnn Pari-Mueller
30 guests • $100

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Let the rhythm take root in the Muellers’ blooming garden oasis in Banks, where cool jazz mingles with warm sunshine and savory bites. Vocalist Susannah Mars leads a breezy stroll through “The American Songbook, A to L”—from Arlen to Lerner—backed by a top-tier trio: Clay Giberson (keyboard), Kevin Deitz (bass), and Dan Mueller (drums). No tux, no pretense—just petals, pizzazz, and perfect vibes. (Watch for Part II, M-Z in 2027!)

More About Susannah Mars

A lifelong performing artist, Susannah Mars has appeared in a wide variety of productions including those at Portland Opera, Portland Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater. She is the proud recipient of six Portland Drama Critics awards and two Regional Arts and Culture Council Grants. She played psychiatrist Dr. Richet on NBC’s Grimm, and her most recent recording Susannah Mars, Call It Home: The Music of Richard Gray is available, along with her first, the MAC-nominated Take Me To The World, on all your favorite platforms. Recently she was an arts envoy to Cairo with the U.S. State Department. Grateful to continue to grow as an artist and member of the Pacific Northwest arts ecosystem, she is proud to be a part of the audio description community and an access ally. Learn more at www.susannanhmars.com.

More About Clay Giberson

An innovative voice in the contemporary jazz scene of the Pacific Northwest, pianist and composer Clay Giberson is part of a new generation that is redefining jazz.  Emotionally compelling, the music grooves as much as it dazzles with harmony, lyricism and rhythmic intricacy.

Giberson’s performances convey a deep appreciation of structure and form but pay equal tribute to the pulse and sonic landscape that frame his musical ideas.  Clay’s musical personality owes something to his childhood spent on a farm in Woodland, Washington.  His mother, a classical piano teacher, infused his early life with music and he grew up both in the fields and at the piano.  He studied jazz piano at the University of Miami and later established himself in New York where he also earned a Master’s degree in music technology.  He has performed throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, Caribbean and Japan. Clay currently resides in Portland, Oregon where he teaches, records, produces and performs.

Clay has released six recordings on the premier jazz label Origin Records, the latest being “Pastures” featuring saxophonist Donny McCaslin, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Matt Wilson.  Also he has seven releases with his Portland-based groups Upper Left Trio and Go By Train.  His collaboration with saxophonist John Nastos, Duo Chronicles, is a time-based project in which the musicians compose, record and disseminate a video performance every week for one year.  Clay also works with jazz, pop, latin and funk artists such as Mel Brown, Dan Balmer, Bobby Torres, McKinley and Jessie Marquez.

More About Kevin Deitz

Kevin Deitz is an active jazz and classical bassist, composer/arranger, educator, clinician and adjudicator. He currently teaches Music Theory, Aural Skills, Music Fundamentals, Music and the Media, and History of Rock and Roll at Clackamas Community College.

As a classical bassist, Kevin has performed with the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Festival of American Music, Portland Ballet Orchestra, Portland Opera Orchestra, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Salem Chamber Orchestra, Symphonia Concertante, American Strauss Orchestra and with many regional symphonic choirs.

As a cellist, Kevin has performed with the Portland Summer Festival Orchestra, Collage Trio, the Nu Shooz Orchestra, Skyline String Quartet, with Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson and with talk show host Regis Philbin.

Jazz bass performances include concerts with Mose Allison, Terrence Blanchard, Dave Brubeck, Herb Ellis, Dave Frishberg, Benny Golson, and Diane Shurr. Pop and smooth jazz performances include concerts with the Oregon Symphony, Sheena Easton, Robert Goulet, Tom Grant, Marvin Hamlisch, Jeff Kashiwa, The Moody Blues World Orchestra, Kenny Rankin, Dan Siegal, Toni Tenille, and Mason Williams.

Kevin is an artist/endorser for Conklin electric basses and Conklin Sidewinder strings.

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