American Songbook in Full Bloom (SOLD OUT)
Sunday, July 19, 2026
3:00 pm
Hosted by Dan Mueller & JoAnn Pari-Mueller
30 guests • $100
Sold Out
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! There are no tickets available. If you’d like to be added to the wait list, please contact the box office at (503) 224-9842 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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: Kerry Politzer (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
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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 Kevin Deitz
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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.
- More About Kerry Politzer
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Kerry Politzer is a Portland-based jazz pianist, composer, and educator. She is on the music faculty of Portland State University and Clackamas Community College, and has also taught at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Swing University, the University of Portland, and the University of Manitoba.Kerry received a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied improvisation and composition with the late jazz guru Charlie Banacos, and a Master of Music from Rowan University.
Prior to her latest album Alternate Route (Whirlwind Recordings), Kerry released eight jazz CD’s as a leader, including Blue in Blue, which featured saxophonist Donny McCaslin and was termed a “first-rate jazz outing” by AllAboutJazz.com. She has also been a featured sideman on albums of George Colligan, Laura Dreyer, and the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE). Her commissions include works for the PJCE as well as a solo piano piece, “Microclimates,” for the pianist Andree-Ann Deschenes. This piece was featured on Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline.
In 2019, Kerry was awarded a Regional Arts and Culture Council Artistic Focus grant to explore the music of Brazilian composer Durval Ferreira. The project culminated in the August 2019 release of Diagonal: The Music of Durval Ferreira. Kerry continues to be inspired by Brazilian music.
The pianist has headlined the Montavilla Jazz Festival and performed at other festivals and venues including the 25th Annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival, the Black Dolphin, Jazz Forum, the Oregon Coast Jazz Party, Jazz in the Valley, Smalls, the Sound Room, and many others.
