Pop: A blue moon and a yellow bikini.

Byline: Paul Denison The Register-Guard

In the mind of executive director James Ralph, five OFAM events fall under the heading of "historic pop," which sounds like music trapped in the Smithsonian archive, or a CD set you might order from the Insomniac Shoppers cable TV channel.

But these live events will be a lot more fun than that.

Thursday night's opening gala concert, always a smorgasbord, will focus on jazz in the first half and pop in the second, including "Hound Dog," "Memories Are Made of This," "Come On-A My House" and "How High the Moon," with vocals by Ian Whitcomb, Lenanne Sylvester and the Cascade Chorus.

"Instrumental Gold from the '50s'' (2:30 p.m. Friday at the Shedd) will mix jazz and pop standards with movie music.

On the pop side, the program includes "Near You," "Autumn Leaves," "Canadian Sunset," "Soft Summer Breeze" and "Quiet Village."

Combining OFAM guest artists with local musicians, the band for this show will consist of Dick Hyman on piano, Al Caiola and Mike Denny on guitar, Peter Appleyard on vibes, Frank Capp on drums, Byron Stripling on trumpet, Matt Shevitz on sax, Doug Miller on bass, Alan Tarpinian on percussion and Whitcomb on accordion and sound effects.

One of the more unusual numbers is Hyman's arrangement of "Moritat" from "The Three-Penny Opera" by Kurt Weill, with Hyman playing harpsichord and whistling.

If the "Instrumental Gold" program puts you in the mood to sing - in public, not just in the shower - you can do it the very next morning.

At the "Golden Oldies Jam" (10 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Hult Center lobby), you can sing along with the American Music Institute's singing Elderhostelers and several Young Artists Academy ensembles, backed by pianist Hyman and other guest musicians.

Or, if you sign up ahead of time by calling OFAM at 687-6526, you can step out front and sing your favorite golden oldie during an open microphone session.

On Aug. 10, you can put on your dancing shoes, or socks, and dance the early evening away "At the Hop," a dinner-dance in the ballroom of the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon (6 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. concert and dance).

The music will come from Dick Hyman & the Fabulous Debonaires, which includes OFAM guest artists and members of OFAM's Emerald City Jazz Kings, with vocals by Terry Burrell, Michael Stone and Whitcomb.

The songs we'll really never forget - even though we might like to, in some cases - will be featured Aug. 11 in "Purple People Eater: Silly Songs of the '50s'' (Shedd, 2:30 p.m.).

If you ever got "Poison Ivy" while wearing your "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" or went "Splish Splash" while taking a bath in calamine lotion, listening to ``Yakety Sax'' on the radio and wondering "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window," you have a good idea what to expect.

But the program also includes some not-so-silly numbers, perhaps as antidotes.

Among them: "Mister Sandman," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Who's Sorry Now?" (in the original waltz version by Whitcomb, a swing version by Hyman and a rock 'n' roll version by Burrell.

The festival's grand finale concert, at the Cuthbert Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14, will open with an instrumental set by the Dick Hyman Band, followed by the Legends of Doo Wop, four singers from four groups singing such songs as "Stand By Me," "Blue Moon," "Run Around Sue," "Come Go With Me" and "In the Still of the Night."

CAPTION(S):

Ian Whitcomb will figure in several of the pops concerts, singing and playing his accordian.