Big Band Bash

David Goldin established Radio Yesteryear in 1965 as a mail order company offering tapes of classic radio broadcasts to collectors. In 1970, after much success in packaging these materials for release by other record labels, he created Radiola Records as the first label devoted to reissuing radio broadcasts. Radiola, and its sister label Sandy Hook Records, went on to issue more than 300 releases on vinyl (and later cassettes and compact discs as well). These releases covered a wide range of content first broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio, from spoken word drama and comedy, to variety and music programming. Continuing with part two of Harry James, I am going to present Harry James 1971. This was a live broadcast issued on the Sandy Hook label in 1984 thus the reason for the short history. It is a great concert and I hope you enjoy the music from Harry James and his Music Makers 1971. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

When Wally Heider the recording engineer, learned that the Big Bands had made recordings specifically for use on radio broadcast only-and that these recordings had never been commercially released-he made it his business to track them down. It took him years, as part of his quest included getting permission from the band leaders or their heirs to release the recordings, he finally amassed a superb collection. He started a company called Hindsight records and today we will be presenting one of these recordings that I have in my collection. It is called "Harry James Uncollected 1943-1946". These are all live recordings and they have good sound quality with some great music. I hope you enjoy these recordings from Harry James. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

One aspect of the big bands that we are going to explore on this week's show is the small groups. They could be any size from a trio to a sextet. Each band seemed to have a featured small band and some of them had colorful names. We'll be hearing from groups such as the Gramercy Five, the Clambake Seven, the Bobcats, the Woodchoppers and others. There is some great music on today's program and I hope you enjoy this look at some of the different combos that were part of the Big Bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

The year was 1973. I was starting my senior year of high school when I tuned into the nightly jazz program on a local AM radio station. The host had just anounced that jazz drummer Gene Krupa had passed away and that he would be playing Krupa recordings for his entire show in memory of Gene. Luckily, I had a tape recorder and I taped the show so I could listen to those great sides. That was my introduction to the music of the Krupa band. I had several Benny Goodman albums where Gene was a sideman but today we are going to explore the sides where Gene is leading his own band. We'll start with some of Gene's early recordings from 1938 and then play some of those great sides with Anita O'Day. I hope you enjoy this look at the great band of Gene Krupa. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays everyone as we continue this week with "A Fireside Big Band Christmas Part 2." As in Part One, I tried to present holiday songs from the 1930's and 40's. There are many of your holiday favorites on the show along with this week's Big Band Puzzler. So from all of us here at KTXK Radio in Texarkana, Texas I want to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week on the show, I invite you to come in out of the cold and pull up a seat next to me over here by the fireplace as we enjoy some 1940's holiday favorites. This is part one of a show I call A Fireside Big Band Christmas. I tried to play many of the holiday songs from the 1930's and 40's as I could find. Many of your favorite bands are on the show today as we get into the holiday season. And, as always, the Big Band Puzzler is back this week. So I hope you will join me and maybe get a snack or two and your favorite beverage and warm yourselves as we settle in and listen to some great holiday classics. To everyone I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week on Big Band Bash I'll be taking a look at many of the vocal groups that sang with the big bands and on their own. There were several popular groups back then and we'll be hearing from The Andrews Sisters, The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, The King Sisters, and The Pied Pipers. In addition to recordings, I'll be giving a short history of each group many of which are quite interesting. I hope you enjoy the music on this addition of Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week's show is a special program that I've had in my collection for many years. I played it on Big Band Bash a long time ago and I thought I would play it again this week. I don't have the exact date on when this show was produced or aired but it is called "Sounds of the Swinging Years." It was hosted by Ronald Reagan a long time before he became president. He explains about the swing bands and we'll also hear some live performances from Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Woody Herman and Count Basie. So get ready to hear some music from "Sounds of the Swinging Years." Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This is the last part of my series on bandleaders who played the same instrument. Today we wind up with the trombonists and these were some of the most popular bands. We'll be hearing from Tommy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Buddy Morrow, Will Bradley and a few others. It is a good program with some toe-tapping music. I hope you enjoy this program especially if you are a fan of the trombone. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

On Part Four of my series on band leaders who played the same instrument, I'll be looking at the trumpet playing band leaders. There were a lot of them so I'll be playing some recordings by some of the famous trumpeters in addition to the not so famous. Some of the band leaders will be hearing from include Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Charlie Spivak, Sunny Dunham, and Randy Brooks. If you are a fan of the trumpet then this is a show you won't want to miss it. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week's show is a continuation of the theme started two weeks ago. We are going to be listening to some of the Big Band Leaders who played the piano. There were many bandleader-musicians that were pianists and after I listened to this show I realized that I forgot to include Stan Kenton. I will try to include some of his music in a later show. Today's show is one that I put together back in 2011 so it is one of the early editions of Big Band Bash. Some of the bands we'll be hearing from today include Count Basie, Frankie Carle, Claude Thornhill, Duke Ellington and others. I hope you enjoy this look at some of the band leaders from the Golden Age of the Big Bands that were pianists. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week on our program I am revisiting a series I did way back in 2011. I got the idea from a fellow big band broadcaster from North Carolina whose show I happened hear. His series was about a group of bandleaders who played the same instrument. Last time we heard some of the bandleaders who played the clarinet and today we will be exploring those leaders who played the saxophone. Some of the bands we'll be hearing today include Benny Carter, Charlie Barnet, Jimmy Dorsey, and Freddie Martin. I hope I play some of your favorites as we explore the saxophone playing bandleaders. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

On our show this week, I am going back to the Big Band Bash vault to pull out a series of shows I did way back in 2011. Back then I produced a 5 part series grouping each show by the bandleader's instrument. Today we will be listening to the clarinet playing bandleaders. Then in the weeks to come, we'll be focusing on the trumpeters, the saxophonists, the pianists and finally the trombonists. There is a lot of exciting music in the show today as we listen to Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Jimmy Dorsey and others. The show might sound a little different as I produced these back in 2011 and I have refined the show since then. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these shows from the past on the great clarinet playing bandleaders. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

When Major Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel in December of 1944, his Army-Air Force Orchestra continued to perform. On the show today, I will be presenting the last two performances by that great orchestra. The first is the last program of "I Sustain The Wings" from October 1945 and the final performance is from November of 1945 before a live audience. Sgt. Jerry Gray is the conductor for these two performances. There is some fantastic music in the set done in the Miller style. I hope you enjoy this look back at the end of World War Two and some memories of the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Overseas Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week I would like to focus on a bandleader and orchestra that was not as well known as others but still produced some great music. Andy Kirk led a fantastic band and his band was almost a twin of Jimmie Lunceford's band. Although he was the leader of the band, he did not solo but instead utilized the talent in his band for the spotlight instead. Featured on many of the recordings is the fantastic Mary Lou Williams. We'll also hear Floyd Smith featured on the guitar who was one of the first electric guitar soloists. I hope you enjoy this look at Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week we continue with more of the Big Band vocalists. This will be a potpourri of many different vocalists from many different bands. I tried to limit each singer to one song so we could hear as many of the different styles as time permitted. Some of the vocalists on this show include Jack Leonard, Helen Ward, Dick Haymes, Louis Armstrong, Helen O'Connell and others. I hope I play some of your favorites as we listen to the great vocalists of the Big Band years. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Today's show is from the Big Band Bash archives and is one that I did on the popular vocalists who sang with the big bands. Most big bands had at least one singer and some had two. If you were a really popular band then you might have a vocal quartet. I've tried to present quite a few different vocalists and there were so many good ones that I had enough for two shows. So it's a singer potpourri for the next two weeks on Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

On Part 2 of the Birth of Swing, I would like to play some recordings by some of the other big bands that were recording and playing between 1934 and 1936. Some of the bands that were together during those years include The Casa Loma Orchestra, Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, The Dorsey Brothers, and Andy Kirk. This is just a sample and if I have missed a certain band I will probably cover them in an upcoming show. There is a lot of variety on the show today and I hope that I play something from a favorite band of yours. Also, the big band puzzler is back this week. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

August 21, 1935 is sometimes referred to as the birthday of Swing. It was on this date that the Benny Goodman orchestra, after traveling across the country, opened their engagement at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, California. They started the night playing it safe with stock arrangements but when they started playing their special arrangements, the kids went wild. These were the numbers they had been listening to on the Let's Dance radio program. On the show today I have a few of the original recordings from Let's Dance and from the Palomar from the next evening August 22. Also, we will be listening to a whole broadcast from the Goodman orchestra broadcasting from the Congress Hotel in Chicago. Next week I will be playing some recordings by some of the other big bands between the years of 1934 and 1936 when Swing was becoming the popular music of the day. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week we celebrate the birthday of the multi-talented Benny Carter. He was a composer, arranger, saxophonist, and he played the trumpet too. He was also a great bandleader. He was born on August 8, 1907. My title comes from a cd that Benny recorded with fellow saxophonist Phil Woods. It was a double CD set and each musician wrote a song and dedicated it to the other. Benny's song was called My Man Phil and Phil's was called My Man Benny. I thought you might think this was a show about the clarinetist so I attempted to make it a little clearer. There is some great music on the show today and as usual we'll learn about the career of Mr. Benny Carter. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com