Big Band Bash

This week I'm going to step into the vault of past shows to pull out an encore presentation of Big Band Bash. This show was one I produced back in 2015 and was a birthday salute to the late Bob Eberly one of the greatest of the big band vocalists. Although he recorded some songs under his own name, all the songs on our show today feature Bob when he was a member of Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra. There are some great songs on the program include Amapola, Green Eyes, and Tangerine. I hope you enjoy this look at the man who voice was a driving factor in Frank Sinatra's decision to go solo. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week on the program, we will be paying a tribute to the late vocalist Bea Wain who passed away August 19th at 100 years of age. She spent most of her big band years with Larry Clinton and his orchestra so I have several of those recordings on the show. I was planning to do a 100th birthday salute when I discovered she was still living but by the time I got the how produced she had passed away. I hope you join me as we say goodbye to a very popular singer from the big band years, Bea Wain. I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Today's show is kind of a nostalgic program for me. The first time I heard a live big band was when the Glenn Miller Orchestra played at a local high school. I was just a high school senior but I was interested in the big bands so I bought a ticket. I don't think I was supposed to be taping the performance but no one said anything so I stood off to the side of the bandstand and took in the sights and sounds. Peanuts Hucko was the director of the band and I marveled at his great playing. Well, a couple of months ago I came across my cassette tape from that night. I digitized it and with the help of my friend here at the station we cleaned it up. So today's show features the Glenn Miller Orchestra down through the years directed by different leaders. There is some great music in this set as well as four numbers from my tape. There are no recordings of Peanuts leading the band so this is kind of a rarity. I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week wraps up our look at the three album set called "The Big Bands". We are going to be listening to some of the hits for RCA Bluebird. Some of the artists we'll be hearing include Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Freddy Martin, Larry Clinton, Benny Goodman, Vaughn Monroe and many others. The Big Bands is long out of print but I hope you enjoyed listening to and learning about the three major record companies that recorded many of the big band artists. These last three programs were produced in 2013. I have some new programs produced and ready to play. Thank you so much for downloading and listening to Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week continues a three part show I produced a few years ago where I looked at three of the most popular record labels during the years of the big bands. This week on Part 2 we listen to some of the great recordings that were issued on the Columbia record label. These were part of a three record set that was issued several years ago called "The Big Bands". All the songs were picked out by noted music writer George T. Simon. I have two of his most famous books The Big Bands and Glenn Miller. I hope you enjoy the music from this set. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

When I was a youngster my dad bought a three record set called The Big Bands. In it were songs that went along with a book by George T. Simon. Each record was devoted to a particular record label. The three labels were Decca, Columbia, and RCA Bluebird. It was a nice set with a lot of the hits from the big band era. I came across this set the other day and thought it would be great to hear all those great old songs again. This week we will be hearing many of the great bands that recorded for the Decca label. We'll be hearing from Jimmy Dorsey, Jimmie Lunceford, Bob Crosby, Casa Loma, Lionel Hampton and many others. I hope you enjoy all the bands this week that were part of the Decca family. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Well, we have come to the end of our look at the music in the Smithsonian Institution's 4-CD set "Swing That Music". On the show today we will be listening to some of the music from the latter half of the 1940's. We will be hearing such artists as Boyd Raeburn, Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie, and Woody Herman. I have really enjoyed picking out the music for these programs the last 5 weeks and hope that you heard a song or too that you liked. I've got some new shows coming up so keep listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week on Big Band Bash, I am continuing with music from the CD box set "Swing That Music." This is a great set which, unfortunately, is no longer available. I have to acknowledge a mistake that I have made on the previous three parts. A listener pointed out that I have been calling the producers of the set the Smithsonian Institute when, in fact, their correct name is the Smithsonian Institution. I hope you enjoy the music from Duke Ellington, Bob Crosby, Glenn Miller, and many others from "Swing That Music." Thank you for listening and for downloading. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Part three of Swing That Music has a lot of hits from the golden age of the big bands plus three songs that were unknown to me until I listened to this set. Billie Holliday was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra from March 1937 until February 1938. During this time she was not on any of the studio recordings made by the Basie band. It was a simple explanation - she was under contract to Brunswick and Basie to Decca records. But someone recorded some of their performances off the radio and we have three songs in this set. Also, we have Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Rushing and Count Basie and Anita O'Day with Gene Krupa. I hope you enjoy this set and thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week I am going to continue with part two of Swing That Music. This four disc set was produced by music crtitc and writer Martin Williams for the Smithsonian Institute. Released in 1994, this set focused on the Big bands between the years of 1928 and 1950. Today we will be hearing from Benny Goodman, Harry James, Jack Teagarden, and Jimmy Dorsey to name a few of the bands. I hope when I am finished presenting the music in this set that you will have heard something from your favorite bandleaders. Sadly, this set is no longer being sold. I hope that if you enjoy this set that you are downloading the podcasts. So let's start week two with some foot tapping music from Swing That Music Part 2. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Throughout the years, The Smithsonian Institute has produce some great collections of Jazz and Big Band music. My first three sets were collections of Duke Ellington's music from the years of 1938, 1939, and 1940. The liner notes were very extension along with the nice packaging. While looking through the music library at the radio station, I came across a set that I haven't seen in a while. It was produced in 1994 and was called Swing That Music. I say was because it is no longer available. The set consisted of 4 cds from the years of 1928 to 1950. It is full of hits from the big band years as well as some that weren't as well known. For the next 5 weeks we are going to be listening to these great sides so get ready to go into the past as we Swing That Music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This June 6th, 2017 is the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy better known as D-Day. It was a day that many American service men lost their lives. To pay tribute to those who served during that fateful time I would like to present some music from Glenn Miller and his Army Air-Force Orchestra. In order to get the timing right I've picked four numbers and two live radio remotes. Glenn's show was called "I Sustain The Wings". We'll be hearing a 13 minute show and a 29 minute show. There is some great music in these shows and I hope you enjoy it as we remember the many events that happened on June 6th, 1944. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week on Part Two of our birthday salute to Artie Shaw, we pick up with his band from the mid 1940's. On the tribute I tried to pick out many of his hits. These were also chosen for Artie himself for a 5 disc set called "Self Portrait". May 23rd, 1910 is the birthday of the late Artie Shaw and I wanted to present those great sides of his as we learn about his career. These are the original recordings by Artie and his band. I hope you enjoy the music by one of the jazz worlds greatest clarinetists and bandleaders. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

When I was in the high school band, I played the clarinet. I first discovered the great music of Benny Goodman then a year or two later I discovered Artie Shaw. Artie's band was different than Benny's. I am not going to choose sides because I like them both. May 23rd, 1910 is the birthday of the late Artie Shaw and I wanted to present those great sides of his as we learn about his career. All the songs on both shows were picked out by Artie himself for a 5 disc set called Self-Portrait. These are the original recordings by Artie and his band. I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Frank Sinatra's second stint with a big band was with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Together, they recorded many of the classic songs of the big band era between the years of 1940 and 1942. Recently, I played saxophone in a big band that backed up a gentleman who put on a Frank Sinatra show. It was such fun playing many of the Sinatra classics. This prompted me to put together the show today as I realized that it had been quite some time since we listened to these timeless recordings. I hope you enjoy these sides by Tommy, Frank, Buddy Rich, the Pied Pipers and the rest of the Dorsey Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

On the show this week we will be learning about and listening to the music of the late Larry Clinton. Larry was a trumpet player who was also a gifted arranger and composer. Along with vocalist Bea Wain his band was one of the most popular of the late 1930's. Some of his originals include, A Study in Brown, The Dopsy Doodle and My Reverie. Clinton's band was predominantly a recording group that also played college proms and hotel ballrooms. These are the original recordings by Clinton orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

On the show today we continue with our birthday salutes this time it is to trumpeter Roy Eldridge. Roy was born on January 30th, 1911. Last time I featured music from Gene Krupa and since Roy was a member of Gene's band I've left those recordings for today's show. I also have some recordings when Roy was a member of Artie Shaw's band and to conclude the show a few songs released under his own name. I hope you enjoy these great recordings from one of jazz's trumpet masters, Roy Eldridge. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week I would like to celebrate two Big Band stars who have a birthday in the month of January, Gene Krupa and Roy Eldridge. Gene was born on January 15th and Roy was born on January 30th. Part one features the music of Gene Krupa and part two features Roy. Since Roy was a member of the Krupa band I have reserved those recordings for Part two. Gene's band recorded some of the Big Band era's biggest hits. Roy played with many of the big band era's top bands so part two will be a more varied show. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas and Happy Hew Years to everyone. Welcome to my annual holiday edition of Big Band Bash. Today we are going to celebrate the season with a lot of songs from the 1940's. Interspersed between the music I will be reading from a set of scripts from the Associated Press called Stocking Stuffers. These were distributed to radio stations several years ago to be used as throw ins. Each Stocking Stuffer is about five to six paragraphs on a holiday tradition. I hope every one has a very happy holiday and that you enjoy the show. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Hello and welcome to another edition of Big Band Bash. Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to fans of the Big Bands. The show today is an encore presentation of Big Band Bash that I put together for Christmas 2011. The first half features songs of the season and the second half is about a very special Christmas Eve in America. The are a couple of clips telling about that special day and a 12 minute broadcast of Glenn Miller and his orchestra. I hope you enjoy this program from five years ago as we celebrate this special time of the year. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com