Big Band Bash

Welcome to part two of our celebration of Black History Month. For this year's celebration I elected to split each show into two parts and highlight two African-American bands from the big band era. Today we pay a salute to the bands of Benny Carter and Count Basie. Benny was an outstanding alto sax and trumpet player as well as being a great arranger and composer. We'll hear a few of his hits and I'll be playing some early Count Basie from the late 1930's. There is some outstanding music on the show today and I hope you enjoy the selections. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

February is Black History Month and for our celebration this month I am taking the four Saturdays and splitting them into two parts and presenting two bands and band leaders per show. Today, I am going to feature the bands of Chick Webb and Andy Kirk. Chick had a very exciting band and was a mainstay at the Savoy Ballroom. Andy Kirk comes out of Kansas City and had several hits and was popular in the late 1930's into the 1940's. I hope you enjoy part one of our celebration of Black History Month. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This is the final episode of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman. I am going to start with a few numbers from Volume Six and then most of the recordings are from Volume Seven during the year of 1938 and we'll wind up with a few recordings from Volume Eight in the year of 1939. Volume Eight was mainly unissued recordings and retakes. Also, I have an interview that the author of the liner notes had with Benny in 1980. This series has been a labor of love for me because the Benny Goodman Orchestra was the first big band that I ever listened to. I was fortunate to see Benny in person when he brought his sextet to the city I was living in in 1978. I hope you enjoy this last episode of the complete RCA Victor recordings of Benny Goodman 1935 - 1939. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

We continue our look at the music in the eight volume set from RCA records of the complete Victor recordings of Benny Goodman. This week we start volume five and get into volume six. Martha Tilton is still the featured vocalist but gradually there are sideman changes in the orchestra. Gene Krupa leaves in March of 1938 to start his own orchestra and then there are a few other changes. The music, however, is still top notch. One thing I noticed while going through this volume is that Benny is recording more pop hits of the day. Most of these songs are unheard of today. It is still a great volume and I hope you enjoy the music in volume number five and six. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

On Part Three of the Complete RCA Victor recordings of Benny Goodman, we start with the last recording that Helen Ward sang with the band. Benny used a few substitutes while he was looking for Helen's replacement so we'll hear a number by each of those vocalists. Then at the end of the program I have included the first couple of numbers that Martha Tilton recorded with the band. Also, it was during this time in 1937 that Benny recorded one of his biggest hits, it was called Sing, Sing, Sing. We'll hear the whole commercial recording which took up both sides of a 78 rpm record. I hope you are enjoying these recordings from the 8 double album set of RCA Victor recordings released by RCA in the mid 1970's. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

This week we continue our look at the recordings made by Benny Goodman for the RCA Victor label. We start with some songs from Volume Two and move into Volume Three. I also continue with my look at the career of Benny Goodman. Thia show also introduces the Goodman Quartet with the addition of vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. Most of these songs were recorded in 1936. There are a lot of favorites for all the fans of Benny and his Orchestra. I hope you are enjoying the recordings that Benny made for RCA Victor at the start of his career. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Benny Goodman's orchestra was the first big band that I ever listened to. Another big band show that I listen to just did a five week series on the life and music of Benny Goodman tracing his recordings from the earliest to the last ones. I wanted to do a series on Benny but I didn't want to duplicate what David Miller did on his show Swinging Down the Lane. Luckily, I have in my collection a series of albums from the 1970's released by RCA Victor call the Complete. Well, I have all eight double albums so I thought I would play many of the Victor recordings of the Goodman band. There are lots of great songs in this series and we will also trace the career of Benny Goodman. I hope you enjoy Part One of the RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

Happy New Year to everyone as we welcome in the New Year. On the show today is repeat of a program I produced in 2016 called New Year's Radio Dance Party 1945-1946. The Armed Forces Radio Service gave a real treat to American troops still stationed around the world in the aftermath of World War II---live performances, by remote hookups from their respective New Year's Eve hotel and/or ballroom performances. We'll get to hear some of the titans of the time in American jazz and popular music. Including but not limited to Harry James, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw (with guest Roy Eldridge), Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and---of course!---Guy Lombardo. It was a gift to our troops then and it's a perfect gift for our troops---and New Year's Eve shut-ins---today.

There are many popular Holiday songs through the years, but the 1930's through the 1950's produced many of them. We will take a look at why this was and enjoy some unique Holiday songs from this period on Part Two of Holiday Songs on the Radio. I want to take this opportunity to wish each and everyone of you a Happy holiday season. Be safe and enjoy yourselves this year. Seasons greetings everyone and I hope you enjoy the selections from this week's Big Band Bash. I forgot to give credit in the podcast, but the information I got was from the National Review and vocativ.com websites. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

I would like to celebrate the holidays with a program I call Holiday Favorites and the Radio. Imagine you have been transported back in time to the 1940's and are in your living room or den or bedroom listening to the radio. These are some of the holiday songs you might have heard. In addition to the songs from back then, I would like to give a little history on the importance of radio from that era. Happy Holidays everyone and I hope you enjoy the selections from this week's Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com