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    Music

    Big Band Bash

    The Sounds of the Great Big Bands from Yesterday and Today

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    Copyright: © Copyright 2019

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    Latest Episodes:
    Songs of the 1920's Part 3 Repeat Aug 31, 2024

    This week continues our look at the songs composed in the 1920s. We start with the letter N and go down to the Letter T. The puzzler is back this week so I hope you have your thinking caps on. Next week we'll conclude our series with the last part of the alphabet along with some odds and ends. I hope you enjoy the music from the big bands as they play the Songs of the 1920s. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of the 1920's Part 2 Repeat Aug 24, 2024

    Welcome back to this four part series on songs of the 1920s. Today we cover songs from that decade that begin with the letter "E" and go all the way down to "M". I broke my rule for this series by playing two songs on the show recorded by Artie Shaw. I had already recorded the introductions when I discovered I did this but I am sure you won't mind because it is one of his best sides. I hope you enjoy this look back at some of the many hit songs from the 1920s. As usual the puzzle is back so get your thinking caps on. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of the 1920's Part 1 Repeat Aug 17, 2024

    This was a repeat of a show from a few years ago. The 1920s were a decade filled with original songs by some of the leading composers of the era. I found a list of many of the popular songs composed in the 1920s and thought it would be fun to listen to those songs as recorded by the big bands of the thirties and forties. Each show for the next four weeks is filled with all of those great songs composed in the 1920s. I did have one rule for myself. In order to make it interesting I only chose one big band per episode. That way one band would not monopolize the show. So get ready to back to the 1920's during the month of August on Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Two Kays - Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye Aug 10, 2024

    This week I feature the two Kays, Sammy Kaye and Kay Kyser. Kay Kyser led a very successful swing orchestra although he didn't play an instrument. Sammy Kaye on the other hand, was a clarinetist and saxophonist but didn't play with his band. Both had unusual attractions: Kyser had "The College of Musical Knowledge" and Sammy had, "So You Want To Lead A Band?". Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Harry James Live 1943 - 1953 Aug 03, 2024

    Harry James had a very popular band during the war years. The set of recordings I will be playng from this week are live recordings from the years of 1943 through 1953. Helen Forrest is featured on several of the selections but mostly it is the Music Makers who stand out. I hope you enjoy this set of live recordings by Harry James and His Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Theme Songs Part 2 Jul 27, 2024

    This week we are going to continue listening to the many theme songs used by the big bands. Theme songs were usually the first song played by a band when they were appearing or broadcasting live. It let the audience know whose band they were listening to. I tried to find all the original recordings of the bands. I hope you enjoy this look at the Big Band's theme songs. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Theme Songs Part 1 Jul 20, 2024

    This week I am going to start a two part look at the theme songs of the big bands. Each band had a song or a theme with which they would open and close their performances. I tried to find all the original recordings of the bands. I hope you enjoy this look at the Big Band's theme songs. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Tribute to Bill Holman Jul 13, 2024

    This week we pay a tribute to the late arranger and tenor saxophonist Bill Holman. Bill got his start as a saxophonist in the Stan Kenton orchestra and then proved to be a great arranger as well. He went on to write arrangements for many bands and artists. He passed away at the age of 94. So I hope you enjoy this tribute to the late Bill Holman. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    July 4th and Patriotic Music Jul 06, 2024

    Hello as we celebrate the Fourth of July this week.I tried to find as many Patriotic songs from the Big Band Era as I could. I hope you will help me celebrate this special holiday as we listen to some patriotic music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of Summer Part 2 Jun 29, 2024

    As I am back from vacation, I am going to try and catch up with the podcasts. We continue this week with a program I did a few years ago on the Summer season of the year. I am looking at songs that have the words summer, june, July or Hot or anything that deals with summer. I hope you enjoy this Big Band salute to summer. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of Summer Part 1 Jun 22, 2024

    Summer is a special time of year. It means many different things to people all over the world. Today's program is a look at the many different songs of Summer recorded by the Big Bands. I have included the word Summer in the title and also the months of June, July and August and a few with the word hot. I hope you enjoy this program of assorted songs about the Summer season. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Steve Lawrence - A Tribute Jun 15, 2024

    Hello everyone. We lost a very special vocalist this past March. Steve Lawrence passed away at the age of 88. He had been ill with Alzheimer's Disease for the last few years. I usually play big bands and vocalists associated with the Big Bands but Steve came up during the last years of the Big band era so I wanted to do a tribute to this great vocalist. Most of the songs on the show today are from the Great American Songbook. We will also learn about his career as I pay a tribute to the late, great vocalist Steve Lawrence. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Four Victory Parade of Spotlight Band Remotes Jun 08, 2024

    Hello and welcome to another program of Big Band Remotes as we remember the many men and women who took part in the invasion of France called D-Day. Today we feature Les Brown, Bob Chester, Jan Savitt and Gene Krupa. These bands all appeared on a show called the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands. This show was sponsored by Coca Cola. I hope you enjoy this repeat of a show I produced a few years ago. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Three Radio Remotes From World War Two Jun 01, 2024

    In memory of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I have pulled out a show I produced about ten years ago that has three remotes from World War Two. Two are from the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands program. Big Bands always seemed to perform better in front of an audience. The solos are more exciting and the tempos are a little quicker. I hope you hear some of exciting sounds from these live performances. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Woody Herman - A Birthday Salute Part 2 May 25, 2024

    May 13th is the birthday of Woody Herman and if he were alive today that would have been his 111th birthday. We continue our celebration of his birthday with some of his hits from the 1940's. These are some of my favorite recordings from the Herman Herd, songs like Caldonia, Early Autumn, Four Brothers, Northwest Passage and more. Plus, in this episode I have a few segments from an interview that Woody gave in 1978. I hope you enjoy this salute to one of America's greatest big band leaders. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Woody Herman - A Birthday Salute Part 1 May 18, 2024

    May 13th is the birthday of Woody Herman and if he were alive today that would have been his 111th birthday. To celebrate this milestone we will be playing some of his early recordings made between the years of 1939 and 1946 on the show today which is part one of two. I was fortunate enough to see the Herman band in person not once but twice. They were a very exciting band and I have been a fan every since I was in high school. I hope you enjoy this salute to one of America's greatest big band leaders. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Four Remotes From World War Two Part Two May 11, 2024

    This week I am continuing with part two of Big Band Remotes from World War 2 with two remotes from the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands series. At the same time, however, I am having a birthday salute to a favorite bandleader of mine, the late Artie Shaw. Artie was born on May 23, 1910 and he also appeared on the Spotlight band program for five consecutive weeks in 1945. So to honor Artie I would like to play the first two programs in that series. The sound quality is very good and there are some exciting solos from trumpeter Roy Eldridge. I hope you enjoy this look back at some on location performances from the great Artie Shaw as we remember his birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Four Remotes From World War Two Part One May 04, 2024

    On this week's show I would like to honor a request. A listener asked for some big band remotes that took place during World War 2. Most of the remotes I have during that era are from the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands program. I found four 15 minute shows so on the program today we will be listening to the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Bob Chester, Benny Goodman, and Les Brown. Three of the shows are from 1943 and one is from 1944. I hope you enjoy this look back at some on location performances from four of America's top bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Lionel Hampton - A Birthday Salute Repeat Apr 27, 2024

    Lionel Hampton was born on April 20, 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky. I first discovered the great playing of Lionel when he was a member of the Benny Goodman Quartet. Join me as we celebrate the birthday of this true jazz master. I have lots of different recordings that Lionel is featured on as well as a look at his career. So get ready to tap your feet as we listen to and celebrate the amazing vibraphonist, Lionel Hampton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Duke Ellington - A Birthday Salute Repeat Apr 20, 2024

    Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 so to remember his birthday and to listen to some of his amazing music, I am repeating this show from 2013. There is lots of Ellington originals in this show as well as some information on his amazing life. I hope you will join me in celebrating the birthday of one of music's greatest composers, Duke Ellington. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs from Masters of the Air Apr 13, 2024

    Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have produced their third series about World War Two called Masters of the Air. It is a nine part series about the pilots who flew the B-17 Bombers into Germany during WW2. There are several big band songs played throughout the series so I researched what songs were played and put together this show. There were only a couple of songs that I did not have so I don't think you'll mind my substitutions. I hope you enjoy the songs from the nine part series called Masters of the Air. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Colight Playlist - New Apr 06, 2024

    Copilot is the name of an artificial intelligence engine that is now included in Microsoft's Edge web browser. I posed this question to Copilot: could it pick out 16 songs from the 1930's and 1940's that were representative of the big bands of that era. After a couple minutes had gone by, Copilot displayed this list. It is a very interesting list and I had most of the songs in my collection and if I didn't have the version Copilot suggested I substituted one that I did have. Also, the little blurbs about the songs that I read were generated by Copilot. I think this is going to be a very useful tool for content creators going into the future. The puzzler is back this week so I hope you enjoy these selections from an artificial intelligence engine name Copilot. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller - A Birthday Salute Part Four Repeat Mar 30, 2024

    Well, hello everyone and welcome to part four of our Glenn Miller Birthday salute. On today's show, as on the other three parts, we will be looking at the Band of the Allied Training Command. I have two radio remotes from the I Sustain the Wings series. That was a show of most patriotic music by the Army Air Force Orchestra. So I hope you will sit back and relax and listen to Glenn announce the numbers as we honor one of the most popular bandleaders of all time. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller - A Birthday Salute Part Three Repeat Mar 23, 2024

    Hello and welcome to this week's Big Band Bash. We are continuing our Glenn Miller Birthday Salute with a look at the Army Air Force Orchestra. Today's show features a live broadcast by that orchestra with Glenn doing the announcing. It is a great broadcast and is sure to stir up some patriotic feelings. Glenn was born on March 01, 1904 and it is his bands and orchestra we think of when we had so many of our soldiers fighting in World War Two. I hope you enjoy this broadcast of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Orchestra directed by Major Glenn Miller. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller - A Birthday Salute Part Two Repeat Mar 16, 2024

    Hello everyone. I am a little late with this week's program. This week I am going to continue with our birthday salute to the late Glenn Miller. This is part two of a four part series I produced back in 2022. To celebrate Glenn's birthday that year I decided to put together a look at his Army Air Force Orchestra. The recordings come from a four disc set that I have in my collection. We will be learning about that great organization and their importance towards the war effort and listening to those great Miller recordings. Happy Birthday Glenn! Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller - A Birthday Salute Part One Repeat Mar 09, 2024

    Greetings everyone. March first is the birthday of the late Glenn Miller. To celebrate his birthday, I am running a repeat of a four part series looking at Glenn's Army Air Force Orchestra. This comes from a four record set that i have in my collection. There is a lot of great songs in this set and I hope you enjoy the music. I apologize for being late. The radio statio where I work and produce Big Band Bash is under going some maintenance. I should be back on schedule next week. Happy Birthday Glenn! Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Jimmy Dorsey 1939 - 1940 A Birthday Salute Mar 02, 2024

    This past week we observed a leap day, February 29th. Born on February 29, 1904 was Jimmy Dorsey. To observe his birthday and pay tribute, I went through my cds and came across two that were recorded in the years of 1939 and 1940. There are some nice recordings in this set. I wanted to do something different rather than play all his hits which I have done on other programs. So we will learn about the career of the late Jimmy Dorsey and listen to music that he recorded in 1939 and 1940. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part Four - Vocalists Feb 24, 2024

    We wind up our celebration of Black History Month with a look at some of the many vocalists recording during the big band era. Some of the singers on the show today include Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Billy Eckstein, Helen Humes and many more. I hope you enjoy this selection of the many talented African-American vocalists as we conclude Black History Month. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part Three - Duke Ellington Feb 17, 2024

    Duke Ellington's band and music holds an important place among my musical heroes. I have been collecting records and cds by Ellington for many years. So I have decided to include him in our list of bands as we continue our celebration of Black History Month. I have narrowed our focus on Duke to the years of 1940 through 1941. This was a very productive period for Ellington and I am sure to play some of your favorites by the Duke. I hope you enjoy this focus on the late Duke Ellington as we continue Black History Month. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part Two - Jimmie Lunceford Feb 10, 2024

    We continue our celebration of Black History Month this week with a look at the big band of Jimmie Lunceford. Jimmie Lunceford's band differed from other great bands of the time because it was better known for its ensemble than for its solo work. Additionally, he was known for using a two-beat rhythm, called the Lunceford two-beat, as opposed to the standard four-beat rhythm. We'll be playing many of the Lunceford band's many hits. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part One Earl Fatha Hines Feb 03, 2024

    We start our celebration of Black History Month with a look at the big band of Earl Fatha Hines. Earl was a very influential pianist in whose big band he had players such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Count Basie called him the greatest pianist in the world. He made a lot of recordings with small groups but we are going to focus in on his big band. I hope you enjoy this look at the career and big band of the great Earl Hines. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw Part 4 Jan 27, 2024

    Well, this is week four and the last in the series The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw. These recordings were made in the years of 1944 and 1945 when Artie was living in California after his discharge from the US Navy. After these recordings were made, Artie signed with the MusicCraft label and never recorder for RCA again. There are some great recordings here as Artie liked to make recordings out of the Great American Songbook. I hope you enjoyed this series and will tune in again for more music of the fabulous big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw Part 3 Jan 20, 2024

    Benny Goodman's orchestra was the first big band that I ever listened to. But I kept reading about his rival, Artie Shaw. So I bought a vinyl two record set called This is Artie Shaw. Well, I was just knocked out with those 1938 recordings. Today we will continue with part three of the Complete RCA Bluebird Recordings of Artie Shaw. We are now in Volume 5 which includes the period shortly before the start of World War II. Artie was in California during this time and was including a string section with his orchestra which gave the recordings a different sound. I hope you enjoy this set as we will be winding up this series next week. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw Part 2 Jan 13, 2024

    Benny Goodman's orchestra was the first big band that I ever listened to. But I kept reading about his rival, Artie Shaw. So I bought a vinyl two record set called This is Artie Shaw. Well I was just knocked out with those 1938 recordings. Today we will continue with part two of the Complete RCA Bluebird Recordings of Artie Shaw. Some of the songs we will hear inclue Out of Nowhere, Day In, Day Out, Stardust, Summit Ridge Drive and others. We will also continue with our biography of Artie Shaw. These are some of the best big band songs from that era. I hope you enjoy Part Two of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw Part 1 Jan 06, 2024

    Benny Goodman's orchestra was the first big band that I ever listened to. But I kept reading about his rival, Artie Shaw. So I bought a vinyl two record set called This is Artie Shaw. Well I was just knocked out with those 1938 recordings. When RCA started it's Complete Bluebird reissues, I bought them from a record store that wasn't having much success selling them. They put them in the cutout bin and I snatched them up. On the program today we will start at the beginning of Artie's Bluebird recordings and make it into volume two. We will also learn about his career as we start part one of this four part series. I hope you enjoy Part One of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Artie Shaw. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    New Year's Radio Dance Party 1945-1946 Dec 30, 2023

    Happy New Year to everyone as we welcome in the New Year. On the show today is a repeat of 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. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - Christmas Eve 1941 Dec 23, 2023

    Merry Christmas everyone. I am sorry that I am a little late in getting this weeks show posted. This is a repeat of a show I produced in 2011. There are a couple of segments on Christmas Eve of 1941. Also, I have the only radio remote from that date that I could locate which featured Glenn Miller's band. In addition I have some assorted big bands with holiday favorites. I hope everyone had a nice holiday and I hope you enjoy this rebroadcast of Christmas 1941 from ten years ago. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - A 1940s Christmas Dec 16, 2023

    For the next few weeks, I am repeating a couple of shows that I produced almost ten years ago. This first one was called A 1940's Christmas. I tried to pick out as many songs from the Big Bands that were recorded during the 1940s as I could find. Today, there are lots of songs about Christmas but back in the forties there were not that many. I tried to put all of the forties Holiday songs in this show that I could find. I hope you enjoy this encore presentation of A 1940s Christmas. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    We Remember Pearl Harbor and Glenn Miller Dec 09, 2023

    Hello everyone. This episode of Big Band Bash is a repeat of a show I produced in 2011 where we paid tribute to the men and women who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Also, I pay tribute to Major Glenn Miller who dissappeared in the plane he was flying in across the English Channel on December 15, 1944. I always like to remember those events as they were very significant in American History. A lot of things changed in the music industry because of these events so I hope you like the music as we pay tribute to those patriotic Americans. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Tommy Dorsey - A Salute Part Two Dec 02, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week concludes our salute to the late Tommy Dorsey. We will be looking at his career and music from about 1939 to 1956 when he passed away. We will be listening to a lot of the Sinatra - Dorsey classics from that era. He really didn't have many hits after 1946 when many bandleaders disbanded, the result of effects from World War 2. So I hope you enjoy this tribute to the late Tommy Dorsey. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Tommy Dorsey - A Salute Part One Nov 25, 2023

    Hello everyone. November 19, 1905 is the birthday of the late bandleader and trombonist Tommy Dorsey. He also passed away on November 26, 1956. Since both these date occur in the month of November, I though I would like to revisit the music and career of the Sentimental Gentleman of Swing, Tommy Dorsey. I decided to play many of the classic Dorsey hits so I hope some of your favorites are on today's show which will conclude next week. We will also take a look at his amazing career so I hope you enjoy part one of my Tommy Dorsey salute. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1930's Jazz Standards Part Five Nov 18, 2023

    Well, we're down to the last part of this series highlighting songs composed during the 1930's. We are highlighting the years of 1938 and 1939. There were some nice songs composed in these years and unfortunately I had to omit a few as there were more songs than I could fit in the amount of time. I have enjoyed researching and choosing songs for this series. As always, thank you for listening and supporting Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1930's Jazz Standards Part Four Nov 11, 2023

    There were some fantastic songs composed in the years of 1936 and 1937. Composers Gershwin, Rogers, Kern and Duke wrote many hit songs that are still being played today. Benny Goodman's big hit Sing, Sing, Sing was recorded in 1937 and I have included both parts. There was one song I didn't have time for but I only found one big band version. Someday My Prince Will Come is a popular jazz standard but was not recorded by many big bands. I hope you enjoy this potpourri of 1930's popular songs as played by many different big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1930's Jazz Standards Part Three Nov 04, 2023

    The 1930's was a time in popular music that saw many changes. Jazz standards are musical compositions that are widely known, performed and recorded by jazz artists as part of the genre's musical repertoire. In the 1930s, swing jazz emerged as a dominant form in American music. Today, we focus on the years of 1934 and 1935. The number of hit songs from these two years had dwindled down in part because of the Great Depressions. But nevertheless, there were some great songs composed then and we'll learn a little bit about them as we listen to performances by the big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1930's Jazz Standards Part Two Oct 28, 2023

    The 1930's was a decade of great songs by great American composers. For the next five weeks we'll be listening to those great standards performed by different bands. This is part 2 in the series as we examine those catchy songs from 1932 and 1933. The Great Depression was gathering momentum and it affected the song writers of Tin Pan Alley. The number of hit songs started to decrease as we'll see in the next few parts in the series. There were some great songs composed during 1932 and 1933 and I hope you enjoy the selections. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1930's Jazz Standards Part 1 Oct 21, 2023

    The 1930's was a decade of great songs by great American composers. For the next five weeks we'll be listening to those great standards performed by different bands. While putting this show together I tried to use recordings by bands that were not as popular as the ones who recorded the definitive version. On the show today we'll be listening to songs composed during the years of 1930 and 1931. There were some great songs composed then and I hope you'll join me as we listen to and learn about them. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Record Labels Part Two - RCA Bluebird Oct 14, 2023

    This week, I'm going to be playing the third and final record in this three record set that features many hits from the RCA Bluebird record label. 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. We'll be hearing songs from Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and many others. I hope you enjoy all the bands this week that were part of the RCA Bluebird family. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Big Band Record Labels Part Two - Columbia Oct 07, 2023

    This week, I'm going to be playing the second record in the three record set that features many hits from the Columbia record label. 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. We'll be hearing from Harry James, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and many others. I hope you enjoy all the bands this week that were part of the Columbia family. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Big Band Record Labels Part One - Decca Sep 30, 2023

    Hello everyone. When I was growing up, my father had purchased a 3 record set call The Big Bands. What was unique about this set was that each of the records had hits from one of the record labels issuing records back then. Record one had hits issued on the Decca label, record two had hits from Columbia and record three had hits from RCA Blurbird. So for the next three weeks I hope you will enjoy leaning about those record labels as I present a potpourri of songs issued from those great record companies. I can just remember back and hear my dad playing those records and smiling at the many memories he must have had. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Stan Kenton Revisited Sep 23, 2023

    It has been awhile since I presented a program on the late Stan Kenton so I wanted to go back and revisit some of his music again. As a musician it was his band from the 1950's that I enjoyed listening to the most. However, on today's show I'm going back to those great Kenton classics from the 1940's. I have really come to enjoy the vocals of Anita O'day and June Christy when they were the vocalists with his band. I hope you will enjoy listening to this great music and learning about the career of the late Stan Kenton. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Bob Crosby - A Birthday Salute Sep 16, 2023

    This week we will be celebrating the birthday of bandleader Bob Crosby. He was born on August 23, 1913 and led one of the most popular big bands during the dance band era. He had some very exciting sidemen in the band. Musicians like Bob Haggart, Ray Bauduc, Eddie, Miller, Irving Fazola, and Yank Lawson were some of the people who passed through the band. Bob was not an instrumentalist but rather a very good vocalist and front man. I hope you enjoy our Bob Crosby birthday salute.Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Theme Songs of the Big Bands Sep 09, 2023

    This week's show is a look at some of the Big Band Theme Songs. Just as today's television theme songs identify the show, a big band's theme song helped to identify the band that was on the radio. Some theme songs were originals and some were borrowed from others. We'll be hearing lots of theme songs today on our show so I hope some of these are your favorites. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Count Basie - 1939 Sep 02, 2023

    August 24, 1904 is the birthday of the late bandleader William Count Basie. To celebrate his birthday, I have pulled out a program I produced back in 2013. I decided to focus on the year of 1939 and play many of the songs recorded by the Basie band during that year. I am a big fan of the Basie band as my father had a couple of his records and as I grew older I began to explore the history and recordings of the man known as Count Basie. In addition to Basie, there were those great sidemen of his to spotlight. Musicians like Lester Young, Helen Humes, Buck Clayton, Dickie Wells, and Jo Jones make this a really great year for the Count. This is a good program and I hope you enjoy the music as well as a brief biography of the William Bill Basie known in the big band circle as Count. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands Aug 26, 2023

    Hello everyone. The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands was the Coca-Cola Company’s big band legacy and its contribution to the war effort. An outstanding collection of 25 of America’s most popular big bands broadcasting live from military bases and defense plants from coast-to-coast during World War II. This week we will listen to four of these live radio remotes featuring the bands of Les Brown, Bob Chester, Jan Savitt, and Gene Krupa This is a glimpse back in time to hear four great bands on the radio at the close of WW2. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - Vocal Groups Aug 19, 2023

    Hello everyone. I am working on some new shows that are not quite finished. So here is a show i produced back in 2013 and it features the vocal groups from the big band era. Some of the groups were solo acts and others sang as part of the band. Who could forget groups like the Andrews Sisters, the Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, the Pied Pipers and the Modernaires? In addition, I tried to give a little history of each group. I hope you enjoy all the vocal groups this week solo and as part of the band. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - Claude Thornhill - A Birthday Rememberance Aug 12, 2023

    Hello everyone. August 10, 1908 is the birthday of the late bandleader Claude Thornhill. It has been awhile since I have played some of the great recordings made by the Thornhill orchestra, so to remember Claude on his birthday here is a show I produced about ten years ago remembering Claude on his birthday. I had never heard of Claude when a fellow Big Band lover asked me if I had ever listened to his music. I obtained a couple of his lp's (lp stood for long playing back then) and really enjoyed what I heard. To celebrate his birthday we'll revisit some of that great music. I hope you enjoy it as well as learning a little bit about this great musician. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - Tommy Dorsey 1942 Warbond Broadcasts Aug 05, 2023

    Back during World War Two, it took a lot of money to produce the materials, grow the food and make all the things that the soldiers needed to use in combat. So to help raise money, the United States Government sold bonds. A simple example is that you bought a bond for $10 and waited until it matured and then the government would give you back $11. You made interest for loaning the government money. I know this is a simplistic example but during WW2 many cities would have bond rallies and bring in name bands to play while the bonds were being sold. Today's show features two broadcasts by the Tommy Dorsey orchestra at two different rallies. The first broadcast has Frank Sinatra as the featured vocalist and the second features Dick Haymes. I hope you enjoy this trip into the past and enjoy the music of Tommy Dorsey. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Remembering Tony Bennett Jul 29, 2023

    Hello everyone. On July 21, 2023 the vocalist Tony Bennett passed away in his Manhattan apartment. He was 96 years old. Tony was a great singer and an interpreter of the Great American Songbook. He recorded in many genres and even made some recordings with big bands. On the program today, I would like to remember Tony with some of his early hits and some recordings with some big bands and some assorted songs. I will also take a look at Tony's career from Tony's New York Times' obituary. I hope you enjoy the music as we remember the man Frank Sinatra called his favorite singer. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Harry James Live 1943 - 1953 Jul 22, 2023

    Hello everyone. Today's program features the great big band of Harry James. The selections were taken from various radio broadcasts between the years of 1943 and 1953. There are a lot of great performances in this set from the James band. I don't do much talking on the show as all the songs are introduced by the announcer present at the broadcasts. So sit back, and relax and enjoy the sound of Harry James and His Music Makers, as he was billed, between the years of 1943 and 1953. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of Summer Jul 15, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week's show is a potpourri show featuring songs about the summer season. I do this type of show on the jazz program I host at the radio station that I work part-time at. I haven't done too many seasonal song shows on this program. I tried to find songs that have the words summer, June, July, August, or hot in the song titles. There are lots of different bands on the show today so I hope you enjoy the songs of summer show. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat: Patriotic Show for July Fourth Jul 08, 2023

    Hello everyone. Today's show is a repeat of the Patriotic Show that I produced for last year. Since I didn't get to air it before the Fourth of July I decided to run it today. This was the first all patriotic show I ever produced and it has words like America, Patriot, liberty, freedom etc. in the titles. I also give a little history about the Fourth of July and it's importance. I hope you enjoy the music and I hope you had a great Fourth as I celebrate the Fourth of July one week late. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Our Task: Create A Four CD Set Part Four Jul 01, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week we wrap up the four part imaginary assignment to create a four cd set of the Best of The Big Bands. This is the final part. I have picked out the final 16 numbers from the best of the big bands and I think you will recognize most of them. This was a fun series to put together and I hope I picked out several of your favorite bands and songs. Next week we will start some new programs with different subjects and bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Our Task: Create A Four CD Set Part Three Jun 24, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week we are working on CD number three of our Best of the Big Bands four disk set. There are lots of good songs this week as I am trying to put together a set of songs that highlight many of the popular songs by the big bands from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. This is an imaginary project because if it was real we would have to license songs according to what record label they were on. We would also have to get clearance from the artist's estate since all of these great bandleaders have passed on. But it is a good set if you are looking for an introduction to the music of the big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Our Task: Create A Four CD Set Part Two Jun 17, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week I am continuing with our imaginary assignment to produce a Best of The Big Bands Four CD set. Remember, since this is an imaginary task we don't have to pay attention to details like copyrights, record labels etc. Th only stipulation is that there can only be one song per big band per cd. This week we get to hear some more of the classic big band recordings. This was a way for me to introduce the best of the big bands and make it a fun project. I hope you enjoy the selections as we put together disc two of our best of four cd set. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Our Task: Create A Four CD Set Part One Jun 10, 2023

    Hello everyone. I have come up with a premise for the next four shows that I hope you will enjoy. We have been tasked with creating a four CD set of the best of the big bands. Each CD will have one song per big band and all the songs will represent the best of the big bands from the 1930's and 40's. I know in the real world you would have to license songs from different record labels and there are copyright issues. But since this is imaginary we can bypass those restrictions. I hope you enjoy the songs I have picked out for CD number one as we pick out songs for an imaginary four cd set of the best of the big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Blue Jun 03, 2023

    Hello Everyone. Today's show has a lot of variety in it. While going through my collection I noticed that there were lots of song titles that had the word blue in it. So I pulled out many different songs but they all contain the word blue. Sone of the songs use it as a color and others use it as a feeling. I hope you enjoy this potpourri of songs with the word blue. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - Three Important Dates May 27, 2023

    Hello everyone and Happy Memorial Day weekend. This is a repeat of a show I did last year. I wanted to do something special as we observe Memorial Day so I hope you enjoy this encore presentation from last year. In May and Early June there are three important dates that people living in the United States observe. May 8th is VE (or Victory in Europe ) Day, The last Monday of the Month is Memorial Day and June Sixth is D-Day. I would like to play some music from the war years as I tell a little bit about each of these important dates. I know there are listeners from other countries who don't know about these dates but you can still enjoy the music. I hope you enjoy this program as I tell about three important American dates. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Moon Tunes May 20, 2023

    Hello Everyone. After a four week break, I am back with some new shows. This first show is a potpourri of moon songs. I noticed that lots of big band recordings have the word moon in the title so I set about finding as many as I could to fill up a program with. There are many of your favorite big bands in this hour and all have a Moon recording. I hope you enjoy this show which I call Moon tunes. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - This is The Best of Duke Ellington May 13, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week's show is the last encore presentation. I produced a ten week series back in 2021 call This is The Best of where I picked ten different bands and played their biggest hits. For the next four weeks I am going to take a break and work on some new shows so I thought I would rerun a few shows from that series. Today we will be playing some of the many hit sides that Duke Ellington recorded. He had many popular recordings and I hope I play some of your favorites. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - This is The Best of Jimmie Lunceford May 06, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week's show is another encore presentation. I produced a ten week series back in 2021 call This is The Best of where I picked ten different bands and played their biggest hits. For the next four weeks I am going to take a break and work on some new shows so I thought I would rerun a few shows from that series. Today we will be playing some of the many hit sides that Jimmie Lunceford recorded. He had many popular recordings and I hope I play some of your favorites. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - This is The Best of Harry James Apr 29, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week's show is another encore presentation. I produced a ten week series back in 2021 call This is The Best of where I picked ten different bands and played their biggest hits. For the next four weeks I am going to take a break and work on some new shows so I thought I would rerun a few shows from that series. Today we will be playing some of the many hit sides that Harry James recorded. He had many popular recordings and I hope I play some of your favorites. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat - This is The Best of Tommy Dorsey Apr 22, 2023

    Hello everyone. This week's show is an encore presentation. I produced a ten week series back in 2021 call This is The Best of where I picked ten different bands and played their biggest hits. For the next four weeks I am going to take a break and work on some new shows so I thought I would rerun a few shows from that series. Today we will be playing some of the many hit sides that Tommy Dorsey recorded. He had many popular recordings and I hope I play some of your favorites. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller Part 6 Apr 15, 2023

    Well, we finally made it. This is the final part of The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller. All of these songs were recorded between the years of 1938 and 1942. There are many of Glenn's biggest hits on this show. It was shortly after the last recordings that Glenn broke up his band and enlisted in the Army. Next week I will have some different bands and different shows. It has been a blast picking out these Glenn Miller recordings. I hope you enjoy these last sides as we were celebrating Glenn's birthday of March 01. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller Part 5 Apr 08, 2023

    Well, we are getting close to the end of this six week series on the Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller. The songs from today's show come from the year of 1941. I have a mixture of some of Glenn's big hits along with some lesser known recordings. I hope you enjoy the selections on the show today. We will wind up the series next week with the final recordings and some that i missed or did not get to. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller Part 4 Apr 01, 2023

    This episode continues the series The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller. This is Part Four from the years of 1940 - 1941. Glenn's band was really hitting it's stride then. In addition to starring in two motion pictures. Also, his band was the first to be awarded a gold record, presented by RCA Victor, for sales of 1.2 million copies. There are a few songs in this set that are not as well known but there are several that I think you will recognize and enjoy. There are two more programs in this series so for all the Glenn Miller fans I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller Part 3 Mar 25, 2023

    Today I am going to continue with part three of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller. This was a nine double album set or a thirteen CD set. I have all these recordings in my library so as we progress in chronological fashion we'll be plying some of his well known recordings and some of the lesser known ones. I am also taking a biographical look at Glenn's career and we are now up to the time when he enlists in the armed forces. For all the Glenn Miller fans, this set is for you as we celebrate Glenn's birthday of March 01, 1904. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller Part 2 Mar 18, 2023

    Today I am going to continue with part two of the Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller. This was a nine double album set or a thirteen CD set. I have all these recordings in my library so as we progress in chronological fashion we'll be plying some of his well known recordings and some of the lesser known ones. I am also taking a biographical look at Glenn's career. For all the Glenn Miller fans, this set is for you as we celebrate Glenn's birthday of March 01, 1904. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller Part 1 Mar 11, 2023

    March 01, 1904 is the birthday of the late Glenn Miller. To celebrate his birthday, we are going to start a six part series called The Complete Victor Recordings of Glenn Miller. There are thirteen double record sets in the series so I am going to combine 2 sets per show. I will omit set thirteen as it contains outtakes and unissued recordings. Glenn's second band produced all their recordings for RCA Victor on the Bluebird label. We are going to hear many of the Miller band's big hits along with some that are not as well known. This is a great series and the recordings all sound good. I hope you enjoy this series as we wish Glenn a happy birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part Four Mar 04, 2023

    This is the final part of our celebration of Black History Month. Today we will highlight the band led by Jimmie Lunceford and in the second half, I have some assorted selections to play. I have really enjoyed putting together this series and today I have pulled out many of the major hits by the Lunceford Orchestra. Some of the assorted cuts include songs from Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Teddy Wilson, The Mills Brothers and a few others. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part Three Feb 25, 2023

    Welcome to part three of our celebration of Black Hiistory Month. Today we will be looking at and listening to two bands that were led by African-American Bandleaders. In the first half, we will present some music from Erskine Hawkins and then in the second half music from Duke Ellington. Erskine Hawkins, although not a household name today, had a few big hits during his career and I think I have them all on today's show. I hope your are enjoying this series of music as we will wind up next week. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part Two Feb 18, 2023

    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

    Black History Month Part One Feb 11, 2023

    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

    The RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 5 Feb 04, 2023

    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

    The RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 4 Jan 28, 2023

    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

    The RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 3 Jan 21, 2023

    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

    The RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 2 Jan 14, 2023

    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

    The RCA Victor Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 1 Jan 07, 2023

    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

    Holiday Favorites on the Radio Part 2 Dec 24, 2022

    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

    Holiday Favorites on the Radio Part 1 Dec 17, 2022

    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

    1942-1944 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 Repeat Dec 03, 2022

    We continue this week with the second part of the Time-Life Swing Era volume 1942-1944. I first discovered this series when I made a trip to the local library and found a couple volumes in the set. They were on vinyl lps and so I checked them out and transferred them to cassette (kudos to anyone who remembers cassette players and vinyl lps). After I started working at our radio station, someone donated the whole set in the series to us. It's a challenge thinking up topics for the show so I thought this would be an interesting way of remembering all those great hits from the big band era. I hope you enjoy the original recordings from "The Swing Era" 1942-1944 Part 2. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1942-1944 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 Repeat Nov 26, 2022

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Welcome to this encore presentation from the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era". Today we return with the volume from the years of 1942-1944. These were the war years but there were still some great recordings made. As I have done in previous shows from the Time-Life series I am playing the original recordings. We'll be hearing from Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Les Brown and more. This is a fantastic set with lots of great music. I hope you enjoy this volume in the series, "The Swing Era". Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Great Big Band Singers - Part Three Nov 19, 2022

    This week concludes the Great Big Band Singers set from Reader's Digest. I have picked one song from each singer in the set to play. It is sad that this set is no longer available but I have seen it listed on Ebay. If you are a fan of the big band singers you might want to see if you can buy it there. The puzzler is back this week. I hope you enjoy the songs and singers on this program. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Great Big Band Singers - Part Two Nov 12, 2022

    This week's show is a continuation of the series The Great Big Band Singers that I started last week. Some new vocalists make their way into the show: Dick Haymes, Bob Eberle, Helen O'Connell, June Christy and Peggy Lee. This is a great set which unfortunately is no longer available. In addition to the featured singers I will be reading from the booklet that came with the set. Also, the big band puzzler is back. I hope you enjoy the music from The Great Big Band Singers. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Great Big Band Singers - Part One Nov 05, 2022

    Reader's Digest records has put out many collections of Big Bands in the past. One that I have in my collection is called The Great Big Band Singers. I found that when I started to play these CDs that the songs were not the same old songs associated with the singers but different versions. For example, there are live reordings and lesser known recordings in addition to the hits. I hope you enjoy this set from Reader's Digest. This series is for all the vocal fans. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Scary Songs Oct 29, 2022

    Halloween will be in a few days and so to do something different on the program this week, I have picked out some songs that are scary or eerie sounding or have a scary word in the title. And to make things a little fun I put in a different sounding background to get us in the mood for Halloween. This is the first show I have produced with a Halloween flavor so I hope you enjoy this little bit of eeriness and scary big band sounds. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    V-Discs Part 3 Oct 22, 2022

    This week I am going to conclude our look at the V-Disc Program by playing some more songs from the Time-Life four disc set on the V-Disc program. Since I read from two internet sites that told about the V-Disc program on parts one and two, I am not going to do much discussion other than to announce the various songs. As usual the Puzzler will be back. I hope you enjoy this collection of songs as we wind up or look at the many recordings that were part of the V-Disc series. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    V-Discs Part 2 Oct 15, 2022

    This week we continue our look at the World War Two recording program known as V-Discs. We are playing from a collection of 4 cds from Time-Life Records. This is a great set which has many varied performers. Some of the V-Discs we will be listening to include Kay Starr, Jimmie Lunceford, Red Norvo, Bea Waid, Slim Gallaird, and others. I also have another short history of V-Discs from another source different than the one in Part One. I hope you enjoy this look at the program from World War II known as V-Discs. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    V-Discs Part 1 Oct 08, 2022

    This week I am going start a three part series on the V-Disc program. I have done shows on V-Discs before but they were recorded long ago and I thought I would like to revisit these recordings. The songs from this series come from a four disc set from Time-Life Records. I will also tell about the history of this unique program. Many of the songs in this series I have not presented before. I hope you enjoy this look at the program from World War II known as V-Discs. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Jerry Atkins Collection - Part Three Assorted Oct 01, 2022

    This week I am going to conlude the Jerry Atkins Collection series with a couple of albums each by Buddy Bregman, Stan Kenton and Gene Krupa. Jerry was the man responsible for starting my career on public radio in Texarkana, Texas. It was while I was working at KTXK that our station manager asked me if I thought I could produce a big band show to air at 10:00pm Saturday eveings. I have been producing shows since 2006. Jerry passed away in 2010 and we are fortunate to have his extensive record collection at the station. I will continue to go through the many albums as time is available and play some more of these great albums from my friend, Jerry Atkins and his wonderful record collection. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Artie Shaw Revisted Part Two - Repeat from 2015 Sep 24, 2022

    This week we continue with Part Two of a show called Artie Shaw Revisited. Since I ran out of time last week on producing segment three of the Jerry Atkins collection, I wanted to honor a request I received for some music from Artie Shaw and his orchestra. Next week, I hope to have the third show from Jerry's collection completed, but until then, I hope you enjoy some great music and interview segments from Artie himself. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Artie Shaw Revisted Part One - Repeat from 2015 Sep 17, 2022

    Hello everyone. Since I ran out of time for part three of the Jerry Atkins Collection, I am going to play a show that I produced in 2015. I had a request to play some Artie Shaw so I hope you will enjoy this two part show I called Artie Shaw revisited. I put this show together back in 2015 and it has a lot of your Artie Shaw favorites plus a few interview excepts from Artie himself. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Jerry Atkins Collection - Part Two Woody Herman Sep 10, 2022

    Hello everyone. This is part two of a series I call the Jerry Atkins Collection. Jerry had a show on Saturdays on the radio station I work at called The Enjoyment of Jazz. He played recordings from his massive record collection and entertained us with stories of his meetings and befriending many of the jazz masters. Sadly, Jerry passed away in 2010. His son, who is also a great jazz musician, donated many of the albums and cds in his father's collection to our station. Jerry collected albums by lots of jazz musicians but he liked the more modern big bands. This week I have pulled out several of the Woody Herman albums in the collection. I have digitized them and cleaned up the ticks and pops and background noise as best I could. So as I pay a small tribute to my friend I hope you enjoy this set of recordings from the Jerry Atkins Collection. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Jerry Atkins Collection - Part One Les Brown Sep 03, 2022

    Jerry Atkins was a well known musician, jazz historian, and record collector who lived in Texarkana, Texas until his passing in 2010. His record collection was huge and was donated to the the radio station where I work and produce Big Band Bash. Since most of these albums have not been purchased by the station, I have been digitizing some of them. It is amazing how well the software cleans up ticks and pops and eliminates surface noise from the records. I have decided to present four shows from the many albums that Jerry had. Part one features several albums by Les Brown, Part two will be Woody Herman, Parts three and four will be assorted bands. I hope you enjoy the music from the many record albums in the Jerry Atkins Collection. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of the 1920's Part 4 Aug 27, 2022

    Hello everyone. On this week's show I am going to wrap up Songs of the 1920's. We'll conclude the alphabet and then I'll present some odds and ends. This was a fun series to research and present. The 1920's was a time for great music from some of the best composers in America. Next time I'll have some new shows that I think you'll enjoy. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of the 1920's Part 3 Aug 20, 2022

    This week continues our look at the songs composed in the 1920s. We start with the letter N and go down to the Letter T. The puzzler is back this week so I hope you have your thinking caps on. Next week we'll conclude our series with the last part of the alphabet along with some odds and ends. I hope you enjoy the music from the big bands as they play the Songs of the 1920s. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of the 1920's Part 2 Aug 13, 2022

    Welcome back to this four part series on songs of the 1920s. Today we cover songs from that decade that begin with the letter "E" and go all the way down to "M". I broke my rule for this series by playing two songs on the show recorded by Artie Shaw. I had already recorded the introductions when I discovered I did this but I am sure you won't mind because it is one of his best sides. I hope you enjoy this look back at some of the many hit songs from the 1920s. As usual the puzzle is back so get your thinking caps on. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of the 1920's Part 1 Aug 06, 2022

    The 1920s were a decade filled with original songs by some of the leading composers of the era. I found a list of many of the popular songs composed in the 1920s and thought it would be fun to listen to those songs as recorded by the big bands of the thirties and forties. Each show for the next four weeks is filled with all of those great songs composed in the 1920s. I did have one rule for myself. In order to make it interesting I only chose one big band per episode. That way one band would not monopolize the show. So get ready to back to the 1920's during the month of August on Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Classic Columbia and Okeh Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 2 Jul 30, 2022

    This week I am going to continue with part two of the Mosaic box set, The Classic Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Session 1939 -1957. These are many of the recordings that Benny made during those years and these are all instrumental recordings. Benny had some great vocalists during those years but Mosaic kept this set to just instrumentals. Some of the songs we'll be listening to include, Jersey Bounce, A String of Pearls, Birth of the Blues, I'll Get By, and many more. This set is no longer available and so I am happy to be able to present some of these great recordings. I hope you enjoy a look at some of the recordings by Benny and the orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Classic Columbia and Okeh Recordings of Benny Goodman Part 1 Jul 23, 2022

    This week we will be listening to selections from a Mosaic Record Company set that I have called the Classic Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Sessions. This is part one of a show I did back in 2012 and repeated almost three years ago in 2019. These are all the instrumental recordings that Benny did for Columbia and the Okeh record label. Unfortunately the producers of this set omitted all the vocals. But there is some fantastic music by the Goodman band starting in 1939 when he switched to the Columbia label. If you are a Benny Goodman fan then I hope you enjoy these two programs. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Time-Life The Swing Era 1941-1942 Part 2 Repeat Jul 16, 2022

    This week wraps of the set from Time Life records set The Swing Era 1941-1942 Part 2. There is some fantastic music in this set and some of the songs we'll be hearing include Blue Flame, Benny Rides Again, Chattanooga Choo Choo, The Mole, Well Git It and many others. These were some of the most popular songs from those two years. As usual I tried to play the original version rather than the recreations. I you you enjoy these great songs from Time Life The Swing Era 1941-1942 Part 2. I hope you enjoy this program that I originally produced in 2015. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Time-Life The Swing Era 1941-1942 Part 1 Repeat Jul 09, 2022

    The months right before and after the beginning of World War 2 had some great music from the big bands. The Time-Life set we are playing from today features many of those songs. We'll be hearing from the bands of Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and many others. As usual I am following the playlist from this set but instead of playing the recreations I am presenting the original recordings if I have them. I hope you enjoy this program that I originally produced in 2015. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    American Celebration - Repeat Jul 02, 2022

    Hello and welcome to another episode of Big Band Bash. This is a rerun of a holiday show that I produced a few years ago for a Fourth of July rememberance. This was one of the first Fourth of July programs that I have done in the many years of hosting and producing Big Band Bash. I hope everyone has a safe holiday and for the listeners from other countries I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of Summer Part 2 Jun 25, 2022

    This week I am going to continue with Part Two of Songs of Summer. There are some different versions of songs with summer in the title. I mistakenly picked the same song twice. Luckily it is by two different bands so I included it in the show. I hope wherever you are it is cool because for the last week it has been very hot here in Texas. I hope you enjoy part two of Songs of Summer by the big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Three Big Band Radio Remotes Jun 11, 2022

    Listening to a live big band is a thrilling experience. Back in the 1930's and 40's before the advent of television, people were often able to hear their favorite bands playing on the radio. Many of these performances were recorded and I am fortunate to have several in my collection. Our first and third remote today is from the Victory Parade of Spotllight Bands program. From that series I have performances by Gene Krupa and Charlie Spivak. To separate them I have a remote by the Glenn Miller orchestra from 1939. I hope you enjoy the sounds of the big bands performing live on the radio. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Time-Life The Swing Era 1940-1941 Part 2 Repeat May 28, 2022

    This is part 2 of our look at another volume in Time Life records ambitious project called "The Swing Era". It was a ten volume set with three records included in each volume. Today we turn to the years of 1940-1941. The songs were rerecorded by the bands of Billy May and Glen Gray. I have this set and thought instead of hearing the recreations that it would be interesting to hear the originals. So I'm borrowing the playlist and presenting the original recordings. There are about 30 songs so I'm going to break it up into two parts. I hope you enjoy the music as I present part 2 of the years 1940-1941. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Time-Life The Swing Era 1940-1941 Part 1 Repeat May 21, 2022

    1940 - 1941 were good years for the big bands as they were full of great music. For the next two weeks I am going to be playing another program from the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era". This was a really good series presented in two year segments. Each set came with three records and a nice book telling about the music in the set. This is a rerun of a show I produced back in 2015. Due to some family health issues time was short this week. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Cover That Song - Part Two May 14, 2022

    Hello and welcome to part two of my cover song program. I have picked out eight more popular songs of which we'll listen to the original and then we'll hear the cover version. I enjoyed listening to the comparisons. Some of them are quite different. Some of the originals are The Dipsy Doodle, My Blue Heaven, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, What's New and others. I hope you enjoy this program of cover songs. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Cover That Song - Part One May 07, 2022

    In the music world, a cover or cover song is a recording of a popular song by another band. Usually the band rearranges the song in a different style. On this Part One of two we are going to be listening to covers of some of the popular songs from the swing era. I will play the original and then after that the cover by a different band. There are some interesting and nicely done covers on our show today and I hope you enjoy the comparisons. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Duke Ellington - A Birthday Salute Apr 30, 2022

    April 29, 1899 is the birthday of the late Duke Ellington. Duke was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a big band from 1923 through the rest of his life. I have put together a show from recordings and remotes as we celebrate his birthday with some of the many famous songs that he composed. I hope you enjoy this salute to one of the greatest big band leaders in music history. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Spring Songs Apr 23, 2022

    I hope you'll join me as I present a show about Spring Songs. I haven't produced a show about Spring songs on Big Band Bash so I thought I would try to find songs with either Spring in the title or the months of spring. It was a fun show to produce as there were lots of songs and lots of different artists. The puzzler is back so I hope you enjoy the big bands and their versions of the many songs of Spring. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Time-Life The Swing Era 1939-1940 Part 2 Repeat Apr 16, 2022

    Hello everyone. Today's show is part two of the Time-Life Swing Era set that we started last week. This show featured music from the years of 1939 and 1940. The book that was included in the set was called 1939: A Real Dream Of A Year. These are recreations of all famous swing songs with the assistance of Billy May Orchestra and Glenn Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. Vocals by Helen Forrest and Trummy Young except on this show I am playing the oringinal recordings if possible. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Time-Life The Swing Era 1939-1940 Part 1 Repeat Apr 09, 2022

    Hello everyone. This week's show is a rebroadcast of a two part show I did way back in 2014. Back then I did a series on the Time-Life Swing Era project which was an ambitious undertaking trying to recreate the recording of the swing era but in better sound quality. It was presented in years so today's show is on the recordings spanning 1939-1940. In my show I tried to present the original recordings instead of the rerecordings in the set. It is a great playlist full of your favorite recordings. I hope you enjoy these songs from 1939 and 1940. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra Part 4 Apr 02, 2022

    Well, we wind up our special series on Glenn Miller's Army Air-Force Orchestra with two live broadcasts from the band. One is about 28 minutes and it is from 1943 while the band was still in New York City and the second is about 15 minutes. It is from 1944 and was broadcast when the orchestra was overseas during the later part of World War Two. Then to fill out the show, I have a collection known as The Secret Broadcasts of Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra. I pulled out 4 numbers from that set. There is some great music on the show today and I hope you enjoy the final program in the AAF Band series as we celebrate Glenn's birthday of March 1st. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra Part 3 Mar 26, 2022

    I am going to change up our program for Part Three of our Glenn Miller birthday celebration. As you know, for the last couple of weeks I have been taking an in depth look at Glenn's AAF Orchestra. On our show today we start with a recorded broadcast from 1944 of that orchestra. and then some assorted cuts to wind up the show. I don't do much announcing as I did plenty of talking in the last two shows. This is a great broadcast and I hope you enjoy part three of this Glenn Miller birthday celebration. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra Part 2 Mar 19, 2022

    Part two of my look at the Glenn Miller AEF Orchestra has a couple of medleys, some great swinging sides and another look at the history of the AEF Band. AEF stands for Allied Expeditionary Forces. I hope you enjoy this look at the AEF band as we celebrate Glenn's birthday of March 1st. The puzzler is back and it is an easy one so get ready to listen to some of those great Glenn Miller recordings. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra Part 1 Mar 12, 2022

    Glenn Miller was born on March 1st 1904. In order to do something special to observe his birthday this year, I would like to focus on his second great orchestra. Glenn built this orchestra with specially picked sidemen and performed with it for the fighting men during World War Two. This series features many of the recordings made by this great outfit. I hope you enjoy the fantastic music of Glenn Miller and His Army Air Force Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Celebration Part 3 Mar 05, 2022

    Hello and welcome to the final part of our Black History Month Celebration. I am one week behind due to the covid virus hitting my household. I think you will enjoy this set as these are some of the artists I didn't get around to in the previous two shows. Some of the artists on today's show include Charlie Christian, John Kirby, Louis Armstrong, The Ink Spots, Benny Moten, and Chu Berry. I hope you enjoy these great musicians from the Big Band Era. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Celebration Part 2 Feb 26, 2022

    Hello everyone and welcome to Part two of my Black History Month Celebration. This week we'll be hearing from such artists as Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb, Earl Hines, Ivy Anderson, Roy Eldridge, Louis Jordan and others. There are some great songs in this set so I hope you enjoy our Black History Month Celebration Part Two. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Celebration Part 1 Feb 19, 2022

    Hello everyone and welcome to Part one of my Black History Month Celebration. I apologize for missing last week as it could not be helped as I tested postive for Covid-19. I am much better now and so for the next three weeks I am going to run a three part program from 2014 that I produced celebrating Black History Month. I picked two songs each from many different bands and had enough songs for three hour programs. I hope you enjoy the selections as we start Black History Month. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    100th Birthday Salute Ray Anthony Part 2 Feb 05, 2022

    January 20th, 1922 is the birthday of bandleader Ray Anthony. I am going to continue our birthday celebration on today's show. The first half of the program has some assorted cuts including the first solo on record that Ray recorded with the Glenn Miller orchestra. Then for the second half I'll be playing some songs that Ray and his band recorded for a 1953 summer television show. These feature vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberle. There is some great songs in this set so I hope you enjoy Part two of our Ray Anthony birthday salute. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    100th Birthday Salute Ray Anthony Part 1 Jan 29, 2022

    January 20th, 1922 is the birthday of bandleader Ray Anthony. He just celebrated his 100th about ten days ago so to honor Ray on his 100th birthday I produces this two part program celebrating his career. Another little known fact is that Ray is the last surviving member of the original Glenn Miller Orchestra.I have a few selected songs by the Anthony Orchestra in the first half of today's show and then in the second half I have a radio remote from the Hollywood Palladium from the early 1950's featuring Ray and his band. I hope you enjoy the music on today's program as we pay a 100th birthday salute to Ray Anthony. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs About the Cold Jan 22, 2022

    Hello everyone. This time of the year is usually cold in my neck of the woods. Well Mother Nature did not let us down here in the United States. The eastern states reported record low temperatures and it hs been cold at my house. I have never done a show about the cold so I searched for songs with cold, winter, and wind in the title. Some of them turned out to be about something else but they all have a cold adjective in the title. I hope you enjoy the various selections on today's show as we settle back and try to stay warm. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1938-1939 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 Jan 15, 2022

    This is part two of the Time Life records set I started last week. These records were originally recorded in 1971 by Billy May and His Orchestra/Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. Those were recreations featuring many of the musicians who were on the original recordings. Today's program features the music from the set of 1938-1939. I have this box set and thought that instead of hearing the recreations that it would be interesting to listen to the originals. So I'm borrowing the playlist and presenting the original recordings. Included with the albums was a nice book which told about the swing era. The book from the 1938-1939 set featured an essay on Where Swing Came From. I hope you enjoy the music in part two of Time Life's the Swing Era. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1938-1939 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 Jan 08, 2022

    This is another volume in Time Life records ambitious project called "The Swing Era". It was a ten volume set with three records included in each volume. Today we turn to the years of 1938-1939. The songs were rerecorded by the bands of Billy May and Glen Gray. I have this set and thought that instead of hearing the recreations that it would be interesting to listen to the originals. So I'm borrowing the playlist and presenting the original recordings. There are about 30 songs so I'm going to break it up into two parts. I hope you enjoy the music in this set. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Party Jan 01, 2022

    Happy New Year everyone. For this program, the first of 2022, I decided to see how many songs I could find that had the word Party in the title. The reason being is that many people go to parties on New Year's Eve or they recuperate from the party from the night before on New Year's Day. It was a fun exercise and an added bonus was finding a radio remote from the Glenn Miller orchestra on New year's Eve of 1938 from the Paradise Restaurant in New York City. I hope you enjoy my selections as we usher in the New Year of 2022. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Rerun A Stan Kenton Centennial Dec 11, 2021

    This December 15th will be the 110th Anniversary of the birthday of the late bandleader Stan Kenton. In 2011 I put together a show celebrating the centennial anniversary of Stan's birth. I haven't played this show in ten years so to keep from reinventing the wheel I am going to play this show. There are lots of your Kenton favorites on this show as well as a biography of Stan. I hope you enjoy this show as we celebrate the birthday of the late Stan Kenton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary Dec 04, 2021

    This December 7th will be the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. To honor the men and women who lost their lives that day, I have put together some of the songs associated with World War Two as well as explained a little bit about why and how the attack took place. There are lots of songs from 1941 through 1945 and I hope you remember that fateful day which prompted our entry into World War two A day that started many changes for the big bands and music in general. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Rerun The Singers Part 2 Nov 27, 2021

    I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. I am taking this week off as I present part two of a program I produced back in 2012. It is kind of a sampler of the many vocalists that were popular during the swing era, a kind of potpourri if you will. Last time, I presented many different singers and today is a continuation of the many great vocalists. I was a little rough back in 2012 but the music is great. I hope you enjoy this rebroadcast of The Singers Part Two. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Rerun The Singers Part 1 Nov 20, 2021

    Since I have produced twenty new shows, I am going to take a break for the next two weeks and turn to a rerun of a two part show I did way back in 2012. It was a show I did focusing on the vocalists. I put together many different vocalists into a sampler. I think you'll enjoy this rerun as it has a lot of the popular vocalists from the swing era. I hope to be back after the Thanksgiving break with some new episodes of Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 10 - This is the Best of Duke Ellington Nov 13, 2021

    Well, with this last episode we come to the end of a series that I have really enjoyed presenting. Our local PBS station runs reruns of the Lawrence Welk show every Saturday at 6:00pm. I was watching it and the show they were doing was a salute to the swing bands of the 30's and 40's. So I thought let's run a series highlight ten of the top bands and present many of their hit songs. We've been through nine top big bands and this show is the closer. I'll be playing many of the hit songs by the great Duke Ellington. These come from many sources but I think you will recognize many of these Ellington classics. I hope you enjoy the best of Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 9 - This is the Best of Gene Krupa Nov 06, 2021

    I've been listening to Gene Krupa's band since 1973. That is the year he passed away and the local jazz show had a tribute to Gene. On this Part 9 of This Is The Best Of, I will be playing some of the hits of Gene and his band. The band that had Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge was always my favorite but any band he was the drummer for was a very exciting band. There is not a lot of patter on this show as I wanted to play this great music. If you are interested in the life of Gene Krupa check out one of my other podcasts on the great drummer. I hope you enjoy the music of Gene Krupa and His Orchestra and thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 8 - This is the Best of Les Brown Oct 30, 2021

    In the movie, The Nutty Professor from 1963 there is a scene towards the end with Jerry Lewis dancing to the sound of Les Brown playing Leap Frog. It is a swinging song and that is the way I feel about the music of The Band of Renown. On the show today, I am going to continue with part eight of my ten part series I call This Is The Best Of. The band in the spotlight today is Les Brown. We will be playing many hits from the Brown Orchestra and looking at his career. The puzzler is back so I hope you enjoy the music of the great Les Brown and His Band of Renown. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 7 - This is the Best of Jimmie Lunceford Oct 23, 2021

    Today we are going to look at the best of Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra on part 7 of This Is The Best Of. Jimmie Lunceford's band differed from other great bands of the time because it was better known for its ensemble than for its solo work. Additionally, he was known for using a two-beat rhythm, called the Lunceford two-beat, as opposed to the standard four-beat rhythm. His band was also know for its showmanship. There were some great sidemen that played with the Lunceford band. Musicians such as Trummy Young, Willie Smith, Sy Oliver and Snookie Young made the band very popular. I hope you enjoy this look at the band and music of Jimmie Lunceford. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 6 - This is the Best of Harry James Oct 16, 2021

    This is The Best of continues this week with a focus on the music of Harry James. Harry had a great tone and an excellent technique that made him one of the leading trumpeters of the swing era. He started his band in 1938 and struggled for a while until he added strings and started playing sentimental favorites that struck a chord with many people during World War 2. He also had an ear for great vocalists and there were many that sang with his band. Some of the great ones were Frank Sinatra, Helen Forrest, Dick Haymes and Kitty Kallen. I hope you enjoy the music of Harry James on our This Is The Best Of series. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 5 - This is the Best of Artie Shaw Oct 09, 2021

    This is one of my favorite Best of programs. Today on Part 5 we are going to be listening to some of the best of Artie Shaw's hits. Although they were two different players on the clarinet, I liked them equally well. I came to listen to the Shaw band after my listening stints with Goodman and Miller. I enjoyed the songs and Shaw's star sidemen such as Georgie Auld, Tony Pastor, Buddy Rich and Helen Forrest. I hope you enjoy the songs I have chosen on this episode of This Is The Best of Artie Shaw. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 4 - This is the Best of Count Basie Oct 02, 2021

    Part Four of This is the Best Of features the great music of Count Basie. These are some of his popular recordings from the late 1930's plus a few from the 1950's. Some of the songs feature the vocals of blues singer Jimmy Rushing. Count Basie featured a style of music called Kansas City Swing. These are some great soloists in his band like Lester You, Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans and the Count himself. I hope you enjoys the music of the great Count Basie. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 3 - This is the Best of Tommy Dorsey Sep 25, 2021

    Part Three of This is the Best Of features the hits of Tommy Dorsey. He had more hits than I could fit in one hour but this is a good representation of many of his hit recordings. I started with his theme song and tried to find a good cross section of many of his hits. We'll be hearing the golden trombone sound of Tommy plus vocalists Edythe Wright, Jack Leonard, Frank Sinatra plus Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers. If you are a fan of the Dorsey band then you'll want to tune in. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 2 - This is the Best of Glenn Miller Sep 18, 2021

    This is Part Two of a ten part series highlighting the hits and best recordings of ten of the top bands of the swing era. I got the ides from watching the Lawrence Welk show on our local PBS station. His show that week was a salute to the swing bands. Since we just went through a series called revisited where we looked at some of the lesser known bands I thought let's play some of the hits of the top bands. These are the songs that made me fall in love with this great music. Today's Best of features the music of Glenn Miller. I became a fan of Glenn's music when I was in High School and I still enjoy those great songs and hope you do as well. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Part 1 - This is the Best of Benny Goodman Sep 11, 2021

    This is Part one of a ten part series highlighting the hits and best recordings of ten of the top bands of the swing era. I got the ides from watching the Lawrence Welk show on our local PBS station. His show that week was a salute to the swing bands. Since we just went through a series called revisited where we looked at some of the lesser known bands I thought let's play some of the hits of the top bands. These are the songs that made me fall in love with this great music. Today's Best of features the music of Benny Goodman. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 10 - Charlie Spivak Sep 04, 2021

    Well with this tenth part we are bringing to a close my revisited series. Today's show features the band of the great trumpeter Charlie Spivak. He played with some of the top bands in the late 1930's like Bob Crosby (1938), Tommy Dorsey (1938–1939), and Jack Teagarden (1939) before launching his own band. The vocalist on most of these recordings is his wife Irene Daye. I hope you enjoy these great side by the big band of Charlie Spivak. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 9 - Randy Brooks-Ina Ray Hutton Aug 28, 2021

    In Part 9 of this ten part series, we are going back to a show that I did in 2019 on a very fine trumpet player by the name of Randy Brooks. He played with several big bands such as Claude Thornhill and Les Brown before starting his own band in early 1945. He married Ina Ray Hutton and moved to Los Angeles where he suffered a stroke and was unable to continue as a musician. He died at the age of 49 of smoke inhalation in a fire at his Sandford, Maine, apartment. I hope you enjoy the music by Randy Brooks and his then wife Ina Ray Hutton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 8 - Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy Aug 21, 2021

    This week's Revisited episode is on the band of Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy. Andy Kirk was an American jazz saxophonist and tubist who led the Twelve Clouds of Joy, a band popular during the swing-era. Their pianist, and the band's arranger, was Mary Lou Williams, who went on to become a prominent figure in jazz. There is some great music in this programs and I hope you enjoy Andy Kirk as we revisited this popular band. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 7 - Two Kays Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye Aug 14, 2021

    On Part 7 of my revisited series, I'm going back to a program I produced in 2012. I called it Two Kays because I highlighted Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye. They had two very good bands and played in what is called the sweet style of swing. There is some good music in this program and I hope you enjoy the music of Kay Kyser and Sammy Kaye. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 6 - Claude Thornhill Aug 07, 2021

    This week's show is part 6 of my revisited series. We are going to revisit the music of the late pianist and composer Claude Thornhill. His band was not as driving or swinging as some of the others but he produced some beautiful songs that are some of my favorites from that era. August 10 is also Claude's birthday so most of this show is from a birthday salute I did for Claude several years ago. I hope you enjoy hearing again those Thornhill classics on the program today. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 5 - Bob Crosby and the Bobcats Jul 31, 2021

    The Revisited series continues this week with part 5 featuring music from the band of Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Bob was the younger brother of Bing Crosby and a fine vocalist in his own right. But he became a band leader when he was picked to lead members of the disbanded Ben Pollack orchestra. He was the front man and saxophonist Gil Rodin was the man who ran the band. They had quite a few hits and I hope you enjoy the great sounds of the Bob Crosby orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 4 - Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra Jul 24, 2021

    The Revisited series continues this week with a look back at the music and career of Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra. He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" (1939) with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson. The song became a hit during World War II, rising to No. 7 nationally (version by the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra) and to No. 1 nationally (version by the Glenn Miller Orchestra). Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 3 - Glenn Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra Jul 17, 2021

    The Revisited series continues this week with a look back at the music and career of Glenn Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. As an orchestra they predated Benny Goodman and the start of the swing era. They had some excellent musicians and had a few big hits in the 30's and 40's. I'll be playing some of these numbers as we look back at the career of the Casa Loma Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 2 - Larry Clinton Jul 10, 2021

    This week I am continuing with part two of a ten week series I call Revisited. I am going to revisit some bands from the 30's and 40's that I enjoy and that were not the Number One bands at that time. I started the series with a look at Will Bradley's band and this week we will look at the music and career of Larry Clinton. Larry had a very good band and wrote a couple of hits for other bands namely, The Dipsy Doodle, and A Study in Brown. He also had a big hit with a song called My Reverie. I hope you enjoy my revisit of the Larry Clinton Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    American Celebration Repeat Jul 03, 2021

    This show is a repeat of the show I produced last year. Here is the copy from that show and I hope you enjoy the program as we celebrate Independance Day here in America. July the 4th is an important day for us here in the United States. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. I tried to put some patriotic music together to celebrate this date. There is not that much patriotic music before World World 2 but what I could find I tried to include in this show. I hope everyone has a safe and happy July 4th holiday and enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Revisited Part 1 - Will Bradley Jun 26, 2021

    In looking back over some of the programs I have done in the past, I decided to revisit about 10 of the lesser bands. Today I am going to revisit the Will Bradley-Ray Mckinley Orchestra. They had a hit with Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar and produced several other boogie woogie numbers. We'll take a look at the career of Will Bradley on the show. The Puzzler is back too. I hope you enjoy revisiting one of the swingingest bands from that era, the Will Bradley Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    WW2 DDay Revisited - Part 2 Jun 19, 2021

    This week I am going to continue our observance on June 6th 1944 by playing the songs that were in the number one spot in the United States during the years of 1944 and 1945. These were the songs that reached number one in the jukeboxes or on the radio. There is a wide variety of artists on this program and I hope your favorites are among them. In honor of all the men and women who fought and were part of the action on June 6th, 1944 I dedicate these two shows to you. To the listeners, I hope you enjoy the music as much as I did while putting this show together. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    WW2 DDay Revisited - Part 1 Jun 12, 2021

    June 6, 1944 was an important day in the history of World War 2. It was called D-Day because it marked the invasion of Normandy, France. Since we just passed June 6th, I thought I would revisit some of the music from 1942 - 1945. I did a little research and took note of all the songs that were in the number one spot either on the jukeboxes or the airways (radio). Today we will be listening to number one hits from 1942 and 1943 and next week I'll have the number one hits from the last two years. This is a show with a lot of your favorites as we remember the anniversary of June 6th. Thanks again for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 4 Jun 05, 2021

    May 25, 1917 is the birthday of another big band clarinetist. His name is Jimmy Hamilton. Jimmy achieved his greatest fame as clarinetist with Duke Ellington for 25 years. I have picked out about six songs from a few cds in my collection that Jimmy plays on. They are a little longer in length but you will still get an idea of what a fantastic musician Jimmy was. Our last clarinetist is from a later generation. His name is Ken Peplowski and he was born May 23, 1959. I have two big band and two combo recordings by Ken on today's show. The Puzzler is back this week so I hope you enjoy part four of our May big band clarinetists salute. Thanks again for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 3 May 29, 2021

    May 16, 1913 is the birthday of another big band clarinetist. His name is Woody Herman. I would like to celebrate Woody's birthday by presenting two radio remotes. One is from 1945 at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City New Jersey and the other is from 1940 recorded at the Famous Door on Fifty Second Street in New Your City. The 1945 remote has a few vocals by Frances Wayne and Woody has a few vocals as well. The Puzzler is back this week so I hope you enjoy part three of our May big band clarinetists salute. Thanks again for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 2 May 22, 2021

    On part-two of our May clarinetists birthday celebrations, we pay a birthday salute to Artie Shaw who was born on May 23, 1910. I have done birthday shows for Artie in the past and you can find them in older podcasts, but today's show is a little different. I have a three disc set of all the numbers that Artie did while he was on the Melody and Madness show. I have picked out several of those numbers and we'll learn about the history of Melody and Madness in which Artie was on from late 1938 to the Spring of 1939. I hope you enjoy the show as we celebrate the birthday of the great mesian, band leaser, and clarinetist Artie Shaw. Thanks again for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy May Clarinetists Birthdays Part 1 May 15, 2021

    In the month of May, several jazz and big band clarinetists were born. Here are some that I know of: Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Jimmy Hamilton, Edmond Hall, and Ken Peplowski, who is still with us. So as I usually do, I will be presenting music by these great players and band leaders. Our first birthday celebration is for Benny Goodman. He was born May 30, 1909. I thought it would be fun to listen to a couple of radio remotes that I have to celebrate Benny's birthday. The first is from 1937 recorded at the Madhattan Room of the Hotel Pennsylvania and the second is from 1936 recorded at the Congress Hotel In Chicago. Happy Birthday Benny. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Rhythms by Raeburn - Boyd Raeburn May 08, 2021

    There were a couple of big bands in the 1940's there weren't satisfied with the typical big band sound. One was Stan Kenton and the other is the subject of our program today. Boyd Raeburn started with a dance orchestra but became dissatisfied and hired arrangers to create some non-typical big band sounds. Now a days they sound fine but back then his band played some wild and exciting music. We'll be learning about Boyd and his band as well as listening to some of his music. Thanks again for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Essential Duke Ellington - Happy Birthday May 01, 2021

    Duke Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899. This week we celebrate Duke's birthday by playing some of his hits from a four disc set called The Essential Duke Ellington. Also, instead of telling his biography again I elected to disclose some trivia about Duke and read from an article about Why Duke Ellington is Famous. If you are an Ellington fan as I am then you are sure to enjoy this show. Thank you again for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Salute to Doc Severinsen Apr 24, 2021

    I call this program A Salute to Doc Severinsen. It is my salute after viewing the PBS Special Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story. Doc is a first class trumpet player who has played in many big bands throughout his career in addition to leading The Tonight Show big band for 25 years. I have picked out a couple of songs from the many Severinsen albums in my collection and we'll also hear a few from the three cds he recorded with the Tonight Show Band. I hope you enjoy the music of trumpet great 93 years old Doc Severinsen. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Enoch Light Revistited Apr 17, 2021

    This is a show that I produced several years ago. It is on bandleader and record label owner Enoch Light. Enoch started a few record labels during his career as well as lead a sweet band in the 1940's. He started the Command record label as well as one called Project 3. He produced a wonderful set of big band recreations with many of the original musicians taking part. We will be listening to many of these recreation as well as learning a little bit about bandleader Enoch Light. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Savory Collection Apr 10, 2021

    Bill Savory was a noted sound engineer who enjoyed jazz and swing. He recorded many bands off the air and kept them for his own enjoyment. After he passed, his son contacted The National Jazz Museum of Harlem to see if they were interested in the recordings. They also licensed some of them to Mosaic Records who created a six disc set of these never heard before treasures. I bought the set so today we will be hearing a handful of these great recordings from the 1930's and 1940's by Bill Savory. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Music of Billie Holiday Apr 03, 2021

    There is a new movie out called The United States versus Billie Holiday. It is getting very good reviews so that prompted me to do a show on her life and music. In the 500 plus shows of Big band Bash I have done I have never produced one on Billie Holiday. Starting with some of her early recordings with Teddy Wilson, I have tried to play many of her hits. I hope you enjoy this look at the life and music of Lady Day, Billie Holiday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Tree Songs Mar 27, 2021

    To celebrate the beginning of Spring and to play some songs that might be associated with the Spring season, I have put together a show in which all the song titles have the word Tree in it. I wondered how many I could find and as it turns out there was enough for a whole show. There are lots of different bands on the show today and lots of different songs. But a common thread tying each song together is the word Tree. I hope you enjoy this show as we begin the Spring season. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Celebration Part 3 Feb 27, 2021

    This is part three of my Black History Month Celebration. As in the other parts, I have chosen about eight bands or singers and played two songs from each of them. It has been a labor of love choosing the different bands and then trying to decide which songs to play. I decided to change up the Big Band Bash puzzler this week. Instead of a question on bands I decided to wrap up Black history month with a question about Rosa Parks. I hope you enjoy the music on this last part of our BHM celebration. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat of Duke Ellington 1940 - 1941 Feb 20, 2021

    This past week in Texas saw some of the worst weather that we ever experienced. I was snowed in until Sunday and ths was unable to produce a new Big Band Bash. I have pulled out a show that I ran about five years ago until I can produce a new show. This is one on Duke Ellington as we continue our Black History Month Celebration. I apologize for the disruption but it could not be helped. I hope you are warm and safe and I hope to have a new show up shorthly. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Celebration Part 2 Feb 13, 2021

    Our Black History Month Celebration continues this month with eight different bandleaders, small groups, and vocalists. To recap my plan,this year I decided to do a potpourri of bands on each show. I found that if I do eight bands per show with two songs by each band that I could cover twenty four bands in three shows. With some interesting facts thrown in between bands, we will get to hear and learn about these great African-American bands. I hope you'll tune in for part two of Black History Month 2021. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Celebration Part 1 Feb 06, 2021

    The month of February begins the start of Black History Month. This year I decided to do a potpourri of bands on each show. I found that if I do eight bands per show with two songs by each band that I could cover twenty four bands in three shows. With some interesting facts thrown in between bands, we will get to hear and learn about these great African-American bands. I hope you'll tune in for part one of Black History Month 2021. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Connie Haines - A 100th Birthday Salute Jan 30, 2021

    January 20, 1921 is the birthday of big band vocalist Connie Haines. Since this is the 100th anniversary of her birth I would like to pay her a birthday salute by playing some of those great big band sides she recorded with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. We'll also take a look at her career. I hope you enjoy this look at the career of Connie Haines as we celebrate her 100th birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Riding the Rails - Songs About Trains Jan 23, 2021

    During The 1930's and 40's, trains were a popular mode of transportation. There were many songs written about trains in many different styles. This week I have put together a show with the Big Bands playing songs about trains with trains in the title or something similar. There are many train songs, in fact, Duke Ellington composed a number of songs about trains. He was a big fan of trains and his orchestra would rent a train and travel throughout the south on many of their tours. I hope you enjoy this show I called Riding The Rails. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Boogie On Down Part 2 Jan 16, 2021

    There is something catchy about the sound of a big band boogie woogie number. Maybe it's the driving left hand of the pianist, or the 12 bar blues pattern but what ever it is it is sure to get your feet tapping. This week on Big Band Bash we continue our look at some of the great boogie woogie numbers played by the big bands. Starting with Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and ending with a Harry James number there are some catchy riffs to get your fingers snapping. I hope you enjoy this look at big band boogie woogie. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Boogie On Down Part 1 Jan 09, 2021

    Boogie Woogie has been a big part of the big bands. It seems that every ban d had a boogie number or two. Starting with Pinetop Smith's Boogie Woogie we'll be listening to a variety of numbers and all of them have boogie woogie in common. I have been doing Big Band Bash for 16 years but have never produced one on Boogie Woogie. I hope you enjoy part one of Boogie On Down a look at Boogie Woogie performed by the big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Bunny Berigan Revisited Jan 02, 2021

    Bunny Berigan, his orchestra and trumpet, is the subject of this first program of the new year. It has been awhile since I last presented a program on Bunny. He was one of the most in demand trumpeters before he started his band. I'll be taking a look at his career and playing some oh his band's music as well as some of those great numbers he recorded with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey. I hope you enjoy this look at the career of the late Bunny Berigan. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat of 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 2 Dec 19, 2020

    Continuing a repeat of a Holiday show from 2017, This is part 2 of a 1940's Christmas Traditions. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone. Welcome to Part 2 of my 1940's Christmas Traditions show. Last time in between the music I read some holiday traditions started in the 1940's. On the show today, I am going to be reading some Stocking Stuffers from the Associated Press. Stocking Stuffers is a series produced by the Associated Press that consists of about 50 segments on various holiday traditions. Each segment is about 10 to 15 sentences. It is very interesting and I hope you enjoy these segments as well as the music. Happy Holidays everyone and thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Repeat of 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1 Dec 12, 2020

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. For the holiday season I am rerunning some holiday shows I produced in 2017. This is part one of a program I call 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1. Many of the ways we celebrate Christmas were started in the 1940's so I thought it would be interesting to learn how some of these traditions started. I am going to start the show with a segment from Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1940 lighting of the Christmas tree speech and then we'll be into some big band holiday favorites. All the songs on today's show were recorded in the 1940's. I will have some new shows when we start the new year of 2021. Thanks so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Pearl Harbor 79th Anniverary Dec 05, 2020

    For the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I have pulled out a radio remote from Glenn Miller. Broadcast on Nov 22, 1941 this show was part of Glenn's Sunset Serenade series. There aren't that many recordings and remotes from December 7th 1941 so I decided to play this show which has some patriotic moments from Glenn and his orchestra. I hope you enjoy the music from Glenn Miller as we remember the brave men and women who lost their lives 79 years ago at a base called Pearl Harbor. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Spotlight on Ralph Flanagan Oct 24, 2020

    In all the time I have been producing Big Band Bash, I have never produced one on the band of Ralph Flanagan. Ralph Flanagan led a very popular band in the early to mid 1950's. He led the Glenn Miller revival starting in the early 50's. Ralph started out as a pianist and then became an accomplished arranger with Hal McIntyre, Sammy Kaye, Blue Barron and Charlie Barnet. I hope you enjoy this look at the music of one of the most popular bands of the 1950's, Mr. Ralph Flanagan. As always, thank you so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    500th Show Celebration Part 3 Oct 17, 2020

    This week wraps up my 500th show celebration. Today's bandleaders are Harry James, Les Brown, Jimmie Lunceford, and Stan Kenton. I think I have picked out some songs by each bandleader that you will enjoy. I have some new shows planned and in the works. It has been an honor to be able to go into your homes each week and play music from these great bandleaders. I hope I get to have a 1000th show celebration. As always, thank you so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    500th Show Celebration Part 2 Oct 10, 2020

    Today's show is part 2 of my 500th Big Band Bash celebration. This is a three part series where I have picked twelve of my favorite bands and divided them up into four bands per show. Then I further subdivided them by choosing four sides per band. It has been an interesting week trying to pick my favorites but I think I have chosen songs that you will enjoy as well. Today's show features the bands of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Here's to 500 past shows and maybe 500 future shows. Thank you all so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    500th Show Celebration Part 1 Oct 03, 2020

    Big Band Bash is a show I created to replace another show that had ceased production. The first show went on the air in 2004. I was very rusty back then but I think I have gotten better. Today's show is part one of a three part series where I have chosen some of my favorite songs from twelve different bands. I broke up my favorites into three shows, four bands per show and 4 songs per band. I had so many favorites that I had to draw the line somewhere. So for the next three weeks I hope you enjoy some of my favorite bands and songs. I have some new shows planned for the weeks to come. Thank you for listening to and supporting Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    I Love Lucy: Lucy Ann Polk Sep 26, 2020

    Lucy Ann Polk was one of the most acclaimed jazz big band vocalists of the early 1950's having won the Downbeat girl singer poll two years in a row, in 1951 and 1952, when she sang for Les Brown's band. She only recorded about 3 albums so there is not much recorded material by her. I managed to find enough of her recorded output to pay tribute to this great singer. She left the business around 1960 and passed away in 2011 virtually unknown. I hope you enjoy this look at a great singer who only left us a handful of recordings. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Accompanied by Count Basie Sep 19, 2020

    The Count Basie Orchestra of the 1950's and 1960's was the orchestra that backed many of the great singers from those decades. On the show today, we'll be listening to several of those vocalists backed up by the Basie band. Some of the singers we'll be hearing include Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Vaughn and others. I hope you enjoy this potpourri of singers with the great Count Basie Orchestra backing them up. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Bob Crosby and the Bobcats Sep 12, 2020

    The first song I ever heard by Bob Crosby and his Orchestra was The South Rampart Street Parade. I was hooked on the joyous sound of their music. I didn't know that one of my earliest jazz clarinet listening masters was influenced by Irving Fazola who was the clarinetist in the Crosby band. I admired Bob because although he was the front man he didn't get in the way of his musicians. I hope you enjoy this look at the great band of Bob Crosby and the Bobcats. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Uncollected Elliot Lawrence 1946 Sep 05, 2020

    If he had been born ten years earlier, Elliot Lawrence might have been one of the more significant bandleaders of the swing era. As it worked out, he was a bit of a prodigy, leading a strong dance band when he was only 20, but by then (1945), the swing era was ending. Today's show features music from the Hindsight record, The Uncollected Elliot Lawrence 1946. This show is chocked full of songs from the Great American Songbook. I hope you enjoy this look at a great pianist and bandleader, Elliot Lawrence. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The War Soundtrack Part 2 Aug 29, 2020

    This week we continue with part two of The War Sound Track. The War was a 2007 documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns. He used music from the 1930's and 1940's to underscore this film on World War 2. When the film was finished, Sony sent the soundtrack to us at the radio station I work at. It has many of your favorites and I thought I would bring back this show I did shortly after the release of the series in 2007. I hope you enjoy the music from this landmark series. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The War Soundtrack Part 1 Aug 22, 2020

    In 2007 Ken Burns, the noted documentary filmmaker, produced a series on World War 2 called The War. In it he used lots of songs from the big band era. Sony sent the soundtrack of the show to us at the radio station. It came on four cds with lots of music from the show. I have reached back into the Big Band Bash archive to pull out a two part show that I produced featuring the music from the Burn's show. There is a lot of different artists in these two programs and I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Uncollected Stan Kenton 1941 Aug 15, 2020

    From Hindsight Records comes another selection for this week's program. Today we'll be presenting The Uncollected Stan Kenton 1941. These are some early Kenton broadcasts from Balboa Beach in California. Many of these selections were never recorded commercially by Stan so it is a treat to hear them. Red Dorris and Chico Alveraz are two of the early Kenton band members to stand out. The Big Band Bash puzzler is back this week so I hope you have your thinking caps on. I hope you enjoy this look at the early Stan Kenton Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Cotton Club Aug 08, 2020

    Today's show is a look at another famous venue for the big bands, The Cotton Club. Let's go back to the sounds of The Cotton Club as we hear from some of the bands that used to perform there. We'll be hearing from such bands as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fletcher Henderson, and Jimmie Lunceford. We'll also take a look at the history of the Cotton Club. I hope you enjoy this look at a very famous club that featured many of the big bands, The Cotton Club. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Savoy Ballroom Aug 01, 2020

    Today's show is a look at a very famous venue for he big bands, The Savoy Ballroom. We'll learn about the place they called, The Home of Happy Feet. I've picked four bands that were considered the head line bands that played at the Savoy to feature on our show. The bands are, Chick Webb, Erskine Hawkins, Cootie Williams, and Lucky Millander. There is some great music in this program and I hope it causes you to have happy feet. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Mr. HiDeHo Man, Cab Calloway Jul 25, 2020

    Today we look at the music and career of the great bandleader, Cab Calloway. He was an American jazz singer, dancer, bandleader and actor. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist of the swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years. He led a top notch band and produced some fantastic music. I hope you enjoy this look at the late Cab Calloway. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Tribute to Johnny Mandel Jul 18, 2020

    Johnny Mandel passed away on June 29th 2020. He was 94 years old. As a composer he wrote some endearing songs that are still being played today. He was also a very fine arranger. Staring in 1949, Johnny arranged for several big bands as well as played trombone in them. We are going to take a look at his life and listen to some of his arrangements and compositions on the show today. I hope you enjoy this look at the music of the late Johnny Mandel. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Uncollected Raymond Scott-Skinnay Ennis Jul 11, 2020

    This week has more songs from the records of the series The Uncollected. Today I am featuring The Uncollected Raymond Scott 1944 and The Uncollected Skinnay Ennis 1946-1948. Raymond Scott's music is some of the most heard in the world after he sold his catalog to Warner Bros. and Carl Stalling used it in his cartoons. Skinnay Ennis was a popular vocalist who after launching his career in the Hal Kemp orchestra went on to lead a band of his own. There are some nice arrangements in this set. I hope you enjoy the music from the mid 1940's of Raymond Scott and Skinnay Ennis. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    American Celebration Jul 04, 2020

    July the 4th is an important day for us here in the United States. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. I tried to put some patriotic music together to celebrate this date. There is not that much patriotic music before World World 2 but what I could find I tried to include in this show. I hope everyone has a safe and happy July 4th holiday and enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Uncollected Les Brown 1944-1947 Jun 27, 2020

    The Uncollected series by Hindsight records has many recordings from the Big Bands. I started playing from this set a few weeks ago but I am going back to the series for the show today. There are three volumes by Les Brown in the series and I have picked a few songs from each disc. The highlight is hearing Doris Day singing live with the band performing their big hit Sentimental Journey. I hope you enjoy today's show as we listen to one of the greatest of the big bands, Les Brown. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A 100th Birthday Celebration for Miss Peggy Lee Part 2 Jun 20, 2020

    This is part two of our 100th birthday salute to Miss Peggy Lee. Last time, I played recordings from her early days in the 1940's. Today I'll be playing some assorted cuts off of her many albums from the 1950's and 1960's. Also I have a couple of clips from NPR. There is a lot of good music in this show. I hope you enjoy the music from one of the great vocalists as we celebrate her 100th birthday, Miss Peggy Lee. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A 100th Birthday Celebration for Miss Peggy Lee Part 1 Jun 13, 2020

    May 26th 1920 was the birthday of Peggy Lee. She got her start singing with Benny Goodman's orchestra and went on to world wide fame. This is part one of a celebration of the music that Peggy recorded. This episode is mainly from the 1940's and next week will be selections from her many albums. We'll learn about her career on the show today as well. I hope you enjoy this look at the music of Peggy Lee as we celebrate her 100th birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy Birthday Artie Shaw Part 2 Jun 06, 2020

    Our birthday salute continues this week with part two featuring Artie's performances on the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands. In August 1942, Coca Cola entered into an agreement with the Blue Network to launch the revised Spotlight Bands series. The Blue Network was the former NBC Blue Network. The name of the program was changed to The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands.The weeknight programs were extended from fifteen minutes to twenty five minutes. These two sets have some of your favorite Shaw songs. Happy Birthday Artie. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy Birthday Artie Shaw Part 1 May 30, 2020

    May 23, 1910 is the birthday of the late Artie Shaw. To celebrate his birthday I have put together a show from a CD set that I have. In 1945, Artie appeared on the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands five times. This set has all five shows on it. I really like this set because, in addition to a superb band, the sound is really good. So on part one we'll be hearing the first two shows with many of your Shaw favorites. I hope you enjoy this set as we wish Artie a happy 110th birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Louis Armstrong 1935-1946 May 23, 2020

    Greetings Everyone. Today's program is a show I recorded in 2013. I had to have some outpatient surgery this week and did not have time to produce a new show. So I have gone back into the Big Band Bash Archives and pulled out I show I did on Louis Armstrong. This features the Louis Armstrong Big Band and recordings he made between 1935 and 1946. There is a lot of the great Armstrong Trumpet in these recordings. I hope to be back next week with a new show but until then I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day holiday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Uncollected Casa Loma Orchestra 1943-1946 May 16, 2020

    The Casa Loma Orchestra was an American dance band active from 1929 to 1963. Until the rapid multiplication in the number of swing bands from 1935 on, the Casa Loma Orchestra was one of the top North American dance bands. I am continuing the Uncollected series this week with the Casa Loma Orchestra. The recordings in this set span the years of 1943 - 1946. There are some special guests recording with the band and we'll hear from Bobby Hackett, Red Nichols, and Ray Coniff. I hope you enjoy the music in this set as we learn about Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Uncollected Ozzie Nelson 1940-1942 May 09, 2020

    Ozzie Nelson led a big band from 1930 until 1944. He had a good musicians in the band and toured extensively during the 1930's. Today I am playing music from a series of records called "The Uncollected" The music was recorded between the years of 1940 - 1942. There is some good music in this set and we'll find out about Ozzie's career leading up to the beginning of the radio series. I hope you enjoy these recordings from Ozzie Nelson and his orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy Birthday Duke Ellington May 02, 2020

    You must feel sorry for some great musicians when their birthday rolls around, because some of them share April 29th the same anniversary as Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, America’s greatest composer, born in Washington. D.C. in 1899. For almost a half-century, Ellington wrote music of the highest order of art that also appealed to the general public. On the program today we celebrate Duke's birthday with some recordings from a five disc set call "The Uncollected Duke Ellington." These were recorded in 1946 and 1947. We'll also finish Duke's biography since in the past I always run out of time. I hope you enjoy this special birthday salute to one of America's greatest composers and bandleaders, Duke Ellington. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Ralph Marterie and Sy Zentner Apr 25, 2020

    On the show today I am presenting two exceptional bands from the 1950's and 60's. I have some of these recordings and I have to say they are really good. We will be learning about Ralph Marterie and Sy Zentner and if you have never heard of them you are in for a treat. The first half features Ralph's band and he plays most of the trumpet solos and then in the second half we'll feature the big band of Sy Zentner. I don't have a puzzler this week so get ready to listen to some exciting music from two big bands from the 1950's. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Chart Toppers Part 2 Apr 18, 2020

    Hello everyone. Today's program is part two of Chart Toppers of the 1930's and 40's. This was a show that I originally produced back in 2008. I kept all the music and redid some of the introductions. Also, the puzzler is back and it is a little challenging if I do say so. I hope I play some of your favorites on the show today. I hope everyone is well and safe. Remember, if you are practicing social isolation, what better way to pass the time than listening to this week's episode of Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Chart Toppers Part 1 Apr 11, 2020

    Chart Toppers is a show I did back in 2008. I have updated it and added in the Puzzler. These were the songs that were leading the charts back in the thirties and forties. This is a two cd set that i have and this is where the music comes from. Today's program is kind of a best of show with, i hope, many of your favorites. I didn't spend much time explaining the music as I do on some of the other shows I have done. Thank you so much for listening. Be well and be safe. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Spotlight on Ted Heath Apr 04, 2020

    Ted Heath led an exceptional Big Band in England after World War Two into the 1960's. He always had top notch musicians in his bands. I wanted to put together a show about Ted for quite a while and I hope you enjoy his recordings as much as I do. I'll be playing from two albums called Swing is King. I bought these albums early in my youth and have nearly worn them out they are that good. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this look at the bands of Ted Heath. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Tex Beneke 1946 Mar 28, 2020

    This week I am going to present two radio remotes from the Hollywood Palladium by Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1946. The Miller estate authorized an official Glenn Miller "ghost band" in 1946. This band was led by Tex Beneke who as time went on had more prominence in the band's identity. It had a make up similar to Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band, having a large string section. Henry Mancini was the band's pianist and one of the arrangers. I hope you enjoy these radio remotes on the CBS network from 1946 by Tex Beneke. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Spotlight On Jo Stafford Mar 21, 2020

    On today's show, I am going to shine the spotlight on vocalist Jo Stafford. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer before following a career in popular music, and by 1955 had achieved more worldwide record sales than any other female artist. I'll be playing some of the hits she had with Tommy Dorsey as well as some she had as a solo performer. If you like vocalists then you're sure to want to tune in. Jo Stafford is one of my favorite vocalists and I hope she is one of yours. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    On Location Part 2 Mar 14, 2020

    We continue this week with part 2 of On Location. These were recordings of the bands as they were out on tour playing for the public. Today we will be hearing from three bands: Harry James. Woody Herman, and Artie Shaw. This is a great set with the bands playing some of their hits as well as some new songs. Artie's set is from December 23, 1938 from New York and it is filled with Artie's great clarinet playing. I hope you enjoy part 2 of On Location. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    On Location Part 1 Mar 07, 2020

    During the era of the big bands, a radio broadcast was a very important way of getting the public to hear your band. Many of these broadcasts were recorded by fans and then were passed down and sometimes they ended up in the hands of record companies. The recordings on today's show were recorded when the bands were appearing on location. We'll be hearing the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Les Brown and the Benny Goodman Sextet on today's program. It is a fantastic show with lots of great music. I hope you enjoy this look at the big bands while they were appearing on location. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part 3: Nat King Cole Feb 22, 2020

    Black History Month Part 3 continues with a look at the music and career of the late Nat King Cole. A fantastic pianist, Nat found his biggest fame as a singer of popular songs. I picked Nat for our focus because I haven't presented a show on him in quite some time. In fact a lot of the introductions I copied from a program I did on Nat from 2008. The Big Band Bash puzzler is back this week so I hope you'll get your thinking caps ready. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy this look at the late Nat King Cole. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part 2: Billie Holiday Feb 15, 2020

    Black History Month continues this week with a look at the music and career of one of the most influential female vocalists in jazz Billie Holiday. Billie led a short and tragic life but the music she left behind is still being played and remembered. I'll be playing an assortment of her music as well as taking a look at her career. Also, the Big Band Bash puzzler is back so I hope you'll tune in or download the podcast. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Black History Month Part 1: The Mills Brothers Feb 08, 2020

    This week I am going to begin our celebration of Black History Month with a look at the popular vocal group the Mills Brothers. They were a fascinating group from their beginnings until the 1980's when some of the brothers started to pass away. I'll have several of their hits and as usual the Big Band Bash Puzzler is back. I'll have a few more artists in the weeks to come that I haven't featured before. I hope you enjoy this look at the fantastic vocal group, The Mills Brothers part of our Black History Month celebration. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Ray Anthony Birthday Salute Part 2 Feb 01, 2020

    This week is a continuation of our birthday salute to bandleader Ray Anthony. Ray turned 98 years of age on this past January 22nd. For the show today, I chose four different cds recorded by the Anthony band and picked songs that I thought were appropriate for the big band era. The big band puzzler is back this week also. I hope you'll tune in and listen to some great music by Ray Anthony as we wish him a very happy 98th birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Ray Anthony Birthday Salute Part 1 Jan 25, 2020

    Ray Anthony was born on January 20th 1922 and he is celebrating his 98th birthday. That makes him the oldest surviving member of the original Glenn Miller orchestra. This week and next I'll be playing a lot of Ray's big band recordings as we celebrate his birthday. On the show today, I have some songs from a 1953 broadcast where Ray's special guests were Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberle. Also, I have a radio remote from the Hollywood Palladium. You don't want to miss this special program as we say Happy Birthday to Ray Anthony. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    All American Bandleaders Magazine Part 2 Jan 18, 2020

    This week I am continuing with part two of our look at the 1942 magazine All-American Bandleaders. My father brought several old magazines home for me when I was in high school. I had them packed away in my closet and came across them recently. I scanned this issue in to the computer and made a PDF file of it. You can download a copy of it by going to my blog: http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com/ and clicking the lick for the magazine. The magazine has features from the popular bandleaders from the times and so I am following the playlist and presenting a song by each bandleader in the magazine. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    All American Bandleaders Magazine Part 1 Jan 11, 2020

    All American Bandleaders was a celebrity / fan magazine about 1940's bands and vocalists. I found one of these magazines from April 1942 that I had packed away in a closet. Each page was a little feature or story on a different bandleader. Since the magazine was 36 pages with hardly any advertisements I thought it would be fun to go through from the beginning to the end and play as many of the bandleaders as I could find. This week features bandleaders from pages 1 - 19 and we will wind up the rest next week. It is a big band potpourri from All American Bandleaders magazine this week on Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Disappearance of Glenn Miller Part 2 Jan 04, 2020

    The disappearance of Glenn Miller 75 years ago has been the subject of many theories over the years. We will take a look at some of the theories and listen to some more of those great sides recorded by Glenn and the Army Air Force orchestra. Also, I have a live radio program from July of 1944 which is a little different than his I Sustain The Wings series. I hope you'll find something enjoyable in this second of two parts on The Disappearance of Glenn Miller.Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Disappearance of Glenn Miller Part 1 Dec 28, 2019

    On December 15, 1944 Glenn Miller got into an airplane with the pilot and another passenger. He was headed to Paris to make arrangements for a Christmas Day concert and also to see about moving his Army Air Force Orchestra over there. The weather was not good when the plane took off. It was cold and foggy two conditions not suitable for air travel. The plane left at 2:00pm and the three air travelers were never seen again. Please join me for a look at the events and history of Major Glenn Miller's disappearance. I'll also be playing some of the recordings made by the AAF orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Stan Kenton Early Capitol Recordings Part 2 Dec 07, 2019

    This week is a continuation of our look at the career of the late Stan Kenton. Stan's birthday is December 15th, 1911 so this seemed like a good time to go back and listen to some of the many exciting recordings he made for Capitol Records in the 1940's. Since this Mosaic Records set has a very informative booklet, I tried to give the dates and arrangers for each song. The Big Band Bash puzzler is back this week. Also, I continued with and wound up the biography of Stan that I stated last week. I hope you enjoy this look at one of the greatest and most controversial of the big bands, Mr. Stan Kenton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Stan Kenton Early Capitol Recordings Part 1 Nov 30, 2019

    This week on Big Band Bash I will be presenting a two part show on the music and career of the late Stan Kenton. Stan's birthday was on December 15th so I thought now would be a good time to listen to some of those great, early recordings he made for Capitol Records in the 1940's. The music on the show comes from an out of print Mosaic Records Company set called "The Complete Capitol Studio Recordings of Stan Kenton." It was an eight disc set presenting his music in chronological order. Stan was a very controversial band leader so I have divided his biography into two parts. I hope you enjoy the music this week from band leader Stan Kenton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Thanksgiving Nov 23, 2019

    With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, I wanted to put together a show for that day as I have never produced a Thanksgiving show before. It turned out a little more difficult than I thought. I could only find one song in my collection that had the title "Thanksgiving". I'm not sure why there were not more results because there are songs written about other holidays. So not to be deterred I searched my collection for the word "Thanks" and found about a dozen songs. So to finish the show I added some songs about autumn. I also threw in some Thanksgiving trivia. I hope you enjoy the show and I want to wish each of you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Big Bands Play Jerome Kern Nov 16, 2019

    Song pluggers back in the 1920's used to promote songs from just about everyone trying to get their songs played whether they were good or bad. One composer who's songs were always good and made it into many Broadway shows was the late Jerome Kern. Today's show features the music of Jerome Kern as played by many assorted big bands. We'll be hearing from many of your favorite bands as we learn a little bit about one of the greatest composers whose songs are part of the Great American Songbook, Jerome Kern. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era Part 2 Nov 09, 2019

    Last week I started part 1 of a collection by Columbia Special Products called Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era. This is a six vinyl album set that I found in our station's record library. This set is no longer available but it had a lot of those nice songs from the 30's and 40's. These are the original recordings. This week we continue with part 2. I hope you enjoy the music in this set. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era Part 1 Nov 02, 2019

    Great Vocalists of the Big Band Era is a 6 LP set that I found while combing through our record library. This set is no longer available but it has a lot a varied songs and artists in it so a few months back I started digitizing the albums. Digitizing is a process by which the vinyl albums are recorded into a computer and then cleaned up by removing noise and clicks and pops. For the most part they turned out pretty good so for the next two weeks we'll be listening to some of the songs from this set. Since this collection was produced by Columbia Special Products all of the songs come from Columbia records. I hope you enjoy this set of Big Band potpourri as we listen to some of The Great Vocalists of The Big Band Era part 1. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Spotlight on Hal McIntyre Oct 26, 2019

    Hal McIntyre was an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Glenn Miller heard him play and drafted him as a founding member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, where he played from 1937 to 1941. Miller encouraged McIntyre to start his own group and starting in 1941 he put together his band where they played many major ballrooms throughout the United States, and played overseas for troops during World War II. This was one of the first shows I produced for Big Band Bash. I redid this show with new selections for this episode. I hope you enjoy this look at the great bandleader and saxophonist, Hal McIntyre. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Tommy Dorsey Oct 20, 2019

    Hello everyone. This week is a continuation of the two part series I started last week on the Dorsey brothers. This was a show I produces several years ago and am rebroadcasting. There are many of your favorite Dorsey hits and the Puzzler is back. I am in the process of producing some new shows and hope to start presenting them next week. Until then, thank you for your continued listening and support. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Jimmy Dorsey Oct 13, 2019

    Hello everyone. I apologize for missing last week and for being a little late with this week's podcast. My mother fell ill two weeks ago and passed away earlier th is week. Since I haven't had much time to produce a new show, I have gone back into the collection and pulled out two shows that I did on Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. There is a lot a good music in these shows. We'll being this week with a look at Jimmy and follow next week with Tommy. I would like to dedicate these two shows to the memory of my mother, Evelyn Earlene Miller. I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions Part 2 Sep 28, 2019

    I am continuing this week with part two of Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions which has selected cuts from the Mosaic Record Company's eight disc set of the same name. The sound quality is great and most of these songs are from Artie's classic years. All of the songs on the show are instrumentals as that was how Mosaic elected to produce the set. I hope to have a couple of shows in the future highlighting many of the Big Band vocalists. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions Part 1 Sep 21, 2019

    In 2011 I bought two 8 disc sets from the Mosaic Record Company. The first was dedicated to the Columbia sides of Benny Goodman which I presented a show on a few weeks ago. The second is what our show today is about. This disc set featured the classic Bluebird recordings of Artie Shaw. For all the vocal fan listeners I have to apologize as this set only focus on the instrumentals. But what a collection of instrumentals. We start from the year of 1938 and Artie's great recording of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" and continue from there. Many of the arrangements are by Artie himself or Jerry Gray. This is a great set that is, unfortunately, not for sale anymore. I hope you enjoy part 1 of " The Classic Artie Shaw Bluebird and Victor Sessions." Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Songs of 1937 Sep 14, 2019

    From the Big Band Bash archives comes this show that I did back in 2012. It is a little rough as I was still learning how to produce BBB. There were many great songs that premiered in 1937 and I picked out some of them on this show as well as some interesting things that was going on in the world at that time. Some of the songs on today's show include Goodnight My Love, Once In A While, It's Delovely, Where or When and Caravan. There is a wide variety of bands today and I hope you enjoy this look at songs and events from 1937. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy Birthday Count Basie Part 2 Sep 07, 2019

    Last week I started a two part birthday salute to the late Count Basie. This week I am going to continue with more early recordings from 1936 - 1939. In addition, I discovered that singer Jimmy Rushing, who was a member of Count Basie's band from 1935 - 1948, celebrates a birthday on August 26. So for the last half of the show we'll hear some of the recordings he made with the Basie band as well as learn about the career of the man they called Mr. Five by Five. So I hope you enjoy this birthday celebration of one of the greatest of all bandleaders Count Basie. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Happy Birthday Count Basie Part 1 Aug 31, 2019

    August 21st is the birthday of pianist and bandleader William Basie better know as the Count. I checked to see if I had done a birthday salute to him in the past and surprisingly I had not. So I hope you'll tune in and listen to some early Basie recordings from 1936 and 1937 as we learn about the career of one of the greatest of Big Band Leaders, Count Basie. The early 1936 band that the Count led was in my opinion one of his most exciting. Some of the players in this band included Jo Jones, Herschel Evans, Lester Young, Walter Page. There is some great music in Part One and next week we will continue with more music from the Basie Band and also celebrate the birthday of Jimmy Rushing and play some of the sides he recorded with Count Basie. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Big Bands Play Irving Berlin Aug 24, 2019

    Irving Berlin was one of the most prolific composers in the history of American popular song. Starting with Alexander's Ragtime Band he composed hundreds of songs that performers are still singing today. I have gone through my big band collection and pulled out many of his songs performed by various bands. I regret that I ran out of time and didn't get to play a few of my favorites. But we'll hear some of his big hits as well as learn about his early life. I hope you enjoy this look at the great composer Irving Berlin. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    June Christy Revisited Aug 03, 2019

    June Christy passed away on June 21, 1990. Since I didn't have a chance to remember her passing at that time I would like to do that on the today's program. I titled the program today, "June Christy Revisited" because I have already dedicated a show to her in the past. I thought we would play a few of those great Kenton sides and a few songs from the forties that she recorded on her own. We'll also take a look at her career plus the Big Band Puzzler is back this week. Please join me as we remember the late June Christy on her passing. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Alphabet Jul 27, 2019

    For a change of pace on this week's show, I'll be presenting a show I did about ten years ago called Big Band Alphabet. We'll be listening to song titles starting with the letter "A" and going to "Q" as I didn't have time to go all the way to "Z". It is a mixed and varied show and I hope I play a song or two from your favorite leaders from the Big Band era. I put together another show on our radio station that airs Saturday afternoons so sometimes I don't always have time to put together a new show for Big Band Bash. Thankfully I have the BBB vault to fall back on. This show is numbered #184 and currently we are on #449 so it is about ten years old. I hope you enjoy the Big Band Alphabet. Thanks so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties Part 2 Jul 20, 2019

    Last week on Big Band Bash, I started a two part series from a set from Smithsonian Collections called Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties. This was a six vinyl album set or a 4 CD set produced by jazz critics and historians Martin Williams and Gunther Schuller. It is not available anymore which is why I wanted to play some of the recordings from this set. Today we will continue with music from CDs three and four. This is a varied show so I hope I play something by one of your favorites. Also, the Big Band Bash Puzzler is back. I hope you'll tune in or download the podcast. Thanks so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties Part 1 Jul 13, 2019

    Today we start a two part series that was put together from Smithsonian Collections. This set is no longer available but it is called Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifties. It was originally released as a six vinyl album set and then re-released on 4 CDs. In 1973, Smithsonian Collections released "The History of Classic Jazz". Compiled by jazz essayist and historian Martin Williams, the album featured tracks from over a dozen record labels spanning several decades and genres of American jazz, from ragtime and big band to post-bop and free jazz. But there was a flaw in this set, there wasn't any big band recordings. So to fix this, another set was released compiled by Martin Williams and Gunther Schuller that featured the Big Bands. This week I'll be playing selections from CDs one and two. There is some great music in this set and I hope you enjoy the selections. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Trigger Alpert - A Tribute Jul 06, 2019

    This episode of Big Band Bash comes from the BBB vault. Originally produced and broadcast in 2014, this show was a tribute to the late Trigger Alpert who had passed away in Dec 2013. Trigger was an outstanding bassist who played with the Glenn Miller civilian orchestra as well as the Army Air Force Orchestra. Since Trigger did not record much under his own name, I have brought together many of the songs he was listed on when he was a member of Glenn Miller's band. I hope to have some new shows in a couple of weeks but until then I hope you enjoy this encore presentation of Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    July Fourth with Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestra Jun 29, 2019

    This coming Thursday is the Fourth of July which for us in the United States is celebrated as a day of independence. I don't have a lot of patriotic songs in my collection that I haven't presented at one time or another. So to celebrate July 4th I thought I would present some radio programs that Major Glenn Miller was in charge of. They are called "I Sustain The Wings" and were broadcast in 1944 in the latter part of World War II. The first two are about 15 minutes in length and the last one is about 26 minutes. There are some Miller favorites in the mix and Glenn, himself, does the announcing. I hope you have a safe and happy July 4th this Thursday as we celebrate Independence day. I even threw in a few facts about why we celebrate independence on July 4th. I hope you enjoy the music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Big Bands Play Cole Porter Jun 22, 2019

    I am a great fan of the songs and music that comprise the Great American Songbook and I hope you, the listeners, are too. Rodgers, Kern, Berlin, Mercer, Ellington and Porter wrote some of the most endearing songs that make me want to hear them time and again. About a year ago I did a show called the Big Bands play Richard Rodgers. On the show today I have pulled out some of those classic melodies written by Cole Porter. He led a very interesting life and composed some timeless songs until tragedy struck. I'll tell you a little bit about his life as we listen to different big bands play his music. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    We Remember Duke Jun 15, 2019

    Duke Ellington is one of my favorite composers, bandleaders and jazz icons. I have been collecting Ellington music for a long while first on vinyl albums then on cd's and now mp3s. Since I have a pretty extensive collection I can share his music with my listeners. Duke passed away on May 24th 1974 so I am a few weeks late with this program. I always like to remember Duke either on his birthday or on the day of his passing. To remember Duke I picked the year of 1940 to focus on. It was a very creative period for Duke as he composed and recorded quite a few of his hits. I hope you enjoy the music of Duke Ellington from the year of 1940 as we remember him on the anniversary of his passing. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    We Remember Doris Part 2 Jun 08, 2019

    For part two of our Doris Day tribute, I am going to wind up with some of the great Les Brown recordings and then play a few of her own recordings and then wind up with a radio remote from 09-20-1945 on the One Night Stand program. It is a program featuring Les Brown with Doris Day on the vocals. Doris is featured on two or three numbers and Brown band is in top form. I didn't do much announcing on this show since on last week's show I did a lot while talking about Doris' career. The Big Band Bash puzzler is back this week but I think it is an easy one. I hope you'll tune in as we present "We Remember Doris Part 2". Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    We Remember Doris Part 1 Jun 01, 2019

    Doris Day - whenever I hear her name I think of the many movies she starred in. But she was a very gifted vocalist whose first hits were made while she was a member of the Les Brown Orchestra. We lost Doris a few weeks ago, she was 97 years old. But thankfully we have the many recordings she made throughout her career. On this program, part one of two, I'll be featuring many of the songs that Doris recorded with the Band of Renown. We'll also take a look at her career from her youth in Cincinnati,Ohio up to her last roles. I hope you'll join me as we listen to those great recordings she made as we remember the late Doris Day. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Memorial Day with the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands May 25, 2019

    Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. In 1941, the Mutual Radio Network had the idea of broadcasting Swing Bands remotely from various halls around the country. Coca Cola was sold on the idea, and the first edition of Spotlight Bands was broadcast just days before Pearl Harbor. Patriotism is front and center and the music is hot! And it was on Spotlight Bands/Victory Parade. Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, Les Brown, Ted Fio Rito, Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong and many others lent their talents to the program. On today's show we present three band remotes: Les Brown, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Spivak. Note that on the Les Brown remote Doris Day is the vocalist. I hope you enjoy the music from the war years as we celebrate Memorial Day 2019. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Remembering Patty Andrews and Paul Tanner May 18, 2019

    This is a show that I produced shortly after the passing of Patty Andrews and Paul Tanner. Paul was the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the time of his death. Patty was of the singing Andrews Sisters. I pulled this show out of the Big Band Bash archives as I did not have time to produce a new show for this week. This show contains a radio remote featuring the Andrews Sisters with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. There is some great music in this show and I hope you enjoy it. I will try to have a new program for the next show. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Music of World War II Part 2 May 11, 2019

    On Big Band Bash this week we will continue with part 2 of the "Music of World War 2". Some of the artists we'll be hearing from today are Bing Crosby, Tommy Dorsey, Kay Kyser, Nat King Cole, Freddy Martin, Jimmy Dorsey, and Charlie Spivak. These were the songs that our men in the service were listening to as they headed into battle. World War 2 changed the big bands. During this time there were recording bans and out of this the vocalists became very popular. Also, because of gas rationing the bands didn't get to tour as much. I hope you enjoy the selections on the show from the years of 1940 to 1945. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Music of World War II Part 1 May 04, 2019

    A few months ago I had a request to do a program on the music of World War II. I did a program on this several years ago so I went into the Big Band Bash vault and pulled out this two part program. Produced in 2011, this program has some great songs from the years of 1940 to 1945. This was before I started the Big Band puzzler so that will be back soon. I hope you enjoy this nostalgic look at some of the songs that inspired us during the war years. I will have a new program in a couple of weeks. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Music of Jimmy McHugh Apr 27, 2019

    Jimmy McHugh was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. One of the most important songwriting partners McHugh had was lyricist Dorothy Fields, with whom he wrote "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" (1928), "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1930), and "I'm in the Mood for Love" (1935). We will be taking a look at the career and listening to many of his hit songs on the program today. If you are a fan of the Great American Songbook then you are sure to enjoy this show. Thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    They Passed Too Soon Apr 20, 2019

    The Bandleaders from the swing era led an exciting life or so I thought. Living their lives on the road was a perilous existence. Some died in car crashes while other developed illnesses while they were still young. Today's program focuses on bandleaders who passed from the scene much too soon. We'll be learning about Hal Kemp, Bennie Moten, Jan Savitt, Bunny Berigan, and others as we play a couple of numbers by each leader. Also, the Big Band Puzzler is back with another question to test your knowledge of the big band era. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the show.Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Freddie and Russ Apr 13, 2019

    Freddy Martin was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist. He led a band for many years in the 1930's but his real success came in 1941 with an arrangement from the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor. Martin recorded the piece instrumentally, but soon lyrics were put in and it was re-cut as "Tonight We Love" with Clyde Rogers' vocal – becoming his biggest hit. Russ Morgan was an American big band leader and arranger during the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the composers of "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" We will take a look at both of the bands and careers on this week's Big Band Bash. I hope you enjoy this look at two great bandleaders from the swing era. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Randy and Ina Ray Apr 06, 2019

    Randy Brooks was a phenomenal musician. At the age of 12, he was the winner in a competition of 2000 young trumpet aspirants. Two years later, he was asked to join Rudy Vallee's popular radio show. There Randy dazzled audiences with his superb classical trumpet solos. His real fame began when he joined the world famous Les Brown orchestra. When he started his own band, he set a long-run record at New York's famous Roseland Ballroom. However tragedy struck in 1950 when he suffered a cerebral stroke which left him partially paralyzed and unable to perform. Randy was married to fellow bandleader Ina Ray Hutton who led an all female big band. On the show today I divided it into two parts. The first half has music by the band of Randy Brooks and the second half has some recordings by the band of Ina Ray Hutton. I hope you enjoy this look at two great bandleaders from the swing era. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Look at Two Bandleaders Named Jan Mar 16, 2019

    Today's show is a look at two bandleaders from the swing era that were named Jan. Jan Garber was known as "The Idol of the Airwaves" in his heyday of the 1920s and 1930s, playing jazz in the vein of his contemporaries. Jan Savitt was known as "The Stokowski of Swing", from having played violin in Stokowski's orchestra, was an American bandleader, musical arranger, and violinist. He was one of the first bandleaders to have an African-American vocalist in his band. Jan Garber had a sweet band but changed styles during World War II to a swing band. That lasted about three years when he disbanded and went back to his original style of music. Jan Savitt was very populat but died suddenly in 1948 of a brain hemorrhage. I hope you enjoy this look at two different bands from the swing era that were both led by two violin playing leaders with a first name of Jan. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Fran Warren - A Rememberance Mar 09, 2019

    This week I am going to pay a tribute to the late Fran Warren. She was born and passed away on the same day, March 4th. She was born as Frances Wolfe to a Jewish family in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City. After some time on a chorus line at New York's Roxy Theater, she auditioned with the big band of Duke Ellington at age 16; though she never made it onto Ellington's band, she soon became a singer with bands led by Randy Brooks, Art Mooney, Billy Eckstine, Charlie Barnet, and Claude Thornhill. It was Eckstine who gave her the stage name of Fran Warren. With Charlie Barnet, she replaced Kay Starr as featured vocalist. In 1947, she made the charts for the first time, with the Thornhill band's recording of "A Sunday Kind Of Love" on Columbia Records. This show was produced in 2013 shortly after Fran passed away. Since we just passed March 4th I thought I would like to listen to some of those great recordings she made with Claude Thornhill. I hope you enjoy this rememberance of the late Fran Warren. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Louise Tobin - A 100th Birthday Celebration Mar 02, 2019

    My thanks go out to listener Karl Wingruber for his suggestion to do a show on Louise Tobin since she turned 100 years old back in November. I tracked down as many of her recordings as I could find and had fun doing it. She sang with Benny Goodman in 1939 and also with Will Bradley and various other bands. While married to Harry James she brought Frank Sinatra to his attention whom James eventually hired. I hope you enjoy the show as we have some recordings, interview segments and a couple of airchecks. Happy 100th birthday Louise. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1938 Carnegie Hall Concert Part 2 Jan 26, 2019

    Every year at this time I like to play some of the recordings from the Benny Goodman 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert. This was an important concert because it was the first time a jazz or swing band appeared there. I have done shows in the past but the concert was a couple of hours long so I always had to leave some songs out. Today's show features some of the songs I left out. Since I prepared this show for our local NPR station I had access to some of their snippets. So the first cut is a five minute snippet from last year and later on I have a longer cut that features the concerts climax Sing, Sing, Sing. There is some exciting listening ahead on this week's Big Band Bash. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Harry James 1971 Jan 19, 2019

    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

    Harry James Uncollected 1943-1946 Jan 12, 2019

    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

    Focus On The Small Groups Jan 05, 2019

    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

    Gene Krupa Revistited Dec 29, 2018

    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

    A Fireside Big Band Christmas Part 2 Dec 22, 2018

    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

    A Fireside Big Band Christmas Part 1 Dec 15, 2018

    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

    The Vocal Groups Dec 01, 2018

    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

    Sounds Of The Swinging Years Nov 24, 2018

    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

    Part 5: The Trombone Playing Bandleaders Nov 17, 2018

    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

    Part 4: The Trumpet Playing Bandleaders Nov 10, 2018

    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

    Part 3: The Piano Playing Bandleaders Nov 03, 2018

    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

    Part 2: The Saxophone Playing Bandleaders Oct 27, 2018

    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

    Part 1: The Clarinet Playing Bandleaders Oct 20, 2018

    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

    Final Glenn Miller AAF Orchestra Shows Oct 13, 2018

    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

    Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy Oct 06, 2018

    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

    The Vocalists Part 2 Sep 29, 2018

    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

    The Vocalists Part 1 Sep 22, 2018

    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

    The Birth of Swing, Part 2 Sep 15, 2018

    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

    The Birth of Swing, Part 1 Sep 08, 2018

    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

    My Man Benny, Benny Carter That Is Sep 01, 2018

    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

    Spotlight on Sonny Dunham Aug 25, 2018

    Every week on Big Band Bash I try to present a variety of bands and formats. Sometimes the leaders are well known and sometimes they are not but I always try to present good music from the bands of that era. Today's show is on an excellent trumpet player who led a big band but who didn't quite achieve the fame of some of the other leaders. Today we are going to spotlight the band and trumpet of Sonny Dunham. Sonny played for a while with the Casa Loma Orchestra and then he led his own band. In addition to some of the sides that feature the Dunham orchestra, I have a 30 minute radio remote featuring Sonny's band on the One Night Stand show. There is a lot of great music on the show and I hope you enjoy this look at Sonny Dunham and his Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Number Two in the Charts Aug 18, 2018

    During the swing era, many of the record companies and music publishers kept track of a song's weekly standings in the polls. Just as they do today, bandleaders hoped that their recordings would reach the number one spot in the lists. But, sadly, some only made it to the number two position and then no higher. On the show today, we are going to be listening to songs from the years of 1940 and 1941 that only made it to number two. There are some great songs in this set. I got the idea for this show from a fellow big band broadcaster who has since retired. I hope you enjoy this show that I titled, "Number Two in the Charts". Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Lyrics by Johnny Mercer Aug 11, 2018

    On this week's show, instead of focusing on bandleaders or musicians, I would like to take a look at the career of one of the greatest of the American lyricists Johnny Mercer. John Herndon Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He was also a record label executive, who co-founded Capitol Records. He is best known as a tin pan alley lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others. I have pulled out some a variety of songs all with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. I hope you enjoy the selections as we learn about the master lyricist Johnny Mercer. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Echoes of Harlem Jul 28, 2018

    On this week's show I am going to take a look at the area of New York City known as Harlem. There have been many songs written about that particular area so I thought it would be interesting to learn about it and explore some of the many songs that have Harlem in the title. Some of the bands we'll be hearing from include Duke Ellington, Mildred Bailey, Stan Kenton, Gene Krupa, Bunny Berigan, and Erskine Hawkins. I hope you enjoy this look at some of the many bands celebrating the spot of New York known as Harlem. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    "Into The 50's" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 Jul 21, 2018

    This week I am going to continue with Part-two of "Into the 50's" from the Time Life series "The Swing Era". Today's show focuses on songs from the the late 1940's and early 1950's. There are only a couple more volumes in this set and the producers of the series stopped using individual years and lumped several years together. So today, we'll be hearing from the bands of Benny Goodman, Ralph Flanagan, Ted Heath, Count Basie and several others. There are some great songs in this set so lets go back to the years right before 1950 and hear some exciting music from the big bands. As always I am following the playlist from the original set and playing the original artists instead of the recreations. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    "Into The 50's" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 Jul 14, 2018

    This week I am going back to another set in the Time Life series "The Swing Era". Today's show focuses on songs from the the late 1940's and early 1950's. There are only a couple more volumes in this set and the producers of the series stopped using individual years and lumped several years together. So today, we'll be hearing from the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Glenn Miller, Harry James, Woody Herman, and Ted Heath and several others. There are some great songs in this set so lets go back to the years right before 1950 and hear some exciting music from the big bands. As always I am following the playlist from the original set and playing the original artists instead of the recreations. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Famous Ballrooms Jul 07, 2018

    Because we celebrated our nation's birthday this week, I went back to the Big Band Bash archives to pull out a show I recorded back in 2011. I think it is an interesting show and doesn't feature any one band. It was a show I did on some of the famous ballrooms that the big bands played at. Some of them were quite famous and a few are still around today. I have quite a few air checks in my collection so I tried to play selections from the ballrooms they were appearing at. We will learn about such places as the Glen Island Casino, Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook, The Pallomar Ballroom and others. I hope you enjoy this trip back to the 30's and 40's as we hear the Big Bands coming to you from their Famous Ballrooms. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Count Basie - 1939 Jun 30, 2018

    1939 was a great year for the Count Basie orchestra. This was the last year of their three year contract with Decca records where they would record many of their hits. He still had Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Jimmy Rushing and other original members in the band. He also had a great female vocalist in the band named Helen Humes. I have been listening to the Count Basie band since I was a teenage as my father had some Basie lps in his collection. I hope you enjoy this look at one recording year in the history of one of the greatest swing bands in history - the great Count Basie Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Ray Anthony - Two Remotes Jun 23, 2018

    Ray Anthony has led a big band for many years starting in the late 1940's. He played trumpet in the original Glenn Miller orchestra and after the war started his own band. He has had a lot of first class musicians play in his band throughout the years. On the show today I found a remote which was part of the One Night Stand series. It was recorded at the Hollywood Palladium in the early 1950's. Then in the second half we'll be listening to some selections from an early television show that Ray had as a summer replacement also from the early 1950's. He had two special guests singing with his band on this show. Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly. Get ready to get your feet tapping to the great band of Ray Anthony recorded live during the early 1950's. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Big Bands Play Richard Rodgers Jun 16, 2018

    Richard Rodgers was an American composer of music, with over 900 songs and 43 Broadway musicals, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant composers of 20th century American music. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. His music has been recorded by many different artists throughout the last century and into this one. On the show today, I thought it would be fun to listen to the great big bands interpret the music of Richard Rodgers. He is truly a giant of the Great American Songbook. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Chick and Ella Jun 09, 2018

    In 1934 the Chick Webb orchestra was looking for a new singer. They hired a very young girl who had no big band singing experience. She developed into one of the greatest jazz singers in the world. On the show today I am going to be playing from a Mosaic records collection that feature all the recordings that Ella Fitzgerald made with the Chick Webb orchestra from 1934 to 1941. This is a fabulous collection and consists of 8 cds. I picked a sample of the selections from that set for the show today. I hope you enjoy this look at Ella Fitzgerald singing with the Chick Webb orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Covers Jun 02, 2018

    When a band records a song that was made popular by another band the second band is said to be covering that song by the first band. For example when Benny Goodman recorded Frenesi that is a cover since it was a hit by Artie Shaw. Covers were very common in the big band years and I pulled out several that I found in my collection. There were many more available but I think you'll find it interesting to hear your favorite song done in a different way than the original. We'll be hearing from Kay Kyser, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and many more. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Will Bradley and His Orchestra May 12, 2018

    Will Bradley along with drummer Ray McKinley led a very exciting band from 1939 to 1942. The Bradley band became well known for boogie-woogie, particularly its hit record, "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" In 1942, McKinley departed to form his own band. Bradley hired trumpeter Shorty Rogers and drummer Shelly Manne, but many members wound up in the military due to the draft, and the band dissolved. On today's program we will take a look at and listen to many of those great Bradley recordings. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    They All Played Ellington May 05, 2018

    April 29, 1899 was the birthday of the pianist, composer and big band leader Duke Ellington. I've gone back into the Big Band Bash vault and pulled out a program featuring other bands playing Duke's music in honor of his birthday. It is interesting to hear songs that Ellington composed played by other bands. I produced this program about six years ago and haven't listened to it since then. I hope you enjoy this program of Ellington music as we celebrate Duke Ellington's birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    "The Postwar Years" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 Apr 28, 2018

    This week's show is part two of the Time-Life Swing Era set, "The Postwar Years". We are winding down this great set as there are only a few more volumes in the series. On the show today we will be hearing the bands of Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Harry James, Nat King Cole and others. After World War Two ended the big bands became less popular and vocalists seemed to gain in popularity. I hope you enjoy the music in this set and don't forget, The Big Band Bansh Puzzler is back this week. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    "The Postwar Years" Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 Apr 21, 2018

    This week I am going back to another set in the Time Life series "The Swing Era". Today's show is called "The Postwar Years" and features songs from the years after World War II. There are only a couple more volumes in this set and the producers of the series stopped using individual years and lumped several years together. So today, we'll be hearing from the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Les Brown, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, and Harry James and several others. There are some great songs in this set so let's go back to the years right after World War II and hear some exciting music from the big bands. As always I am following the playlist from the original set and playing the original artists instead of the recreations. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Doris Day 96th Birthday Salute Apr 14, 2018

    One of the most popular songs from the 1940's was Sentimental Journey. The band that recorded it was Les Brown's and the vocalist was a young Doris Day. Doris recently celebrated her 96th birthday. In order to celebrate her birthday I referenced a box set that I have called "Doris Day 1947-1950". Included in this set are many of the recordings she made for Columbia records when she was starting out as a solo performer. Many of these recordings have string accompaniment backgrounds so I hope you'll excuse the lack of a big band. Also, these are all songs from the great American Songbook and in between the selections we'll be learning about the career of Miss Doris Day. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Salute to Peggy Lee Apr 06, 2018

    The first song I ever heard Miss Peggy Lee sing with a big band was "Why Don't You Do Right" when I was back in college. I have been trying to do right ever since by listening to as much of her music as I could. I haven't produced a show on Peggy Lee so I wanted to go back and listen to some of those great recordings she made with Benny Goodman's band and on her own. She had a very long career so the show today features songs she recorded in the 1940's. I hope you enjoy this look at the career and music of Miss Peggy Lee. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    We Remember Erskine Hawkins Mar 31, 2018

    Our show this week is a look at bandleader Erskine Hawkins. He is mostly known as the composer of the hit Tuxedo Junction. But in addition to composing, he was a fine trumpet player and a well liked and respected bandleader. Some of the band's hits include Tippin' In, After Hours and Bicycle Bounce. His nickname was "The 20th Century Gabriel" which some of the music critics of the day did not like. Hawkins died at his home in New Jersey in 1993 and is buried in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery. I hope you enjoy this look at the great band of Erskine Hawkins. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Bands Live - Part 2 Mar 24, 2018

    This week we are continuing with Big Bands Live Part 2. The music comes from a CD set called Big bands live. Each CD had 5 or 6 selections from different bands recorded live while they were appearing on location. I produced these two shows about nine years ago so if the introductions sound a little strange that's why. But introductions aside, there is some really nice recordings in this set and luckily there was enough music for two programs. On Part Two of Big Bands Live we'll be hearing the bands of Harry James, Woody Herman and Artie Shaw. I hope you enjoy these live recordings by some of the great big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Big Bands Live - Part 1 Mar 17, 2018

    This week I am going back to the first of a couple of programs I produced several years ago. The music comes from a CD set called Big bands live. Each CD had five or six selections from different bands recorded live while they were appearing on location. I produced these two shows about nine years ago so if the introductions sound a little strange that's why. But introductions aside, there is some really nice recordings in this set and luckily there was enough music for two programs. On the show today we'll be hearing the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey and Les Brown. I hope you enjoy these live recordings by some of the great big bands. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Arrangers: Eddie Sauter Mar 10, 2018

    This week I'm continuing with a listener's request from a few months ago. He wanted me to do a few shows on some of the Big Band arrangers. A few months ago I did a show on Sy Oliver and today we are focusing on Eddie Sauter. Eddie wrote some fantastic arrangements for Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Ray McKinley and a few others. Sometimes Eddie's arrangements were too sophisticated and Benny would alter them. One of his best arrangements was done for saxophonist Stan Getz for the album Focus. I hope you enjoy this look at one of the greatest arrangers of the big band era, Mr. Eddie Sauter. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Remembering Vic Damone Mar 03, 2018

    On February 11, 2018 Vic Damone passed away. Vic was one of the great vocalists from the late 1940's on who sang songs from the great American Songbook. To remember Vic on the show today, I thought I would play some of his early hit records and then a few songs from a live performance at Basin Street East which was in New York City. The great vocalists are quickly passing away but at least we can listen to their recordings as we remember them. Vic was 89 when he passed away and luckily for us he left a large recorded legacy. I hope you enjoy this look at the career and music of the late Vic Damone. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Mary Lou Williams - A Tribute Feb 17, 2018

    In all the time I have been producing Big Band Bash, I have never done a program on the late Mary Lou Williams. It is always a challenge coming up with ideas for new programs. I try not to repeat myself so it was surprising to me that I had never done a program on Mary Lou. She was an exceptional pianist, arranger and composer. I learned a lot about her career and hope you will enjoy this look at her life and music. So for this week's celebration of Black History Month we will be featuring a look at the First Lady of Jazz Piano, Miss Mary Lou Williams. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1944-1945 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 2 Feb 03, 2018

    This week I am following up with Part 2 of the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era", with the second half from the years of 1944-1945. I had so much fun tracking down the originals in this series. As I have done in previous shows from the Time-Life series I am playing the original recordings and following along with the playlist from this set. We'll be hearing from Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Les Brown and more. There are a few more sets in this series and hopefully we will get to listen to them all. I hope you enjoy this volume in the series, "The Swing Era". Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1944-1945 Time Life - The Swing Era Part 1 Jan 27, 2018

    This week we return to the Time-Life series, "The Swing Era", with the volume from the years of 1944-1945. These were still the war years but there were still some great recordings made. As I have done in previous shows from the Time-Life series I am playing the original recordings. We'll be hearing from Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Les Brown and more. There are a few more sets in this series and hopefully we will get to listen to them all. I hope you enjoy this volume in the series, "The Swing Era". Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Benny Goodman - 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert Revisited Jan 20, 2018

    January 16th 1938 is the date of the Benny Goodman concert at Carnegie Hall. This was the first concert given in the respectable concert venue by a swing band. We are very fortunate that the concert was recorded. Since the recording date was during the infancy of recording, the sound quality is not as good as today's recordings. The concert was originally issued in a two-LP gatefold album in 1950, the nearly forgotten documentation of this historic event quickly became Columbia's best-selling jazz release, a distinction it was to hold for decades to come. Although rumored among collectors for decades, the public had no way of knowing that two big band numbers had been excised from the commercial release and all subsequent reissues. The original concert was over two hours so I have picked some selected cuts from that night. I hope you enjoy this look back at a legendary concert from 80 years ago. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Big Bands Play George Gershwin Jan 13, 2018

    George Gershwin has always been one of my favorite composers. I thought it would be fun to learn about his career as we listen to different bands playing his music. Some of the bands we'll be hearing include Artie Shaw, Benny Carter, Larry Clinton, Stan Kenton and Jimmy Dorsey. I hope you enjoy this look at one of America's great composers, George Gershwin. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    The Arrangers: Sy Oliver Jan 06, 2018

    As we begin the new year, I would like to honor a listener's request. He asked me to do a couple of shows on the big band arrangers. So today we are going to be listening to some of those fantastic arrangments by Sy Oliver. During the Big band era, Sy spent his career with two bands, Jimmie Lunceford and Tommy Dorsey. I decided to play a lot of the hits of Sy's from those two bands. So we start today with Sy Oliver and in the weeks to come I'll be looking at some of the other great arrangers like Eddie Sauter, Fletcher Henderson, and Bill Finegan. I hope you enjoy the music and thanks for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    A Hoagy Carmichael Celebration Dec 30, 2017

    Well, the New Year is upon us. Every year for the past several years I have usually played a special big band show called 1945 - 1946 New Year's Dancing Party. I ran this last year and it is still available. I didn't want to run this again so I am going to repeat a show from 2014. Back in November, Hoagy Carmichael had a birthday. Since there were other things going on, I missed doing a show on him. So today's show is one I recorded in 2014. It is a Hoagy Carmichael Celebration. Hoagy composed quite a few songs that are now part of the Great American Songbook. I think you'll enjoy this look at the music and career of the late, great composer, Hoagy Carmichael as we ring in the New Year. Happy Holidays everyone and thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1940's Christmas Traditions Part 2 Dec 23, 2017

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone. Welcome to Part 2 of my 1940's Christmas Traditions show. Last time in between the music I read some holiday traditions started in the 1940's. On the show today, I am going to be reading some Stocking Stuffers from the Associated Press. Stocking Stuffers is a series produced by the Associated Press that consists of about 50 segments on various holiday traditions. Each segment is about 10 to 15 sentences. It is very interesting and I hope you enjoy these segments as well as the music. Happy Holidays everyone and thank you for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1 Dec 16, 2017

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. This is part one of a program I call 1940's Christmas Traditions Part 1. Many of the ways we celebrate Christmas were started in the 1940's so I thought it would be interesting to learn how some of these traditions started. I am going to start the show with a segment from Franklyn D. Roosevelt's 1940 lighting of the Christmas tree speech and then we'll be into some big band holiday favorites. All the songs on today's show were recorded in the 1940's. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Stan Kenton Revisited Dec 09, 2017

    December 15th is the birthday of the late Stan Kenton and it has been awhile since I presented a program on Stan and his band so I wanted to go back and revisit his music again. As a musician it was his band from the 1950's that I enjoyed listening to the most. However, on today's show I'm going back to those great Kenton classics from the 1940's. I have really come to enjoy the vocals of Anita O'Day and June Christy when they were the vocalists with his band. I hope you will enjoy listening to this great music and learning about the career of the late Stan Kenton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Martha Tilton - A Birthday Salute Nov 18, 2017

    This week we pay a birthday salute to Martha Tilton who was born on November 14th, 1915. After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander Chorus on Benny Goodman's radio show, Camel Caravan. Goodman hired Tilton as a vocalist with his band in August 1937. She was with Goodman in January 1938, when the band performed at Carnegie Hall. She continued to appear as Goodman's star vocalist until the end of 1939. The program today has many of her recordings with the Goodman band and some released under her own name. I hope you enjoy this birthday salute to the late Martha Tilton. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Bunny Berigan - A Birthday Salute Nov 11, 2017

    Born on November 2, 1908, this trumpeter, despite the brevity of his career and his all-too-short life, remains one of the most compelling trumpet players in the history of music. Do you know who it is? If I said his initials were BB and his first name was not Bix then you would say I was speaking of the great Bunny Berigan. Today we pay a birthday salute to one of the most exciting trumpet players in Big Band history. We'll start with a couple numbers by Benny Goodman and then a couple by Tommy Dorsey. All of these have great solos by Bunny. Then we'll play some of the sides he recorded with his own band. I hope you enjoy this look at the music and career of the late Bunny Berigan. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Your Hit Parade - Part 5 Nov 04, 2017

    This week wraps up our look at the songs that were the hits from the 1940's as played on the radio show, Your Hit Parade. Today's show will feature songs from the years of 1948 and 1949. All the songs on this series came from a 10 CD set which, unfortunately, is no longer available. I have some new shows coming in the weeks ahead so I hope you'll keep downloading and tuning in. Thanks so much for listening. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Your Hit Parade - Part 4 Oct 28, 2017

    Welcome to part four of my five part series on the radio program Your Hit Parade. I am back to my old self so this week's show is one that I have rerecorded. Back in 2009, I produced the original series from a ten CD set that featured songs from Your Hit Parade. In the set, each CD was devoted to a particular year and there were more songs than I could play in an hour. Today's show features songs that I didn't get to play the first time around. We are going to listening to songs that were popular in the years of 1946 and 1947. I am going to conclude next week as we end the decade with songs from 1948 and 1949. I hope you enjoy the music from one of radios longest running shows, Your Hit Parade. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Your Hit Parade - Part 3 Oct 21, 2017

    This week I am going to continue with more music that was featured on Your Hit Parade during the years of 1944 and 1945. I am still a little under the weather so I am going back to the Big Band Bash vaults to pull out the original program in this series. I recorded a little introduction which you'll hear where I explain that this was originally aired in 2009. The theme is a little slower - it was the one I originally used until I found a little faster version. There is some great music in this set and I hope you enjoy this program in the Big Band Bash series from 2009. I hope to resume next week with different songs and a healed up voice. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Your Hit Parade - Part 2 Oct 14, 2017

    We continue with our look at the songs that were being played on Your Hit Parade during the years of 1942 and 1943. I apologize for the way my voice sounds on the introduction. I had prerecorded all the other spots and just needed to record the intro. Yesterday, I came down with a bad cold and woke up this morning sounding like a bull frog. Rather than substitute in a rerun I elected to record a short introduction. There are some great sides on this program so I hope you enjoy it not counting my rough sounding introduction. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Your Hit Parade - Part 1 Oct 07, 2017

    A few years ago I did a series of programs on the radio show Your Hit Parade. The songs came from a ten CD set that I have. Each CD features the songs from a certain year that were featured on Your Hit Parade. There were more songs on the CD than I could play in an hour show so I have decided to revisit this set and pick out different songs. Each show combines two years so today's show will feature songs from the years of 1940 and 1941. We'll also learn the history of the radio show as we listen to some great songs. I hope you'll join me for a potpourri of songs as we begin the series Your Hit Parade Part 1. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Helen Forrest - A 100th Birthday Salute Sep 16, 2017

    She was one of the greatest singers of the big band era. She sang with three of the most popular big bands. Her name is Helen Forrest and she was born on April 12, 1917. I missed her birthday back in April so today we are going to be listening to some of the many sides that Helen recorded with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James. When she left the James band Helen went on to a very successful solo career. She died in 1999. I hope you enjoy this birthday salute to the great Helen Forrest. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Larry Elgart - A Tribute Sep 09, 2017

    We lost another Big Band leader a few weeks ago. Larry Elgart was 95 when he passed away at his home in Florida. Larry, who led a big band with his brother, was a fine alto saxophonist and composer. He had a big hit in 1982 with a medley of big band hits set to a disco beat. It was called Hooked On Swing, a companion piece to Hooked on Classics. I'll be playing one of these selections at the close of the show. I hope you enjoy the music from a great big band led by Larry Elgart. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Bob Eberly - A Birthday Salute Sep 02, 2017

    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

    Bea Wain - A Tribute Aug 26, 2017

    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

    Glenn Miller Ghost Bands Aug 19, 2017

    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

    Record Labels Part 3 - RCA Bluebird Aug 12, 2017

    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

    Record Labels Part 2 - Columbia Aug 05, 2017

    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

    Record Labels Part 1 - Decca Jul 29, 2017

    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

    Swing That Music Part 5 Jul 08, 2017

    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

    Swing That Music Part 4 Jul 01, 2017

    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

    Swing That Music Part 3 Jun 24, 2017

    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

    Swing That Music Part 2 Jun 17, 2017

    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

    Swing That Music Part 1 Jun 10, 2017

    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

    A D-Day Anniversary Rememberance Jun 02, 2017

    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

    Artie Shaw - A Birthday Salute Part 2 May 26, 2017

    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

    Artie Shaw - A Birthday Salute Part 1 May 19, 2017

    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

    Sinatra - The Dorsey Years Apr 15, 2017

    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

    Larry Clinton Apr 01, 2017

    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

    Gene and Roy Part 2 Jan 28, 2017

    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

    Gene and Roy Part 1 Jan 21, 2017

    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

    Les Brown Part 2 Jan 14, 2017

    This week I am continuing with a tribute to the late Les Brown who passed away January 4, 2001. There are some more interview segments with Les as well as some of those great recordings by the Band of Renown from the 1940's. The interview snippets come from an old series that we used to carry called One Night Stand. It was hosted by Chris Nielsen who, sadly, is no longer with us. These are some of Les' early recordings and some of his most popular. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Les Brown Part 1 Jan 07, 2017

    As we return from the holidays, I want to feature the big band of Les Brown. Les passed away January 4, 2001. Since we just passed the anniversary of his death I would like to play a program that I produced two years ago and feature those great les Brown recordings. I have included in the show snippets of an interview that Les gave in 1990 to Chris Neilsen. Chris is no longer with us but when he was alive he hosted a program called One Night Stand. These are some of Les' early recordings and some of his most popular. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    1940's Christmas Dec 24, 2016

    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

    Christmas Eve 1941 Dec 17, 2016

    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

    Benny Goodman - Two December Remotes Dec 10, 2016

    This week I've gone into my collection to pull out two radio remotes from Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. The first was recorded at the Congress Hotel in Chicago December 23, 1935 and the second was recorded December 22, 1937 at the Madhattan Room of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. We'll get to hear some vocals by Helen Ward plus lots of Goodman clarinet. I don't do much talking which might be a good thing but the announcer does a nice job of calling the tunes. I hope you enjoy this trip back in time to the 1930's and this great set by Benny Goodman. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Pearl Harbor - 75th Anniversary Dec 03, 2016

    This coming Wednesday, December 7th, is the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack and bombing of Pearl Harbor. We look back at this very important date in American history with some of the music from that time period. I couldn't find any playlists of music from that date so I elected to have a countdown of the top 16 songs from 1941. I am also going to interject some facts from that fateful day. I hope you find this show interesting as we pay tribute to the men and women who lost their lives on that day. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    June Christy - A Birthday Salute Nov 26, 2016

    I'm back this week with a new program celebrating the birthday of vocalist June Christy. June achieved her first fame with the Stan Kenton Orchestra of the 1940's. She went on to a very successful solo career in the 1950's and 60's. All of the recordings today feature June with the Kenton orchestra. I hope you enjoy these great recordings as we celebrate the birthday (November 20th) of the late June Christy. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbashfm.blogspot.com

    Anita O'Day - A Request Nov 19, 2016

    This week I am returning to a program I produced a few years ago. It was a program to honor a listener's request. It had been awhile since I featured the singing of Anita O'Day so I put together this program of some of her early big band recordings. She achieved her first fame with the Gene Krupa orchestra and then went on to sing with Stan Kenton. Most of the recordings on the show today are those great sides she recorded with the Krupa band. I hope you enjoy this look at one of the greatest big band vocalists, the late Anita O'Day. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Kay Starr - A Tribute Nov 12, 2016

    This week we pay a tribute to Kay Starr who passed away on November 3rd at the age of 94. Ms. Starr, whose career began when she was a teenager and continued into her 80s, was a rarity: a singer who blossomed in the big-band era of the 1930s and 1940s, hit it big as a pop and country artist, and scored one of her biggest hits in the emerging rock scene of the mid-1950s. I'll be playing many of the recordings of Kay that I could find from the 1940's. Although most of her biggest hits were from the 1950's I did find some nice songs from the 40's. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    The Dorsey Brothers Part 4 Nov 05, 2016

    On Part Four of the Dorsey Brothers we conclude the series with a live broadcast of the reunited brothers. The late 1940's was a hard time for the big bands with Tommy disbanding his band in 1946. But he couldn't stay away and was back with a new group. Jimmy gave up his band and the new group was billed as The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra featuring Jimmy Dorsey. They remained together until Tommy's death in 1956. The broadcast on today's show is from Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook ballroom recorded in 1955. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    The Dorsey Brothers Part 3 Oct 29, 2016

    On Part Three of the Dorsey Brothers we will turn our focus to the band of Tommy. When Tommy split from his brother Jimmy he took over the Joe Haymes orchestra. Molding it into the kind of band he wanted Tommy was soon recording many of his hit songs. I tried to pick out many of TD's hits and we will also learn about his career apart from Jimmy. In part four we will conclude the series with the reunited brothers in the 1950's. This is a great series filled with many hits that you are sure to like. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    The Dorsey Brothers Part 2 Oct 23, 2016

    On this the second part of my four part series on the Dorsey Brothers we will be focusing on Jimmy's orchestra. Jimmy was the older of the two brothers and after Tommy walked out on their combined orchestra, Jimmy continued the band under his name. He had many hits during the swing era and we will be playing many of them today. His biggest hits featured vocalists Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell. Next week I will be looking at the career of Tommy Dorsey and in part four we will conclude with the reunited brothers. This is a great series filled with many hits that you are sure to like. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    The Dorsey Brothers Part 1 Oct 16, 2016

    Today I am starting a four part series on the Dorsey Brothers, Tommy and Jimmy. Together and separately they recorded some of the biggest hits of the big band era. We will be starting with some of the early original recordings of the Dorsey Brothers orchestra. Then in part two, I will be focusing on Jimmy's orchestra. In part three we will look at Tommy's orchestra and in the final part we will look at the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra featuring Jimmy Dorsey when they were together again. This is a great series filled with many hits that you are sure to like. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Artie Shaw Revisited Part 2 Oct 08, 2016

    We continue this week with a show I produced in the summer of 2015. This is Part 2 of Artie Shaw Revisted. There are a couple of more interview segments with Artie from the series "The Mystery of Artie Shaw". Most of the music in this show is from 1940 on. The Big Band puzzler is gone this week to make time for the interview segments. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Artie Shaw Revisited Part 1 Oct 01, 2016

    Welcome to an encore presentation of a show I did in the Summer of 2015 on Artie Shaw. Here are the notes from that show: Artie Shaw has always been one of my favorite clarinetists. Since it has been a while since I did a program on Artie, I thought now is a good time. I have picked out many of Artie's hit records. In addition I'll be playing a few interview excerpts from the series "The Mystery of Artie Shaw" which ran on radio in the early 2000's. This series was produced by Ted Hallock who interviewed Artie in 1998. Artie is as feisty as ever even telling Ted at one point that one of the questions he asked was dumb. I hope you hear some of your favorite Artie Shaw recordings and enjoy the interview excerpts. The Big Band puzzler is gone this week to make time for the interview segments. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    The Arrangers - Part 2 Sep 03, 2016

    This week we continue our look at the arrangers. The arranger has a vast store of musical knowledge and uses it to take 15 to 20 musicians and create a musical masterpiece. They decide who plays when, what section is playing, who takes a solo and much more. Benny Goodman had a lot of the great arrangers working for him in the 1930's so I thought it would be interesting to focus on his band's hits and see who they were arranged by. We'll be hearing arrangements by Mel Powell, Eddie Sauter, Fletcher Henderson and more. I hope you will tune in. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    The Arrangers - Part 1 Aug 27, 2016

    This week we take a look at one of the most important members of the big bands - the arranger. The arranger has a vast store of musical knowledge and uses it to take 15 to 20 musicians and create a musical masterpiece. They decide who plays when, what section is playing, who takes a solo and much more. It is an art and we will take a look at some of the great arrangers and listen to some of their classic arrangements. We will be listening to songs from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Lunceford, Benny Carter and more. I hope you will tune in. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands - 4 Remotes Aug 20, 2016

    This week's program is an encore presentation of a show I did a couple of years ago. The Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands was the Coca-Cola Company’s big band legacy and its contribution to the war effort. An outstanding collection of 25 of America’s most popular big bands broadcasting live from military bases and defense plants from coast-to-coast during World War II. This week we will listen to four of these live radio remotes featuring the bands of Les Brown, Bob Chester, Jan Savitt, and Gene Krupa. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Claude Thornhill - A Birthday Salute Aug 13, 2016

    August 10th is the birthday of one of the most creative bandleaders in big band history, the late Claude Thornhill. He was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You", the latter recorded by Billie Holiday. I had never heard of Claude when a fellow Big Band lover asked me if I had ever listened to his music. I obtained a couple of his lp's (lp stood for long playing back then) and really enjoyed what I heard. Claude had an orchestra that was the forerunner of the classic Miles Davis "Birth of the Cool". To celebrate his birthday we'll revisit some of that great music. I hope you enjoy the music from one of the most original big bands of all time. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Tony Bennett - a 90th Birthday Salute Aug 06, 2016

    This past August 3rd was the 90th birthday of the great vocalist Tony Bennett. This program is a celebration of his life with many of his recordings and a look back at his career. I hope you enjoy the music from one of the greatest vocalist of all time, Mr. Tony Bennett. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Songs From 1944 - A D-Day Remembrance Jul 08, 2016

    I'm a little late with this episode but I wanted to remember all the men and women who took place in the D-Day Invasion by playing some of the music that would have been in the jukeboxes and on the radio in 1944. June 6, 1944 was the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy so along with the music I found some interesting facts about that historic day. The "D" in D-Day stands for Day as the planners of the invasion weren't exactly sure what day the invasion would take lace because of the weather. I hope you will join me for this special D-Day Remembrance. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Three by Three Part 3 Rosemary Clooney Jul 01, 2016

    This week we conclude the series Three by Three with a birthday salute to the late Rosemary Clooney. Rosemary was born on May 23 1928 and got her start singing with the band of Tony Pastor. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House". A favorite singer of mine, she recorded many cds for the Concord record label until her death in 2002. I hope you enjoy this look at the career and music of vocalist Rosemary Clooney. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Three by Three Part 2 Kitty Kallen Jun 25, 2016

    This week we continue our birthday celebarations with a salute to the great Kitty kallen. She was born on May 25, 1921 and her career spanned from the 1930's to the 1960's. She performed with some of the most popular bands of the 1940's. She was voted the most popular female singer of 1954 by Bilboard and Variety magazines. I hope you enjoy this look at the career of the fantastic vocalist, Kitty Kallen. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Three by Three Part 1 Helen O'Connell Jun 18, 2016

    This week starts a three week birthday celebration of three great Big Band female vocalists Helen O'Connell, Kitty Kallen, and Rosemary Clooney. They all have their birthdays around the same time so I thought it would be interesting to learn about these three great vocalists as well as listen to their fantastic recordings some of which are the best from the big band era. We'll start off this week with a look at the career of Helen O'Connell who spent most of her time with the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Happy Birthday Glen Gray Jun 10, 2016

    Glen Gray, leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra, was born on June 7th 1906. The Casa Loma Orchestra was a popular American dance band active from 1927 to 1963. When the big bands went into decline after World War II the orchestra disbanded in 1947. Glen Gray started out playing saxophone in the band and then went on to become its leader. In 1956, he went back into the studio to record the first of what became a series of LPs for Capitol Records. I hope you enjoy this encore presentation from last year celebrating Glen with the Casa Loma Orchestra. Please visit this podcast at http://www.fgmiller.com/bbb/

    Duke Ellington A Birthday Salute May 07, 2016

    April 29, 1899 is the birthday of one of Big Band's greatest composers Duke Ellington. I have been an Ellington fan for over 40 years and continue to discover new music by him that I have never heard. I last paid tribute to Duke during Black History month of 2015. Rather than produce a new program, I elected to run this one again. This show focuses on the years of 1940 and 1941 2 of Duke's most prolific years. I hope you enjoy this encore presentation of Big band bash as we salute Duke Ellington's birthday. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbash.libsyn.com

    Big Bands Live Part 2 Apr 30, 2016

    This week is part 2 of the Big Bands Live series that I started last week. This week we will be hearing the bands of Artie Shaw, Les Brown, Bob Crosby, and Larry Clinton. Artie's show is from sometime in late 1938 or early 1939. Les Brown's set is from his early band when he was billed as Les Brown and his Duke Blue Devils. I don't have a date for the Crosby and Clinton broadcasts. There are some really nice performances here and I hope you'll tune in. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbash.libsyn.com

    Big Bands Live Part 1 Apr 23, 2016

    This week I am going to start a two part series called Big Bands Live. This comes from a Reader's Digest Records set that I have. There is anywhere from 5-6 selections from each band and these were all recorded live off the radio. There are some exciting performances and this week we will be hearing the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey and Woody Herman. Also, the big band puzzler makes it's return. I hope you'll tune in and listen. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbash.libsyn.com

    Doris Day - A Birthday Salute Apr 16, 2016

    April 3rd of this year marks the 92nd birthday of vocalist and actress Doris Day. Before she gained fame as an actress, Doris sang with a few big bands notably Les Browns. To celebrate her birthday I have gone back into my collection and pulled out a show I produced three years ago. Most of the songs on this show are ones that Doris recorded with the band of Les Brown. There is some great music in this set and I hope you enjoy it. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbash.libsyn.com

    Four Different Male Vocalists Mar 02, 2016

    As we wind up Black Histoy Month on the program today, we are going highlight four African-American male vocalists who sang with the big bands. The four singers are Jimmy Rushing, Louis Jordan, Billy Eckstein, and The Mills Brothers. There is some great music today and we'll also learn a little bit about their careers. Please visit this podcast at http://bigbandbash.libsyn.com

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