Big Band Bash

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

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