April 19-20, 2008
INSTRUMENTAL PLAYBOOK
Since the '50s when singers became stars
and rock celebrated small guitar-heavy
groups, Big Band instrumentals have been in short supply. We look back at the time when music in imaginative arrangements was important to listeners without the words. Admittedly, this program reflects some oft-repeated favorites, but also introduces us to appealing sounds not frequently heard. Relatively current releases combine with seasoned recordings to form this amalgam of delightful music without words.
April 26-27, 2008
SINGLE WORD TITLES
Years ago a listener suggested we do an entire
program of tunes with one-word titles. Since
then we've been on the lookout for such melodies and this program coalesces that search. The nice thing about basing a program on such a non-music foundation is the variety it yields, everything from novel vocals to serious romantic songs. Big Band demonstrations, small groups, solo piano and reasonably obscure recordings combine with standards. If you like musical exploration mixed with the expected, perhaps this program will appeal to you.
May 3-4, 2008
THE IN-BOX
How long has it been since we've looked into the in-box?
It's a box in the corner of the studio where newly arrived CDs
are put pending a hearing. (Sounds like a legal proceeding!) Often the time isn't quite right to listen to these new releases when they arrive, so they're put in the box, and that's the source for this program. CDs of every description arrive regularly, some with brand new singers and/or bands, some with collections of memorable standards presented in a new way.
May 10-11, 2008 KENTON RETROSPECTIVE (Repeat listing for new subscribers) This is a
collection of classic Kenton from the earliest days to the early '50s with the most familiar of Kenton's recorded work. To help with the story we've excerpted comments from various Kenton interviews. Kenton is one of the three or four most requested artists in the history of BBJ.
May 17-18, 2008
BIG BAND PROFILES
Rather than devote an entire program to one
artist or style, the "Big Band Profiles" series
offers several bands in highlight performances.
On this program we hear overview stories and top recordings of Art Mooney, Si Zentner, Elliot Lawrence, Billy May, Bert Kaempfert and Ted Heath. The profile program allows us to cover a great deal of musical and anecdotal territory in short bursts resulting in greater variety.
May 24-25, 2008
THE DISTAFF SIDE
Most of the recordings released today in the
style of Great American Music feature lady singers. There are, of course, some men in the
mix, but on this BBJ we concentrate on the ladies who have recorded in the past two
decades, keeping the style alive. Toni Tennille, Diana Krall, Lynn Roberts and
Linda Ronstadt are combined with some names you may not know. Terry Blaine,
for example, is a less familiar artist with a fresh presentation who is grounded in the
titles representing the time when composers wrote memorable songs. Both new and
well-known singers make up this BBJ.
May 31/June 1, 2008
CURRENT BIG BANDS
The basis of BBJ is to keep the sound of the Big
Bands alive. The original bands from the era
are, of course, preferred because their sound is so familiar, but the sound is also being sustained by current bands all over the nation. Les Brown said it so well: "There are more bands in the United States today than during the Big Band Era but they have no place to play." We hear some of those bands performing both classic arrangements and fresh material.
June 7-8, 2008
BIG BAND IMITATIONS
Most of the imitations came after the Big Band
Era as record companies filled the public's need
to hear familiar sounds during the first wave of
'40s nostalgia. Newer bands, usually put together expressly for studio recording sessions, often imitated the previously popular arrangements of well-know bands of the era, sometimes with a slightly different sound. There were other instances when name bands saluted their other well-known brothers with their own versions of top recordings of previous years. We did a program similar to this one a decade and half ago; we re-visit the idea with a fresh approach and new imitative examples.
June 14-15, 2008
ELLINGTON LEGACY
So much of the popular music of America came
from the Duke Ellington organization. Some
compositions were given words to be performed most successfully by others; some remained as instrumentals demonstrating the highly identifiable sound of the Ellington Orchestra. You'll hear both categories in this program of titles all from the pens of Duke Ellington and his chief arranger Billy Strayhorn. More popular songs had Ellington-based melodies than we suspect, for his output was prodigious. Ellington by Ellington and others on this session.
June 21-22, 2008
THE SWEET BANDS
It doesn't happen as often as it used to, but once
in a great while a listener will phone or write to
suggest more sweet bands be heard on BBJ. Though listening won't be discouraged during this program, the sweet bands were most useful providing rhythms for dancing. Guy Lombardo will be heard as will Dick Jurgens, Eddy Howard, Vaughn Monroe, Lawrence Welk and Jan Garber, all with music filled with either romance or a gentle beat. There will be no surprises on this BBJ, just predictable music for dancing, but in this instance, listening too.
June 28-29, 2008
DESERT ISLAND PICKS
The time has come for us to hear the single,
solitary recording listeners would select to keep
them company if they were to spend the rest of their lives on a desert island. Numerous listener complaints said picking a single recording as a favorite was very, very difficult. The results of that brain-activating question is the basis of this BBJ. Each tune to be heard is someone's favorite above all others. We will, of course, name names as we reveal about two dozen different recordings demonstrating once again the wide variance of musical taste.
July 5-6, 2008
A FAMILY AFFAIR
As suggested by a listener (see LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR) this hour will consist of husband
and wife teams, sister acts, maybe even cousins and uncles or aunts working together. Oh, yes. Brother acts will be included as we hear the Dorsey Brothers perform for the troops during a time when they were barely speaking to each other. Singers working with husband/bandleaders will not be neglected. The variety engendered by this kind of program may just be worth a listen.
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