Mostly Big Bands
Fridays 7:10pm-9pm
Hosted by Richard Harrison, BigBandOlogist!
Ideally, the hottest Swing Bands, have eighteen musicians: a front
row of 5 "saxes/reeds", a middle row of five "bones", a back row of
five "trumps"...piano, drums, string bass, and rhythm guitar. Some have
girl or boy singers.
Music Style...
Prior to WWII, swing bands played the music of the day, were
found at dance halls, hotels, night clubs, even movie theaters.
Post-War big bands changed with the times, soon were found in record
studios, and on the concert stage. Such band music has become more jazz than dance
music.
Why Don't We Hear It Today?...
The modern recorded music scene is so segmented than no single radio station can
effectively feature all the music styles available today. Often, when big band music
is found, it's the same old stuff that's been heard for many years.
Host, Richard Harrison, has a record and CD collection that rivals most
radio stations libraries. His hobby is collecting recorded music, sports, news,
comedy recordings...in LP, 45's and 78 formats. CD's are often newly recorded big
bands, as well as reissues of the great big bands of the swing era (40's &
50's). "Jump-Swing" gets played from time to time. Big VooDoo Daddy,
Squirrel Nut Zippers, Brian Setzer...and other modern bands are mixed in with the standard
swing music.
Special Theme Shows...
Vocals are a feature every first Friday. Once a month, a "Name" band will
receive extra-special attention. About every three months, it's "Boogie Woogie,
Blues and Jive."
Lagniappe...
Besides big bands, vocals, and hot jazz combos, you'll hear long-forgotten, seldom heard
comedy skits and excerpts from sports broadcasts from the early days of radio. Bill
Stern is a favorite of Richard's.
You can view past program playlists by clicking on the
arrow below:
Host Biography:
Richard Harrison
Host, Richard Harrison, has a record and CD collection that rivals most
radio station libraries. His hobby is collecting recorded music, sports, news, comedy
recordings.....in LP, 45's and 78 formats.
