Big Band Bash

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hello everyone. This week's show 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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