Wandering through musical history.
Musical history is yours to take with: cool jazz from Paris with Bobby Jaspar, Ella Fitzgerald in Berlin, George Gershwin’s works found in an attic by Victoria Hart & Atila, the Golden Gate Quartet that started in a barbershop and the “pianist with big hands” Ellis Larkins, just as familiar with classical music as with jazz, along with cornet player Ruby Braff in “Blues for Ruby”.
Furthermore: accordionist Harry Mooten, Patti Page who forms a vocal quartet by herself, Lionel Hampton, Kay Starr, the singing instrumentalist Bobby Scott (“Wand’rin’ Star”), blues pioneer Alberta Hunter who was a nurse for years and who returned to the stage at the age of 82 with an ambiguous repertoire like “Handy Man”
Also, naughty “Makin’ Whoopee” by both Ben Webster and Esther Phillips.
It also deals with the end times of big bands, when musicians were called to war, the union called a strike which meant that hardly any records were made and many vocalists followed Frank Sinatra’s example and went solo. With Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra, Perry Como (with a choir that replaced the orchestra) and Ozzie Nelson and Rose Ann Stevens about the search for a new band member.
Produced & presented by:
