29 March Phantom Dancer – Frances Carroll and the Coquettes Vitaphone Short (1939)

The 29 March Phantom Dancer is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1930s – 1950s radio and TV with Greg Poppleton on 107.3 2SER.

Today we’ve got the Blues from 1945 radio, Rock’n’Roll from 1956 radio, Swing from 1930s radio, Singers on 1940s radio and Dance Bands from 1933 radio.

The Johnny Otis Orchestra plays the blues in 1945. Otis claimed to have ‘invented’ rock’n’roll. So it’s no coincidence that the set following Otis’ features Downbeat’s No. 1 rock’n’roll dance band for 1956 – Count Basie. And the Count in turn is backing acts on the ‘King of Rock’n’Roll’s’ live 1956 CBS radio show, ‘Alan Freed’s Saturday Night Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’.

Listen NOW ONLINE at 2ser.com

The final hour of the mix is all vinyl.

The Phantom Dancer is also conveniently live-streamed as the show goes to air on Tuesdays 12 – 2pm EDST (1 – 3am GMT), http://www.2ser.com.

After the Tuesday broadcast, you can hear the show and past Phantom Dancers online at 2ser.com/Phantom_Dancer.

Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week is a 1939 Vitaphone short featuring Frances Carroll and her Swing Orchestra with the stunning drumming of Viola Smith (one of her sisters plays clarinet in The Coquettes).

Smith penned an article in 1942 for Down Beat magazine titled “Give Girl Musicians a Break!”.

She argued that woman musicians could play just as well as men, writing, “In these times of national emergency, many of the star instrumentalists of the big name bands are being drafted. Instead of replacing them with what may be mediocre talent, why not let some of the great girl musicians of the country take their place?” Why is there still such a gender imbalance in popular music today?

Enjoy!

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #207 107.3 2SER Tuesday 29 March 2016 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) National Program: 2RRR Gladesville Thurs 11am – 12 2SER Sunday 2SER 5 – 6pm ArtSoundFM Canberra Sunday 7 – 8pm and early morning on 20 other stations. Set 1 Woody Herman and the Band That Plays The Blues On Air Open + Chopping Wood Woody Herman Orchestra Famous Door WEAF NBC Red NY 7 Jan 1940 Time Waits For No One Woody Herman and the First Herd (voc) Frances Wayne Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA 17 Oct 1944 Early Autumn Woody Herman and the Third Herd ‘All-Star Parade of Bands’ Royal Grove Peony Park WOW NBC Omaha 1948 Set 2 Dance Bands On 1933 Radio Open + Moon Song Phil Harris Orchestra (voc) Lee Norton ‘Cocoanut Grove’ TRANSCO Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1933 Stardust A&P Gypsies (voc) Frank Parker ‘A&P Gypsies’ WEAF NBC Red NY 1933 Dardenella + Caucasian March + Close (Two Guitars) A&P Gypsies ‘A&P Gypsies’ WEAF NBC Red NY 1933 Set 3 Claude Thornhill Piano-Playing Band Leader on 1930s – 40s Radio Classics in Jazz + Flight of the Bumble Bee Claude Thornhill (piano) Leith Stevens Orchestra ‘Saturday Night Swing Club’ WABC CBS NY 12 June 1937 Walking Stick Claude Thornhill Orchestra Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ ABC NY 22 Sep 1947 At Sundown + Close Claude Thornhill Orchestra (voc) Gene Williams ‘One Night Stand’ Glen Island Casino New Rochelle NY AFRS re-broadcast 23 Jun 1947 Set 4 Singers on AFRS Open + Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby Johnny Mercer (voc) Paul Weston Orchestra ‘Johnny Mercer’s Music Shop’ AFRS re-broadcast Jun 1944 Walk A Little Talk A Little Ginny Simms (voc) Cookie Fairchild Orchestra ‘Personal Album’ AFRS Hollywood 1945 Swingin’ On A Star + Just You Just Me (Close) The Smoothies ‘The Smoothie Song Shop’ AFRS Hollywood 1944 Set 5 Songs by Gershwin Mischa, Yascha, Tascha, Sacha Paul Whiteman Orchestra (voc) The Modernaires ‘Everybody’s Music Hour’ WABC CBS NY 10 Jun 1938 I’ve Got A Crush On You Eddie Condon Group (voc) Lee Wiley ‘Eddie Condon Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue Network New York City 5 Aug 1944 George Gershwin Medley Eddie Condon Group (voc) Helen Ward ‘Eddie Condon’s Floorshow’ WNBT-TV NBC NY 9 Jul 1949 Set 6 Swing Bands on 1930s Radio One Night Stand Artie Shaw Orchestra Aircheck 10 Jun 1939 Every Tub + Song of the Wanderer Count Basie Orchestra ‘America Dances’ Famous Door WABC CBS NY / BBC London Jul 1938 Joseph Joseph Benny Goodman Quartet BG (cl) Lionel Hampton (vb) Teddy Wilson (piano) Dave Tough (d) Ritz Carlton Hotel CBS Boston 24 May 1938 Intro + Murdy Purdy Gene Krupa Orchestra Aircheck 28 Nov 1938 Set 7 Jazz Blues on 1945 Radio Empty Bed Blues / Love My Baby / Improvised Blues Johnny Otis Orchestra (voc) Ivie Anderson and Joe Turner ‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Oct 1945 Set 8 ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ 1956 – 57 Radio Let’s Face It Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor Big Band ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ Paramount Theatre Brooklyn WCBS CBS NY 1957 I Almost Lost My Mind Ivory Joe Hunter with Count Basie’s Orchestra ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ Paramount Theatre Brooklyn WCBS CBS NY 1956 I’ll Be True Faye Adams (voc) Count Basie Orchestra ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ Paramount Theatre Brooklyn WCBS CBS NY 1956 You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog Gene Vincent (voc) and The Blue Caps ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ Paramount Theatre Brooklyn WCBS CBS NY 1956 Woe Is Me The Cadillacs (voc) Count Basie Orchestra ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ Paramount Theatre Brooklyn WCBS CBS NY 1956 Be Bop A Lula + One O’Clock Jump Gene Vincent (voc) and the Blue Caps with Count Basie Orchestra ‘Rock’n’Roll Dance Party’ Paramount Theatre Brooklyn WCBS CBS NY 1956