Jazz Piano Billy Maxted – Phantom Dancer 8 Nov 2022

Billy Maxted, U.S jazz arranger, and pianist, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist. He wrote for Benny Goodman, Red Nichols and Claude Thornhill and led his own Dixieland band in the 1950s which we’ll hear live on this week’s Phantom Dancer.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 8 November) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

BILLY

Maxted began his career in 1937 as a member of the Red Nichols big band, for which he wrote arrangements.

From 1940 he played with Teddy Powell, Ben Pollack and Will Bradley (1941-42).

After serving in the U.S. Navy he wrote arrangements for the big bands of Claude Thornhill and Benny Goodman.

He led a band with Ray Eberle (1947-48) and soon after led his own Manhattan Jazz Band, which played Dixieland with Bob Zurke on boogie-woogie piano.

He was house pianist at Nick’s club in Greenwich Village from 1949-1960 from where he did a weekly broadcast over NBC.

In the 1950s he recorded for MGM, Brunswick, Cadence, and Seeco.

In 1958, British bandleader Reg Owen had a major hit on the American charts with Maxted’s upbeat instrumental composition, “Manhattan Spiritual”, released on the Palette label.

His sidemen included trumpeter Chuck Forsyth, trombonist Lee Gifford, either Sol Pace or Dan Tracey on clarinet, and (by 1958) bass saxophonist Johnny Dengler.

In the 1960s, he recorded for K&H and Liberty and as a sideman for Bob Crosby, Pee Wee Erwin, and Red Nichols.

8 NOVEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #550
107.3 2SER Tuesday 8 November 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Selling Bonds
Open + Trumpeter’s Lullaby	Ralph Marterie Orchestra	‘Treasury Show’ WBBM CBS Chicago 26 Dec 1954
Two Sleepy People	Ralph Marterie Orchestra	‘Treasury Show’ WBBM CBS Chicago 26 Dec 1954
Babysitter	Ralph Marterie Orchestra	‘Treasury Show’ WBBM CBS Chicago 26 Dec 1954
The Gal That Got Away	Ralph Marterie Orchestra (voc) Bill Walters	‘Treasury Show’ WBBM CBS Chicago 26 Dec 1954
Set 2	Coleman Hawkins
It’s the Talk of the Town	Coleman Hawkins Quartet	London House WBBM CBS Chicago 19 Jun 1963
Honeysuckle Rose + Close	Coleman Hawkins Quartet	London House WBBM CBS Chicago 19 Jun 1963
Set 3	Art Lowrey
Open + Almost Like Being in Love	Art Lowrey Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Hotel Chase AFRS Re-broadcast KMOX CBS St Louis 1957
The Girl Without a Name	Art Lowrey Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Hotel Chase AFRS Re-broadcast KMOX CBS St Louis 1957
Monterey + Begin the Beguine	Art Lowrey Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Hotel Chase AFRS Re-broadcast KMOX CBS St Louis 1957
April Love + Say No More	Art Lowrey Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Hotel Chase AFRS Re-broadcast KMOX CBS St Louis 1957
Set 4	Billy Maxted
Open + Tin Roof Blues (theme) + Tailgate Ramble	Billy Maxted and his Manhattan Jazz Band	‘One Night Stand’ Nick’s AFRS Re-broadcast WRCA-FM NBC NYC 1957
When the Saints Go Marching In	Billy Maxted and his Manhattan Jazz Band	‘One Night Stand’ Nick’s AFRS Re-broadcast WRCA-FM NBC NYC 1957
Set 5	1930s-40s German Dance Orks
Guter Mond	Hans Carste Orchestra (voc) Rudi Schuericke	Comm Rec Berlin 1940
Ich mache alles mit Musik	Kurt Wege Soloists	Comm Rec Berlin 1940
Bei dir war es immer so schön	Kurt Wege Soloists	Comm Rec Berlin 1938
Über die Dächer der großen Stadt	Hans Carste Orchestra (voc) Rudi Schuericke Terzett	Comm Rec Berlin 1939
Set 6	1930s Dance Bands
Down T’uncle Bill’s	Hal Kemp Orchestra (voc) Skinnay Ennis	Radio Transcription NYC 14 Dec 1934
Stompin’ at the Savoy	Isham Jones Orchestra	WOR Mutual NYC 24 Jan 1936
Babs	The Inkspots	WEAF NBC Red NYC 9 Aug 1935
Whistling in the Dark	Gus Arnheim Orchestra (voc) Loyce Whiteman	Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1931
Set 7	1940s Women Singers
Blue Rain	Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (voc) Connie Morgan	‘Spotlight Bands’ Columbus OH Blue Network 19 Nov 1943
I Cover the Waterfront	Sarah Vaughn	‘Eddie Condon Floorshow’ WPIX TV NYC 13 Dec 1948
Love Me or Leave Me	Sarah Vaughn	‘Eddie Condon Floorshow’ WPIX TV NYC 13 Dec 1948
It Had to Be You + Rocking Chair (theme)	Mildred Bailey	‘Music till Midnight’ WABC CBS NYC 1944
Set 8	1960s Radio and TV Jazz
Chicago	Benny Goodman Trio	WNBC NBC TV NYC 21 Aug 1967
Sometimes I’m Happy	Tony Bennett (voc) Gene Krupa Trio	Radio Transcription 1963
I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles + Rose Room	Charlie Shavers Quartet	London House WBBM CBS  Chicago May 1962

Tadd Dameron – Phantom Dancer 1 Nov 2022

Tadd Dameron, U.S jazz composer, arranger, and pianist, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist. He was the most influential arranger of the bebop era. He also wrote charts for swing and hard bop players.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 1 November) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

TADD

Tadd Dameron arranged for Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan.  His greatest influences were George Gershwin and Duke Ellington.

In 1940-41 he was the piano player and arranger for the Kansas City band Harlan Leonard and his Rockets. With lyricist Carl Sigman he wrote “If You Could See Me Now” for Sarah Vaughan and it became one of her first signature songs.

In the late 1940s, Dameron wrote arrangements for Gillespie’s big band, who gave the première of his large-scale orchestral piece Soulphony in Three Hearts at Carnegie Hall in 1948.

That same year, as you’ll hear on this week’s Phantom Dancer, Dameron led his own group in New York, which included Fats Navarro.

In 1949 he was at the Paris Jazz Festival playing piano for  Miles Davis.

From 1961 he scored recordings by Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, and Blue Mitchell.

He arranged and played for rhythm and blues musician Bull Moose Jackson. Playing for Jackson at that same time was Benny Golson, who was to become a jazz composer in his own right. Golson has said that Dameron was the most important influence on his writing.

DAMERON

Dameron composed several bop and swing standards, including “Hot House”, “If You Could See Me Now”, “Our Delight”, “Good Bait” (composed for Count Basie) and “Lady Bird”.

His bands from the late 1940s and early 1950s featured leading players such as Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Wardell Gray, and Clifford Brown. 

LATER

In 1956 he led two sessions based on his compositions, released as the 1956 album “Fontainebleau” and the 1957 album “Mating Call”. The latter featured John Coltrane.

Dameron developed a drug addiction by the end of his career. He was arrested on drug charges in 1957 and 1958, and served time (1959–60) in a federal prison hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

After his release, Dameron recorded a single notable project as a leader, The Magic Touch, but was sidelined by health problems. He had several heart attacks before dying of cancer in 1965, at the age of 48. 

1 NOVEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #568
107.3 2SER Tuesday 1 November 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Count Basie
Open + One O’Clock Jump (theme) + Dinah	Count Basie Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 2 Oct 1945
Baby, Won’t You Pleae Come Home?	Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Jimmy Rushing	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 2 Oct 1945
Basie Boogie	Count Basie Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 2 Oct 1945
Rock-a-Bye Basie	Count Basie Orchestra (ts) Illinois Jacquet	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 2 Oct 1945
Set 2	Selling Soft Drink
Coca Cola Waltz (theme) + Instrumental	Walter Blaufuss and the The Refreshment Club Orchestra	‘The Refreshment Club’ Radio Transcription Chicago 23 Nov 1936
Running a Temperature + Stepping Out to the Opera	Joan and The Escorts	‘The Refreshment Club’ Radio Transcription Chicago 23 Nov 1936
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love	Helen Jane Balke	‘The Refreshment Club’ Radio Transcription Chicago 23 Nov 1936
Tom Tom’s Drum + Sing, Baby, Sing + Close	Walter Blaufuss and the The Refreshment Club Orchestra	‘The Refreshment Club’ Radio Transcription Chicago 23 Nov 1936
Set 3	Benny Goodman
So In Love	Benny Goodman Orchestra  (voc) Terri Swopes	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast 22 Mar 1949
Blue Lou	Benny Goodman Sextet	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast 22 Mar 1949
Don’t Worry About Me	Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Buddy Greco	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast 22 Mar 1949
El Greco + Let’s Dance (theme)	Benny Goodman Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast 22 Mar 1949
Set 4	Tadd Dameron
Jumpin’ with Symphony Sid (theme) + The Squirrel	Tadd Dameron Quintet	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 28 Aug 1948
Good Bait + Anthropology	Tadd Dameron Quintet	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 28 Aug 1948
Kitchenette Across the Hall	Tadd Dameron Quintet (voc) Pancho Kenny Hagood	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 28 Aug 1948
Rifftide (Lady Be Good) + Jumpin’ with Symphony Sid (theme)	Tadd Dameron Quintet	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NYC 28 Aug 1948
Set 5	Trad Jazz
These Foolish Things	Joe Bushkin (piano) Benny Morton (tb)	‘Eddie Condon Floor Show’ WPIX TV NYC 13 Dec 1948
Someday	Louis Armstrong	Wintergarden Theatre WNBC NBC NYC 19 Jun 1947
Indiana	Billy Butterfield	‘Eddie Condon Jazz Concert’ Blue Network 27 Jan 1945
Riverside Blues	Muggsy Spanier	Club Hangover KCBS San Francisco 11 Apr 1953
Set 6	The Golden Seven
Darf ich bitten	Die Goldene Sieben	Comm Rec Berlin Apr 1936
Granada (In a Little Spanish Town)	Die Goldene Sieben	Comm Rec Berlin May 1938
Oh! Aha!	Die Goldene Sieben (voc) Rudi Schuericke Terzett	Comm Rec Berlin Feb 1939
Die Uhr Schlaegt 8	Die Goldene Sieben	Comm Rec Berlin Apr 1938
Set 7	1930s Swing
Do the New York	Gus Arnheim Orchestra	Radio Transcription Cocoanut Grove Los Angeles 1931
The Music Goes Round and Round	Paul Whiteman Orchestra	‘Paul Whiteman’s Musical Varieties’ WJZ NBC Blue NYC 19 Jan 1936
Moten Swing + King Poeter Stomp	Count Basie Orchestra	Chatterbox Hotel William Penn WCAE NBC Red Pittsburgh 10 Jan 1937
You Turned the Tables on Me + Song is Ended (theme)	Bunny Berrigan Orchestra	‘Norge Program’ Radio Transcription NYC 1937
Set 8	Modern Jazz
Four in a Bar	Paul Baron Sextet	‘Music til Midnight’ WABC CBS NYC 1944
Ridin’ High	Benny Goodman orchestra (voc) Ella Fitzgerald	‘Texaco Show’ NBC TV 9 Apr 1957
Undecided (theme) + st Louis Blues	Charlie Shavers Quartet	‘London House’ WBBM CBS Chicago May 1962

Blues – 2SER Radiothon Wk 2 Tues – Phantom Dancer 18 Oct 2022

St Louis Blues features on this Tuesday’s annual 2SER radiothon Phantom Dancer. Time to subscribe and support 2SER community radio. Now is your moment to win great prizes when you pledge your support to 2SER which has been bringing you The Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton since 1985.

You’ll hear W.C Handy himself talk about St Louis Blues and play it on trumpet on a radio broadcast from 1940 on this week’s Phantom Dancer.

St Louis Blues with Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars (Edmond Hall clarinet solo, Trummy Young trombone) and the Lewisohn Stadium Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein With W.C Handy (composer in hat) watching. From 1956…

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 18 October) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

W.C Handy playing St Louis Blues on the Ed Sullivan TV Show in 1948…

BIG BANDS

“The Saint Louis Blues” (or “St. Louis Blues“) is a popular American song composed by W. C. Handy in the blues style and published in September 1914.

It was one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song and remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians’ repertoire (including mine).

The song has been called “the jazzman’s Hamlet“.

Here’s the St Louis Blues featured in the 1929 short ‘St Louis Blues’ starring Bessie Smith…

W.C. Handy said he had been inspired to compose the song by a chance meeting with a woman on the streets of St. Louis, Missouri, distraught over her husband’s absence. She lamented, “Ma man’s got a heart like a rock cast in de sea”, a key line of the song.^[7] Handy’s autobiography recounts his hearing the tune in St. Louis in 1892: “It had numerous one-line verses and they would sing it all night.”

The form of St Louis Blues is unusual in that the verses are the now-familiar standard twelve-bar blues in common time with three lines of lyrics, the first two lines repeated, but it also has a 16-bar bridge written in the habanera rhythm, characterized by Handy as tango. The tango-like rhythm is notated as a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note and two quarter notes, with no slurs or ties.

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While blues often became simple and repetitive in form, “Saint Louis Blues” has multiple complementary and contrasting strains, similar to classic ragtime compositions.

Handy said his objective in writing the song was “to combine ragtime syncopation with a real melody in the spiritual tradition.”

Writing about the first time “Saint Louis Blues” was played (1914), Handy noted that

The one-step and other dances had been done to the tempo of “Memphis Blues” … When “St Louis Blues” was written the tango was in vogue. I tricked the dancers by arranging a tango introduction, breaking abruptly into a low-down blues. My eyes swept the floor anxiously, then suddenly I saw lightning strike. The dancers seemed electrified. Something within them came suddenly to life. An instinct that wanted so much to live, to fling its arms to spread joy, took them by the heels.

The first audio recording of “Saint Louis Blues” was by the house band at Columbia Records, directed by Charles A. Prince in December 1915. You can hear it below…

2SER RADIOTHON

2SER IS BRINGING BACK THE FAMILY FOR RADIOTHON 2022. SUBSCRIBE NOW

After years of COVID restrictions, 2SER is getting back into the studios for radiothon – our biggest revenue raiser for the year – and we’re getting the family together in person!

From Oct 7 to 21 the station takes a break from regular programming to celebrate everything that makes 2SER great! The music, the talks and, most importantly, the 2SER family! Under the theme of We Are Family, we’ll be asking everyone to become financial subscribers or to donate.

2SER Breakfast presenter, Danny Chifley, said ”Subscribers and donors are so important for the station – they help us maintain our independence and provide us with some stability in an ever-shifting cultural and economic environment”

“When sponsorship of events abruptly evaporated at the start of the pandemic, our subscribers helped us stay afloat. When lightning struck our antenna three years ago, our donors got us right back on air”, said Danny. “So we love our family and we’re really excited to be reconnecting again”

Anyone who subscribes during radiothon goes into the draw for incredible prizes including a vintage turntable and record voucher from Egg Records, Newtown or a Complete Studio Kit from RØDE that contains everything you need to make professional, studio-quality recordings at home. There’s also small business subscriber prizes including an Atomic Brewery Dinner and Drinks for 10 people.

Call 9514 9500 or get online at 2ser.com and join the family!

Here’s that first recording of St Louis Blues from 1915…

18 OCTOBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE SUBSCRIBE Community Radio Network Show CRN #566
107.3 2SER Saturday 18 October 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Keith Atkinson (cl) Wally Portingale  Orchestra	‘Aermy on Parade’ 2CH AWA Network Sydney Oct 1943
St Louis Blues	W,C Handy (tp) with Henry Levine’s Dixieland Octet	‘Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street’ WJZ NBC Blue NYC16 Jun 1940
St Louis Blues	Charlie and his Orchestra	RRG Berlin 1941
St Louis Blues	Wild Bill Davison	‘This is Jazz’ WOR Mutual NYC 10 May 1947
Set 2	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith (piano solo) Joe Grasso (d)	‘Eddie Condon Jazz Concert’ WJZ NBC Blue NYC 24 Jun 1944
St Louis Blues (Le Tristezze di San Luigi)	Pippo Barzizza Orchestra (voc) Trio Lescano	Comm Rec Rome 1937
St Louis Blues	Gus Arhheim Orchestra (voc) Loyce Whiteman	‘Cocoanut Grove’ Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1931
Set 3	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Paul Whiteman Orchestra (tb) Jack Teagarden	‘Paul whiteman’s Musical Varieties’ WJZ NBC Blue NYC 16 Feb 1936
St Louis Blues	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Casino Gardens Ocean Park Ca 3 Jan 1947
St Louis Blues	Louis Armstrong Orchestra (voc) Louis Armstrong	‘Norge Program’ Radio Transcription NYC 1937
St Louis Blues	Die Goldene Sieben	Comm Rec Berlin Nov 1937
Set 4	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Jimmy Rushing	Chatterbox Hotel Penn WCAE NBC Red Pittsburgh 8 Feb 1937
St Louis Blues	Fats Waller	Aircheck Yacht Club NYC 14 Oct 1938
St Louis Blues	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Blue Room Hotel Lincoln WABC CBS NYC 28 Nov 1939
St Louis Blues	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WEAF NBC Red NYC 19 Oct 1939
Set 5	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Roy Eldridge Orchestra	Aircheck Arcadia Ballroom NYC 1939
St Louis Blues	Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Johnny Mercer	Fox Theatre KMOX CBS St Louis 9 May 1939
St Louis Blues	Mildred Bailey (voc) Blue Barron Orchestra	‘Music Till Midnight’ WABC CBS NYC 1944
St Louis Blues	Eddie Condon Group	‘Eddie Condon Jazz Concert”WJZ Blue NYC 27 Jan 1945
Set 6	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Louis Prima Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Mitchell Field Long Island WOR Mutual NYC 15 Jan 1945
St Louis Blues	Benny Goodman Sexter	‘The Benny Goodman Show’ Hollywood 7 Oct 1946
St Louis Blues	Louis Armstrong All-Stars	‘Damon Runyon Memorial Jazz Concert’ WENR ABC Chicago 11 Dec 1948
St Louis Blues	Muggsy Spanier	Club Hangover KCBS San Francisco 18 Apr 1953
Set 7	St Louis Blues
St Louis Blues	Charlie Shavers Quartet	London House WBBM CBS Chicago May 1962
Set 8	St Louis Blues

Big Bands – 2SER Radiothon Wk 1 Sat – Phantom Dancer 15 Oct 2022

Big Bands feature on this Saturday’s live Phantom Dancer – live because it’s the annual 2SER radiothon. Now is your moment to win great prizes when you pledge your support to this community radio station. 2SER has been bringing you The Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton since 1985.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 6pm AEST, Saturday 15 October) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

BIG BANDS

Big bands are jazz orchestras usually consisting of ten or more musicians with three sections: reeds, brass and rhythm.

Originating in the early 1910s and dominating jazz into the early 1950s, big band describes a genre of pop music.

Big bands started as accompaniment for dancing. In contrast to the typical jazz emphasis on improvisation, big bands relied on written compositions and arrangements.

Big bands in the 1920s – 1930s, typically had two or three trumpets, one or two trombones, three or four saxophones doubling clarinet and flute, and a rhythm section of double bass, piano, guitar and drum kit.

In the 1940s, Stan Kenton’s band used up to five trumpets, five trombones (three tenor and two bass trombones), five saxophones (two alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, one baritone saxophone), and a rhythm section.

Duke Ellington at one time used six trumpets. Boyd Raeburn drew from symphony orchestras by adding flute, French horn, strings and timpani to his band.

In the early 1940s, the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Les Brown, Artie Shaw, Glen Miller and more, added violins and cellos – ‘strings’.

2SER RADIOTHON

2SER IS BRINGING BACK THE FAMILY FOR RADIOTHON 2022. SUBSCRIBE NOW

After years of COVID restrictions, 2SER is getting back into the studios for radiothon – our biggest revenue raiser for the year – and we’re getting the family together in person!

From Oct 7 to 21 the station takes a break from regular programming to celebrate everything that makes 2SER great! The music, the talks and, most importantly, the 2SER family! Under the theme of We Are Family, we’ll be asking everyone to become financial subscribers or to donate.

2SER Breakfast presenter, Danny Chifley, said ”Subscribers and donors are so important for the station – they help us maintain our independence and provide us with some stability in an ever-shifting cultural and economic environment”

“When sponsorship of events abruptly evaporated at the start of the pandemic, our subscribers helped us stay afloat. When lightning struck our antenna three years ago, our donors got us right back on air”, said Danny. “So we love our family and we’re really excited to be reconnecting again”

Anyone who subscribes during radiothon goes into the draw for incredible prizes including a vintage turntable and record voucher from Egg Records, Newtown or a Complete Studio Kit from RØDE that contains everything you need to make professional, studio-quality recordings at home. There’s also small business subscriber prizes including an Atomic Brewery Dinner and Drinks for 10 people.

Between 7 and 21 October call 9514 9500 or get online at 2ser.com and join the family!

15 OCTOBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE SUBSCRIBE Community Radio Network Show CRN #565
107.3 2SER Saturday 15 October 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Big Bands
Theme + Instrumental	Gay Claridge Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Chez Paree Chicago 15 Oct 1945
Cirribirribin (theme) + Loveless Love	Harry James Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Casino Gardens Ocean Park Ca 29 Jun 1944
What a Drag	Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra (voc) Fats Daniels	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Casino Gardens Ocean Park Ca 24 Oct 1945
You’re Blase	Sonny Dunham Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Palladium Ballroom Hollywood Ca 1 Aug 1944
Set 2	Big Bands
I Was Here When You Left	Cab Calloway Orchesta (voc) Dottie Salters	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast New Zanzibar Cafe NYC Jul 1945
Theme + Hop, Skip and a Jump	Gene Krupa Orchestra (voc) Carolyn Raye	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca 31 Mar 1946
Out of This World + Black Orchid	Woody Herman Orchestra (voc) Frances Wayne	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC 23 Aug 1945
Set 3	Big Bands
Full Moon and Empty Arms	Buddy Morrow Orchestra (voc) Carl Denny	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Blue Room Hotel Lincoln NYC 27 May 1945
Redskin Rumba (theme) + Murder at Peyton Hall	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Casino Gardens Ocean Park Ca 3 Jan 1947
All of Me	Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Claire Hogan	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC 7 Apr 1949
Golden Earrings	Del Courtney Orchestra (voc) Gil Vester	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Rose Room Palace Hotel San Francisco 7 Jan 1948
Set 4	Big Bands
Dancing Tambourine	Ralph Flanagan Orchestra (voc) Band	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC 26 Sep 1950
Theme + I’m a Fool to Want You	Art Wayner Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast The Latin Quarter NYC 31 Jul 1951
Autumn Leaves	Ray Anthony Orchestra (voc) The Skyliners and Ray Deauville	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Cafe Rouge Hotel Statler NYC 12 Dec 1950
Johnny, Won’t You Stay Awhile? + Blue Champagne + I Only Have Eyes For You	Blue Barron Orchestra (voc) Betty Clark	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS Re-broadcast Palladium Ballroom Hollywood Ca 20 Nov 1951
Set 5	Big Bands
Set 6	Big Bands
Set 7	Big Bands
Set 8	Big Bands

2SER Radiothon Wk 1 Honeysuckle Rose – Phantom Dancer 11 Oct 2022

2SER Radiothon comes by but 2 weeks a year. It’s your chance to win great prizes when you pledge your support to this community radio station. 2SER has been bringing you The Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton since 1985. This week’s show is a Honeysuckle Rose-a-thon – all from vinyl 1930s-60s radio transcriptions.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 11 October) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

HONEYSUCKLE ROSE

Honeysuckle Rose is a 1929 song composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Andy Razaf -written in Razaf’s home in Asbury New Jersey. It was introduced in the 1929 Off-Broadway revue “Load of Coal” at Connie’s Inn as a soft-shoe dance number.

Jazz is all about improvisation. And on this week’s Phantom Dancer, while you’re subscribing to 2SER, I’ll be playing as many versions of Honeysuckle Rose as I can from 1930s-60s radio

2SER RADIOTHON

2SER IS BRINGING BACK THE FAMILY FOR RADIOTHON 2022. SUBSCRIBE NOW

After years of COVID restrictions, 2SER is getting back into the studios for radiothon – our biggest revenue raiser for the year – and we’re getting the family together in person!

From Oct 7 to 21 the station takes a break from regular programming to celebrate everything that makes 2SER great! The music, the talks and, most importantly, the 2SER family! Under the theme of We Are Family, we’ll be asking everyone to become financial subscribers or to donate.

2SER Breakfast presenter, Danny Chifley, said ”Subscribers and donors are so important for the station – they help us maintain our independence and provide us with some stability in an ever-shifting cultural and economic environment”

“When sponsorship of events abruptly evaporated at the start of the pandemic, our subscribers helped us stay afloat. When lightning struck our antenna three years ago, our donors got us right back on air”, said Danny. “So we love our family and we’re really excited to be reconnecting again”

Anyone who subscribes during radiothon goes into the draw for incredible prizes including a vintage turntable and record voucher from Egg Records, Newtown or a Complete Studio Kit from RØDE that contains everything you need to make professional, studio-quality recordings at home. There’s also small business subscriber prizes including an Atomic Brewery Dinner and Drinks for 10 people.

Between 7 and 21 October call 9514 9500 or get online at 2ser.com and join the family!

11 OCTOBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINESUBSCRIBE Community Radio Network Show CRN #565
107.3 2SER Tuesday 11 October 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	Benny Goodman Orchestra	‘Camel Caravan’ WABC CBS NYC 24 May 1938
Honeysuckle Rose	Benny Goodman Orchestra	‘Camel Caravan’ WABC CBS NYC 4 Apr 1939
Honeysuckle Rose	Benny Goodman Quartet	‘Camel Caravan’ WABC CBS NYC 18 Jan 1938
Honeysuckle Rose	Benny Goodman Orchestra	Aircheck 9 Oct 1943
Set 2	Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	Benny Goodman Quintet (voc) Kay Starr	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Jan 1948
Honeysuckle Rose	Benny Goodman Orchestra	‘Let’s Dance’ WEAF NBC Red NYC 5 Jan 1935
Honeysuckle Rose	Bunny Berrigan, Bud Freeman, teddy Wilson, Joe Marsala, Stan King	‘A Demonstration of a Modern Form of Music’ Aircheck 12 Mar 1936
Set 3	Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	Duke Ellington Orchestra	Apollo Theatre WJZ ABC NY 30 Jun 1945
Honeysuckle Rose	Henry Busse Orchestra (voc) Lenny Cohn	Radio Transcription 1935
Honeysuckle Rose	Fletcher Henderson Orchestra (voc) Lena Horne	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1944
Honeysuckle Rose	Harry James Orchestra (g) Allen Reuss	Aircheck 1943
Set 4	Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	Harry James Octet	Aircheck 1950
Honeysuckle Rose	Joe Haymes Orchestra	Grill Room Hotel McAlpen WABC CBS NYC 29 Jan 1935
Honeysuckle Rose	Jay McShann Orchestra	KFBI Witchita Falls, Kansas 2 Dec 1940
Honeysuckle Rose	Fats Waller	Aircheck 1930s
Set 5	Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	Fats Waller	Aircheck 14 Oct 1938
Honeysuckle Rose	Leo Watson & John Kirby Sextet	‘Rudy Vallee Show’ WEAF NBC Red NYC 24 Mar 1939
Honeysuckle Rose	International Sweethearts of Rhythm	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Feb 1945
Honeysuckle Rose	Louis Armstrong et al	‘Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street’ WJZ Blue NYC 16 Jan 1944.
Set 6	Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose	Django Reinhardt (g) ATC Rhythm	AFN Paris 26 Oct 1945
Honeysuckle Rose	Eddie Condon Group	‘Eddie Condon Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NYC 24 Feb 1945
Honeysuckle Rose	Django Reinhardt (g) ATC Rhythm with alto sax	‘Beaucoup de Music’ AFN Paris 1 Dec 1945
Honeysuckle Rose
Set 7	Honeysuckle Rose
Set 8	Honeysuckle Rose

Lenny Herman and 1950s Lounge Music – Phantom Dancer 4 Oct 2022

Lenny Herman accordionist and xylophonist led what was dubbed ‘The Mightiest Little Band in the Land’ in the 1940s and 50s. For fans of 1950s Lounge Music albums, here’s one of those bent easy listening orchestras live on 1948 and 1957 radio as this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 4 October) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

LENNY

Lenny was a ‘best-seller on stereophonic tape’ (he released songs on reel-to-reel tape) and a band with bright party-like LP album covers from the 1950s beloved of record bin hunters with a penchant for the staidly wacky.

The Lenny Herman Quintet that you’ll hear on this week’s Phantom Dancer airchecks:

Lenny Herman – Accordion, Vibraphone, And Vocals
Alan Shurr – Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, And Vocals
Charles Shaw – Piano, Celeste, And Organ
Earl “Gumpy” Comfort – Violin, String Bass, And Vocals
Stan Scott – Drums

Lenny Herman’s legacy has been dumped on from great heights by contemporary music reviewers such as Eugene Chadbourne who wrote in All-Music:

“Lenny Herman is sometimes described as a jazz bandleader of the ’40s and ’50s, yet his band bus was really more of a bandwagon, using the latter word in terms of a fad or flavor of the day.

He got in early on [sic], covering “Daddy’s Little Girl” in 1947, and not with the shroud that might have really been appropriate with this anthem of treacle. Alternate publications of the sheet music for this song featured photographs of artists who recorded it; the version with the Lennie Herman Quintet describes the group as “Latin-American.” Despite this stylistic designation the small combo was also featured on a recording of “Grandfather’s Clock” the year before.

Herman also took charge of much larger groups, building a reputation as a big-band leader that eventually eclipsed that of the quintet, if a word as mighty as “eclipsed” can be used to describe something more like a radar blip than a super nova.

He recorded orchestra sides such as “When You Fall in Love” for Decca and a nifty red vinyl 45 entitled “Mightiest Lil’ Band in the Land.” During the early ’50s Herman was on the front line of the new trends in commercial children’s music, waving a diaper like a flag of surrender.

He used the quintet to cut “Percy the Pale Faced Polar Bear” in 1951 and eventually had enough tracks for tots and tykes to tote up the early-’60s Family Album LP, also featuring singer Ginny Gibson. The 1957 Dance Party showcases Herman’s talents on both accordion and xylophone, the set list consisting mostly of Tin Pan Alley hits.”

The reviewer, Eugene Chadbourne, and his Electric Rake…

HERMAN

Lenny gets a fairer review in musicbio.org:

“Although generally uncelebrated during his career being a band head, Lenny Herman made a substantial contribution towards the dance band music of NY, USA, from the first 50s onwards.

Located in hotels like the Astor, Edison, Roosevelt, Waldorf-Astoria and New Yorker, his small band, frequently dubbed ‘The Mightiest Small Music group In The Property’, etched an absolute impression over the night time dancers of these establishments with music such as for example ‘No Foolin’’.

Led by Herman’s accordion playing, the music group, which hardly ever numbered a lot more than ten and sometimes significantly less than eight, also discovered engagements additional afield in Philadelphia (the Warwick Resort), Atlantic Town (the Straymore Resort), Virginia Seaside (the Cavalier Resort) and Dallas (the Baker Resort).

With the middle-60s the music group had moved completely towards the Lake Tahoe region, where the right now five or six solid ensemble gained its living playing to combined audiences in the resort hotels.”

So now enjoy Lenny Herman on this week’s Phantom Dancer in airchecks from 1948 and 1957…

4 OCTOBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #565
107.3 2SER Tuesday 4 October 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Tex Beneke
Moonlight Serenade (theme) + Uncle Remus	Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Tex Beneke, Jenny O’Conner and the Mellowlarks	‘March of Dimes’ Radio Transcription 1 Dec 1946
Falling Leaves	Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra	‘March of Dimes’ Radio Transcription 1 Dec 1946
Somewhere in the Night	Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Gary Stevens	‘March of Dimes’ Radio Transcription 1 Dec 1946
Give Me Five Minutes More + Moonlight Serenade (theme)	Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Tex Beneke	‘March of Dimes’ Radio Transcription 1 Dec 1946
Set 2	Your Hit Parade
Intro + I’m Gunna Love That Guy + It’s Gotta Be This or That	Joan Edwards	‘Your Hit Parade’ AFRS Re-broadcast 27 Oct 1945
I’ll Buy That Dream	The Hit Paraders	‘Your Hit Parade’ AFRS Re-broadcast 27 Oct 1945
On The Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe	Dick Todd	‘Your Hit Parade’ AFRS Re-broadcast 27 Oct 1945
Set 3	Latin Rhythms
My Shawl (theme) + In a Little Spanish Town	Xavier Cugat Orchestra	Roseland Ballroom WABC ABC NY 1958
Rhumba	Xavier Cugat Orchestra	Roseland Ballroom WABC ABC NY 1958
Besume	Xavier Cugat Orchestra	Roseland Ballroom WABC ABC NY 1958
Rhumba	Xavier Cugat Orchestra	Roseland Ballroom WABC ABC NY 1958
Set 4	Lenny Herman
Cecilia	Lenny Herman Quintet	Golden Thread Room Hotel New Yorker WCBS CBS NYC 1957
Kisses Are Better Than Roses	Lenny Herman Quintet (voc) Alan Shurr	Golden Thread Room Hotel New Yorker WCBS CBS NYC 1957
Don’t Forbid Me	Lenny Herman Quintet (voc) The Hermanaires	Golden Thread Room Hotel New Yorker WCBS CBS NYC 1957
Noon Balloon to Rangoon + In Ol’ Kalua (theme)	Lenny Herman Quintet	Hotel Astor WNBC NBC NYC 25 Jun 1948
Set 5	Western Swing
Does My Baby Love Me, Yes Sir!	Jimmie Revard and his Oklahoma Playboys	Comm Rec San Antonio TX 14 Sep 1937
Baby Won’t You Please Come Home	W. Lee O’Daniel (voc) Texas Rose	Comm Rec Dallas TX 15 May 1938
Sam the Old Accordian Man	Adolph Hofner and His Texans	Comm Rec Dallas TX 13 Feb 1940
Get Hot	W. Lee O’Daniel	Comm Rec San Antonio TX 21 Nov 1936
Set 6	Tommy Dorsey
Swing Low Sweet Chariot	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Bob Allen	Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ 11 Feb 1941
I Dream of You	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Bob Allen	‘For the Record’ WEAF NBC Red NYC 17 Apr 1944
Always in My Heart	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Frank Sinatra	‘Raleigh Show’ Capitol Theatre WJSV CBS Washington DC 18 Aug 1942
Losers Weepers	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA 26 Nov 1940
Set 7	Lester Young
Lullaby of Birdland (theme) + Three Little Words	Lester Young Quintet	Birdland WABC ABC NYC 5 Sep 1956
How High the Moon	Lester Young Jam Session (voc) Ella Fitzgerald	‘Symphony Sid Show’ WMCA NYC 27 Nov 1948
Set 8	Blues & Cool
Empty Bed Blues + Love My Baby + Improvised Blues + Theme	Johnny Otis Orchestra and Jubilee All-Stars (voc) Ivie Anderson + Joe Turner	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Oct 1945
I’ll Remember April	Dave Brubeck Quartet	Aircheck Jan 1954

Chiemi Eri and 1950s Japanese Jazz – Phantom Dancer 27 Sept 2022

Chiemi Eri was a Japanese actor and singer of folk songs and jazz. She is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist, on which she even sings a Turkish folk song.

Japanese Jazz TV from 1960 with vocal duo, The Peanut Sisters…

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 27 September) and two years of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

Chiemi Eri sings Come On To My House from a Japanese movie…

ERI

Chiemi Eri (江利 チエミ, Eri Chiemi, was born as Chiemi Kubo (久保 智恵美, Kubo Chiemi) in Tokyo.

In 1951 she started her singing career at the age of 14 with her recording of “Tennessee Waltz.”

She sang mostly traditional Japanese songs and some American songs such as “Jambalaya” and “Come on-a My House” backed by saxophonist Nobuo Hara’s Orchestra. She sang the latter in three movies.

NHK TV Variety Show from Feb 1965, ‘Let’s Meet in a Dream’…

CHIEMI

Chiemi was one of Japan’s best-known singers in the 1950s-60s-70s and also appeared in numerous television shows from the early 1950s until just before her accidental death in 1984.

She sang with the Count Basie Orchestra and you’ll hear in concert recordings of two songs she sang with Basie, ‘Our Love is Here to Stay’ and ‘The Carioca’.

27 SEPTEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #564
107.3 2SER Tuesday 27 September 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Tommy Tucker
My Heart Sings	Tommy Tucker Orchestra (voc) Don Brown and the Three Two-Timers	‘Spotlight Bands’ North Chicago Blue Network 11 Jan 1945
Comin’ Round the Corner	Tommy Tucker Orchestra (voc) Don Brown and the Three Two-Timers	‘Spotlight Bands’ North Chicago Blue Network 11 Jan 1945
There Goes That Song Again	Tommy Tucker Orchestra (voc) Don Brown	‘Spotlight Bands’ North Chicago Blue Network 11 Jan 1945
Brass Hat + I Love You (theme)	Tommy Tucker Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ North Chicago Blue Network 11 Jan 1945
Set 2	World Jazz Series
Intro + Drum Boogie	Louis Armstrong + Gene Krupa Trio	‘World Jazz Series’ Madison Square Garden WCBS CBS NYC 5 Jun 1960
Record Rap	Louis Armstrong	‘World Jazz Series’ Madison Square Garden WCBS CBS NYC 5 Jun 1960
Unnannounced	Dizzy Gillespie	‘World Jazz Series’ Madison Square Garden WCBS CBS NYC 5 Jun 1960
Set 3	Meredith Willson conducts
Who’s Dream Are You? (theme) + Ain’t Misbehavin’	Armed Forces Radio Orchestra	AFRS Hollywood 1944
Nagasaki + Ta-Ra-Ra-Bomm-De-Ay + Zing Went the Strings of My Heart	Armed Forces Radio Orchestra	AFRS Hollywood 1944
I’ll Never Be The Same + Rosalita + Talk of the Town	Armed Forces Radio Orchestra	AFRS Hollywood 1944
Melancholy Baby + Tea for Two + Wildflower + Through the Years	Armed Forces Radio Orchestra	AFRS Hollywood 1944
Set 4	Chiemi Eri
Stardust	Chiemi Eri (voc) Hiroshi Watanabe and his Star Dusters	‘Sunday  Jazz Concert’ Sankei Hall, Tokyo 15 Apr 1956
Walking My Baby Back Home	Chiemi Eri (voc) Nobuo Hara and Sharps & Flats	Comm Rec Tokyo 1953
Uskudara	Chiemi Eri (voc) Nobuo Hara and Sharps & Flats	Comm Rec Tokyo 1954
Our Love is Here to Stay + Carioca	Chiemi Eri (voc) Count Basie Orchestra	Comm Rec Tokyo 8 Jun 1963
Set 5	1940s Swing
Gin Mill Special	International Sweethearts of Rhythm	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Feb 1945
Bonne-Intermezzo	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	Casino Gardens Ocean Park Ca KECA ABC LA 3 Jan 1947
Jean	Russ Morgan Orchestra	Hotel Claremont San Francisco 11 Jul 1945
Dinah + Gypsy Love Song	Cab Calloway Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ AFRS re-broadcast Cafe Zanzibar New York City 16 Jul 1945
Set 6	Eddie Condon
I Got Rhythm	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NYC 5 Aug 1944
Blues Round My Head	Eddie Condon Group (voc and cl) Woody Herman	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NYC 27 Jan 1945
Back Home Again in Indiana	Eddie Condon Group (tp) Billy Butterfield	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NYC 27 Jan 1945
Wolverine Blues + Ensemble Blues	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NYC 15 Jul 1944
Set 7	Artie Shaw
Non-Stop Flight	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Comm Rec New York City 27 Sep 1938
Snug As a Bug in a Rug	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Comm Rec New York City 17 Mar 1939
This Is It	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Comm Rec New York City 31 Jan 1939
Serenade to a Savage	Artie Shaw Orchestra	Comm Rec Hollywood 22 Jun 1939
Set 8	Blues & Cool
S.K Blues	Joe Turner (voc) Johnny Otis Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Oct 1945
Empty Bed Blues + Love My Baby + Improvised Blues + Theme	Johnny Otis Orchestra and Jubilee All-Stars (voc) Ivie Anderson + Joe Turner	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Oct 1945
I’ll Remember April	Dave Brubeck Quartet	Aircheck Jan 1954

Johnny Ace: The Tear Beat on the Blue Note – Phantom Dancer 20 September 2022

Johnny Ace, R’n’B star from the early 1950s, known as ‘The Tear Beat on the Blue Note’, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature.

The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton.

Enjoy a whole library of Phantom Dancer mixes online now at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.

This show will be online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 20 September at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.

JOHNNY

John Marshall Alexander Jr., known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer and musician. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Ace died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound playing silly-buggers backstage at a concert, aged 25 and had two children.

Born the son of a baptist preacher who allowed no blues in the house. Ace dropped out of high school to join the US Navy. He was reported AWOL for much of his time there.

On discharge he joined Adolph Duncan’s Band as a pianist, playing around Beale Street in Memphis. The network of local musicians became known as the Beale Streeters, which included B. B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Earl Forest, and Roscoe Gordon. Initially, they weren’t an official band, but at times there was a leader and they played on each other’s records.

In 1951 Ike Turner, who was a talent scout and producer for Modern Records, arranged for Ace and other Beale Streeters to record for Turner’s label. Alexander played piano on some of King’s records for RPM Records and backed King during broadcasts on WDIA in Memphis. When King departed for Los Angeles and Bland left the group, Ace took over both Bland’s vocal duties and King’s radio show on WDIA.

David James Mattis, program director at WDIA and founder of Duke Records, claimed that he created the stage name of Johnny Ace: “Johnny” for Johnny Ray and “Ace” for the Four Aces. 

ACE

Ace signed to Duke in 1952 and released his first recording, “My Song”, an urbane “heart ballad” which topped the R&B chart for nine weeks beginning in September. He began heavy touring, often with Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. In the next two years, Ace had eight hits in a row, including “Cross My Heart”, “Please Forgive Me”, “The Clock”, “Yes, Baby”, “Saving My Love for You” and “Never Let Me Go”.

In November 1954, Ace ranked No. 16 on the Billboard 1954 Disk Jockey Poll for R&B Favorite Artists.

In December 1954, he was named the Most Programmed Artist of 1954, according to the results of a national poll of disc jockeys conducted by the U.S. trade weekly Cash Box.

Early in 1955, Duke Records announced that three of his 1954 recordings, along with Thornton’s “Hound Dog“, had sold more than 1,750,000 copies.

“Pledging My Love” was a posthumous R&B number 1 hit for ten weeks beginning February 12, 1955. As Billboard bluntly put it, Ace’s death “created one of the biggest demands for a record that has occurred since the death of Hank Williams just over two years ago.”

Soon after Ace’s death, in early 1955, Varetta Dillard recorded ‘Johnny Has Gone’ for Savoy Records. She incorporated many of Ace’s song titles in the lyrics. This was the first of the many teen tragedy records that were to follow in the later 50s and early 1960s

20 SEPTEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #564
107.3 2SER Tuesday 20 September 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Les Brown
Leap Frog (theme) + Long Ago and Far Away	Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Doris Day	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC WABC CBS NYC 7 Jul 1944
Straighten Up and Fly Right	Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Butch Stone	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC WABC CBS NYC 7 Jul 1944
Going My Way	Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Gordon Drake	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC WABC CBS NYC 7 Jul 1944
Bizet Has His Day + Leap Frog (theme)	Les Brown Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania NYC WABC CBS NYC 7 Jul 1944
Set 2	Woody Herman
Blue Flame (theme) + The Magpie	Woody Herman Orchestra	‘World Jazz Series’ Madison Square Garden WCBS CBS NYC 5 Jun 1960
Apple Honey	Woody Herman Orchestra	‘World Jazz Series’ Madison Square Garden WCBS CBS NYC 5 Jun 1960
Caldonia	Woody Herman Orchestra (voc) Woody Herman	‘World Jazz Series’ Madison Square Garden WCBS CBS NYC 5 Jun 1960
Set 3	Stan Daugherty
Blue Days (theme) + Just Anybody	Stan Daugherty Orchestra	KXOK St Louis 5 Feb 1942
Half a Love	Stan Daugherty Orchestra	KXOK St Louis 5 Feb 1942
A1 in the Army and A1 in my Heart + Few and Far Between	Stan Daugherty Orchestra	KXOK St Louis 5 Feb 1942
A Heavenly Hideaway + Blue Days (theme)	Stan Daugherty Orchestra	KXOK St Louis 5 Feb 1942
Set 4	Johnny Ace 1954 R’n’B
Don’t You Know	Johnny Ace	‘Musty Dusties’ AFRTS Hollywood 5 Jan 1968
Never Let Me Go	Johnny Ace	‘Musty Dusties’ AFRTS Hollywood 5 Jan 1968
No Money	Johnny Ace	‘Musty Dusties’ AFRTS Hollywood 5 Jan 1968
Pledging My Love + Let’s Go (close)	Johnny Ace + The Routers (on Let’s Go, 1962)	‘Musty Dusties’ AFRTS Hollywood 5 Jan 1968
Set 5	Women Singers on 1940s Radio
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah	Ginny Simms	‘Your Hit Parade’ WEAF NBC NYC 1 Mar 1947
There’s a Small Hotel	Ella Logan	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1945
Long Ago and Far Away	Elizabeth Rogers (voc) Russ Morgan Orchestra	Garden Court Hotel Claremont San Francisco 11 Jul 1945
Santa Catalina	Dorothy Collins (voc) Raymond Scott Orchestra	Rose Room Palace Hotel KQW CBS San Francisco 16 Sep 1947
Set 6	1930s – 40s Australian Swing
Pink Elephants	Jim Davidson and his Palais Royale Orchestra	Comm Rec Sydney 6 Jun 1933
Jungle Jive	George Trevare Orchestra (voc) Elsie Wardrope	Comm Rec Sydney 1943
Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb	Jim Davidson and his Australian Broadcasting Commission Dance Orchestra	Comm Rec Sydney 24 Jul 1939
There Goes That Song Again	George Trevare Orchestra (voc) Elsie Wardrope	Comm Rec Sydney 1943
Set 7	Radio Trad Jazz
Strut Miss Lizzie	Graeme Bell and his Dixieland Jazz Band (voc) Roger Bell	3AW Melbourne 1949
St Louis Blues	Louis Armstrong All-Stars	Blue Note WLS ABC Chicago 11 Dec 1948
Royal Garden Blues	Jimmy Dorsey Dorseyland Band	Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1950
Hindustan	Bob Crosby Bobcats	‘Camel Caravan’ WABC CBS NYC 4 Jul 1939
Set 8	1930s Dance Bands
The Very Thought of You (theme) + Flowers for Madame	Ray Noble Orchestra (voc) Al Bowlly	‘Coty Hour’ WEAF NBC Red NYC 13 Mar 1935
The Continental	Henry Busse Orchestra	Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1935
When Gimbal Hits the Cymbal	Joe Haymes Orchestra	Grill Room Hotel Alpen WABC CBS NYC 29 Jan 1935
Tea for Two + Close	George Hall Orchestra	Radio Transcription New York City 1937

Sorcery & Swing Comes to Melbourne 7 October

Sorcery and Swing comes to Melbourne, Friday 7 October. Book Now!

Join us for this Unique Roaring Twenties music and magic Dinner Show.

Bookings & Enquiries: https://www.kelvinclub.com/whats-on or (03) 9654 5711

6.30pm ARRIVAL for 7.00pm START at the Kelvin Club, Melbourne Place, Melbourne

FEATURING MAGIC and MUSIC – SORCERY and SWING
Vaudeville brought back to life as you dine in style in the sophisticated Kelvin Club

In singer, Greg Poppleton’s 1920s band, Melbourne’s finest trad musicians…

Ian Smith – sousaphone and cornet
Jason Downes – saxophone and clarinet
Peter Baylor – guitar

The Kelvin Club will be transforming into a “Roaring Twenties” speakeasy for this not-to-be-missed event!

“Moonshine” and canapés served on arrival – together with intimate close-up miracles from The Gentleman Magician.

◆ THE SORCERY… The engaging magic of Bruce Glen, The Gentleman Magician

◆ THE SWING… The superb 1920s-1930s music of Greg Poppleton and his band

ENJOY DINNER AND DANCING ACCOMPANIED BY THE MUSIC OF “TIN PAN ALLEY” – FEATURING…

Greg Poppleton – Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer
Ian Smith – sousaphone and cornet
Peter Baylor – guitar
Jason Downes – clarinet and alto saxophone

• Hear the captivating crooning of Greg Poppleton and his band
• Unique storytelling magic by Bruce Glen, The Gentleman Magician
• Fabulous 2-course dinner
• Authentic speakeasy
• A glass of authentic sparkling wine ‘Moonshine’ and canapes on arrival

The Great Gatsby never had it so good!

Greg Poppleton 1920s singer and The Gentleman Magician Bruce Glen – Sorcery & Magic Show

Venue: Kelvin Club, Melbourne Place, Melbourne 3000
Time: 6.30pm arrival for 7.00 pm start
Dress Code: 1920s Guys in ties, Girls in pearls
Single Tickets: $95 per person + booking fee
Inclusive of sparkling wine “moonshine” and canapés on arrival, 2-course dinner, entertainment, GST

Bookings & Enquiries: https://www.kelvinclub.com/whats-on or (03) 9654 5711

BRUCE GLEN BIO

Bruce Glen’s Magical Soirées are best described as ‘storytelling magic shows for adults – but not necessarily grown-ups’. They feature cutting-edge magic that seemingly defies the laws of physics – set amid intriguing stories that are guaranteed to leave you wondering. Bruce’s unique performance style has seen him invited to the famed Edinburgh Fringe; Adelaide Fringe and Fringe World Perth.

In 2015, he presented his ‘Imaginary Magic’ show in Sydney (ten sold-out shows) as part of the SMH Spectrum Now Festival. In addition, at sold-out Edinburgh International Magic Festival shows and at the famous London headquarters of The Magic Circle, Bruce left audiences gasping in disbelief – and also wondering if he had actually read their minds!

GREG POPPLETON BIO

Greg Poppleton is Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer with band. Recent performance highlights: 2020 Sydney Festival, resident band Great Art Deco Ball, resident 1920s band Gin Mill Social.

Greg Poppleton brings the era to life with a dazzling Hollywood experience. Think vintage glamour, prohibition and speakeasies. He also appears in the movies Moulin Rouge! and Chronicles of Narnia Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Ted Fio Rito Cocoanut Grove 1934 – Phantom Dancer 13 September 2022

Ted Fio Rito, band leader, composer and pianist, under the radio pseudonym ‘Vincent Valsanti’, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist in a 1934 Cocoanut Grove radio transcription.

Since I’ve been playing radio transcriptions made in 1934 of ‘Valsanti’ from the Cocoanut Grove Los Angeles over the past three weeks, here’s a little about the Ted Fio Rito / Valsanti / Cocoanut Grove story along with videos from the era.

The Phantom Dancer – your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton.

Enjoy a whole library of Phantom Dancer mixes online now at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.

This show will be online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 13 September at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

 

COCOANUT GROVE

The Cocoanut Grove at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel was a lavishly appointed club – part of the massive 23-acre Ambassador resort, which also included four restaurants, a bowling alley, a billiard room, a shopping plaza, and even a movie theater – decorated in Moroccan style and featured full-sized palm trees reportedly salvaged from Rudolph Valentino’s film “The Sheik.” In addition to the decor, which also offered a night sky filled with stars (thanks to about 1000 small light bulbs), an elevated stage, and both dining and dancing room for several hundred patrons, customers came for the smooth musical entertainment provided by a series of dance orchestras and popular vocalists – many of whom would later go on to star careers in radio, recordings, and the film industry.

In the 1980 book, “Are the Stars Out Tonight?”, former Ambassador PR Director, Margaret Tante Burk, recalls the Grove’s opening night:

“…on the night of April 21, 1921… the new club officially opened its Moroccan style, gold leaf and etched palm tree doors… The Cocoanut Grove was aptly named, guests agreed as they were escorted by the maître de and captains down the wide plush grand staircase… Overhead, soaring about the room were cocoanut trees of papier mache, cocoanuts and palm fronds which had been rescued from the sandy beaches of Oxnard where they had served as atmosphere of the 1921 classic, The Sheik. Swinging from their branches were stuffed monkeys blinking at the revelers with their electrified amber eyes. Stars twinkled in the blue ceiling sky, and on the southernmost wall hung a full Hawaiian moon presiding over a painted landscape and splashing waterfall.”

Ray West Orchestra in 1930…

Due to the foresight of Abe Frank, the manager of both the hotel and the Grove, in the mid-1920s the Ambassador had been equipped with a small radio studio, allowing the music of the various orchestras to be broadcast and enjoyed well outside the confines of the nightclub. From the late 1920s well into the 1960s, live “remote” programs broadcast from the Cocoanut Grove were a popular feature of nighttime radio, allowing millions of people to enjoy the music they would otherwise be unable to afford to hear in person. These broadcasts, aired live nightly for two full hours, only increased the reputation of the Grove as “the place to be” when it came to top notch West Coast entertainment.

From the beginning, the Cocoanut Grove’s glamorous atmosphere attracted the top names in Hollywood for dining, dancing, and mingling. This celebrity connection was always well-publicized by the Ambassador and for a very good reason, too: tourists coming to Los Angeles for a vacation wanted to see the stars and there was no place where the stars came out quite so regularly as the Ambassador Hotel. On an average evening, it was common to see such well-known celebrities as Joan Crawford, Jack Oakie, or Jean Harlow coming to see Bing Crosby or Russ Columbo sing with Gus Arnheim’s Orchestra or dance to Jimmie Grier’s band as they accompanied Loyce Whiteman, The Three Ambassadors (Martin Sperzel, Jack Smith, and Al Teeter), or popular tenor Donald Novis. Even though there was a nationwide depression, Hollywood stars and executives still needed to be entertained — and the Cocoanut Grove was often their first choice.

From 1930 to 1943, six Academy Awards ceremonies were hosted at the hotel. As many as seven U.S. presidents stayed at the Ambassador, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world.

It was the place to be even in the 1960s…

In 1968, the Ambassador Hotel was the scene of the shooting of Bobby Kennedy.

Due to the decline of the hotel and the surrounding area, the Ambassador Hotel was closed to guests in 1989. In 2001, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) purchased the property with the intent of constructing three new schools within the area. After subsequent litigations to preserve the hotel as a historic site, a settlement allowed the Ambassador Hotel to be demolished in 2005.

VALSANTI

Ted Fio Rito used the pseudonym ‘Valsanti’ for these Cocoanut Grove transcriptions because of an existing recording contract.

Fio Rito was a pianist, hammond organist and the composer of such classic tunes as, “I Never Knew,” “Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye,” “Laugh, Clown, Laugh,” “Roll Along, Prairie Moon” and “Alone at a Table for Two.”

He started his career as a pianist with a series of bands led by Harry Yerkes, then moved to Chicago in 1921 to join Dan Russo’s band. The following year, he joined with Russo to become the co-leader the Oriole Terrace Orchestra, which he eventually took over when Russo departed in 1928.

Before coming to the Cocoanut Grove in mid-1933, Fio Rito had spent a number of years touring the East Coast and Midwest, including many engagements in Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and Cincinnati. An early radio enthusiast, Fio Rito’s band was frequently heard on the air from various nightspots – preparing him well for the regular broadcasts scheduled to emanate from the Grove during his stay.

Musically, the orchestra that Fio Rito brought to the Grove was sweet, smooth and clever, playing highly danceable music accented with temple blocks, rapid triplets, and even an occasional solo on the Hammond organ by its talented leader.

Due to an existing recording contract, Theodore Salvatore Fiorito’s singers also adopted pseudonyms for these transcriptions. Muzzy Marcellino, Fio Rito’s guitarist and primary vocalist, sings as Jack Howard. Howard Phillips sings under the name of Bill Thomas, and Fio Rito’s vocal trio The Debutants appear as The Three Keys. 

Watch Ted Fio Rito from the Cocoanut Grove in this 1934 Paramount short ‘Star night atthe Cocoanut Grove’ also featuring Mary Pickford and Bing Crosby. You’ll hear the extreme high and low four octave voice of Jimmy Durante’s future comic foil Candy Candido in what is thought to be his earliest film performance….

 

 

13 SEPTEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE   Community Radio Network Show CRN #563
107.3 2SER Tuesday 13 September 2022 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm National Program 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Monday 6 -7pm 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Tuesday 12am – 1am 2SEA Eden Tuesday 6 – 7pm 2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am 2RDJ Burwood Wednesday 12 – 1pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2RRR Ryde Friday 11am -12 noon 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturdays 10 – 11am Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	Swing Bands One Night Stand Radio
Theme + Song of the Wanderer	Buddy Morrow Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Roseland Ballroom NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 1 Mar 1946
16:00 On The Clock	Shep Field and His New Music	‘One Night Stand’ Copacabana NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 9 Aug 1944
Come Rain Come Shine + Close	Hal McIntyre Orchestra (voc) Frankie Lester	‘One Night Stand’ Century Room Hotel Commodore NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 15 May 1946
Set 2	1950s-60s Jazz Radio
Jazz Connoisseur	Harry James Orchestra (dms) Buddy Rich	Moonbowl Freedomland WNEW NYC 1962
The Theme	Miles Davis Sextet	‘Treasury of Music’ Birdland WRCA NBC NY AFRTS Re-broadcast 25 Aug 1959
Set 3	Benny Goodman in Chicago
Let’s Dance (theme) + Farewell Blues	Benny Goodman Orchestra	Joseph Urban Room Congress Hotel WMAQ NBC Red Chicago 20 Jan 1936
Soft Spring	Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Helen Forrest	Panther Room Hotel Sherman WMAQ NBC Chicago 10 Aug 1941
King Porter Stomp + Goodbye (theme)	Benny Goodman Orchestra	Joseph Urban Room Congress Hotel WMAQ NBC Red Chicago 3 Feb 1936
Set 4	Vincent Valsanti (Ted Fio Rito)
Serenade of Love (theme) + Flirtation Walk	Vincent Valsanti Orchestra (voc) Jack Howard	Cocoanut Radio Transcription TRANSCO Los Angeles 1934
When You’re in Love	Vincent Valsanti Orchestra	Cocoanut Radio Transcription TRANSCO Los Angeles 1934
Two Cigarettes in the Dark	Vincent Valsanti Orchestra (voc) Phil Thomas	Cocoanut Radio Transcription TRANSCO Los Angeles 1934
Were You Foolin’? + I’ll Take an Option on You + Serenade of Love (theme)	Vincent Valsanti Orchestra (voc) Jack Howard and The Three Blue Keys	Cocoanut Radio Transcription TRANSCO Los Angeles 1934
Set 5	1930s German Swing
Darf ich bitten?	Die Goldene Sieben	Comm Rec Berlin Sep 1936
Ja und nein	Die Goldene Sieben	Comm Rec Berlin Aug 1939
Aus lauter Liebe	Die Goldene Sieben (voc) Peter Igelhoff	Comm Rec Berlin Jul 1937
Oh! Aha!	Die Goldene Sieben (voc) Rudi Schuricke Terzett	Comm Rec Berlin Feb 1939
Set 6	Early Dorseys
Theme + On The Beach at Bali Bali	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	‘Ford V-8 Show’ Texas Centennial Exhibition KRLD CBS Dallas Tx 11 Aug 1936
Sandman (theme) + Is That Religion?	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (voc) Bob Crosby	Riviera Fort Lee NJ WEAF NBC Red NY 20 Sep 1934
Weary Blues	Eddy Howard Orchestra	‘Ford V-8 Show’ Texas Centennial Exhibition KRLD CBS Dallas Tx 4 Aug 1936
Farewell Blues	Dorsey Brothers Orchestra	‘Chrysler Show’ Radio Transcription 1934
Set 7	Sweet Music
Romance (theme) + We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye	Ray Herbeck Music with Romance Orchestra (voc) Lorraine Benson	Trianon Ballroom WGN Mutual Chicago 24 Nov 1947
For You	King Sisters	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood Jun 1945
Sweet Lorraine	Frank Sinatra	‘Frank Sinatra Show’ AFRS Re-broadcast 26 Nov 1946
What is This Thing Called Love?	Paul Whiteman Orchestra (voc) Eugenie Baird	‘Forever Pops’ ABC Chicago 1947
Set 8	1930s Fats Waller
Yacht Club Swing (theme) + Whatcha Know, Joe?	Fats Waller	Panther Room Hotel Sherman WMAQ NBC Red Chicago 3 Dec 1940
Pent Up in a Penthouse	Fats Waller	Yacht Club WABC CBS NY 14 Oct 1938
Sto Beating ‘Round The Mulberry Bush	Fats Waller	WEAF NBC Red NY 16 Jul 1938
I Had To Do It	Fats Waller	Yacht Club WABC CBS NY 18 Oct 1938