Phil Harris – Phantom Dancer 17 August 2021 Feature Artist

Phil Harris is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist. Wonga Phil Harris was a drummer, band leader, singer, comedian, actor, Academy Award winner and voice-over artist. Because of the continuing Sydney lockdown, this show is a re-broadcst of the 23 Feb 2021 Phantom Dancer

His first name, Wonga, is a Cherokee word meaning fast messenger.

The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton. Hear past Phantom Dancer online now at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.

This show will be online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 17 August at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/.

PHIL

Phil Harris’ parents were circus performers. Phil started playing in his father’s tent band as a drummer at age 9.

He began his dance band career as a drummer in San Francisco, first in 1925 with the Henry Halstead Orchestra, which toured Australia in 1927. In the late 20s he formed an orchestra with Carol Lofner which had a three year engagement at the St. Francis Hotel.

The Lofner-Harris orchestra recorded for Victor, Columbia, Decca, and Vocalion.

MOVIES

In 1933, he made a short film for RKO called So This Is Harris!. It won the Academy Award for best live action short subject. He followed with a feature-length film, Melody Cruise. 

He starred in I Love a Bandleader (1945) with Leslie Brooks. He appeared in The Wild Blue Yonder a.k.a. “Thunder Across the Pacific” (1951), alongside Forrest Tucker and Walter Brennan. He made a cameo appearance in the Warner Bros. musical, Starlift, with Janice Rule and Dick Wesson, and was featured in The High and the Mighty with John Wayne in 1954.

He made many TV appearances guesting on the Ed Sullivan Show and Dean Martin Show in the 1960s

As a singer, he had a #1 hit in 1950 with the novelty record, “The Thing”.

He was an avid golfer and won many amateur golf tournaments. Took over managing the Bing Crosby Golf Tournament after Crosby’s death

RADIO

 

On this week’s Phantom Dancer you’ll hear Phil Harris from a radio transcription simulating a broadcst from the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel where his band was resident in 1933-34.

In 1936, Harris became musical director of The Jell-O Show Starring Jack Benny singing and leading his band.

When Harris showed a knack for giving snappy one-liners, he joined the cast.

In 1946, after serving in the US Navy during WW2, Harris and wife Alice Faye began co-hosting The Fitch Bandwagon, a comedy-variety program that followed the Jack Benny show on Sunday nights.

On The Fitch Bandwagon and its later incarnation as The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, Harris played a vain, stumbling husband, while Faye played his sarcastic but loving wife.

The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show ran until 1954. Harris was concurrently on Jack Benny’s show from 1948 to 1952.

VOICE ACTOR

Harris was a popular voice actor for animated films – he played Baloo in The Jungle Book (1967), Thomas O’Malley in The Aristocats (1970), Little John in Robin Hood (1973), and Patou in Rock-a-Doodle (1991). 

17 AUGUST 2021 PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE Community Radio Network Show CRN #507
107.3 2SER Tuesday 17 August 2021 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 2SEA Eden Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4pm 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4pm 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 – 9pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm 4RPH Brisbane Sunday 3 – 4am 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	1945 Radio Dance Bands
Moonlight Serenade (theme) + Sun Valley Jump	Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Cedar Rapids Iowa Blue Network 1945
I’m Beginning To See The Light	Ray Noble Orchestra (voc) Trudy Irwin and the Smart Set	‘By Request’ KNX CBS LA 13 Jun 1945
Dark Eyes + Close	Jimmy Joy Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Hartigan TX Blue Network 6 Jan 1945
Set 2	1940s-50s Mod Jazz Bands
Open + Who’s Sorry Now?	Ray Anthony Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Cafe Rouge Hotel Statler NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 1952
Old Man Bebop	Dizzy Gillespie	AFRS Radio Transcriptions 1946
El Greco + Let’s Dance (theme)	Benny Goodman Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Palladium Ballroom Hollywood AFRS Re-broadcast 1949
Set 3	Phil Harris
Young and Healthy	Phil Harris Orchestra (voc) Phil Harris and The Three Ambassadors	Cocoanut Grove Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1933
The Girl in the Little Green Hat	Phil Harris Orchestra (voc) Lee Norton	Cocoanut Grove Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1933
Come On, Get Up	Phil Harris Orchestra (voc) Leah Raye	Cocoanut Grove Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1933
Set 4	Women on Radio
Theme + 24 Hours of Sunshine	The Andrew Sisters, Dick Haymes, Jerry Gray Orchestra	‘Guest Star’ Radio Transcription New York City 8 Jan 1950
If I Loved You + Lady Be Good (close)	Georgia  Gibbs (voc) Paul Whiteman Orchestra	Madhattan Room Pennsylvania Hotel AFRS Re-broadcast 22 Jul 1945
That Ol’ Black Magic + Close	Jo Stafford, The Starlighters, Paul Weston Orchestra	‘Guest Star’ Radio Transcription New York City 22 May 1949
Set 5	1940s Australian Swing
Don’t Sweetheart Me	George Trevare Orchestra (voc) Joan Blake	Comm Rec Sydney 1944
Let’s Have One For The Road	George Trevare Orchestra (voc)	Comm Rec Sydney 1944
Long Ago and Far Away	George Trevare Orchestra (voc) al Royal	Comm Rec Sydney 1944
Set 6	Radio Trad
Back to Coajingolong	George Trevare Orchestra	Comm Rec Sydney 1945
September in the Rain	Eddie Condon	‘Eddie Condon Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 21 Oct 1944
Levee Blues	Jimmy Dorsey Dorseyland Band (voc) Charlie Teagarden	Radio Transcription 1950
Gin Mill Blues + Close	Bob Crosby Orchestra	‘Swing Concert’ Congress Hotel WMAQ NBC Red Chicago 18 May 1937
Set 7	Lseter Young 1950s Radip
Lullaby of Birdland (theme)	Lester Young Quintet	Birdland WABC ABC NY 5 Sep 1956
Three Little Words	Lester Young Quintet	Birdland WABC ABC NY 5 Sep 1956
Lullaby of Birdland (theme)	Lester Young Quintet	Birdland WABC ABC NY 7 Aug 1956
Lester Leaps In	Lester Young Quintet	Birdland WABC ABC NY 7 Aug 1956
Set 8	Benny Goodman Small Groups
Oh, Baby!	Benny Goodman Sextet	Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 26 Jan 1946
Limehouse Blues	Benny Goodman Sextet	Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 26 Jan 1946
Sweet Georgia Brown	Benny Goodman Quintet	‘Spotlight Bands’ Springfield Mass Mutual Network 29 Sep 1943
Sweet Lorraine	Benny Goodman Trio	Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 26 Jan 1946

Lester Young Genius Killed By Alcohol – 13 March 2021 Phantom Dancer

Lester Young, jazz tenor saxophonist called ‘The Prez’, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist from live 1940s-50s broadcasts. Young was one of the most influential saxophonists, playing “a free-floating style, wheeling and diving like a gull, banking with low, funky riffs that pleased dancers and listeners alike”. Alcohol killed him.

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 6 April at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

 

1920s-30s

Lester Young grew up in a musical family. His brother, Lee, was a drummer. (You’ll hear a broadcast by Lester and Lee on this week’s Phantom Dancer). His father lead the family band in which he played trumpet, alto sax, drums and violin.

Joining Walter Page’s Blue Devils Orchestra, Lester switched saxes from alto to tenor. He also doubled clarinet, until his clarinet was stolen at a gig in 1939. (He was given a replacement clarinet in 1957).

One of Young’s key influences was Frank Trumbauer, who was famous in the 1920s Paul Whiteman Orchestra and who played the C-melody saxophone (between the alto and tenor in pitch)

Young moved to Kansas City in 1933 to play in the Count Basie Orchestra. During the 1930s he also played in the bands of Andy Kirk and Fletcher Henderson. He also played in small groups that included pianist Teddy Wilson and singer Billie Holiday who gave him the nickname, Prez.

1940s

Young left the Basie band in late 1940. He played in small groups often with his brother, drummer Lee Young, including more studio sessions with Billie Holiday and Nat “King” Cole in June 1942. 

In December 1943 Young returned to the Basie Orchestra for a 10-month stint before he was drafted into the army during World War II.

PLASTIC REEDS

Lester Young was beginning to make much greater use of a plastic reed in the early 1940s. They gave his playing a heavier, breathier tone. He never abandoned the cane reed, but used the plastic reed a significant share of the time from 1943 until the end of his life. His tone also thickened from this time with a change in saxophone mouthpiece from a metal Otto Link to an ebonite Brilhart. In August 1944 Young appeared alongside drummer Jo Jones, trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison, and fellow tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet in Gjon Mili’s short film Jammin’ the Blues.

In 1946 Young joined Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP), touring regularly with them over the next 12 years. He made many studio recordings under Granz’s supervision, including more trio recordings with Nat King Cole. Young also recorded extensively in the late 1940s for Aladdin Records (1946-7) and for Savoy (1944, ’49 and ’50), some sessions of which included Basie on piano.

 

KILLED BY PLONK

The quality and consistency of Lester Young’s playing ebbed gradually in the latter half of the 1940s.

And from 1951, his playing declined precipitously as his drinking increased. 

He began to rely on a small number of clichéd phrases and reduced creativity and originality, despite his claims that he did not want to be a “repeater pencil” (Young coined this phrase to describe the act of repeating one’s own past ideas. Young also coined the hipster words, ‘cool’ for good and ‘bread’ for money). 

In November 1955 he was admited to hospital a ‘nervous breakdown’.

On December 8, 1957, Young appeared with Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, and Gerry Mulligan in the CBS television special ‘The Sound of Jazz’, performing, ‘Fine and Mellow’. You’ll hear this reunion with Holiday, with whom he had lost contact over the years, on this week’s Phantom Dancer. Young’s solo was brilliant, acclaimed by some observers as an unparalleled marvel of economy, phrasing and extraordinarily moving emotion. Nat Hentoff, one of the show’s producers, later commented, “Lester got up, and he played the purest blues I have ever heard…in the control room we were all crying.”

Young made his final studio recordings and live performances in Paris in March 1959 with drummer Kenny Clarke at the tail end of an abbreviated European tour during which he ate almost nothing and drank heavily. On a flight to New York City, he suffered from internal bleeding due to alcoholism and died in the early morning hours of 15 March, 1959, only hours after arriving back in New York. He was only 49.

13 APRIL PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINE   Community Radio Network Show CRN #485
107.3 2SER Tuesday 13 April 2021 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 2SEA Eden Monday 3 – 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am 2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 – 9pm 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm 4RPH Brisbane Sunday 3 – 4am 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Sunday 5 – 6am 3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
Set 1	ONS Swing Bands
Theme + Sunday	Charlie Spivak Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Palladium Ballroom Hollywood AFRS Re-broadcast Oct 1943
Every Time	Sonny Dunham Orchestra (voc) Mary Ann	‘One Night Stand’ Terrace Room Hotel New Yorker NYC AFRS Re-broadcast 16 Jul 1945
All Or Nothing At All + Close	Boyd Raeburn Orchestra (voc) Ted Travers	‘One Night Stand’ Roosevelt Hotel Washington DC AFRS Re-broadcast Apr 1944
Set 2	Jimmy Grier
Tired	Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) Loyce Whiteman	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1932
Time Alone Will Tell	Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) Donald Novis	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1932
What Did You Do With It? + Music in the Moonlight (theme)	Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) Margaret Lawrence	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1932
Set 3	Glenn Miller Radio
Wham Re Bop Boom Bam	Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Marion Hutton	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ NBC Blue NY 7 Jan 1940
The Man With The Mandolin	Glenn Miller Orchestra (voc) Marion Hutton	Meadowbrook Ballroom Cedar Grove NJ WJZ NBC Blue NY 5 Dec 1939
Tuxedo Junction	Glenn Miller Orchestra	Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania WJZ NBC Blue NY 5 Apr 1940
Set 4	Lester Young
Benny’s Bugle	Lester and Lee Young Orchestra	Club Capri KHJ Mutual-Don Lee Los Angeles 2 Dec 1941
These Foolish Things	Lester Young with Nat King Cole Trio and Buddy Rich	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 20 Mar 1946
Be Bop Boogie	Lester Young	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 4 Dec 1948
Intro + Fine and Mellow	Lester Young (voc) Billie Holiday	‘Seven Lively Arts’ The Sound of Jazz CBS TV 1957
Set 5	Swing Band Radio Transcriptions
I’ve Had This Feeling Before	Harry James Orchestra (voc) Helen Ward	Radio Transcription 1943
I’m Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away the Key	Dick Jurgens Orchestra (voc) Ron Kemper	Radio Transcription 1938
Sentimental Jorney	Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Doris Day	Radio Transcription 1944
I’ll See You In My Dreams	Jan Garber Orchestra	Radio Transcription 1938
Set 6	Eddie Condon
Love Nest	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 9 Sep 1944
Yesterdays	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 21 Oct 1944
Keep Smiling at Trouble	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 30 Sep 1944
Sister Kate	Eddie Condon Group	‘Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 10 Feb 1945
Set 7	Jubilee
Rockin’ in Rhythm	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1945
Mister Beebe	Erskine Hawkins Orchestra (voc) June Richmond	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1943
Save Your Sorrows	Eddie Heywood Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1945
Blues in the Night	Larry Adler	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1943
Set 8	Charlie Parker
Wahoo	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Birdland WJZ ABC NY 30 Jun 1951
Groovin’ High	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 29 Jan 1949
Confirmation	Charlie Parker	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 12 Feb 1949
Fine and Dandy	Charlie Parker	‘Bands for Bonds’ WOR Mutual NY 13 Sep 1947

Django Reinhardt on 1945 Radio – Phantom Dancer 28 Jan 2020

The Tuesday 28 January Phantom Dancer on radio and online has 1942-45 Django Reinhardt as your feature artist.

The Phantom Dancer with actor and 1920s-30s singer Greg Poppleton is your two hour non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio.

You can hear The Phantom Dancer online now at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

The last hour is all vinyl.

DJANGO WWII

Belgian-born Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer, Django Reinhardt returned to Paris from London as soon as war broke out in Septemeber 1939.

Though he continued recording, Nazi-occupied France was a dangerous place for Reinhardt, as both a Romani and a jazz musician.

During the Holocaust an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million Romani throughout Europe were eventually killed.

Additionally, the Nazi attitude towards jazz was antagonistic, labeling it ‘degenerate music’.

Official policy towards Jazz was much less strict in occupied France, with jazz music frequently played on both Radio France, the official station of Vichy France, and Radio Paris, controlled by the Germans.

Reinhardt was the most famous jazz musician in Europe at the time, working steadily during the early war years and earning a great deal of money, yet always under threat.

AMPS

Reinhardt expanded his musical horizons during the war. By amplifying his guitar he was able to work in in large ensembles with horn sections. He also experimented with classical composition, writing a Mass for the Gypsies and a symphony. Since he did not read music, Reinhardt worked with an assistant to notate what he was improvising. His modernist piece Rhythm Futur was also intended to be acceptable to the Nazis.

One of his songs, Nuages, became an unofficial anthem in Paris to signify hope for liberation. The single sold over 100,000 copies.

Reinhardt’s first attempt at escape from Occupied France led to capture. Fortunately for him, a jazz-loving German, Luftwaffe Officer Dietrich Schulz-Köhn, allowed him to return to Paris. Reinhardt made a second attempt a few days later, but was stopped in the middle of the night by Swiss border guards, who forced him to return to Paris again.

In 1943, Reinhardt married Sophie “Naguine” Ziegler in Salbris. They had a son, Babik Reinhardt, who later became a respected guitarist in his own right.

Django survived the war to be later killed by tobacco companies. Their poison killed him by brain haemorrage in 1953

Here is The Phantom Dancer Video of the Week, Django Reinhardt playing Komm Zuerruck with Stephane Grapelli and the Hot Club of France in an American short from early 1939.

Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!

28 JANUARY PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #421
107.3 2SER Tuesday 28 January 2020 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) National Program: ArtsoundFM Canberra Sunday 10 – 11pm Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 – 9pm 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am and early morning on 23 other stations.
Set 1	Swing and Jazz on 1949 Radio
Oye Negra	Adrian Rollini Trio	‘Guest Star’ Radio Transcription New York City 1949
Flying Home (theme) + Empty Glass	Lionel Hampton Orchestra	‘One Night Stand’ Aquarium Restaurant New York City AFRS Re-broadcast 1949
One For My Baby + Lovely To Look At (Close)	Eddie Duchin Orchestra (voc) Bea Wain	‘Eddie Duchin Show’ Radio Transcription 1949
Set 2	Dance Bands
Isn’t It Romantic (open) + We Belong Together	Matt Dennis Trio	‘All-Star Parade of Bands’ Chi-Chi Club WRCA NBC NY 13 Jun 1955
Cirribirribin	Whitey Berquist and the NBC Symphony Orchestra Chicago	‘Monitor’ WRCA NBC NY 19 Jun 1955
Medley: Easter Parade / You’ll Never Know / Stars Fell on Alabama / The Best Things In Life Are Free / Close	Chuck Cabot Orchestra (voc) Lynn Avalon	Empire Room Rice Hotel CBS Houston Apr 1953
Set 3	Gypsy Jazz on 1945 Radio
Improvisation No. 6	Django Reinhardt	‘Beaucoup de Music’ AFN Paris 1 Dec 1945
Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schoen	Django Reinhardt with the Fud Candrix Orchestra	Comm Rec Brussels 16 Apr 1942
Honeysuckle Rose	Django Reinhardt Quintet	‘Beaucoup de Music’ AFN Paris 1 Dec 1945
Set 4	Jazz and Schmaltz on 1947-48 Radio
Theme + The Great Lie	Dodo Marmarosa	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1947
Poor Butterfly	Bobby Troup Trio (voc) Bobby Troup and Trio	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1 Mar 1948
Medley: The Egg and I / I Can’t Believe It Was All Make-Believe + Hawaiian War Chant (Close)	Jack Barrow Orchestrad	‘One Night Stand’ Aragon Ballroom Ocean Park Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 1947
Set 5	1937 Radio Bands
I’d Do Anything For You	Seger Ellis and his Choirs of Brass	Radio Transcription New York City 1937
Swing, Benny, Swing	Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Bloch and Sully, Martha Tilton, Alexander Chorus	‘Camel Caravan’ KNX CNS Los Angeles 10 Aug 1937
Never In A Million Years	Hal Kemp Orchestra (voc) Bob Allen	‘Chesterfield Show’ WABC CBS NY 1937
Blue Skies	George Hall Orchestra	Radio Transcription New York City 1937
Set 6	Eddie Condon’s Blue Network Jazz Concerts 1944-45
Pee Wee’s Town Hall Stomp	Eddie Condon Group (cl) Pee Wee Russell	‘Eddie Condon’s Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 1944
Blues ‘Round My Head	Eddie Condon Group (cl and voc) Woody Herman	Eddie Condon’s Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 27 Jan 1945
Wherever There’s Love	Eddie Condon Group (voc) Lee Wiley	Eddie Condon’s Town Hall Jazz Concert’ WJZ Blue NY 23 Sep 1944
I Got Rhythm	Eddie Condon Group	Eddie Condon’s Town Hall Jazz Concert’ AFRS Rebroadcast 14 oct 1944
Set 7	Bop Vocals on 1948-50 Radio
Embraceable You	Charlie Parker Quintet (voc) Chubby Newsome	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Birdland WMCA NY 30 Jun 1950
Salt Peanuts	Charlie Parker Quintet (voc) Band	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 22 Jan 1949
I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles	Jackie Cain and Roy Kral	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 1949
Body and Soul + Close	Stan Kenton Orchestra	‘All Star Parade of Bands’ Bordland WNBC NBC NY 20 Jun 1953
Set 8	Great Women Jazz Singers on The Air 1944-45
What More Can A Woman Do?	Sarah Vaughan	Comm Rec New York City 25 May 1945
Summertime	Mildred Bailey	‘Music Till Midnight’ WABC CBS NY 12 Jan 1945
No Love No Nothin’	Dinah Washington	‘One Night Stand’ Trianon Ballroom Southgate Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 16 Jun 1944
Deed I Do	Lena Horne	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1944

I Can’t Give You Anything But Love – Phantom Dancer 9 Oct 2018

‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’ was a 1928 hit for composer Jimmy McHugh and lyricist Dorothy Fields. This week’s Phantom Dancer, presented by authentic 1920s-30s singer Greg Poppleton, features an ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’-a-thon.

SHOW

The Phantom Dancer is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1929 – 65 radio.

Mixed live-to-air by 1920s – 1930s singer and actor, Greg Poppleton, on radio 2SER 107.3 Sydney since 1985, The Phantom Dancer is re-broadcast on 23 radio stations of the Community Radio Network and online at 2ser.com.

You can hear lots of past Phantom Dancers, too, at 2ser.com.

PLAYLIST

A countdown of Australian Jazz from recordings made in 1930, 1940, 1950 and 1960, the ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’ feature feature and a whole mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-50s radio. Read the full play list below.

And remember the ALL VINYL FINYL HOUR.

Lyricist Dorothy Fields

I

‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love’is now a jazz standard. Music by Jimmy McHugh, lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Introduced in Januray 1928 by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York for Lew Leslie’s Blackbird Revue.

CAN’T

The revue opened later in 1928 on Broadway and was a hit with 518 performances.

GIVE

‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby’ is 24th in the 100-most recorded songs from 1890 to 1954.

YOU

Producer Lew Leslie wanted a hit tune for his Blackbirds revue. McHugh and Fields had already written the revue’s score. They were scratching their heads about coming up with a hit song.

ANYTHING

The story goes that Fields and McHugh were strolling along Fifth Avenue in New York City when they saw a young couple window-shopping at Tiffany’s. They heard the man say to his girlfriend, “Gee, honey I’d like to get you a sparkler like that, but right now, I can’t give you nothin’ but love!”

BUT

On hearing this, Fields and McHugh, came up with lyrics and music for Lew Leslie’s requested hit within an hour while as they sat on a train.

LOVE

Fats Waller’s son reported that his composer, piano playing father would always angrily switch off the song when he heard it on the radio. Waller believed that he had sold the melody to McHugh in 1926.

SONG

Here’s a link to my own version of the song from the album ‘Sweet Sue’ on Bandcamp, CDBaby and iTunes https://gregpoppleton.bandcamp.com/track/i-cant-give-you-anything-but-love

Sweet Sue digital download album, including ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, at Bandcamp

9 OCTOBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #336
107.3 2SER Tuesday 9 October 2018 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) National Program: ArtSoundFM Canberra Sunday 7 – 8pm and early morning on 24 other stations.
Set 1	Spotlight Bands 1945-46 Radio
Open + Cool Breeze	Buddy Rich Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Phoenixville PA AFRS Re-broadcast 24 Dec 1945
I’ll Never Be The Same	Charlie Venyura (ts) Gene Krupa Orchestra	‘Spotlight Bands’ Palladium Ballroom Hollywood AFRS Re-broadcast 1946
Dark Eyes + Close	George Olsen Music (voc) Judith Blair, Sherman Hayes and Chorus	‘Spotlight Bands’ Waukegan, Ill. Blue Network 17 Mar 1945
Set 2	Your Hit Parade
Open + So Long As You’re Not In Love With Anyone Else + Brazil	Mark Warnow Orchestra (voc) Barry Woods and The Hit Paraders	‘Your Hit Parade’ AFRS Re-broadcast 23 Jan 1943
I’m Gonna Love That Guy	Mark Warnow Orchestra (voc) The Hit Paraders	‘Your Hit Parade’ AFRS Re-broadcast 29 Sep 1945
I’ve Got a Pocketful of Dreams + Close	Al Goodman Orchestra	‘Your Hit Parade’ WABC CBS NY 22 Oct 1938
Set 3	Stan Kenton 1952 Radio
Artistry in Rhythm + Francesca	Stan Kenton Orchestra	‘Concert in Miniature’ CBC Canada / NBC Palace Pier Toronto ON 3 Jun 1952
Opus in Pastels	Stan Kenton Orchestra	‘Concert in Miniature’ Devine’s Million Dollar Ballroom WTMJ NBC Milwaukee WI 10 Jun 1952
Jump For Joe + Close	Stan Kenton Orchestra	‘Concert in Miniature’ Club Harlem KYW NBC Philadelphia 30 May 1952
Set 4	Miles Davis 1950s Radio
Move	Miles Davis	Birdland WJZ ABC NY 16 May 1953
Deep Sea Blues	Herbie Fields & Miles Davis	Comm Rec New York City 24 Apr 1945
Nature Boys + Anthropology	Miles Davis	‘ABC Dancing Party’ Birdland WABC ABC NY 30 Oct 1957
Set 5	Australian Jazz Through the Decades
I’m Sailing on a Sunbeam	Des Tooley (voc) Frank Coughlan (tb) Beryl Newell (piano)	Comm Rec Sydney Mar 1930
Cuckoo in the Clock	Trocadero Dance Orchestra (voc) Olive Lester	Comm Rec Sydney 10 Jan 1940
Katzenjammers Ball	Jack Allen’s Original Katzenjammerd	Comm Rec Sydney 23 Feb 1950
Dream Lover	Graeme Bell (voc) Kerrie Neilson	Comm Rec Sylvania Hotel Sydneu Jan 1960
Set 6	I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love	Joe Turner (voc) Joe Sullivan and his Cafe Society Orchestra	Comm Rec New York City 9 Feb 1940
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love + Close	Louis Armstrong Orchestra (voc) LA	‘Jubilee’ AFRS NYC 1943
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love	POrt Jackson Jazz Band (voc) Marie Harriot	Comm Rec Sydney 25 Jun 1947
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love	Claude Thornhill Orchestra (voc) Gene Williams	‘One Night Stand’ Steel Pier Atlantic City NJ AFRS Re-broadcast 24 Aug 1956
Set 7	1940s Radio ‘Jubilee’ Swing Bands
Jeep Rhythm	Fletcher Henderson Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1944
Vine Street Boogie	Jay McShann Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1944
Benny’s Original	Benny Carter Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS NYC 1943
Cuban Jam	Charlie Barnet Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1945
Set 8	1940s-1950s Mod Radio
C-Jam Blues/div>	Stan Hasselgard	AFRS Hollywood 1948
Koko + Hot House	Barry Ulanov’s All-Stars	‘Bands for Bonds’ WOR Mutual NY 9 Mar 1947
Bebop Boogie	Lester Young	‘Symphony Sid Show’ Royal roost WMCA NY 4 Dec 1948

‘Behind the Scenes’ 20s Clip: The Phantom Dancer Live

How The Phantom Dancer looks in the studio.

Filmed for Radio 2SER. I’m introducing the 18 September Phantom Dancer feature set of Lester Young from live 1940s-50s radio.

Hear the full 18 September show and a whole year of past Phantom Dancers, presented by me, Greg Poppleton, since 1985. Australia’s longest-running swing DJ show.

Lester Young – Phantom Dancer Radio Show 18 September 2018

Lester Young started playing jazz in the family band. He became one of the most influential tenor saxophonists in jazz. He also coined a lot of hipster words. Lester Young is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist.

SHOW

The Phantom Dancer is a non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio.

Mixed live-to-air by Greg Poppleton on radio 2SER 107.3 Sydney since 1985.

The Phantom Dancer is re-broadcast on 23 radio stations of the Community Radio Network and online at 2ser.com.

And 2ser.com is where you can hear lots of past Phantom Dancers, too.

PLAYLIST

The Lester Young feature and a whole mix of swing and jazz from live 1930s-50s radio. Read the full play list below. ALL VINYL FINYL HOUR.

LESTER YOUNG

Known as ‘Prez’, Lester Young was one of the most influential tenor saxophonists in jazz.

Reams have been written about Lester Young’s cool, fluid style so I won’t wax lyrical about that here.

Better you hear it first hand from live 1950s broadcast recordings on this week’s Phantom Dancer.

HIPSTER

Less known about Lester Young, is that he coined or popularised a lot of the hipster jargon that came to be associated with jazz.

‘Bread’ for money is a Lester Young original. ‘Bread’ became a Lester Young feature song in the 1956 Count Basie Orchestra. He’d ask, “How does the bread smell?” to mean what does the gig pay? He popularised the word ‘cool’, meaning ‘in vogue’.

FAMILY

Lester came from a musical family. His father was a band leader and Lester commenced his music career touring with the family band. His brother, Lee, was a drummer. In earler Phantom Dancers you would have heard the Lee and Lester Young band broadcasting from Los Angeles over KHJ.

CLARINET

Lester occasionally doubled on clarinet in the 1930s Walter Page Blue Devils Band and in the Count Basie Orchestra. It was stolen in 1939 and he didn’t pick up a licorice stick again until jazz promoter Norman Granz bought one for him in 1957.

INFLUENCE

Young wasn’t influenced by an earlier tenor sax player, but by Frankie Trambauer from Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra. FT played C-Melody Sax, the main sax played in the 1920s and pitched between alto and tenor.

BLUES

DB Blues is a Lester Young original you’ll hear on this week’s Phantom Dancer from a 1945 ‘Jubilee’ Armed Forces Radio broadcast.

Drafted into the army in 1944, Young was caught with marijuana and alcohol and dishonourably discharged. He was held in a DB ‘dentention barracks’ for one trauma filled year.

SOLO

Alcoholism, with symptoms of malnutriton and liver disease, affected his playing in the 1940s and 1950s, but there were also many moments of brilliance.

The most famous, which you can find online in an earlier Phantom Dancer, is his economic and emotive solo on ‘Fine and Mellow’, backing Billie Holliday in an all-star band on the CBS TV special, ‘The Sound of Jazz’.

VIDEO

Lester Young and that famous Lester Young solo on ‘The Sound of Jazz’, CBS TV, in 1957.

18 SEPTEMBER PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #332
107.3 2SER Tuesday 18 September 2018 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) National Program: ArtSoundFM Canberra Sunday 7 – 8pm and early morning on 23 other stations.
Set 1	Gus Arnheim 1931 Radio
Sweet and Lovely (theme) + You Don’t Need Glasses To See I’m In Love	Gus Arnheim Orchestra	‘Cocoanut Grove’ Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1931
It’s The Girl	Gus Arnheim Orchestra	‘Cocoanut Grove’ Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1931
I Got The Ritz From The One I Love + Sweet and Lovely (theme)	Gus Arnheim Orchestra (voc) Loyce Whiteman	‘Cocoanut Grove’ Radio Transcription Los Angeles 1931
Set 2	Modern Singers on 1950s Radio
Open + Blue Velvet	Arthur Prysock	‘Stars in Jazz’ Birdland WRCA NBC NY 9 Sep 1952
Open + Tenderly + The Nearness of You	Sarah Vaughan	‘All-Star Parade of Bands’ Zardi’s KFI NBC LA 21 May 1956
Happy Birthday + Send My Baby Back To Me + Close	Billy Eckstine	‘All-Star Parade of Bands’ Birdland WRCA NBC NY 8 Jul 1953
Set 3	Club Hangover 1954
Relaxin’ at the Trouro + Senstation Rag	Muggsy Spanier	Club Hangover KCBS San Francisco 27 Nov 1954
Flying Home	Earl Hines	Club Hangover KCBS San Francisco 30 Jan 1954
Dardenella + Checkin’ With Chuck (theme)	Ralph Sutton	Club Hangover KCBS San Francisco 24 Jul 1954
Set 4	Lester Young
DB Blues	Lester Young	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 22 Apr 1956
Call Me Darling	Count Basie Orchestra, Lester Young (ts) Thelma Capenter (voc)	V-Disc New York City 27 May 1944
Polkadots and Moonbeams	Lester Young	‘Bandstand USA’ Cafe Bohemia WOR Mutual NY 22 Dec 1956
Set 5	Headline Women Singers on 1940s Radio
The Starlit Hour	Ella Fitzgerald Orchestra (voc) EF	Savoy Ballroom WEAF NBC Red NY 26 Feb 1940
Honeysuckle Rose	Lena Horne (voc) Fletcher Henderson Orchestra	‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollywood 1944
Aintcha Ever Comin’ Back?	Peggy Lee (voc) Paul Weston Orchestra	‘Peggy Lee Show’ KNX CBS LA 1947
It Had To Be You + Close	Mildred Bailey (voc) Paul Baron Orchestra	‘Music Till Midnight’ WABC CBS NY 1944
Set 6	Cotton Club
Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday	Duke Ellington Orchestra (voc) Ivie Anderson	Cotton Club WCBS CBS NY 24 Mar 1938
I’m Slappin’ on Seventh Avenue + Lost In Meditation	Duke Ellington Orchestra (voc) Ivie Anderson	Cotton Club WCBS CBS NY 22 May 1938
The Gal From Joe’s + Riding on a Blue Note	Duke Ellington Orchestra	Cotton Club WCBS CBS NY 1 May 1938
East St Louis Toodle-oo + Jig Walk + In a Sentimental Mood	Duke Ellington Orchestra	Cotton Club WCBS CBS NY 8 May 1938
Set 7	1937 Radio
I’d Do Anything For You	Seger Ellis and his Choirs of Brass	Radio Transcription NYC 1937
Pennies from Heaven	Mills Brothers	‘Norge Program’ Radio Transcription NYC 1937
Johnny One Note	Hal Kemp Orchestra (voc) Skinnay Ennis	‘Chesterfield Show’ WABC CBS NY 1937
Blue Skies + Closing	George Hall Orchestra	Radio Transcription NYC 1937
Set 8	Bop Big Bands on Radio
Oo-Pop-A-Da	Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra	Winter Palace Radio Sweden Stockholm 2 Feb 1948
Belvedere Bop	Chubby Jackson Orchestra	‘Symphony Sid Show’ WMCA NY 12 Mar 1949
Serenade in Sulphur-8	Slim Gaillard	‘Symphony Sid Show’ WJZ ABC NY 7 Jul 1951

1 August Phantom Dancer – Episode 5 Radar Men From The Moon

If the 25 July show is anything to go by, the 1 August Phantom Dancer is going to be the best show ever.

Your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV has been presented by myself, Greg Poppleton, over radio station 107.3 2SER Sydney, and now online, since 1985.

See the 1 August play list below.

Hear today’s show online at community radio 2ser.com

You’ll hear that set of jazz greats on 1950s-60s Tonight Shows I didn’t get to play after running out of time last week. There’s a set of women stars on 1940s-50s radio, including The International Sweethearts of Rhythm that was missed last week plus Benny Goodman on 1937-38 radio

Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week this week is episode 5 of the 1940s Republic serial, Radar Men From The Moon.
Enjoy!

Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!

Thank you.

 

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #273 107.3 2SER Tuesday 1 August 2017 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 – 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) National Program: 2RRR Gladesville Thurs 11am – 12 ArtSoundFM Canberra Sunday 7 – 8pm and early morning on 22 other stations. Set 1 Benny Goodman Swings on 1937-38 Radio Let’s Dance (theme) + Minnie The Moocher’s Wedding Day Benny Goodman Orchestra Manhattan Room Hotel Pennsylvania WOR Mutual NY 21 Oct 1937 Some of These Days Benny Goodman Quartet ’Camel Caravan’ WBBM CBS Chicago 7 Oct 1946 When It’s Sleepy Time Down South + Camel Hop Benny Goodman Orchestra Steel Pier ABC Atlantic City NJ 1951 Set 2 Women Vocal Groups on 1940s – 50s Radio Buttons and Bows Dinah Shore ’Guest Star’ Radio Transcription New York City 5 Dec 1948 Motherless Child + Theme Ethel Waters (voc) Fletcher Henderson (piano) ’Guest Star’ Radio Transcription New York City 16 Jul 1950 Set 3 The Father of Rock’n’Roll Tenor Sax – Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor Right Now, Right Now (theme) + Road Runner Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor Band ’Rock ’n’ Roll Dance Party’ WCBS CBS NY 24 Jul 1956 You Mean Everything To Me + I Almost Lost My Mind Ivory Joe Hunter (voc and piano) Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor Band ’Rock ’n’ Roll Dance Party’ WCBS CBS NY 24 Jul 1956 Park Waver + Close Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor Band ’Rock ’n’ Roll Dance Party’ WCBS CBS NY 24 Jul 1956 Set 4 Stan Kenton Concerts In Miniature NBC 1952 Theme + Bill’s Blues Stan Kenton Orchestra ’Concert In Miniature’ WRC NBC Washington DC 15 Jul 1952 Blue Moon Stan Kenton Orchestra with Lee Konitz (as) ’Concert Encores’ NBC 30 Sep 1952 Talk Of The Town + Invention For Guitar and Trumpet Stan Kenton Orchestra with Maynard Fergusson (tp) ’Concert In Miniature’ Rustic Cabin NJ NBC 15 Jul 1952 Set 5 Dance Bands on Chicago 1940s Radio Cherokee Eddy Howard Orchestra Radio Transcription Chicago 1948 Theme + Baby Don’t Tell Me Ozzie Nelson Orchestra (voc) Rose Ann Stevens Blackhawk Restaurant WGN Mutual Chicago 30 Mar 1940 Daddy, Surprise Me Ray Herbeck and his Music with Romance Orchestra (voc) Lorraine Benson Edgewater Beach Hotel WGN Chicago 1 Nov 1948 Medley + So Long For Now (theme) Eddy Howard Orchestra (voc) EH Aragon Ballroom Mutual Chicago 5 Dec 1945 Set 6 Jazz on 1929-1930 Radio Call Of The Freaks Red Nichols and his Five Pennies ’Heat’ Radio Transcription New York 1 Aug 1930 Am I Blue? + Liza Dixie Two Steppers Radio Transcription Chicago 1929 Dancing With Tears In My Eyes Ruth Eating (voc) Ben Selvin Orchestra ’Columbia Tele-Focal Program’ Radio Transcription New York City 1930 Tell Me Who + There’s No Place Like Home (theme) Ray Miller Orchestra (voc) Bob Nolan ’Sunny Meadows Program’ Radio Transcription Chicago 25 Jan 1929 Set 7 Sax Stars of the 30s and 40s Theme + Back In Your Own Backyard Charlie Barnet Orchestra ’Spotlight Bands’ Ft Devon Mass. Blue Network 15 Oct 1945 I’m Confessin’ That I Love You Lester Young ’Symphony Sid Show’ Royal Roost WMCA NY 4 Dec 1948 Limehouse Blues Chu Berry WNEW Jam Session New York City 11 Nov 1938 Body and Soul (theme) + Chicago Coleman Hawkins Savoy Ballroom Aircheck 1944 Set 8 Jazz on the Tonight Show Them There Eyes Billie Holiday Tonight Show NBC Hollywood 1958 My Heart Stood Still Shorty Rogers Giants Tonight Show NBC Hollywood 1958 After You’ve Gone Roy Eldridge Tonight Show NBC Hollywood 1958 Sing, Sing, Sing Benny Goodman Tonight Show NBC NYC 1958