Afterglow is a weekly one-hour radio program of jazz and American popular song hosted by David Brent Johnson and produced by WFIU Public Radio. Afterglow airs Friday at 10 p.m. on WFIU HD1.
Lester Young had a strong appreciation for singers and their art; he also insisted upon knowing the words of any tune that he played. This centennial celebration of the great tenor saxophonist features his recordings with Billie Holiday and other vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Jimmy Rushing.
Billy Eckstine, the so-called “Sepia Sinatra,” made three stellar albums during his stay on the Roulette label–an LP of standards with arranger/bandleader Billy May, a blues excursion with Count Basie, and a knockout live performance in Las Vegas.
Pianist and singer Shirley Horn, who strongly influenced Diana Krall and who was a personal favorite of Miles Davis, made several records in the early 1960s but didn’t gain widespread renown until she began to record for Verve in the late 1980s. Her mastery of slow tempos, her phrasing, and her use of space gave her a strong appeal that ultimately led to nine Grammy nominations. She made her debut at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1994 at the age of 60, a recently-released performance that we’ll highlight on this edition of Afterglow.
Stormy weather ahead this week on Afterglow, with a slew of songs that invoke the rain, especially as inspiration or lamentation for romance, from Billie Holiday, the Four Freshmen, Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Patricia Barber, Peggy Lee, and more.
This week on Afterglow we feature vocalist Cassandra Wilson’s new Blue Note CD, Loverly –her first album of standards in 20 years, including songs such as “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” “Gone With the Wind,” and “The Very Thought of You.” We’ll also hear music from Norah Jones, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, Miles Davis, and Billy Eckstine.
This week on Afterglow we’ll feature the mid-1950s American songbook recordings of Sarah Vaughan, featuring the singer in mostly orchestral settings performing songs by Irving Berlin and George Gershwin, as well as her hit duet with Billy Eckstine, “Passing Strangers.” Other artists on the program include saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, singers Bill Henderson, Johnny Hartman, and Carmen McRae, and pianists Wynton Kelly and Elmo Hope.
This week on Afterglow it’s “Frank Sinatra on V-Disc.” . These were non-commercial recordings that were made for, and distributed exclusively to, soldiers, sailors, and other American military personnel serving in World War II.
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