Night Lights Classic Jazz

The Victor Young Songbook

Composer and film scorer Victor Young authored some of the most frequently heard melodies in the jazz canon.

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Victor YoungVictor Young Composer and film scorer Victor Young received more than 20 Oscar nominations for his film work, and he authored some of the most frequently heard melodies in the jazz canon. Nearly 50 years after his death, he remains largely unknown. This edition of Night Lights offers interpretations of his work from Miles Davis (“Stella By Starlight”), Lennie Tristano (“Ghost of a Chance”), Clifford Brown (“Delilah”), Frank Sinatra (“Around the World in 80 Days”), Betty Roche (“When I Fall in Love”) and more.

Music Heard On This Episode

Miss D.D.
Mary Lou Williams — Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian Folkways, 1964)
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Miss D.D.
Mary Lou Williams — Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian Folkways, 1964)
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Stella By Starlight
Miles Davis — '58 Sessions (Columbia, 1958)
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Delilah
Clifford Brown/Max Roach — Clifford Brown and Max Roach (EmArcy, 1954)
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Ghost of a Chance
Lennie Tristano — Tristano/the New Tristano (Rhino, 1955)
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Street of Dreams
Art Farmer — Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra (Mercury, 1962)
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Around the World in 80 Days
Frank Sinatra — Come Fly With Me (Capitol, 1957)
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Love Me
Eric Dolphy — Conversations (Restless, 1963)
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Sweet Sue
Miles Davis — Round About Midnight (Columbia/Legacy, 1956)
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My Foolish Heart
Bill Evans — Waltz for Debby (Riverside, 1961)
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Beautiful Love
Bill Evans — Explorations (Riverside, 1961)
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A Hundred Years From Today
Lee Wiley — A Touch of the Blues (RCA/BMG Spain, 1957)
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Weaver of Dreams
Cannonball Adderley/John Coltrane — Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago (Mercury, 1959)
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Love Letters
Duke Ellington — Treasury Shows V. 2 (D.E.T.S., 1945)
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When I Fall in Love
Betty Roche — Singin' and Swingin' (Prestige/OJC, 1960)
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Night Lights
Gerry Mulligan — Night Lights (Polygram, 1963)
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David Brent Johnson

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, David Brent Johnson moved to Bloomington in 1991. He is an alumnus of Indiana University, and began working with WFIU in 2002. Currently, David serves as jazz producer and systems coordinator at the station. His interests include literature, history, music, writing, and movies.

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