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This week, we celebrate songwriter Jimmy McHugh, who wrote memorable American classics like “On The Sunny Side of the Street” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” Read More »
Jazz standards like “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” and “A Sunday Kind of Love” are not just for singers like Frank Sinatra. This week, we’ll hear the Great American Songbook sung by The Flamingos, The Platters, and other doo wop groups from the 1950s.
This week on Afterglow, our spotlight is on Miss Peggy Lee, with a closer look at the 1960s, a time when her music and persona became more sleek, romantic, and glamorous.
Put on your dancing shoes as we cut a rug with the American Songbook. On this episode, we look at jazz standards meant for dancing, including “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “Cheek To Cheek.”
In the early 1950s, singer June Christy broke away from Stan Kenton’s Orchestra to record solo, helping to establish the “vocal cool” style of jazz singing. This week, we’ll explore some of those early solo recordings she made for Capitol Records.
In 1958, a 39-year-old Nat King Cole had the most remarkable year, recording over 100 songs.
To mark the 60th anniversary of the release of the groundbreaking Ray Charles album “Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music,” I’ll explore the influence of country music on jazz and traditional pop songs from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.
We celebrate the centennial of Doris Day on April 3rd, by exploring her work singing jazz with Les Brown, Andre Previn and more.
It’s Afterglow’s annual preview of Grammy nominees in the Vocal Jazz and Traditional Pop categories, ahead of the award ceremony on Sunday, April 3rd. Nominees this year include Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Kurt Elling, Esperanza Spalding and more.
30 years after she swept the Grammys, we'll explore how Natalie Cole transformed herself from an R&B star into a jazz star, following in her father’s footsteps.
We explore the musical partnership of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, two songwriters who contributed gems like “Just In Time” and “The Party’s Over” to the American Songbook.
While the Great American Songbook may be filled with antiquated notions of gender roles, on this program, we explore a few songs that flip the script.
Carmen McRae was one of the most respected jazz singers in the business for four decades. This week, we’ll explore her early recordings for the Decca label in the 1950s.
We usually think of Billie Holiday as a small-group singer, but she also worked with several big bands. This week, we’ll hear her recordings with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and more.
This week, we explore the songs of two unrelated black jazz composers from the early 20th century: Spencer Williams and Clarence Williams. These two Louisiana natives wrote early jazz standards like “Basin Street Blues” and “Baby Won't You Please Come Home.”
In the 1950s and 60s, Ray Charles left his indelible mark on songs in a variety of genres, including R&B, pop, country... and jazz standards from the Great American Songbook.
This week, we pay tribute to the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who wrote lyrics to such memorable songs as “The Windmills Of Your Mind,” “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life,” and many more. Marilyn Bergman passed away earlier this month at age 93.
On this program, we explore the 40-year partnership between songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen and singer Frank Sinatra.
On this program, we’ll explore the few times Charlie Parker worked with vocalists, as well as some vocal interpretations of classic Charlie Parker tunes.
This week, we remember the artistry of American songwriter Stephen Sondheim, and his many contributions to the American songbook, like “Small World,” “Send In The Clowns,” and more. Sondheim passed away last November at age 91.
Even as early as the 1940s, Bing Crosby was already considered a jazz legend
This Christmas night, relax at the end of a stressful year with some holiday songs to soothe your soul, sung by Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and more.
It’s the holiday season, and we’re keeping things light and snappy this week as we dance along to some swinging holiday tunes, sung by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and more!
They may not be as well known as Rodgers and Hammerstein, but the songwriting duo of Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz nevertheless made significant contributions to the American Songbook, like “That’s Entertainment” and “You And The Night And The Music.”
In the 1940s and 50s, the Stan Kenton Orchestra became equally known for their brash arrangements and cool singers, like Anita O'Day and June Christy.
We once again turn our attention to what’s new in the world of vocal jazz, exploring recent releases by singers like Tony Bennett, Jazzmeia Horn, Ledisi and more.