Listening to the radio - Summer of '37

[John Balderston]

What might we have heard on the radio in the summer of 1937 (Northern hemisphere summer, that is  :)) as we pondered what became of AE and FN?  Here's my first entry - "One O'Clock Jump", Count Basie Orchestra.

(Photo of Zenith 12U158 console radio courtesy of "Tuberadioland.com")

[Monte Chalmers]

Hi John.  I went to your link - see where the recording was made July 7th - just a few days after the disappearance (but not on the radio until sometime after release in August.  The radio was all we had at home - no TV until years after that - had to go to the movies to see any news.  :D

[John Balderston]

Thanks Monte.  I'm a huge fan of early jazz and I listen to a ton of this music.  I seem to remember the record released on 8/8, but I can't find the reference.  At any rate great music!

Here's another - Billie Holiday "They Can't Take That Away From Me", recorded in April 1937.  Odds are Betty was listening to this version when she wrote down the lyrics in her notebook. 

I can relate to your story about the radio.  Although in our house it was the Zenith B&W TV and rabbit ear antenna.   :).

[John Balderston]

And one more for your listening pleasure - "Carelessly", recorded by Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra, March 1937; Billie Holiday on vocals.  Lyrics to this song also written in Betty's notebook. 

Although a sample size of two does not not a valid statistic make  :), one can jump to the conclusion that Betty liked Billie Holiday, which would mean Betty had excellent taste in music.  ;)

For anyone wanting to give Billie Holiday a try, may I recommend "The Essential Billie Holiday: The Columbia Years" (link to U.S. Amazon store for convenience; available just about anywhere).  The set lives up to its "essential" moniker - Billie's very best 78's from 1936 through the early 1940's recorded on Columbia's "Brunswick" and "Vocalion" labels.  In 1936 Billie was 21 years old, and had already lived a lifetime.  I agree with the critics/historians that say 1936-38 was the apex of her career.  In this time period pianist Teddy Wilson would set up many BH recording sessions with key players from Count Basie Orchestra - soloists Lester Young (tenor sax), Buck Clayton and Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpets), Dickie Wells (trombone) and rhythm section - Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar) and Jo Jones (drums) (However, "Carelessly" players are from Duke Ellington Orchestra - Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Cootie Williams, etc. - of course GREAT as well).   In these sessions Billie would run through a stack of sheet music; the group had no problem keeping up, sometimes recording on the first take - incredible extemporaneous playing.  Every recording on here is a gem, and IMHO excellent background music while conducting AE research.  Enjoy!

[Monte Chalmers]

Yes. Billie Holliday was very popular. Many  pop singer in the US during that time have been influenced  by her. I have a couple of her work, but in 1939.  Nothing in 1937. We have the interest in 30s music in common .  I have almost everything done by Glenn Miller - but that starts in 1938 to his disappearance in 1944. Everything  I now have is digital - well, except a couple of examples of what a 78 rpm record looks like.  Did you know that before the Frisbee there was the 78? We used to toss worn-out/unwanted 78s - see how far we could get them to go.  The hard rubber they're made of doesn't stand up well to impacts!  :D  And needles in those days were hell on records - lots of wear outs.  ;D

[John Balderston]

Did you know that before the Frisbee there was the 78?

Huge LOL  ;D