Announcing "Radiola"--a new program of old music

Not being one to count my chickens, I waited until I actually SAW the summer schedule. Now it can be told: starting Friday, June 10 I will be hosting "Radiola," a weekly program of 20s and 30s jazz and pop on WHCL-FM from 9 to 11 PM EDT. The frequency is 88.7, but since the station has an effective radius of 30 miles (on a good day with a prevailing wind) from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, I assume many reading this would opt for the webcast at www.whcl.org.

The music of the 192os and 1930s was not being played on any local station, commercial or public. This is a shame, because it has a lightness and a vitality totally lacking in other musical realms. Also, it could be sophisticated, smart, and funny. It is not the over-processed, demographically-targeted pop of later years. It was all in one take, all on one mike, spontaneous, and totally in the moment. Hence it is still fresh, joyous, and new, even after 75 years.

The program will be drawn from my sprawling and unwieldy collection of CDs, LPs, and 78s. What I will play from week to week is anybody's guess. There will be Satchmo and Bing, but also such neglected greats as Annette Hanshaw, Jabbo Smith, Eddie Lang, and Joe Robichaux, among dozens of others. I'll try to keep it light and fun. Nor will I shy from a touch of irony when the moment demands it.

"Radiola" is scheduled to run through the end of July.