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Episodes

Nov. 21, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/21/25 Edition

On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom hosted by Jeff Bressler: one of the most touching partnerships in jazz history, jazz music loved by a classical composer, Glenn Miller lends a hand to a fellow musician, plu...
Nov. 14, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/14/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: a historic jam session, a listener's request results in a segment about records and artists rarely pl...
Nov. 7, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 11/7/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: a funny Billie Holiday story, some of the wealthiest bandleaders of the era, an out-of-this-world rec...
Oct. 30, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/31/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: An introduction to King Garcia, an obscure band with some world-class musicians, the most recorded ba...
Oct. 24, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/24/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: Two Bandleaders are better than one, some bands that performed at the legendary Onyx Club, tracing a ...
Oct. 17, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/17/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: A song from the 1700s that was swingin in the 1930s and 40s, a questionable Fats Waller tale, Frank S...
Oct. 10, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/10/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: A trivia question about a dance enjoyed by young and old alike, a groundbreaking female vocalist, som...
Oct. 3, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 10/3/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: Did Big Bands of the 30s and 40s ever play classical music, the B side of a record we played last wee...
Sept. 26, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/26/25 Edition

The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this week's program: Lionel Hampton changes instruments, a unique big band business model, Charlie Christian and his elect...
Sept. 19, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/19/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this edition - the first bandleader ever to appear on the radio, orchestras that were artistic successes but finan...
Sept. 12, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/12/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a Duke Ellington story, a listener's famous big band relative, an underrated vocal group, a song and dance that was ...
Sept. 5, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 9/5/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - one of the forefathers of swing, a song from the 1920s that took decades to get its just due, an Artie Shaw request,...
Aug. 29, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/29/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a second string band that was anything but second best, a crooner of the 1930s whose life ended much too soon, Leste...
Aug. 22, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/22/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - some Bing Crosby duets, a long-forgotten female vocalist, a battling composer, a couple of first-time-ever-recorded ...
Aug. 15, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/15/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s -Frank Sinatra turned down for a job, a song that became a gold record 43 years after it was written, World War II tun...
Aug. 8, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/8/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a one hit wonder, a lightly played Benny Goodman tune, how Marilyn helped Ella, listners emails, Lenny from Down the...
Aug. 1, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a historic big band colaberation, a singing sisters nick name for a wildly popular comic and bandleader, listners em...
July 25, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/25/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - we spin a couple of lightly played Glenn Miller recordings, two great classic Jam Sessions from the origional Make B...
July 18, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/18/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a big band leader who had to change his name, a popular bandleader who had a second career as an MC and DJ, this and...
July 11, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/11/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - an email from a 95 year old veteran who played in the Air Force Band, a song written for the legendary disc jockey A...
July 4, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 7/4/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a look at a listener's somewhat controversial list of the most influential jazz musicians and vocalists of the swing...
June 27, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 6/27/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a special tribute to Angelo Carbone and the Raphie from Canarsie, Brooklyn Record Club, also Lenny from Down the Blo...
June 20, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 6/20/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a game show hosts famous uncle, a longtime listners special playlist, a gambling song, Lenny from Down the Block wit...
June 13, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 6/13/25 Edition

This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s -One of the all time great female vocalists first record as a younf teenager, a dubious record company executive, Lenn...