Aug. 1, 2025

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/25 Edition

Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/25 Edition
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/25 Edition
Make Believe Ballroom
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/25 Edition
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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 emails, Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
WEBVTT

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It's make believe ballroom time.

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Put all your cares away.

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All the bands are here to bring good cheer your way.

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It's make belief.

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Ballroom time and free to everyone. It's no time to

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friend your Dalis.

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Said Bamba.

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Yours.

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Close your eyes and visual lize in your solitude.

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Your favorite bands are on this dance and mister Miller,

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what you're in the mood?

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It's make believe ballroom time. We are a sweet romance

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is to make come on to the last das last.

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Hello world, I'm Jeff Bresler, turning on the lights of

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the Make Believe Ballroom and welcoming you into my Crystal

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studio for another program of classic big band hits from

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the nineteen thirties and nineteen forties. Whether you're listening on

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the radio via great affiliates like Jazz ninety point one

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WGMC in Rochester, New York, or maybe enjoying the show

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on a podcast or even on internet radio in the

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United Kingdom, anyway you've arrived. I'm delighted as I get

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ready to spin for you some amazing big band jazz, swing, blues,

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and boogie woogie favorites. Folks, you're listening to the Make

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Believe Ballroom, broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen thirty five. Hi, folks,

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I hope you're all having a great day. You're all,

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in my estimate, a bunch of great cats, and Roy

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Eldridge wants you to join in.

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Hop in that older lop and hid for them all

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that shop, and all the cats join, and down goes

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my last two bits. Come up, one banana split, and

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all the cats.

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Join, and.

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Drop your jack in that old juke box.

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Playing your favorite disc.

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When you dance with the Bobby Socks, you dance, dance

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your own ris rip. Everybody swings, yes, swing till the

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rafters ring.

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And all the john laving.

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All the cats join in Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra

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with a buster harding vocal recorded on Decor Records, January

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the thirty first, nineteen forty six. And that was an

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upbeat way to get this week's edition of the Make

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Believe Ballroom underway.

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Movie Them.

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Some Friends. We just heard Sunny Burke and his Orchestra

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with Jumping sult on Okay Records, recorded in nineteen forty

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Now Sonny Burke. Sonny, unfortunately is a name pretty much

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forgotten today, but certainly for decades he was a superb

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musical arranger. He was composer, bandleader and record producer. Now

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during the thirties and forties, he was a big band

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leader in New York, and at one point he took

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over Sam Donna Hugh's band when Sam decided to leave

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his own band to move on to work with Gene Kruper.

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Now during the forties and fifties, Sonny Burke worked as

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a band arranger for the Charlie Spivak and Jimmy Dorsey orchestras,

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amongst others. In nineteen fifty five, he Sonny wrote, along

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with Peggy Lee, the songs to Disney's Lady and the Tramp.

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Many of you might not realize that the great legendary

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vocalist Peggy Lee was also very talented composer. But getting

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back to Sonny, I think his most well known work

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actually came as a record producer and musical director. Sonny

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was the musical director for Reprise Records, and there was

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responsible for many of Frank Sinatra's greatest albums. He was

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also a bandleader for recordings of such great vocalists as

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Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormae. Going back to his big Banddaize.

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Sonny made sixteen titles for OK Records in nineteen thirty

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nine and nineteen forty, and he had a great quote

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that I had read regarding that record contract with Okay.

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Sonny said during an interview about his period with Okay,

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he said, quote unquote, we didn't have any hits. We

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just made good records. So a little about Sonny Burke,

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and he did indeed make some very good records. Sunny

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Burke and his orchestra Jimmy Meets the Count, also titled

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Love is a Wonderful Thing recorded on OK Record September third,

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nineteen forty and a great contrafact in there, as Sunny

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Burke used the great Count bases one o'clock jump. I'm

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Jeff Bressler, and you're listening to the one, the only,

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the original Make Believe Ballroom broadcasting almost continuously since nineteen

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thirty five. And to reach me, I'm Jeff at Make

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Believe Ballroom Radio dot com. That's Jeff at MakeBelieve Ballroomradio

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dot com. And in a little while to listeners, emails

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will be read across these very airwaves.

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Hello, don't mean.

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The we talked about Sunny Bark taking over Sam Donahue's

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band when Sam left to go to work for a

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Gene Krupa. And now I play for you a Gene

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Krupa classic we just heard on Brunswick Records, wire Brush

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Stomp Gene and the Orchestra, recorded in New York City,

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June the second, nineteen thirty eight, and no explanation is

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due as to why that record was called wire Brush Stomp.

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Some great wire brush work there by the legendary mister Krupa.

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I said, I wanted to read two emails. Let me

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cover I'm not going to do both now. Let me

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cover one now, then the second one a little later

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on in the show No One I'm about to read.

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This is such a sweet email. It reads, Dear mister Bresler,

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you could call me Cheff. I think the last time

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anyone called me mister Bresler is probably when I was

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audited it a number of years ago by the IRS.

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But that's different story. But back to the email, Dear

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mister Bresler. I started listening to The Make Believe Ballroom

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last year and I have really enjoyed it ever since.

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I now listen with my husband and we often dance

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along to the music. I started taking swing dance classes

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a few years ago when I was a teenager, and

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I eventually brought along my boyfriend now husband, as we

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both love music from the Big Band era. We are

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celebrating two events this month, our first wedding anniversary and

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my husband's birthday. He'll be twenty two. Please would you

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give a shout out to my lovely husband, Mario. He's

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a wonderful man and I love him with all my heart.

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I'm so glad to have found my dance partner. Thank

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you for hosting the Make Believe Ballroom. We've learned so

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much about the history of the Big Band and era

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from you and that signed Mario and Moya Natsumi out

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of San Francisco. So Mario and Moya, you don't know

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how happy it makes me. It makes me feel to

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know that you two so young in years, are devoted

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listeners to the Make Believe Ballroom. It's important you keep

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on swing dancing and listening to this music so you

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can keep it alive from many generations to come. And

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to you, Mario, one big happy birthday wish, and in

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honor of your anniversary, I play for you this song.

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Oh how We danced on the night. We were well.

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Revved.

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Our true law loo ward wasn't.

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The world was in blue.

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There were stars in the skies, accents for the few

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that were there.

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In your As I held you, saw cold in my arm.

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Angels were singing on him to your charm.

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To.

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Stadly beating wing, my darling.

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I loved you, so.

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I seemed to blesson news.

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Layne, good.

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Bye weed Bye. That along is on older by.

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Time on Victor Records. We just heard the anniversary song

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by Tex Bennecke with the Glenn Miller Orchestra vocal by

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Gary Stevens and the Mellow Larks, recorded in nineteen forty seven,

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and of course, after the tragic disappearance and ultimate demise

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of Glenn Miller during World War Two, the Miller family

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wanted to keep the heritage of the Miller Orchestra alive

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and asked Tex Beneke at that time to take the lead.

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And that song we just heard, the anniversary song made

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famous initially by the great Al Jolson. So once again,

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happy birthday to you, Mario, and happy anniversary to you

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Moya as well as Mario. To reach me, I'm jeff

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at make believe Ballroomradio dot com. That's Jeff at Make

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Believe Ballroomradio dot com. Please email me with your requests, stories, birthdays, anniversaries,

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whatever you want. I'll be happy to read it on

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the air. And now from his office in his condo

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and an unknown location in Tampa, Florida, is the retired

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producer emeritus of the Make Believe Ballroom. I used to

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call him the record rack and tour and the platter Prince.

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I'm talking about mister Excitement himself. Lenny from down the

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Block with his record pick of the week.

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High Gang, Lenny from down the Block here with my

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record pick of the week. We often play here on

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the Ballroom music from singing sisters like the Boswell King

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and Andrews Sisters, a group somewhat overlooked because of a

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lack of actual records, waxed as the DeMarco Sisters. The

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Demarcos started out as a trio and evolved into a

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quintet as the two younger sisters eventually joined the group.

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Most of the DeMarco's work came on the radio and

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in short musical films. They reached the pinnacle of their

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success appearing weekly on The Fred Allen Show in the

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mid to late nineteen forties. Here are the Demarcos from

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a Fred Allen radio broadcast on October twenty eighth, nineteen forty.

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Five, and now from the musically ridiculous McGee and McGhee.

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We go to the melodic sublime the five DeMarco Sisters,

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with my strow Al Goodman safely atop his podium conducting

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the kids sing California sun Beat.

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Whoab is about the Glamoris?

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I'm be I'm all right, whether it being haven't madeen?

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At the other night the Glamori is on bet Bobby game.

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Give me awaying still I and at the.

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Other end donalmon we the mid mona dudell awe can

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hear the old allig.

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Bet be the calaman If I'm bee in a minute,

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I do, we'll be drinking I throw, so they'll be

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waiting for my stupy farm.

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My friend.

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He's wearing an I Nia California. I'ma being my very back.

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Good dude.

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Winning on the mountain as against the back gallup. I'll

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find you some be in a minute, I do, We'll

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be streaking out through So man be waiting my strepy

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parm do me do my friend. He's wearing an I

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Nia California.

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Sign Me Me to My Baby.

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Back Pa.

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Thanks Lenny for your report and the swing in DeMarco's

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sisters on the radio. Now, you know, there's a great

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story about one of the DeMarco sisters. Back in nineteen

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fifty two, Jackie Gleason of Honeymooner's Fame and the Jackie

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Gleason Show, Well, he was interviewed by The American Weekly. Now,

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the American Weekly was a popular Sunday magazine newspaper. Insert.

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I never read it, but it was much, from what

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I understand, like Parade Magazine, which many of you, my

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baby boomer era friends may remember when it was in

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all its full splendor Parade magazine. So Gleason said in

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the interview with The American Weekly that Anne DeMarco, one

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of the singing sisters, told him during a rehearsal for

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a show in nineteen fifty one that he Gleason was

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the greatest, and de Marco walked up to Gleason and said,

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you are the greatest. Well, Jackie loved that, and he

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used that title along with the great one for the

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rest of his career in identifying himselves. The Demarcos at

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the time they were on tour with Gleason one and

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coined that phrase. And of course Jackie Gleason loved music,

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and he cut many albums in the fifties and sixties

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with he himself, the great one, the Greatest as the

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maestro on those LP albums. So neat little tale about

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Jackie Gleason and DeMarco. Now let me mention the Boswell sisters.

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And since then I've had there when I take my

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sugar to tea, a great record of theirs playing in

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my mind. So why don't I now transfer that tune

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from my mind into the record.

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I'm just a little Jackie Honor and.

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My game, A gang of mine has been the Dylan

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the dey Vilins.

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I left the lamplight on that old corner all name

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my world's name. I'm doing things I never.

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Did.

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Why not take my uga do teams.

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All the boys are jealous of me because.

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I'll never take a where the gangles when I take

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my sugar dooty.

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I'm a Rodi Stody said me. She's a high hat

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baby ates. So I never take a where the gangle

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when I take my sugar Dooty.

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Every Sunday after nude, we forget about our care. Robbin

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elbows at the wrist with a millionaires. When I take

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my sugarooty, I'm as rizy now as I can because I.

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Never take a where the gang when I take.

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My sugar dooty form for won well take my sugar

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doot teach all the boys and jills, I mean all,

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and never take a where the gang goes.

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Well to take my sugar doot gee, I'm a.

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Riding out that I see she's a high baby that

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she some one ever take awhay the gang goes When

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I take my sugar doot tee. Robin albows at the

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risk without wed my sugar Twodney ay Bob A wedding.

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Gang O Wednesday.

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On Brunswick. When I take my Sugar to Tea by

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the Boswell Sisters accompanied by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, recorded

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in New York City, March the nineteenth, nineteen thirty one.

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So now as I look at my notes, why don't

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I now read for you? Another email I received this

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00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:50.839
past week. It's from Larry Jeffries, who listens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

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and Larry asks inquiring minds want to know, did Fletcher

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Henderson ever play with Benny Goodman or vice versa?

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Ps?

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Are you the same Jeff Bresler who raced harness horses

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at the now long defunct Liberty Bell Racetrack in Philadelphia.

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So to answer your second question first, yes, I confess

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I occasionally drove harness horses at Liberty Bell Park. How

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00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:32.039
you came up with that one, Larry, is certainly beyond me.

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I raced and trained harness horses for over twenty years,

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mostly at Roosevelt and Yonkers Raceways in New York, as

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well as Monticello Raceway in upstate New York in the

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Catskill Mountains and Brandywine Raceway in Delaware. I do remember, actually,

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come to think of it, getting suspended at Liberty Bell

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for letting a horse pass me needlessly on the inside.

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I don't think I ever won a race though at

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Liberty Bell. But thanks for those memories, Larry, you must

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have been a big racing officionado. And now to your

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main question asking if Fletcher Henderson ever played with Benny

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Goodman or vice versa, and well, yes and no is

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the answer. Benny Goodman did record with arrangements written by

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Fletcher Henderson, but not as a direct collaboration on the

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00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:44.240
same record. So although Fletcher did play in Benny Goodman's

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orchestra as an occasional pianist, I think even played a

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little while with the Benny Goodman sex stet. But as

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I mentioned, Larry Fletcher's contributions to Benny came more in

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the way of writing arrangements, and it's really very interesting

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00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:04.440
about how that came about. Let me play one by

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Fletcher Henderson and his orchestra. Then the story of how

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00:34:08.400 --> 00:36:52.039
the Goodman Henderson partnership came about on Decca Records. Wrapping

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it up. Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra recorded in New York City

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on September the twelfth, nineteen thirty four. So how did

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00:37:01.320 --> 00:37:06.840
Fletcher Henderson hook up with Benny Goodman. Well, in nineteen

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00:37:08.039 --> 00:37:12.320
I think it was nineteen thirty five, Benny's orchestra was

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selected to lead the house band for the NBC radio

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00:37:16.880 --> 00:37:22.880
program Let's Dance. So since Benny now needed new charts

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00:37:23.159 --> 00:37:28.440
every week for the show. Obviously, when Benny was out

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00:37:28.519 --> 00:37:33.559
on the road playing in ballrooms, barnstorming across the country

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00:37:33.760 --> 00:37:39.039
was basically playing the same songs show in show out,

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00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:43.000
week in, week out, but now on the radio. Obviously

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00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:46.519
he can't play the same music every week, so he

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00:37:46.639 --> 00:37:49.719
needed new charts, and he really wasn't prepared to produce

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that amount of music at the time. So we went

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to his good friend John Hammond. And I don't know

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if this was before or after John Hammond's sister married Benny,

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00:38:04.519 --> 00:38:10.239
but nevertheless, John Hammond was a great, well known New

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00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:15.480
York City jazz empresario. He virtually knew everyone in the

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00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:20.800
business and everyone loved John, and John suggested that he

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Benny Goodman purchase some charts from Fletcher Henderson. So many

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00:38:26.360 --> 00:38:31.599
of Goodman's hits from the swing era and actuality were

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previously played by Fletcher Henderson in his own band back

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00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:40.480
in the late twenties and early thirties, usually his head

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00:38:40.599 --> 00:38:45.239
arrangements which he transcribed from his own records, and then

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he sold them to Benny for I think the amount,

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if I'm not mistaken, was a grand total of right

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00:38:52.079 --> 00:38:56.360
around twenty five dollars for each arrangement. So for the

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00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:01.880
reasonable price of just twenty five five dollars, Benny Goodman's

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band used several arrangements by Fletcher on the radio, including

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what would become a big Goodman hits like King Porter Stomp,

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Sometimes I'm Happy and Down South Camp Meeting.

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00:39:17.960 --> 00:39:18.079
Now.

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00:39:18.239 --> 00:39:24.760
Henderson's arrangements were really crucial to Benny's success in launching

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00:39:24.920 --> 00:39:29.960
the swing era, and Benny often credited Fletcher for much

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00:39:30.039 --> 00:39:34.199
of his band's early popularity. So why not now one

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00:39:34.239 --> 00:42:55.880
of those Henderson collaborations for you on Victor Records. Down

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00:42:56.039 --> 00:42:59.960
South Camp Meeting by Benny Goodman and his orchestra record

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00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:05.599
in Hollywood, August thirteenth, nineteen thirty six. And you know,

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00:43:07.280 --> 00:43:12.199
while I was playing that Goodman tune, another piece by

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00:43:12.400 --> 00:43:16.519
Benny was playing in my head. When I was in

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high school in my high school band, and as an

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00:43:20.360 --> 00:43:26.039
aside in that band was the late great jazz scholar,

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00:43:26.320 --> 00:43:32.960
record producer and radio host Phil Shapp He played the clarinet. Well,

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00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:35.239
it was another kid in the band that was a

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00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:40.119
clarinetist whose name I have really tried to remember over

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00:43:40.199 --> 00:43:44.440
the years. I just can't remember it, unfortunately. But this guy,

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00:43:45.280 --> 00:43:50.119
before each practice would warm up or attempt to warm up,

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00:43:50.920 --> 00:43:56.079
by imitating Benny Goodman by playing a piece of a

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music hall rag. So if you'll indulge me for a moment,

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00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:03.159
So I could get that tune out of my head.

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Here again Benny Goodman and his Orchestra with a record

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issued via Columbia Music Hall RAG, recorded in New York

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City November the twenty sixth, nineteen thirty four.

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00:45:26.079 --> 00:45:53.320
Father Got of Other Pat.

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00:45:46.119 --> 00:45:46.480
Got a.

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00:47:19.719 --> 00:47:23.440
Honey Goodman's Music Hall Rag. I am Jeff Bresler. I'm

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00:47:23.480 --> 00:47:26.079
not in a music hall, but in the Crystal Studio.

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00:47:27.440 --> 00:47:30.599
And just as a quick reminder, past shows of the

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00:47:30.679 --> 00:47:34.320
Make Believe Ballroom, once they're played on our fine affiliated

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00:47:34.760 --> 00:47:39.840
radio stations, are then transferred into podcast form. If you

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00:47:39.960 --> 00:47:43.960
go to Make Believe Ballroom Podcast dot com that's MakeBelieve

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00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:49.000
Ballroom Podcast dot com, you can listen to past programs

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00:47:49.159 --> 00:47:50.079
in the series.

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00:47:50.480 --> 00:47:51.239
And now.

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00:47:52.599 --> 00:47:57.320
On last week's show, I played to what I considered

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00:47:57.440 --> 00:48:03.400
to be lightly played Glenn Miller songs. And prior to

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that show, I had posted on a Facebook group, that

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00:48:07.960 --> 00:48:12.599
great Facebook group Swing and Traditional Jazz, that I would

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00:48:12.679 --> 00:48:17.920
be playing a couple of lightly played Glenn Miller songs

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00:48:18.480 --> 00:48:22.000
and there was a comment from one R. J. Lunny,

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who was hoping I would have played well. In his

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00:48:26.840 --> 00:48:30.199
own words an anticipation of the show said, quote unquote,

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00:48:30.280 --> 00:48:36.000
I'd better be playing Sliphorn Jive and Caribbean Clipper. I

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00:48:36.119 --> 00:48:40.679
played neither of those, so for you, mister Lunney, right now,

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00:48:40.920 --> 00:48:46.559
I will play both to satisfy you. First, why don't

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00:48:46.559 --> 00:50:23.000
we play this one, says.

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00:49:52.920 --> 00:49:52.960
You?

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00:50:37.280 --> 00:51:59.159
Name a Blueberg record, Slipped Horn Jive by the Glenn

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00:51:59.199 --> 00:52:02.719
Miller Orchestra, recorded June the second, nineteen thirty nine in

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00:52:02.840 --> 00:52:07.960
New York City. An Adi Durham composed peace and now

360
00:52:08.039 --> 00:52:10.360
for your second request.

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00:53:00.079 --> 00:53:09.920
They didn't.

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00:54:46.960 --> 00:54:51.840
Caribbean Clipper Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded for Victor

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00:54:51.960 --> 00:54:56.360
Records July the fourteenth, nineteen forty two. That was actually

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00:54:56.440 --> 00:54:59.320
a great record, but it ended up being on the

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00:54:59.599 --> 00:55:04.239
Beasts on the A side of that Victor record was

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00:55:04.280 --> 00:55:09.360
a tune called Blue Rain. So, mister Luney, I hope

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00:55:10.320 --> 00:55:14.920
I'm made up for not playing those two songs slip

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00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:20.440
Horn Jive and Caribbean Clipper on last week's program. And

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00:55:21.599 --> 00:55:24.599
it is now time to take a look at the

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00:55:24.639 --> 00:55:26.840
big bull of a clock on the wall here in

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00:55:26.920 --> 00:55:30.559
the Crystal studio to determine if we have time left

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00:55:30.679 --> 00:55:36.599
for another tune, and unfortunately we are out of time.

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It's been my pleasure having you come into the Crystal

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00:55:40.760 --> 00:55:44.480
Studio joining me for this past hour of stories and

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00:55:44.639 --> 00:55:47.920
music from the Big Band era. To reach me like

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00:55:48.159 --> 00:55:52.400
Moya and Mario and Larry Jefferies did. It's simple process.

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00:55:53.239 --> 00:55:57.679
Just emailed Jeff at make Believe Ballroomradio dot com. That's

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00:55:57.760 --> 00:56:00.960
Jeff at make Believe Ballroom Radio di dot com. You

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00:56:01.039 --> 00:56:05.239
could also go to make Believe Ballroom podcast dot com

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00:56:05.400 --> 00:56:09.320
Make Believe Ballroom podcast dot com to hear past shows

381
00:56:09.400 --> 00:56:12.960
in podcast form as well as record a message to

382
00:56:13.079 --> 00:56:15.639
be played on the show. Just go to the microphone

383
00:56:15.920 --> 00:56:19.320
icon on the lower right hand corner of the page

384
00:56:19.679 --> 00:56:24.559
at MakeBelieve Ballroom Podcast dot com. So, folks, until next week.

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00:56:25.039 --> 00:56:26.760
This has been Jeff Bresler.

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00:56:28.599 --> 00:56:32.280
I can see it your glance room.

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00:56:34.320 --> 00:56:36.960
For a while with playing and the man is playing

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00:56:37.159 --> 00:56:42.599
music tappy show. If you bro tender, sweetly surrender my

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00:56:42.840 --> 00:56:49.039
willing let go with totally a small room, you know,

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00:56:49.320 --> 00:56:50.800
make me leave ball room.

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00:56:52.000 --> 00:57:29.039
Let's uppish

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00:57:59.320 --> 00:57:59.639
Blush