catesta Posted December 30, 2016 Report Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) I watched this episode last night and found it interesting. I've never heard of the guy before this. Edited December 30, 2016 by catesta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted December 31, 2016 Report Share Posted December 31, 2016 10 hours ago, catesta said: I watched this episode last night and found it interesting. I've never heard of the guy before this. See here: https://www.amazon.com/Willis-Conover-Broadcasting-Jazz-World/dp/0595407412/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483157518&sr=8-1&keywords=Willis+Conover Maybe he WAS more familiar outside the US as for obvious reasons the VOA was listened to mostly outside the US. But he was an important figure. And some may have had this record in their hands too: https://www.discogs.com/de/Willis-Conover-House-Of-Sounds/release/8936394 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted December 31, 2016 Report Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) I listened to Conover's Voice of America Jazz Hour almost nightly (often with terrible reception) from about 1958 till about 1964 when it disappeared from the airwaves. Edited December 31, 2016 by BillF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 31, 2016 Report Share Posted December 31, 2016 Hey, I saw that and freaked out...knew the name and the voice both for a long time, from liner notes and introductions on records. SOMEBODY I knew of on TTTT! Even freakier, though was the episode from the night before: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted December 31, 2016 Report Share Posted December 31, 2016 Conover's 'Jazz Hour' was essential listening outside USA every night during the '50's. The broadcasts started with the Neal Hefti's orchestra rendition of 'Coral Reef' (impeccable drumming by Don Lamond) and introduced the listeners to the numerous new releases of the times, All in lousy sounds relayed over radio longwaves from Tangiers! I still enjoy the Japanese Universal CD reissue of the Brunswick 'House of Sounds''! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted December 31, 2016 Report Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) 3 hours ago, brownie said: Conover's 'Jazz Hour' was essential listening outside USA every night during the '50's. The broadcasts started with the Neal Hefti's orchestra rendition of 'Coral Reef' (impeccable drumming by Don Lamond) and introduced the listeners to the numerous new releases of the times, All in lousy sounds relayed over radio longwaves from Tangiers! I still enjoy the Japanese Universal CD reissue of the Brunswick 'House of Sounds''! I don't recall "Coral Reef". The shows I heard always started with Ellington's "Take the A Train" behind Conover's cool voice, as at the beginning of this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6kQtsTHuF0 Edited December 31, 2016 by BillF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 1, 2017 Report Share Posted January 1, 2017 Indeed, 'A Train' introduced the Jazz Hour which started the second hour of the broadcasts, 'Coral Reef' was the opener to the first hour 'Music USA'... Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted January 1, 2017 Report Share Posted January 1, 2017 Bonne Année, Brownie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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