"The first track on Volume One is My Popa Doesn't Two-Time No Time by Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra. Now Jolson did do a fantastic version of this Walter Donaldson song on Brunswick on March 13, 1924."


Yowza, Yowza, Yowza. This is Brian Marcus Decker, for the Jolson and Friends blog located on the web at www.JolsonBlog.com , which is the first tech-nostalgic blog dedicated to the musical influences of Al Jolson and Friends.

Well folks, we now continue with Part VI of my interview with Rich Conaty from WFUV. He has been the host of the Big Broadcast radio program for over 30 years. This spectacular Sunday night radio show features only classic songs from the '20s and '30s. He will be sharing his thoughts on Al Jolson, Cab Calloway, Connee Boswell, tips on buying 78's, the new DVD release of the Jazz Singer, the Ziegfeld Follies, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks and more.

Free Jolson and Friends Podcasts

You can listen to the entire series of interviews including my current seven-part interview with the Rich Conaty of the Big Broadcast radio show, Asa the Magnificent Minstrel, the Vaudeville series with author Trav S.D. and Sybil Jason.

To listen to the free Jolson and Friends Blog Podcast published audio files,

just click on the listen to podcast icon on bottom of this post.

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Jolson Blog: The Big Broadcast Interview with Rich Conaty Part VI

"Well, it's partly a matter of what hasn't been already reissued all over the place. There's still an awful lot that is only on 78s and in some cases didn't even come out on 78s. The hardest things are the jazz things because it's hard to imagine a jazz record that hasn't come out on CD."

Brian Marcus Decker: In 2005 you started to put together two compilation CD's of The Big Broadcast. Performers included Fletcher Henderson and his orchestra, one of your favorite Scrappy Lambert, obviously Cab Calloway and his Orchestra, Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, Joe Venuti and the Blue Four, Cliff Edwards, Don Redman and his Orchestra, and Red Nichols and His Pennies.

How do you go about to select these performers and these actual specific recordings?

Rich Conaty: Well, it's partly a matter of what hasn't been already reissued all over the place. There's still an awful lot that is only on 78s and in some cases didn't even come out on 78s. The hardest things are the jazz things because it's hard to imagine a jazz record that hasn't come out on CD. Pop stuff and the dance bands are a little easier and then it becomes a question of programming. The CD's are basically in chronological order with a bonus track, usually a live performance at the tail end. So if you want to respect the chronology, you have to worry about the pacing and you don't want to have too many instrumentals in a row or too many vocals in a row. Basically the idea with the CD's, and we've got a third one coming out in the fall in time for the (WFUV) fundraiser, is to have things that are not going to be so obscure that people who aren't hard core collectors are going to be baffled by them, but with enough things that the people who are collectors are going to go, "Oh, that's nice. It's nice to have that on a CD." So that's the balance that I try to strike, just in general, not just with the CD's, but what I'll do on any given Sunday.

Brian Marcus Decker: As a Jolson fan, two of the recordings on your first compilation do have a connection to Jolson. The first track on Volume One is My Popa Doesn't Two-Time No Time by Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra. Now Jolson did do a fantastic version of this Walter Donaldson song on Brunswick on March 13, 1924. And Jolson also did take a songwriting credit on Me and My Shadow, but I'm not aware that Jolson actually did a recording of it, perhaps he did it on one of his radio broadcasts. Are you working on a third compellation and if so what artists, including Jolson, are you considering?

Rich Conaty: Well, we just dropped off the 78's for Volume Three and it's got a lot of variety. I don't think I have Rudy Vallee this time, no Jolson unfortunately because it is tough, I really have to get better sounding copies of some of those Brunswick. Now, I think there's a Jolson of an Isham Jones song, which I'd like to include. I can't swear but did he make a record of Why Couldn't It Be Poor Little Me. There's an Isham Jones song from around 1924, which I would like to include on one of the CD's, again, it's a nice cross section of stuff. We have the Whiteman, we have Ramona, who was featured with the Paul Whiteman orchestra, we have Skinnay Ennis and the Hal Kemp orchestra, Isham Jones, a couple of British dance bands; which is a nice bit of balance, and Jack Pettis and His Pets with the Bag of Blues, I think people are going to be pleased with the next Big Broadcast collection.

Brian Marcus Decker: Now, are these two compilations, Volume One and Volume Two, still available. If so, how can this online community purchase these two great collections?

Rich Conaty: You can go to www.WFUV.org and you click on "Support," you can pick up Volume One, Volume Two, Volume One and Volume Two, and before very long, all three volumes plus we're going to be offering The Jazz Singer, a DVD set in the fall. So, this is all part of the WFUV membership. So it's a little bit more than retail, but the idea is by getting the CD's and by getting the DVD through WFUV.org you're helping to keep the radio show and the music alive.

Jolson Blog: Conclusion of Big Broadcast Interview Part VII: February 28, 2008

• You're obviously a major league fan of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks. What is it about Vince and the Nighthawks that should drive every person in the Jolson and Friends blog community to see them perform live?
• Outside of your radio show, you have some ongoing association with the Film Forum in New York City. They've done special series on classic films from the '20's and '30's, including Paramount Before The Code. When did this association with the Film Forum in New York City start?
• Jolson recorded with many talented studio orchestras, but just only a few, just a handful of popular orchestras such as Cab Calloway and his orchestra, obviously from The Singing Kid in 1935, as well as his last Brunswick recording with Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians in 1932. Why do you think that Jolson just didn't collaborate with many of the big popular bands, including bands like Paul Whiteman?
• You recently did a tribute show on the Ziegfeld Follies, can you give us some background, what was your motivation, who were some of the musical performers and featured songs that were on The Big Broadcast Show?

Jolson and Friends Blog Required Reading List

No Applause--Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous (Paperback) by Trav S.D.

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood (Paperback) by Sybil Jason

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

When Jolson Was King: (Paperback) by Richard Grudens

Richard Grudens has written an entertaining and informative (must read) book for anyone interested in the legendary, Al Jolson "The World's Greatest Entertainer".

"The book contains many facets of Jolson' career including those around him, his competition, employers, and comments from those he inspired enough to form their own careers, the issue of minstrel, blackface performers, fabled stories of the famed Friar's Club, a chapter of the infamous Shubert Brothers, and chapters covering Jolson's experiences in film, radio and his extensive USO travels. Covered too are vignettes of the theatres in which Jolson performed, and of those great theatrical competitors like the Barrymore's and where they were voicing their talents while Jolson was pulling them in at the Winter Garden, and a full feature on Jolson's films from the first talkie, The Jazz Singer to his famed bio-pics The Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again." - Richard Grudens

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

Changes to Jolson and Friends Blog

In the upcoming months I am looking to continue to evolve the Jolson and Friends Blog and wanted preview some upcoming changes. I am continuing to promote the sale of Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Houdini, History of Baseball and several other unique Limited Edition T-shirt designs (featured above) and matching gift cards (all with free U.S. shipping). The sales from these items help offset the cost of maintaining this blog. Your continued support is greatly appreciated and besides they are great T-shirts.

Due to the time intensive nature of ongoing research, content development, production and maintaining and the Blog, the next blog update will happen on February 28th. I am starting to work on several future Jolson and Friends projects including:

• Jolson and Friends Recommended Reading and Viewer Lists including cost-saving shopping links to find unique books, videos and more.

• Expanded global coverage of local events.

• Future podcasts of upcoming interviews and special performance-based content.

To ensure that you are automatically informed about new postings, please enter your email address at the sidebar on the left of this blog page or send an email to my attention, with the subject line "Subscribe", to: brian@JolsonBlog.com .

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