Afterglow

Series produced by WFIU

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Afterglow is a weekly, one-hour program of vocal jazz and popular song from the Great American Songbook, hosted by Mark Chilla.

Ella, Frank, Billie, Duke -- WFIU's Afterglow has them all.

Afterglow highlights the best of vocal jazz and popular song from the 1930s to today. Each episode explores a new topic about the greatest jazz singers. Whether it's the unlikely friendship between Frank Sinatra and songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, the times trumpeter Clifford Brown worked with vocalists, or songs all about love, Afterglow tells the stories of the Great American Songbook.

Afterglow first aired on WFIU sometime in the late 1970s, hosted by a man named Dick Bishop, who gave the show its elegance, passion, laid-back expertise, congenial charm, and that "martini-moon" quality. After Bishop's retirement in 2005, the show was hosted by David Brent Johnson. In February 2015, Mark Chilla took the helm, continuing to bring an hour of the Great American Songbook to the airwaves in a high-quality production available every week.

For syndication information, please contact LuAnn Johnson at lujohnso@indiana.edu.

For help subscribing please email prxhelp@prx.org.

Find us at http://indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow/.

Afterglow is a production of WFIU at Indiana University in Bloomington. Hide full description

Ella, Frank, Billie, Duke -- WFIU's Afterglow has them all. Afterglow highlights the best of vocal jazz and popular song from the 1930s to today. Each episode explores a new topic about the greatest jazz singers. Whether it's the unlikely friendship between Frank Sinatra and songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, the times trumpeter Clifford Brown worked with vocalists, or songs all about love, Afterglow tells the stories of the Great American Songbook. Afterglow first aired on WFIU sometime in the late 1970s, hosted by a man named Dick Bishop, who gave the show its elegance, passion, laid-back expertise, congenial charm, and that "martini-moon" quality. After Bishop's retirement in 2005, the show was hosted by David Brent Johnson. In February 2015, Mark Chilla took the helm, continuing to... Show full description


Additional Files

120 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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This week, we’re celebrating the rich baritone voice of jazz singer Johnny Hartman, who would have turned 100 years old on July 3rd. We’ll explore ...

  • Added: Jun 19, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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In the 1970s, singer Roberta Flack made a name for herself performing covers of songs by folk singers and other little-known artists, creating, in ...

  • Added: May 23, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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Before his classic period in the 1970s, “Little” Stevie Wonder was a teenager trying to find his sound. We explore the highs and lows of his first ...

  • Added: May 23, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Marvin Gaye's 1964 album of standards "When I'm Alone I Cry"
Soul singer Marvin Gaye was a reluctant R&B star. Gaye wanted to be a ballad singer, and he recorded the music of the Great American songbook mostl...

  • Added: May 23, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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The children of Baptist preachers, raised in gospel music — Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke are two of the most venerated names in soul. This week, w...

  • Added: May 22, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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We’ll continue highlighting the work of the “Rat Pack” this week, with a focus on “Mr. Wonderful” himself, Sammy Davis Jr. We’ll chronicle his reco...

  • Added: May 10, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week and next, we’ll celebrate two of the members of the so-called “Rat Pack.” This week, a close look at the life and music of “The King Of C...

  • Added: Apr 25, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we explore the delicate touch and effortless swing of pianist Ellis Larkins, who would have turned 100 years old this week....

  • Added: Apr 17, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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The songs of Irving Berlin were featured in some of Hollywood’s first “Talkies,” and this week on Afterglow, we’ll explore the songwriter’s work in...

  • Added: Apr 07, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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We’re counting sheep with the Great American Songbook this week, as we explore standards all about dreaming, including “This Time The Dream’s On Me...

  • Added: Apr 06, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Buddy Rich, Credit: Library of Congress
This week on Afterglow, we look at some of full-time jazz instrumentalist, and part-time jazz singers, including Chet Baker, Buddy Rich, and Oscar ...

  • Added: Mar 31, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we pay tribute to the great American songwriter Burt Bacharach, who brought style and sophistication to pop music in the 1960s. Bacharac...

  • Added: Mar 23, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we pay tribute to singer Billie Holiday by hearing a few tributes to her from other artists over the years, including Carmen McRae, Abbe...

  • Added: Mar 08, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we’re taking a deep dive into the recordings of the great Billie Holiday from the 1940s. We’ll hear her work for the Commodore and Decca...

  • Added: Mar 03, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we celebrate the early years of the First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald, with a close look at her work for Decca Records, wh...

  • Added: Feb 20, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we pay tribute to the late jazz singer Carol Sloane, who passed away in January. I’ll chronicle career interpreting the Ame...

  • Added: Feb 16, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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Nina Simone, the “High Priestess of Soul,” was an enigmatic and eccentric figure in the world of jazz. This week on Afterglow, we’ll feature Simone...

  • Added: Feb 02, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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On this episode, we’ll explore the life and career of “Mr. B” Billy Eckstine, a singer and bandleader who broke boundaries as a black icon in a seg...

  • Added: Jan 30, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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For Valentine’s Day, we’re exploring romance in the Great American Songbook, including songs like “Isn’t It Romantic,” “A Fine Romance,” and “This...

  • Added: Jan 17, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Lorez Alexandria
This week, I’ll introduce you to the music of two underrated female singers, revered among jazz aficionados: Lorez Alexandria and Ethel Ennis.

  • Added: Jan 09, 2023
  • Length: 59:00