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

112 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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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
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The 65th annual Grammy Awards are on Sunday, February 5th. We’ll preview some of the vocal jazz nominees, including Samara Joy and Cecile McLorin S...

  • Added: Jan 09, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we’ll examine the work of one of the great jazz arrangers: Marty Paich. Paich helped develop the cool, west coast sound in the 1950s, ar...

  • Added: Jan 04, 2023
  • Length: 59:00
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We explore wants and desires this week, hearing “I want” songs from the American Songbook, including “I Want To Be Happy,” “Whatever Lola Wants,” a...

  • Added: Dec 20, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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On January 6 1973, 50 years ago, Schoolhouse Rock first aired on television. Despite the name, many of the musicians involved—including Bob Dorough...

  • Added: Dec 07, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Ring in the New Year with Afterglow, as we explore songs and standards about new beginnings, including “Let’s Begin,” “Begin The Beguine,” and “I’m...

  • Added: Dec 02, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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For our Afterglow holiday show this year, we’ll be featuring some classic Christmas radio broadcasts, performed by favorite jazz singers like Bing ...

  • Added: Dec 02, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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We turn the spotlight on Frank Sinatra for his birthday. We’re examining Sinatra’s first five years as a recording artist, focusing on the fellow m...

  • Added: Nov 16, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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We’re checking in on what’s new in the world of vocal jazz for the second half of 2022, featuring new albums by Samara Joy, Sara Gazarek, and Racha...

  • Added: Nov 15, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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From “A Sunday Kind Of Love” all the way to “Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night of the Week),” we’re exploring days of the week as detailed in ...

  • Added: Nov 08, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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We’re celebrating the songbook of Hoagy Carmichael for his birthday on November 22nd, including “Star Dust,” “Skylark,” and “The Nearness Of You,” ...

  • Added: Nov 08, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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For nearly 50 years, Count Basie led one of the swingin-est big bands in the land. This week on Afterglow, we’ll be featuring just a few of the man...

  • Added: Nov 01, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we celebrate the smoky voice of jazz singer Chris Connor, who got her start with Claude Thornhill’s band in the 1940s, and went on to re...

  • Added: Oct 28, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Songwriter Paul Simon has been delighting our ears with melodies for over 50 years. This week on Afterglow, we’ll explore jazz interpretations of h...

  • Added: Oct 12, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Ann Ronnel, composer of "Willow Weep For Me", Credit: Public Domain
Not every composer had the extensive catalog of George Gershwin or Irving Berlin. This week, we’ll explore songwriters like Ann Ronnel, Brooks Bowm...

  • Added: Oct 12, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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The name Beverly Kenney might be a footnote in jazz history, but this singer had an intelligent, alluring and melancholic style that’s among the be...

  • Added: Sep 26, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Creed Taylor, who passed away earlier this year at age 93, was one of the most influential jazz record producers of the 20th century. This week, we...

  • Added: Sep 23, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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On this episode, it’s a roll call of first names in the Great American Songbook, including “Nancy With The Laughing Face,” “Happiness Is A Thing Ca...

  • Added: Sep 08, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Album cover for the new Resonance Records box set "Hittin' The Ramp"
This week, Mark Chilla talks with jazz historian Will Friedwald about the early years of Nat King Cole and the King Cole Trio, as they explore some...

  • Added: Aug 25, 2022
  • Length: 59:00