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

111 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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This week, we pay tribute to vocal jazz Annie Ross. I’ll chronicle her solo work as well as her time with the groundbreaking jazz group Lambert, He...

  • Added: Aug 10, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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The “conditional love song” became a staple of musical theater in its golden age, and this week on Afterglow, we’ll listen to jazz interpretations ...

  • Added: Aug 05, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Legendary trumpeter and educator Clark Terry had a career that lasted for nearly 70 years. This week, we’ll explore Terry’s work alongside singers ...

  • Added: Jul 29, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Before Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, there was Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn. This week, we’ll explore the songs of these early songwriters, inc...

  • Added: Jul 28, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Dave Brubeck was one of the most influential jazz pianists of the 20th century, and this week we’re exploring his work with singers like Tony Benne...

  • Added: Jul 20, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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In the last of three episodes celebrating Judy Garland’s 100th birthday, we take a closer look at her final years in the 1950s and 60s, and her man...

  • Added: Jul 19, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we explore the King Of Swing, Mr. Benny Goodman, and the many singers who front his big band. We’ll hear Goodman with singe...

  • Added: Jul 11, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we take a look at some of the jazz and swing tunes from the 1950s Capitol Records diva Kay Starr, in honor of her 100th birthday.

  • Added: Jul 11, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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100 Years Ago, the Great American Songbook was still in its infancy. This week, we’ll turn back the clock 100 years to explore songs written that y...

  • Added: Jun 28, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Johnny Hartman's 1964 Impulse Album Cover
Few singers had as much of an influence on the next generation as the suave, full-throated “Mr. E” Billy Eckstine. This week, we’ll explore the wor...

  • Added: Jun 10, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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We continue our 100th birthday celebration of the great Judy Garland this month with a closer look at her singing work on film, from The Wizard of ...

  • Added: Jun 09, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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It’s Afterglow’s semi-annual check-in with the latest in vocal jazz and traditional pop singers, exploring what’s new from favorites like Cecile Mc...

  • Added: May 31, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we're celebrating Sir Paul McCartney's 80th birthday by exploring the jazz side of the fab four. We'll hear jazz versions o...

  • Added: May 19, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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We’re living life among the jet set this week on Afterglow, as we explore songs about traveling from the Great American Songbook, including “Come F...

  • Added: May 06, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, our spotlight is on one of the most prolific songwriters in jazz, composer Jimmy McHugh—who wrote many early jazz standards...

  • Added: May 03, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, our spotlight is on Miss Peggy Lee, with a closer look at the 1960s, a time when her music and persona became more sleek, r...

  • Added: Apr 18, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Put on your dancing shoes as we cut a rug with the American Songbook. This week, I’ll be featuring jazz standards meant for dancing, including “I C...

  • Added: Apr 13, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Nat King Cole's 1948 album "St. Louis Blues"
In 1958, a 39-year-old Nat King Cole had the most remarkable year, recording seven LPs, dozens of singles, and working on two films. We’ll explore ...

  • Added: Mar 21, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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Doris Day was a pop star and a film star, but this week on Afterglow, I’ll highlight the often overlooked aspect of her career: a jazz singer. We’l...

  • Added: Feb 28, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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It’s Afterglow’s annual preview of Grammy nominees in the Vocal Jazz and Traditional Pop categories, ahead of the postponed award ceremony, now sch...

  • Added: Feb 22, 2022
  • Length: 59:00