Afterglow

Series produced by WFIU

Series image

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

115 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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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
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It’s been 30 years since Natalie Cole swept the Grammy Awards with the album Unforgettable… With Love. This week on Afterglow, we pay tribute to Co...

  • Added: Feb 16, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we explore the musical partnership of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, two songwriters who contributed gems like “Just In Time” and “The P...

  • Added: Feb 14, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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The Great American Songbook is chockablock with antiquated notions of gender roles, but a few songs flip the script. This week, we explore songs of...

  • Added: Feb 08, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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We usually think of Billie Holiday as a small-group singer, but she also worked with several big bands. This week on Afterglow, we’ll hear Holiday’...

  • Added: Jan 28, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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In the 1950s and 60s, Ray Charles left his indelible mark on songs in a variety of genres, including R&B, pop, jazz, and even country. This week on...

  • Added: Jan 07, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we pay tribute to the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who wrote lyrics to such memorable son...

  • Added: Jan 13, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
Caption: Jimmy Van Heusen with Frank Sinatra in the 1950s. Van Heusen and Sinatra met in the 1930s and collaborated over the next 40 years, Credit: NPR
This week on the show, we’ll feature the many songs of songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, as performed by his good friend Frank Sinatra, including “Come ...

  • Added: Jan 03, 2022
  • Length: 59:00
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This week on Afterglow, we pay tribute to bebop legend Charlie Parker. I’ll feature his recordings with vocalists like Sarah Vaughan, as well as vo...

  • Added: Dec 27, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
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This week, we remember the artistry of American songwriter Stephen Sondheim, and his many contributions to the American songbook, like “Small World...

  • Added: Dec 21, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
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As the elder statesman of jazz, Bing Crosby would often share the stage with many of the great singers of his day. This week on Afterglow, we’ll fe...

  • Added: Dec 06, 2021
  • Length: 59:00
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From 1939 to 1945, as World War II raged on, American Popular Music responded. On Afterglow’s Memorial Day special this week, we look at the songs ...

  • Added: May 11, 2022
  • Length: 59:00