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
Piece image
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
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
From the 1950s on, Ella Fitzgerald became known around the world as one of the most renowned live performers in jazz. This week, we’ll sample from ...

  • Added: Aug 25, 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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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
Piece image
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