Show notes: 24 September 2011 - Kings of Swing

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It took an accident of Fate to create this week's theme and a very happy accident at that. While doing those required honey-do lists and cleaning out a closet, I came across n old memory. It was in the form of an old cassette tape case, the cassette inside I knew was worn and stretched because it had been played to death over a decade ago.

The cassette was an old swing music album, The Kings of Swing. Now, it wasn't so much the album itself that caught my attention. The memory associated with it returned to the top of my mind and made me smile.

To get to the heart of the matter, this was the very first piece of music that my wife and I bought together, almost 20 years ago. We were in an old bookstore in South Atlanta, browsing as we loved to do. There were model trains on display, and World War 2 airplanes and tanks as well. Either Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman was emanating from the speakers of an old boom-box, Near the register was a spinner rack and on it (along with many varieties of music) was this album. My new wife said how much she loved this type of music, and it was right then I was reminded why I fell in love with her and how much we had in common.

Sweet Lisa and TC - what a couple!

 
So I bought that cassette for her, and we played it over and over again until it wore out. I don't think a silly collection of music has ever been more loved.  I replaced the cassette with a CD version I found in a music store about a decade ago. Same title, same album cover, but now on the LaserLight discount label.

Thinking back over that day - not only did I reaffirm my love for my wife, but I also realized that at that moment this radio show was born.   Not in it's finished polished form, of course, but the germ was planted.  My wife, and that old cassette, were the reasons for this show to come into development.

Looking over the collection of artists represented on this album I knew I could put together an amazing playlist for you - my wonderful audience.  I told Bobby Marlette (musical director for The Swing Shift Radio Show) to take the week off, that I had this one.    Finding that old cassette made me realize that I had also found my theme – and a dedication for this episode.  For my dear wife of nearly twenty years, the rose in my garden, the thorn in my side, the sunshine on my cloudy days – here is to that day so long ago;  some of your favorite music.

• I’ve got a gal in Kalamazoo - Glenn Miller
• In The Mood – Glenn Miller
• Hey – Bah-bah-Re-Bop! Tex Beneke w/ the Glenn Miller Orchestra
• Jumpin’ at The Woodside – Count Basie
• One O’clock Jump – Count Basie
• It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) – Duke Ellington w/ Ivey Anderson Vocals
• Blue Skies – Duke Ellington
• Sunny Side of the Street – Tommy Dorsey w/ The Pied Pipers and Jo Stafford
• Opus One – Tommy Dorsey
• Sing, Sing, Sing – Benny Goodman

"It's Martini Time" this week was an old fashioned favorite of the age of Swing, a perfect accompaniment  to the musical selection, the classic Gin Fizz.

That's about all for this update - if you want to have an input into our show, you can request a particular bartender/bar/restaurant/potable for "It's Martini Time", choose a theme or suggest a song/artist for us to highlight.  Just email me at TommyCage@SwingShiftRadio.com

Tommy Cage

your host for The Future of Retro-Radio

on The Swing Shift Radio Show!

A hint for this week's show.....

To whet your appetite for the upcoming episode of The Swing Shift Radio Show, as heard on WGUN 1010 AM Atlanta, Saturday at 1pm, I leave you with this.....

See you for the Future of Retro-Radio!

Tommy Cage
Swing Shift Radio Show

September 11th 2001

'nuff said......

Tommy Cage
Swing Shift Radio

Show Notes: 5 September 2011 - Food, Glorious Food

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Summer time is coming to an end, and on this Labor Day Weekend, all of us here at Meridian Night Club wanted to pay homage to that most venerable of American Institutions – the backyard barbeque.  This is the time of year were we get that last weekend at the lake, beach, grandpa’s house and we gather with family and friends to eat and say good-bye to the warm sun and welcome the changing leaves of fall.

I want to send a thank you for this week’s theme to Scott Mensching of the Chicago based swing band, The Moon Rays.  The Moon Rays are one of my all time favorites for the way they embrace the classic sounds and play them true to form.  That’s not to say they don’t branch out to the wild and weird – they just do it with class.
They are also famous for their Halloween themed music - hence the graphic for the band.  We will play them a lot more the closer we get to All Saints Eve.  

But to get back to this week’s theme – Food, glorious food, the All American Buffet, our annual warm weather outdoor cook-out and even the “let’s just make reservations for dinner”.  My goal along with musical director Bobby Marlette and kitchen manager Amber Carroll was to come up with music representative of the bounty of our collective pantries.

Here is the run down for this weekend's program:

• Everybody Eats When They Come To My House – Cab Calloway
• Where’s My Gravy? – Steve Lucky and His Rhumba Bums w/ Miss Carmen Getit
• Cole Slaw – Jesse Stone
• Chicken Wing – Blues Jumpers
• Chicken Shack Boogie – Crescent City Maulers
• One Meatball – Andrew Sisters w/ Bing Crosby
• My Last Meatball – Ray Gelato
• Rubber Biscuit – The Blues Brothers
• Candy For Breakfast - Swingerhead
• Junk Food – The Camaros
• Frim Fram Sauce – Nat King Cole
• Crawfish Pie – Alien Fashion Show
• Restaurant – Dino Martinis

 Some of the bed music we played between songs was food themed as well:

• Boogie Woogie Barbeque – Bop Classics
• Diggin’ My Potatoes – New York Musicians
• Fish Market – Roy Eldridge

Our "It's Martini Time" recipe was offered by Josh DuBois of Monkeysee.dot com, a dessert styled libation, the Caramel Apple Martini.

That's about all for this update - if you want to have an input into our show, you can request a particular bartender/bar/restaurant/potable for "It's Martini Time", choose a theme or suggest a song/artist for us to highlight.  Just email me at TommyCage@SwingShiftRadio.com

Tommy Cage

your host for The Future of Retro-Radio

on The Swing Shift Radio Show!

NEW SHOW TIME ON WGUN!

Friends of Swing Shift -

We've changed our show time on our flagship station, WGUN 1010 AM in Atlanta.  Due to the change in sunset time as Fall approaches, the Sunday edition of The Swing Shift Radio Show has been moved to SATURDAY afternoons at 1pm!  WGUN is a daytime only station, and it powers down at sunset - so this is a GREAT move for us and all our listeners.  Now you can listen to the Future of Retro Radio on the Second-largest AM signal inthe southeast US during the middle of the day!

"It's Martini Time," Mail Call, and Radio Noir Playhouse will be on the air as well, in technicolor sound!

Join us on WGUN each and every Saturday afternoon at 1pm and listen to the best in BLues, Jazz, Lounge, and of course, Swing music - from the classics of Goodman and Armstrong to the modern styles of LaVay Smith and Michael Buble', Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and more!

Can't wait to see you on the radio!

Tommy Cage,
your host for The Future of Retro-Radio!
SwingShiftRadio.com

Show Notes: 28 August 2011 - Colors of Swing

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Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends – to borrow a line from Emerson, Lake, .... or was it Palmer? I’m not sure, but all that matters is that you are here at the Meridian Night Club for another edition of the Future of Retro Radio.  

Tonight’s show has been an experimental one – normally, musical director and band leader Bobby Marlette and I have our weekly meetings to discuss upcoming themes and musical selections, we listen to dozens of songs and albums, get our research man John Cameron-Cameron to look up information on artists past and present, we taste test the various Martini Time concoctions to make sure they are up to quality for our Friends of Swing Shift, and then we go about getting the live show ready for the audience that week.
  
This week, I made a dangerous executive decision that didn’t involve NATO.  I invited the audience to become a part of the show and suggest a song or artist that fit this week’s theme – Color.  It could be the title of the song, the subject or even the artist or composer's name.  I would go over the submissions with Bobby Marlette and we would choose the best fits for the show.  If your song was chosen then you would receive free tickets to a live taping and broadcast of the Swing Shift Radio Show and dinner for two on us here at the fabulous Meridian Night Club and Lounge.

The winner of the song requesting contest was Miss Lisa G of Powder Springs, with her request of Blue Skies by Lavay Smith and Her Red-Hot Skillet Lickers. Two colors in one submission.  Nice.

Here are the songs in the rundown for this week's edition:

• Black and White – Bellevue Cadillac
• Pink Cadillac – Paul Bascom
• Red Light! Indigo Swing
• Girl With The Crimson Hair – Imperial Swig Orchestra
• Blue Skies – LaVay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
• My Blue Heaven – Frank Sinatra
• Blues in the Night – Rosemary Clooney
• Orange Colored Sky – Natalie Col
• Jumpin’ at the Green Mill - The Mighty Blues Kings
• Brown Derby Jump – Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
• Sweet Georgia Brown – Ella Fitzgerald
• Mood Indigo – Nina Simone w/ G-Swing

Two of the bed pieces (instrumentals used during the host-speaking portions of the program) we played were:

• Sepia Bounce – Jay McShann
• Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White– Perez Prado

 
Our It's Martini Time segment was equally as colorful, the rich emerald hue brought by the Vodka Grasshopper, courtesy of Josh DuBois of Monkeysee.com.


So that's how the color wheel spins, my friends.  We'll see you on the episode of The Future of Retro-Radio - The Swing Shift Radio Show!

Tommy Cage

Don't forget to listen to us every week on WGUN 1010 AM Atlanta, Saturdays at 1pm or Sundays at 7pm!
If you like what you hear, drop me an e-mail: TommyCage@SwingShiftRadio.com - - Song requests or theme suggestions or requests for a particular beverage to be highlighted on "It's Martini Time!", it is the same address!

New Show tonight! Sunday 28 August @ 7p on WGUN

 Join us as we broadcast from the Meridian Nightclub and lounge for another fun-filled hour of the best in Lounge, Jazz, Rockabilly, Blues, Jive and Swing - tonight on WGUN 1010 AM Atlanta! 

 
Tonight's show is all bout the Colors of Swing, kinda like technicolor without the photo processing,

Hope to see you there!

Tommy Cage

Calling all Friends of Swing Shift!

I'm taking a big chance here - but I am going to throw open to you an opportunity to program the music for an upcoming Swing Shift Radio Show episode!

To do it, all you have to do is submit a song that fits in our format of Blues, Jazz, Swing, Neo-Swing, Jump, Lounge or Rockabilly.

Bobby Marlette (Musical director of The Swing Shift Radio Show) and I will go over the submissions and select the top requested and most appropriate.  The people who's songs are selected will get a shout-out on air and a chance at some further prizes (like tickets to an upcoming live show).

Take a chance and show off your musical knowledge - or just get your favorite performer on the air!

This weeks theme for you to pick possible songs for is:

COLORS - red, green, blue, white, orange, whatever - you get the drill.  It could be in the title, the name of the performer or one of the composers.  Just make sure that the color reference is there and relevant!!


Good Luck!

Tommy Cage - your host
Swing Shift Radio Show

Show Notes - 21 August 2011 - Around the World in 57 minutes

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During the past week, Bobby Marlette and  I were out in Atlanta visiting my friend Jamie Chambers.  Jamie was kind enough to treat us to lunch at his favorite restaurant, a little hole in the wall Mediterranean place that specialized in mostly Greek style food.  While waiting to get our meal, I happened to look up on the wall over the kitchen window - there were about 9 flags hung as banners and each one had a different translation of the word "peace" on it.

This is the best I could do to get a picture of the flags - camera didn't work too well in the restaurant.

This elicited a conversation about so many languages, but really only one message.  It was at that point that Bobby and I looked at each other and in unison said, "That's this week's theme!"  Yes, it really did happen like that.  When we returned to the Meridian, Bobby and I went into the deep stacks and started looking for Swing music around the world.

Many times while I’ve been on the microphone here at the Meridian Nightclub, I have often remarked how much American Jazz and Swing has influenced the world at large.  Time to put my money where my mouth is and visit around the world where ever American style blues jazz lounge rockabilly or swing is being played...

Here is the playlist for this week's program:

• In The Mood – Puppini Sisters [UK]
• London Rhythm – The Jive Aces [UK]
• How High The Moon – Imelda May [IRELAND]
• It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) - The Rosenberg Trio [FRANCE]
• Frauen reig’n die Weldt – Women Rule the World – Roger Cicero [GERMANY]
• They All Laughed - Gunhilde Carling and Her Swing Band [SWEDEN]
• He Ain’t Got Rhythm - Jennie Löbel and Her Swing Kings [SWEDEN]
• Zip Zap Zoe – Toini and the Tomcats [NORWAY]
• Høk and Swing – Normaal [NETHERLANDS]
• Cement Shoes Optional - Good Fellas with special guest Ray Gelato [ITALY]
• I Got A New Baby - The Speakeasies Swing Band! [GREECE]
• I Van Enkulu - Cool Crooners of Bulawayo [ZIMBABWE]
• Mari Niça Swing - Eric Triton [MAURITIUS]
• Johnny Jingo - Linda and Her Big King Jive Daddies [JAPAN]

For the "It's Martini Time" segment tonight, I wanted an international flavored drink.  So I went to the one place I knew I could get a drink originally from the only place in America that’s more a part of Europe than the USA – it made perfect sense to travel to the Evergreen Kingdom for a European drink from New Orleans. Thanks to Jeffery Morganthaller from Clyde Commons Bar in Portlandia for his offering of the international Sazerac!

If you have an "It's Martini Time" drink request,  song request or an artist/theme you'd like us to highlight, drop me an e-mail to  TommyCage[at]SwingShiftRadio[dot]com. 

Well that about wraps it up - See you next week on The Swing Shift Radio Show!

Tommy Cage

Listen to us Saturdays @ 1 pm, or a new episode on Sundays @ 7pm on WGUN 1010 Am Atlanta, or join us on TuneIn.com, and search for WGUN.  You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @ SwingShiftRadio!!