You're never too old! 1940s Jazz singer Anita O'Day released her last album, 'Indistructible', in 2006 when she was in her eighties. Hear her on today's Phantom Dancer from 1945-60 radio and TV. Greg Poppleton also beings you sets of Stan Kenton, European Dance Bands and Count Basie in a non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio in this week's Phantom Dancer. Read More
This week's Phantom Dancer mix with 1920s-30s singer Greg Poppleton has a set of 1930s Western swing records, a set of Louis Armstrong of 1950s radio, and this week's feature, 'The Philco Hour' from 1930-31. Read about Philco's improvements to radio technology in the 1930s, see the play list and links to listen online here. Read More
On this week's Phantom Dancer hear a set of Benny Goodman from 1939 radio including Charlie Christian on electric guitar. There's a set of electric guitar from live 1940s-50s radio with 1945 hot guitar work by Mary Osbourne. This week's feature, a set of 1930s commercial recordings by Sydney swing maestro Jim Davidson. Read More
Chico Marx Orchestra, Harold Rumsey and the Lighthouse Five, Bob Crosby and more are on the play list for the 19 June Phantom Dancer - your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s -60s radio and TV produced and presented by Greg Poppleton from radio 2SER in Sydney. Read More
One of the curiosities on today's Phantom Dancer is part of a weekly broadcast from 1933 of one of the last of the 1920s commercial brand orchestras. In this case, the orchestra is the A&P Gypsies. See the play list and hear the show mixed by Greg Poppleton here. Read More
The Phantom Dancer, presented by authentic 1920s-30s singer Greg Poppleton, prides itself on bringing you the marvellous and obscure in live swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio. Today, from 1929 radio, hear xylophone maestro Harry Breuer. A true modernist product of the 1920s and 1930s, always searching for something new, did he stick to playing vaudeville xylophone all his life like a 1960s-2010s rock musician sticks to playing the same riffs with the same line-ups? No! He composed for electronic instruments from the 1960s on and released albums such as 'The Happy Moog'. He was even putting together and album using Kurzweil aged 86. Enjoy! Read More
Herbie Fields was a child prodigy jazz reeds player whose career was meteoric. But that meteor quickly faded. Read his story here. Hear his music. See this week's full Phantom Dancer play list mix of swing and jazz from live 1930s-50s radio in a non-stop mix presented by authentic 1920s-30s singer and band leader, Greg Poppleton. Read More
When your creative heart's not in it, don't do it. Benny Goodman, the 1930s King of Swing took a liking to bop in the mid-1940s and reorganised his band and small groups to play the then new jazz. But after eighteen months he got frustrated with the new style and went back to what he was best at, Swing. And he continued to be a celebrated swing band leader into the 1980s. Hear Benny Goodman's small group bop from live 1940s radio and this week's Phantom Dancer plus lots more live 1930s-50s jazz and swing mixed and presented by 1920s-1930s style singer, Greg Poppleton. Read More
Women jazz instrumentalists from live 1940s-50s radio feature on this week's Phantom Dancer presented by authentic 1920s-30s singer, Greg Poppleton, the singer who makes Jazz Deco Pop! And there'll be more on future non-stop Phantom Dancer mixes of jazz and swing from live 1920s-60s radio. Come visit the blog. Listen to the Phantom Dancer here (after 15 May), see the play list and hear Vivien Garry's 1946 bop release ' Operation Mop'. Happy Listening! Read More
He knew what he wanted from an early age and he leading his own orchestra while still in his teens. Charlie Barnet features on this week's Phantom Dancer. The Phantom Dancer, presented by 1920s-30s style singer Greg Poppleton, is your two hour non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-1960s radio and TV. Read More
Barbara James 1930s-60s Australian swing and jazz singer features in this week's Phantom Dancer. The Phantom Dancer presented by authentic 1920s-30s singer Greg Poppleton is your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio. Also in the mix, 1939 Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey's arranger Matt Denis, Charlie Parker in Boston and singer Loyce Whiteman (daughter of 'King of Jazz' Paul Whiteman). Happy Listening! Read More
Without a single vocal lesson, Bea Wain began singing on radio at six and was singing on stage past 90. She was the first to record Over The Rainbow and Heart and Soul. Hear her on live 1938-39 radio on this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton. Read More
He entered Harvard at 15, wrote standards line Body and Soul, Out of Nowhere and I Cover The Waterfront, won 5 Academy Awards and now has a set of his live 1930s radio orchestra on this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton. Seems high achievement leads to the ultimate accolade. Hear show after 17 April, see play list and watch the Johnny Green radio broadcast short film from 1935. Read More
Who was Symphony Sid? He was probably the greatest middleman jazz has ever known. You'll hear him introduce live radio performances by Machito, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Ventura, Jackie Cain and Lester Young on his 1948-51 all-night, all frantic Symphony Sid show. And you'll hear it all on The Phantom Dancer - your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio presented by authentic 1920s-30s singer and band leader, Greg Poppleton. Read More
There are some rare jazz broadcasts from 1929 by Ray Miller's Orchestra on this week's Phantom Dancer with Greg Poppleton. The orchestra is selling washing machines. And I bring you letters from Helen Keller and band leader Paul Ash about how the deaf reported 'hearing' music broadcast on the radio in the first years of wireless broadcasting as a mass medium. You'll also hear radio broadcasts by the Buddy Rich, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman Orchestras, the Andrew Sisters and dance bands from WW2 Moscow, Prague and Hilversum. Read More
It's amazing how disease can over-shadow the brilliant legacy of someone's life. How much 'expert' blather was there about Stephen Hawking's motor neurone disease as an excuse to avoid talking about his hard and more interesting physics? Likewise, one of the great trumpet innovators of jazz, Bunny Berigan, is more likely to have his alcoholism and early death discussed then his music. We hear some of his music from live 1936-40 radio broadcasts on this week's Phantom Dancer with 1920s-30s singer, Greg Poppleton. Read More