Make Believe Ballroom
The Make Believe Ballroom carries on the tradition of past hosts Martin Block, Al Jarvis, William B Williams, and Steve Allen by bringing you the greatest hits of the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s, No cover, no minimum, just sit back and enjoy. The Ballroom is also heard across the U.S. on public broadcasting, community, and college radio stations.
Episodes
July 26, 2024 • 58 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM’s weekly big band record party broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY, and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – Big Band Era singer and bandleader brother combo, how Louis Armstrong got his nickname, Who’s Yehoodi??, All this and more of the greatest hits of the big band era are played for your musical enjoyment.
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July 19, 2024 • 58 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM’s weekly big band record party broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY, and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – A short lived but very talented small band, did Phil Harris record the first “rap” record in 1946, a post Glenn Miller hit, a bandleader we’re sure you never heard of - All this and more of the greatest hits...
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July 12, 2024 • 59 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM’s weekly big band record party broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – Who was Shelton Brooks? More train songs. A historic award in the recording industry. A famous phone number. An Artie Shaw story. All this and more of the greatest hits of the big band era are played for your ...
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July 5, 2024 • 60 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM’s weekly big band record party broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – the Make Believe Ballroom goes to court circa 1936, Jack Teagarden’s obsessive hobby, a song that was censored by the record company once, then not censored a second time! All this and more of the greatest hits...
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June 28, 2024 • 59 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – an hour of the finest music from the big band era of the 1930s and 40’s plus an email question related to the popularity of swing music, how an old expression in a song title got its roots, a tune popular in the late 1950s t was a well liked...
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June 21, 2024 • 59 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY, and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – some old tunes from the 1920s that were given swinging updates, a new band never heard on the Ballroom, another classic Sinatra story, a radio duo that made great music together- all this in addition to many more record gems from the big b...
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June 14, 2024 • 60 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM broadcast over member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM in Rochester, NY, and other fine affiliates across the US as well as in the United Kingdom – a couple of records and bandleaders never heard on the Ballroom, the first time recording of a song tune that went on to become the theme of a famous singer, a band of individual musicians who each went on to become all-stars, some hand-pic...
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June 7, 2024 • 55 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM broadcast over Member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC - A talented group from the late 30s and early 40s that we never played on the program, a spin of the wheel for Ralphie from Canarsie Record Club list, two female singers related to famous male bandleader, a hot look at the famed Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, plus a plethora of musical gems from the swing and jazz era of the big ba...
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May 31, 2024 • 55 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM broadcast over Member supported Jazz 90.1 WGMC - we play some of the greatest hits of the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s, tell great stories about Sinatra and Benny Goodman, right some verbal wrongs, and learn how a song got its strange name.
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May 23, 2024 • 58 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM broadcast over Jazz 90.1 WGMC - some random spins from the Ralphie from Canarsie Record Club List, Tommy Dorsey gets beaten to the punch, how a popular Glenn Miller tune got its name, all this in addition to many more record gems from the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s
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May 13, 2024 • 57 mins
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a look at three comedy legends who loved and played music, selections from the Ralphie from Canarsie Record Club list, a Charlie Christian story, plus plenty more tunes from the big band era.
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May 7, 2024 • 52 mins
Join us for another great edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM this week featuring, a great story about drums, some small group jazz, a little Gypsy swing, and many more records featuring swing, jazz, jive, and boogie.
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April 29, 2024 • 55 mins
This week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM features an interesting story about the Mills Brothers, a look at a documentary about a famous music festival, two more selections from the historic Ralphies Record Club list plus much more music and history from the big band era.
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April 22, 2024 • 53 mins
Welcome to the Monday edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM. On today's show, a tune from the early 1800's that became a big band hit, a couple of swinging radio remotes, selections from Ralphies Record Club list, plus a multitude of additional favorites from the swing, jazz, and big band era.
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April 17, 2024 • 67 mins
On this week's show, more selections from the Ralphie's Record Club list, some great Boogie Woogie, a big band era celebration of an upcoming holiday plus additional great music and stories.
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April 10, 2024 • 30 mins
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April 1, 2024 • 37 mins
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March 25, 2024 • 32 mins
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March 19, 2024 • 40 mins
Hi folks, I’m Jeff Bressler turning on the lights of the Make Believe Ballroom and welcoming you into my crystal studio for a very special new season of programs that we’re calling Ralphie’s list. We received an email here at the ballroom a few years ago from Angelo a longtime listener from Naples FL by way of Canarsie Brooklyn whose Parents Ralphie and Rose started a record club, inviting neighbors to their home every other Saturd...
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March 11, 2024 • 26 mins
Hi folks, I’m Jeff Bressler turning on the lights of the Make Believe Ballroom and welcoming you into my crystal studio for a very special new season of programs that we’re calling Ralphie’s list. We received an email here at the ballroom a few years ago from Angelo a longtime listener from Naples FL by way of Canarsie Brooklyn whose Parents Ralphie and Rose started a record club, inviting neighbors to their home every other Saturd...
Mark as Played
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