By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
Do you remember those great radio variety shows of the 1940s and 50s? How about the music of big band orchestras like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman?
Or maybe, you’re one of those music aficionados who’s just discovered – or rediscovered – the sounds of America’s great Swing era?
However you’ve come to appreciate that golden age of entertainment, you’re in luck. Western Massachusetts is home to an iconic performance that honors all of these musical traditions.
Throughout February, The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College will be pulling out all the stops as they polish up their banter and music for the 14th annual performance of “The Big Broadcast!” – a live, onstage presentation of a 1940s style radio variety show.
Slated for 2 and 7:30 p.m. performances on March 2, the show, which takes place in the Chapin Auditorium on the campus of Mount Holyoke, is the brainchild of Mark Gionfriddo, director of Jazz Ensembles for the college. Tickets, available at the UMass Fine Arts Center Box Office, Amherst, Odyssey Bookshop at the Village Commons, South Hadley, or at the door day of performance (subject to availability), are $25 premium seating, $20 regular seating, $10 seniors in advance ($15 at the door) and $10 students.
In recent years the 2 p.m. matinee performance has been close to a sellout, according to “Big Broadcast” publicist, Mark Auerbach, with the evening performance drawing more couples, and a younger crowd.
“It’s become a major event for Mt. Holyoke, and it’s also a major event for the community,” Auerbach told Prime. “It’s keeping alive an era of music that people liked, it’s keeping it in public performance.” Auerbach noted that even though Swing and Big Band music seem, according to the Ney York Times, to be enjoying a renaissance, former performance bands like the Glenn Miller Orchestra no longer tour, and even if they did, there are fewer and fewer venues that might host their type of performance. “The Big Broadcast,” he said, is one of the few opportunities still available to experience that type of music live.”
‘The Big Broadcast!’ backstory
Considering what a rare opportunity to experience a bygone musical era “The Big Broadcast!” presents for audiences, Prime reached out to Gionfriddo, as the show’s creator, to ask a few questions about the show. We wanted to know how this whole thing began, and what audiences can expect at this year’s performance. Here’s what he shared with us:
Q: This is the 14th year of “The Big Broadcast!” How did it start? What was the spark that led to this annual show?
A: Our presentation has its roots in a series of concerts from the 1990s. I used to direct a cabaret group called “Putting On The Ritz” that consisted of musician friends and very talented amateurs. One particular year I decided to do a themed concert around the 1940s. It was centered around a fictitious radio station I named WIST because the first concert originated at Wisteriahurst Museum in Holyoke. I wrote a script and the cabaret singers appeared as famous stars of the day like Allan Jones and Deanna Durbin. It was done low budget, but the audience really loved it, and we had quite a mailing list of people who would come out to see it.
In 1999 I began directing the Jazz Performance Program at Mount Holyoke and consequently, I began to get busy and eventually had to disband the cabaret group – but in the back of my mind I felt that at some point I could revisit the idea at Mount Holyoke College. And in 2006 we did. Flash forward to 2019 and “The Big Broadcast!” has become a signature event at the college, which really delights me.
Q: How do you keep the show fresh for loyal audiences – and your students – year after year? I’m certain there is a cohort of Prime readers who look forward to certain musical favorites, but I’m also sure there are tweaks you and you performers look forward to making every year. What do you use for inspiration to begin crafting each year’s new show?
A: That’s a great question. There’s actually a lot of things to be considered when planning the show. Things such as: are there any important jazz anniversaries that we can celebrate? I choose the music, and I try to walk the line between iconic hits and little known treasures – so I research which songs we have not performed in a while, and look for new songs I think my students would enjoy learning. I look for historically accurate arrangements as heard way back then. Some of these songs are readily available, but many are not, which means that if I wish to include them, I may have to transcribe them myself.
Q: That said, could you give Prime readers a sneak peek at some of the music they will hear at this year's show?
A: Sure! I can tell you that we will be observing the 75th anniversary of Glenn Miller’s death by performing one of his best-known songs, “Pennsylvania 6-5000”, as well as the Miller/Andrews Sisters rendition of “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen” from the historic 1940 Chesterfield broadcasts.
Q: Brian Lapis has been your emcee for a number of years, I’ve been told. What does his performance bring to the show? How did his addition change the program?
A: This is Brian’s 12th appearance, I believe. He was kind enough to step in when the fellow who hosted our show for the first two years (Dan Elias, former night anchor at WWLP) ended up moving to New York City. Most people know Brian as an engaging weather forecaster at 22 News, but he actually started in radio. I couldn’t imagine doing the show without Brian as our emcee. He takes the scripted lines and really makes them come alive, sprinkling in a little bit of his slightly wacky, but always funny, sense of humor.
Q: I also heard there might be a “Big Broadcast” alumni – someone who now has their own country music band – returning to perform with you this year. Can you confirm this, and if so, share a bit about this singer and performance?
A: Yes, I can confirm that Zoe Darrow, one of my former students and an alum from Mount Holyoke, will be appearing in the show. She is an expert fiddler from Agawam who performs locally at the Iron Horse Music Hall frequently, and we’re going to feature her in some western swing, a genre that was hugely popular in the 1940s by groups such as Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.
Q: Are there any other surprises planned for this year’s show?
A: Well, I can’t give away all of the surprises! But I can tell you that we’ve added a new commercial this year for a product that still exists to this day. The audience will be surprised to hear it because it includes what we now would certainly call a ‘rap’ influenced rhyme and beat. Brian and I get to perform it!
Q: I also understand the popularity of the show has continued to grow over the years, especially since the performance was moved from Sunday to Saturday for both the matinee and the evening show. What do you think accounts for this growing audience, especially among the younger set who attend the evening performance?
A: Truth be told, I had wanted to move the show to Saturdays because many parents complained that they couldn’t come to the Sunday evening show because they had to work the next day. And now that we’re on Saturdays, we’re definitely enjoying an uptick in attendance.
But I also think that this event is attractive because it’s very unusual and one of a kind, especially since college students – who are pretty far removed from the 1940s era – participate in the creation of the show. They study all about it, listen to actual broadcasts, then help me write the script, select the commercials, and help write the radio play. They even come up with the fictitious names for our students. Meanwhile, their peers are very supportive and they get a kick out of attending this interesting performance project.
Q: What do you feel your students get from this performance? What do you get out of it?
A: The students get to learn great music from a great musical period in our country’s history. For the students in the band, it’s the chance to perform authentic big band swing; for the vocalists, it’s the chance to learn how to sing small group/close harmony stylings.
Of course, it’s also a “time machine” trip for them, featuring unusual hairstyles, dresses and make up.
I get to see them having fun exploring this very musically rich period, and I have so much fun performing alongside them.
Q: I've heard that big band music itself is enjoying a bit of resurgence in popularity. Do you see this?
A: I saw a recent article in the New York Times that stated big band jazz was coming back into fashion. Personally, I don’t think it ever left, but that’s just me. “What goes around comes around” is what I have always heard. Don’t get rid of those thin ties in your closet, because they will be worn again someday. To me, there’s nothing like the sound of a big band either by itself or with a vocalist singing in front of it.
Q: Beyond your student musicians, is there anyone else you’d like to recognize for their contributions to “The Big Broadcast!”
A: I’d love to give a shout out to Cheryl Cobb, my department colleague who joins us every year as our Foley [sound effects] artist. I can’t imagine doing this project without her, either. Any audience member who has seen our show knows the great amount of laughs that Cheryl brings to our radio plays with her noise making skills.
Once again this year, Prime has partnered with “The Big Broadcast!” to be able to offer 10 pair of tickets to the March 2, 2 p.m. matinee performance!
To enter this year’s drawing, enter online at https://www.primeontheweb.com/contest/. All entries must be received in Prime’s office by 5 p.m. on Feb. 15. Good luck to all our readers!
