Tuesday, in an incident of particular serendipity, when speaking with Dana Demond, producer of the radio program posted yesterday, I discovered she had CDs of two fifty-minute radio specials produced in 1996 by VOA Radio Broadcast Technician David Bodington, who served as Conover's last Studio Engineer in 1993. Next week I will begin posting the various interviews from these specials, beginning with--in a reversal of roles--jazz master Gerry Mulligan's interview of Willis on his own life story.
In the meantime, the VOA Public Relations Web Willis Conover Web page has a series of short audio clips of Willis speaking:
Willis tells how he got into radio--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis explains how he learned his favorite music was "jazz"--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis's view on developing one's personal taste in music--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis's thoughts on building a radio program--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis's feelings about working for Voice of America--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis describes leaving commercial radio for Voice of America--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis calls jazz a 'living music', growing and changing--Excerpt from an interview on his 10th anniversary (January 18, 1965). Listen here.
Willis tells of writing the song "Where Does the Moon Go?" while driving--Excerpt from VOA's "Mail Bag" program with Robin Rupli (1990s), Listen here.
Song "Where Does the Moon Go?" as recorded by a Romanian musician. Listen here.
Willis explains how he came to write a piece of music, "Far Off, Close By"--Excerpt from VOA's "Mail Bag" program with Robin Rupli (1990s). Listen here.
"Far Off, Close By" by Willis, with Willis whistling. Listen here.
Willis tells of writing and recording a lyric as spoken word over music--Excerpt from VOA's "Mail Bag" program with Robin Rupli (1990s). Listen here.
Song with Willis speaking his lyrics over Charlie Byrd's playing. Listen here.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Music at VOA: Willis Conover - 3
In my continuing search for past programming on Willis Conover at VOA, I found the script for a show produced by the Voice of America's Special English Service, which was established in October 1959 as a daily news and information radio channel for people learning English at the upper beginner and intermediate levels. In broadcast, the texts are read at a somewhat reduced speed. You can listen (patiently, savoring each word . . . ) to the audio here:
And I've included the script below for informational purposes:
24 September 2005
Willis Conover Brought Jazz, 'the Music of Freedom,' to the World
by Dana Demange
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
I’m Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about Willis Conover. His voice is one of the most famous in the world. Conover’s Voice of America radio program on jazz was one of the most popular and influential shows in broadcasting history.
(SOUND)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover was not a jazz musician. However, many people believe that he did more to spread the sound of jazz than any person in music history. For more than forty years Conover brought jazz to people around world on his VOA music programs. An estimated one hundred million people heard his programs. He helped make jazz music an international language.
VOICE TWO:
Willis Conover was born in Buffalo, New York, in nineteen twenty. Because his father was in the military, his family moved around a great deal. When Willis was in high school, he played the part of a radio announcer in a school play. People told him that he sounded like a real radio announcer. Later, he competed in a spelling competition that was broadcast on radio. The radio announcer told Willis that he should work in radio. Willis had a deep and rich voice that was perfect for broadcasting.
VOICE ONE:
At first, Conover worked for small radio stations in the state of Maryland. He served in the military during World War Two. Because of his experience talking to people on radio, Conover was not sent away to fight. He was needed to interview new soldiers at Fort Meade, Maryland. After the war, he continued to work for commercial radio stations.
Willis Conover heard a lot of jazz music during the nineteen forties in Washington, D.C. This city was the center of a very important jazz movement. Willis Conover knew many of the jazz musicians in both Washington and New York City. He helped organize many concerts. He also helped stop racial separation in the places where music was played at night.
At this time, mainly white people went to music clubs even though many of the musicians were black. Conover created musical events where people of all races were welcome.
VOICE TWO:
Willis Conover wanted to be able to play more of the jazz music that he loved on his radio show. He did not like the restrictions of commercial radio. When he heard that the Voice of America wanted to start a jazz music program, Conover knew that he had found a perfect job. He had full freedom to play all kinds of jazz music on his show which began in nineteen fifty-five.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover once said that jazz is the music of freedom. He said that with jazz people can express their lives through music. And that the music helps people to stand up a little straighter.
Many people think that Willis Conover had great political influence during the period after World War Two known as the Cold War. This was a time of increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the nineteen sixties and seventies, listening to the VOA was not allowed in many Eastern European countries.
Also, the governments of these countries thought jazz was dangerous and subversive. But the people in these countries loved jazz. Many people became jazz musicians themselves. They first learned how to play this music by listening to Willis Conover’s “Music USA” program.
VOICE TWO:
During the many of years his program was broadcast, Conover presented his expert knowledge about jazz. He interviewed great jazz musicians such as Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. He played the best music from the most current musicians. Here is a recording of Conover talking about the way jazz music changes over time.
(SOUND)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover not only talked about jazz music on his program. He sometimes wrote the music and the words to jazz songs. He usually wrote sad love songs. His many musician friends put the words to music. Here he is voicing the words to a song he wrote in the nineteen sixties. The music is written and played by the great jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd.
(SOUND)
VOICE TWO:
Very few Americans knew about Willis Conover’s program. Voice of America programs are not permitted to be broadcast in the United States. But, he was very famous in the rest of the world.
Audiences loved his program. When he traveled to Poland in nineteen fifty-nine, he saw hundreds of people gathered near his plane. People held cameras and flowers. They were cheering and smiling. Conover thought that they were waiting for a famous person to arrive. Then, he saw a large sign that said, “Welcome to Poland, Mister Conover”. The crowds were there to see him.
Willis Conover also worked to spread jazz in the United States. He was the announcer for many famous jazz festivals and concerts in America. He presented more than thirty concerts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He even produced the White House concert in celebration of jazz musician Duke Ellington’s seventieth birthday in nineteen sixty-nine.
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover once said that Louis Armstrong was the heart of jazz, Duke Ellington was the soul and Count Basie was its happy dancing feet. Here is part of a nineteen seventy-three interview by Willis Conover with the great Duke Ellington. This was one of the last times Conover talked to him. Duke Ellington died the next year. In this interview, these great men express their thanks to one another.
(SOUND)
VOICE TWO:
In his jazz programs Willis Conover played many kinds of jazz. He played songs he liked and songs he did not like. However, he liked to play the musicians he liked best, such as Duke Ellington, often. Here is the song “Chelsea Bridge” from his favorite saxophonist musician Ben Webster. Conover once said that nothing could quite match this song.
(SOUND)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover died in nineteen ninety-six after a long struggle with cancer. He was seventy-five. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D.C. Though his programs are no longer broadcast, his influence is very much alive. Jazz music owes a great deal to this special man.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Barbara Klein.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.
Coming up next: Sound clips of Willis speaking on aspects of his life and relationship to music.
And I've included the script below for informational purposes:
24 September 2005
Willis Conover Brought Jazz, 'the Music of Freedom,' to the World
by Dana Demange
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
I’m Bob Doughty.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about Willis Conover. His voice is one of the most famous in the world. Conover’s Voice of America radio program on jazz was one of the most popular and influential shows in broadcasting history.
(SOUND)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover was not a jazz musician. However, many people believe that he did more to spread the sound of jazz than any person in music history. For more than forty years Conover brought jazz to people around world on his VOA music programs. An estimated one hundred million people heard his programs. He helped make jazz music an international language.
VOICE TWO:
Willis Conover was born in Buffalo, New York, in nineteen twenty. Because his father was in the military, his family moved around a great deal. When Willis was in high school, he played the part of a radio announcer in a school play. People told him that he sounded like a real radio announcer. Later, he competed in a spelling competition that was broadcast on radio. The radio announcer told Willis that he should work in radio. Willis had a deep and rich voice that was perfect for broadcasting.
VOICE ONE:
At first, Conover worked for small radio stations in the state of Maryland. He served in the military during World War Two. Because of his experience talking to people on radio, Conover was not sent away to fight. He was needed to interview new soldiers at Fort Meade, Maryland. After the war, he continued to work for commercial radio stations.
Willis Conover heard a lot of jazz music during the nineteen forties in Washington, D.C. This city was the center of a very important jazz movement. Willis Conover knew many of the jazz musicians in both Washington and New York City. He helped organize many concerts. He also helped stop racial separation in the places where music was played at night.
At this time, mainly white people went to music clubs even though many of the musicians were black. Conover created musical events where people of all races were welcome.
VOICE TWO:
Willis Conover wanted to be able to play more of the jazz music that he loved on his radio show. He did not like the restrictions of commercial radio. When he heard that the Voice of America wanted to start a jazz music program, Conover knew that he had found a perfect job. He had full freedom to play all kinds of jazz music on his show which began in nineteen fifty-five.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover once said that jazz is the music of freedom. He said that with jazz people can express their lives through music. And that the music helps people to stand up a little straighter.
Many people think that Willis Conover had great political influence during the period after World War Two known as the Cold War. This was a time of increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the nineteen sixties and seventies, listening to the VOA was not allowed in many Eastern European countries.
Also, the governments of these countries thought jazz was dangerous and subversive. But the people in these countries loved jazz. Many people became jazz musicians themselves. They first learned how to play this music by listening to Willis Conover’s “Music USA” program.
VOICE TWO:
During the many of years his program was broadcast, Conover presented his expert knowledge about jazz. He interviewed great jazz musicians such as Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. He played the best music from the most current musicians. Here is a recording of Conover talking about the way jazz music changes over time.
(SOUND)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover not only talked about jazz music on his program. He sometimes wrote the music and the words to jazz songs. He usually wrote sad love songs. His many musician friends put the words to music. Here he is voicing the words to a song he wrote in the nineteen sixties. The music is written and played by the great jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd.
(SOUND)
VOICE TWO:
Very few Americans knew about Willis Conover’s program. Voice of America programs are not permitted to be broadcast in the United States. But, he was very famous in the rest of the world.
Audiences loved his program. When he traveled to Poland in nineteen fifty-nine, he saw hundreds of people gathered near his plane. People held cameras and flowers. They were cheering and smiling. Conover thought that they were waiting for a famous person to arrive. Then, he saw a large sign that said, “Welcome to Poland, Mister Conover”. The crowds were there to see him.
Willis Conover also worked to spread jazz in the United States. He was the announcer for many famous jazz festivals and concerts in America. He presented more than thirty concerts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He even produced the White House concert in celebration of jazz musician Duke Ellington’s seventieth birthday in nineteen sixty-nine.
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover once said that Louis Armstrong was the heart of jazz, Duke Ellington was the soul and Count Basie was its happy dancing feet. Here is part of a nineteen seventy-three interview by Willis Conover with the great Duke Ellington. This was one of the last times Conover talked to him. Duke Ellington died the next year. In this interview, these great men express their thanks to one another.
(SOUND)
VOICE TWO:
In his jazz programs Willis Conover played many kinds of jazz. He played songs he liked and songs he did not like. However, he liked to play the musicians he liked best, such as Duke Ellington, often. Here is the song “Chelsea Bridge” from his favorite saxophonist musician Ben Webster. Conover once said that nothing could quite match this song.
(SOUND)
VOICE ONE:
Willis Conover died in nineteen ninety-six after a long struggle with cancer. He was seventy-five. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D.C. Though his programs are no longer broadcast, his influence is very much alive. Jazz music owes a great deal to this special man.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Barbara Klein.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.
Coming up next: Sound clips of Willis speaking on aspects of his life and relationship to music.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Music at VOA: Willis Conover - 2
It was my good fortune to meet Conover several times after I came to Washington in 1986 as Chief of VOA's Urdu Service, though as it turns out, we ended up talking more about science fiction and fantasy literature (an obsession of mine in my youth), particularly the author H. P. Lovecraft, on whom Conover had written a book--"Lovecraft at Last"--the 1975 first edition of which is now a collector's item with a selling price of up to $1150!
But since I don't have any really memorable musical recollections of our meetings, I've spoken with VOA Radio Broadcast Technician David Bodington, who was Conover's studio engineer for the last two years of his life, and who has promised to share with us some choice recollections in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, I'm happy to post (with their permission), a fine television feature on Conover produced by Svetlana Prudovsky and Alisa Krutovsky of VOA's Russian Service, voiced by VOA News' Wayne Bowman, and broadcast on 14 October 2010:
But since I don't have any really memorable musical recollections of our meetings, I've spoken with VOA Radio Broadcast Technician David Bodington, who was Conover's studio engineer for the last two years of his life, and who has promised to share with us some choice recollections in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, I'm happy to post (with their permission), a fine television feature on Conover produced by Svetlana Prudovsky and Alisa Krutovsky of VOA's Russian Service, voiced by VOA News' Wayne Bowman, and broadcast on 14 October 2010:
Monday, August 1, 2011
Music at VOA: Willis Conover - 1
While the broadcasting of news of current affairs remains the top priority at the Voice of America, music programming continues to be an important part of the VOA mission. This month, I plan to look back at the inestimable contributions to the music of the world by the late Willis Conover, VOA's legendary jazz broadcaster, whose towering presence dominated VOA broadcasts for more than forty years.
Conover
was honored two years ago by a Congressional Resolution. According to the VOA press release that I was asked to write on that occasion, "Saturday, April 25, 2009, has been designated 'Willis Conover Day' by Resolution 324 of the 111th session of the U.S. Congress. Congressman John B. Larson (D-CT) submitted the resolution, which also states 'Whereas, on April 25, 2009, the Big Band Jam will honor the Voice of America and Willis Conover and the joint contribution toward spreading the language of jazz and American cultural diplomacy around the world over a span of more than 35 years.'
"Willis Conover, born in Buffalo, NY in 1920, joined the Voice of America (VOA) in 1955, hosting the first in a series of jazz programs that ultimately claimed tens of millions of listeners around the world—not the least behind the Iron Curtain. According to John Stevenson, currently Director of VOA's English Division, and as such, head of VOA music programming: 'At the height of his career, [Conover] was producing 17 shows per week, including Music USA, Jazz; Music USA, Standards; Music with Friends (one hour a week for the Polish Service and one hour for the Hungarian Service); and Willis Conover's House of Sounds for VOA Europe. These programs included interviews with popular Jazz artists including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and many, MANY more; literally hundreds.' When Stevenson visited Moscow some years ago, he found that the only American more famous that Willis Conover was Richard Nixon. Willis Conover died in 1996.
"The resolution is the result of efforts by Harry Schnipper, Executive Director of Washington’s Blues Alley, one of the nation’s most venerable jazz venues. Schnipper is the major moving force behind the Big Band JAM (for Jazz Appreciation Month in April), in whose series of concerts, more than three weeks long, Conover is being honored on April 25. The proclamation will be made at the commencement of a concert on the National Mall by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, under the musical direction of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master David N. Baker. As Schnipper notes, “Music transcends every socioeconomic genre; jazz is the sound of freedom”—an oft-sounded sentiment—“and people used to say that Willis Conover singlehandedly felled the Iron Curtain.” According to Conover himself, “Every emotion—love, anger, joy, sadness—can be communicated with the vitality and spirit that characterize jazz and our country at its best. Which, of course, is the same freedom that people everywhere should enjoy.”
VOA's videographer and producer Mike Burke and I collaborated in a video feature (now on VOA's YouTube channel) on the concert Schnipper organized that day at the Sylvan Theater on the National Mall. Here is the result of our effort:
Conover
was honored two years ago by a Congressional Resolution. According to the VOA press release that I was asked to write on that occasion, "Saturday, April 25, 2009, has been designated 'Willis Conover Day' by Resolution 324 of the 111th session of the U.S. Congress. Congressman John B. Larson (D-CT) submitted the resolution, which also states 'Whereas, on April 25, 2009, the Big Band Jam will honor the Voice of America and Willis Conover and the joint contribution toward spreading the language of jazz and American cultural diplomacy around the world over a span of more than 35 years.'"Willis Conover, born in Buffalo, NY in 1920, joined the Voice of America (VOA) in 1955, hosting the first in a series of jazz programs that ultimately claimed tens of millions of listeners around the world—not the least behind the Iron Curtain. According to John Stevenson, currently Director of VOA's English Division, and as such, head of VOA music programming: 'At the height of his career, [Conover] was producing 17 shows per week, including Music USA, Jazz; Music USA, Standards; Music with Friends (one hour a week for the Polish Service and one hour for the Hungarian Service); and Willis Conover's House of Sounds for VOA Europe. These programs included interviews with popular Jazz artists including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and many, MANY more; literally hundreds.' When Stevenson visited Moscow some years ago, he found that the only American more famous that Willis Conover was Richard Nixon. Willis Conover died in 1996.
"The resolution is the result of efforts by Harry Schnipper, Executive Director of Washington’s Blues Alley, one of the nation’s most venerable jazz venues. Schnipper is the major moving force behind the Big Band JAM (for Jazz Appreciation Month in April), in whose series of concerts, more than three weeks long, Conover is being honored on April 25. The proclamation will be made at the commencement of a concert on the National Mall by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, under the musical direction of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master David N. Baker. As Schnipper notes, “Music transcends every socioeconomic genre; jazz is the sound of freedom”—an oft-sounded sentiment—“and people used to say that Willis Conover singlehandedly felled the Iron Curtain.” According to Conover himself, “Every emotion—love, anger, joy, sadness—can be communicated with the vitality and spirit that characterize jazz and our country at its best. Which, of course, is the same freedom that people everywhere should enjoy.”
VOA's videographer and producer Mike Burke and I collaborated in a video feature (now on VOA's YouTube channel) on the concert Schnipper organized that day at the Sylvan Theater on the National Mall. Here is the result of our effort:
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Scenesetter: The National Folklife Festival on the Washington Mall
There are many benefits to living in, or traveling to, Washington, DC--the capital city of the United States--among which, during the summer, is the opportunity to participate in the annual Folklife Festival sponsored each year on the National Mall by the Smithsonian Institution, the American national complex of numerous museums and research institutions, as well as the National Zoo.
Beginning tomorrow (Thursday, 30 June 2011), the Festival commences with two five-day celebrations (June 30 through July Fourth, and July 7 - 11) of the diversity of American culture--as opposed to the usual four-day observances, given the fact that the national Independence Day, the Fourth of July, falls on a Monday, so that it makes sense to the sponsor (one assumes) to add the two extra days this year.
Following is a guide, both for those of you who live in Washington or its environs, or those who can only explore the options online. We hope it proves to be useful, and we will be bringing you reports of the myriad activities, mostly musical, from the Festival in the coming days.
Beginning tomorrow (Thursday, 30 June 2011), the Festival commences with two five-day celebrations (June 30 through July Fourth, and July 7 - 11) of the diversity of American culture--as opposed to the usual four-day observances, given the fact that the national Independence Day, the Fourth of July, falls on a Monday, so that it makes sense to the sponsor (one assumes) to add the two extra days this year.
Following is a guide, both for those of you who live in Washington or its environs, or those who can only explore the options online. We hope it proves to be useful, and we will be bringing you reports of the myriad activities, mostly musical, from the Festival in the coming days.
Each year the Festival ordinarily has three themes; for this year we have:
1) "The Peace Corps - Fifty Years of Promoting World Peace and Friendship", involving participants from a variety of countries: Jamaica, Guatemala, Peru, Belize, Morocco, Botswana, Mali, Kenya, , the Kyrgyz Republic, the Phillipines, and Tonga. For any VOA staff who may be return Peace Corps Volunteers, there will be a Reunion Hall as part of the Festival. For more information, go to www.festival.si.edu/2011/PeaceCorps
2) "Rhythm and Blues - Tell It Like It Is", presenting, with its rich history of development beginning in Africa, a somewhat broader spectrum of programming options than is often the case with the Festival. A variety of styles, including urban blues, doo-wop, soul, and funk, will be represented by continuous performances on two stages throughout the day by reputed artists, many veterans with decades of experience. For more information, go to www.festival.si.edu/2011/RhythmBlues
3) "Colombia - The Nature of Culture", with representation of the six ecosystems and the country's three largest cities. Roughly one hundred Colombian artists will "sing, dance, prepare food, tell stories, celebrate the harvest, and demonstrate religious ceremonies, traditional medecine practices, and agricultural sustainability at the Festival." For more information, go to www.festival.si.edu/2011/Colombia
A daily schedule of events can be found at www.festival.si.edu/2011/schedule_06_30.aspx
And each night will include a concert of music associated with some aspect of the festival: www.festival.si.edu/visitor/evening.aspx
A series of videos about the institution of the Festival itself (Festival 101) can be found at www.festival.si.edu/visitor/festival_101.aspx
More general information can be found at www.festival.si.edu/visitor/general.aspx
For a quick lunch or early dinner there are also food concessions--the links have pictures, so even if you're not able to attend, you see some mouth-watering delicacies . . . .:
Southeast Asian (www.festival.si.edu/visitor/food_2011_sasian.aspx).
Finally, there is a marketplace featuring items made during, or related to, the festival: www.festival.si.edu/visitor/marketplace.aspx
So visit the Festival if you can, either in person or virtually, and in the coming days we'll be bringing you glimpses of this rich tapestry of cultural presentations.
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