Make Believe Ballroom - 11/28/22 Edition
A look at a famous Copywrite dispute, a stroll past a historic music building, a talented female lyricist plus a bunch of great music from the big band era.
Nov 27, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom
Hosted by Jeff Bressler, The Make Believe Ballroom, each week, brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
The program has been broadcast almost continuously since 1935. Each program mixes beloved 78 rpm records, stories, listener requests, and special guest features, all geared to bring you the music and history of the big band era.
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Episodes
Make Believe Ballroom - 11/21/22 Edition
Join us for another great episode of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM. On today's show a look at songs with female names in the title, a Lenny from Down the Block on Broadway story, a look at an email that asks for a request that has nothing to do with music plus a plethora of additional music, and stories from the big band era.
Nov 20, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 11/14/22 Edition
On today's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM, a numerical email from a listener, songs about food and beverage, Jeff Bressler's tale of visiting the dairy case, and a whole lot more music and history of the big band era.
Nov 13, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 11/7/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM, a look at one of the greatest female lyricists of all time, an email from a listener with a pretty strange name, some music by a Benny Goodman small group, then some individual music from its members, a question about Sammy Kaye and a whole lot more music and stories from the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s.
Nov 07, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/31/22 Edition
Join us for this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM as we continue to delve into the Ralphie from Canarsie, Brooklyn record club list, Bing Crosby duets, a bizarre Artie Shaw magazine piece, and spin a few novelty songs.
Oct 30, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/24/22 Edition
On this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM via a raffle drum, some random music selections from our famous Ralphie for Canarsie Brooklyn's list of his and his neighbor's record clubs close to 800 ranked songs from the big band era.
Oct 24, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/17/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a long look at a long-a-go ballroom in the keystone state that is still in operation today!
Oct 16, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/10/22 Edition
Join us for this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM as we take a look at some tunes that were featured in movie musicals during the 1940s. Over 100 films in the 30s and 40s featured big band music.
Oct 10, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/3/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom Jack Teagarden's some may say strange obsession, we go back to 1935 to learn about a historic radio program and in between some of the great tunes and stories from the big band era.
Oct 01, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/26/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom, a look at a singer who you might not recognize..and perhaps neither did he, a tribute to a songwriter who we, unfortunately, gave short shrift to last week, a listeners email, and a show filled with more great music from the big band era.
Sep 25, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/19/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a whole lot of listeners emails, wrapped around some great music and stories from the big band era.
Sep 19, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/12/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a Benny Goodman second look, a bandleader whose name sounds familiar but hard to place, a bandleader whose name you will never recognize, a listeners favorite tunes, plus many, many more tunes from the big band era.
Sep 11, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/5/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom, the history of a swing era classics name, a famous record club selection, some great music surrounding two listeners' emails, and a host of some of the great tunes of the 1930s and 1940s.
Sep 05, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/22/22 Edition
Join us for this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom as we explore the music venues in the old Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, a little Cole Porter, an Artie Shaw story, and loads of more great music from the big band era of the 1930s and 1940s.
Aug 22, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/15/22 Edition
Join us for this week's edition of Make Believe Ballroom where we take a close look at a gentleman who had absolutely nothing to do with the music industry, a beloved song with two possible origins, a songwriters lament about the initial tempo of his song, plus a treasure trove of more great records and stories from the big band era.
Aug 14, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/8/22 Edition
Join us in the Make Believe Ballroom this week as we look at the music we play on our virtual turntable and real turntable in the Crystal Studio. Also on the show, a big band era stalwart discusses his take on the longevity of swing music through a story that appeared in a 1939 edition of Down Beat magazine. In addition, a music packed hour featuring some of your favorite bands and singers.
Aug 08, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/22 Edition
On this edition of the Make Believe Ballroom, we take most of the program to read show emails. Through the emails, we learn of a listener who discovered a "new' musician from the 1930s, a nostalgic Ballroom fan with a memory of Ella Fitzgerald, how one weekly listener discovered the lindy hop, and a fan with a trivia question. In addition, we delve into some great music and stories from the big band era of the 1930s and 40s.
Aug 01, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/25/22 Edition
On this edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a risque song from a Jack Benny bandleader, Lenny from Down the Block shares a drumming album, an unusual story about a vocal trio mother, plus a ton of more great music and reminisces from the big band era.
Jul 25, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/18/22 Edition
On this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a look at a female bandleader who led an all-male band, some tunes that you may not realize also had lyrics, a famous sister-in-law plus our usual array of great music and stories from the big band era of the 30s and 40s.
Jul 18, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/11/22 Edition
On this edition of the MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM a quick tribute to a great bassist, an unlikely female band leader, mail order music, plus a listeners email and tons of great music from the 30s and 40s.
Jul 10, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/4/22 Edition
On this week's MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM we are taking a quick one week summer holiday. In the meantime, a Make Believe Ballroom Redux. On this past broadcast, we break down a Fats Waller song to figure out and discuss its meaning. Also, a look at some of the top-selling sheet music from the big band era.
Jul 04, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/27/22 Edition
Another great edition of the Make Believe Ballroom featuring an action-packed hour of some wonderful music and stories from the big band era of the 30s and 40s.
Jun 26, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/20/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom we do our twice-annual console cleaning in the Crystal Studio to remove all the sticky notes containing the names of songs and segments we did not have time for on previous shows. Plenty of great music and stories.
Jun 19, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/13/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom a special look at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and some of the stars of the big band era who achieved recognition. Many big band luminaries were voted in during the inaugural laying of sidewalk tiles back in 1960.
Jun 12, 2022•58 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/6/22 Edition
On this week's edition of the Make Believe Ballroom more swinging to the classics with John Kirby. more music surrounding FDR's Presidency, how Benny Goodman spent his "down time" during his 1935 Palomar Ballroom engagement, a songwriting contest, and much more music and stories from the big band era.
Jun 06, 2022•58 min
RADIO REDUX – The Andrews Sisters drama wreaks havoc on Glenn Miller
The Andrews Sisters didn't play nice when they had the golden opportunity to be paired with Glenn Miller on the radio.
Jun 02, 2022•12 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 5/30/22 Edition
A nice test pressing, sage advice from a legend, maybe the biggest birthday party ever, the toast of NY jazz, classical music on the Make Believe Ballroom indeed. All this plus some of the great music of the big band era on this edition.
May 29, 2022•58 min
RADIO REDUX - Ray Anthony's Dilemma
This listener's favorite concerns the relationship between trumpet player and bandleader Ray Anthony and Glenn Miller. Ray celebrated his 100th birthday this past January. Ray's illustrious career went on for decades past his early days with Glenn Miller. Somehow, as Ray laments in this clip, Miller and him just never seemed to jell. A funny story. The segment was part of the Make Believe Ballroom's August 12, 2020 broadcast.
May 23, 2022•6 min
RADIO REDUX - Morey" The Rat" Amsterdam
What made famous comedian Morey Amsterdam a "rat" during the big band era? Listen to an interesting story of how one of the beloved stars of the old Dick Van Dyke Show pulled a fast one in the music industry!
May 23, 2022•9 min
Make Believe Ballroom - 5/23/22 Edition
Join Jeff Bressler for this week's Make Believe Ballroom featuring a Washington DC high school music edict, a Glenn Miller bust? a historical song and its background, a kids survey, stars gather to "bury" some music, plus some additional outstanding records and artists.
May 22, 2022•58 min
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