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| 'Me and the Man in the Moon' WFUV host Rich Conaty will celebrate the full moon on February 12 and astronomer Nicolas Copernicus's February 19th birthday with "Me and the Man in the Moon, " two editions of his weekly radio show The Big Broadcast that will feature 101 songs about the moon. The Big Broadcast airs on WFUV (90.7 FM) in New York City and around the world on the Internet. Nearly thirty years of "moon songs" will be featured: from 1911's "Turn Off Your Light, Mr. Moon Man" to "How High the Moon" in 1940. In addition to the work of nearly forgotten tunesmiths like Larry Shay ("Get Out and Get Under the Moon, " 1928) and Harry Woods ("What a Little Moonlight Can Do, " 1935), Conaty will play songs by Irving Berlin ("Reaching for the Moon") and Jerome Kern ("Pale Venetian Moon"). Hoagy Carmichael's songbook includes "Moon Country, " "Moonburn" and "Old Man Moon, " from the 1937 movie comedy "Topper." Other performers include Billie Holiday, Kate Smith and Fats Waller. Bing Crosby recorded his first "moon song" in 1928, and did dozens more throughout his career. The Big Broadcast will include Crosby's "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight, " "Moonstruck" and "Don't Let That Moon Get Away." Conaty refutes the notion that moon-themed pop tunes were Tin Pan Alley trifles. "For every 'Honolulu Moon' there's a first-rate composition, like 'Blue Moon' by Rodgers and Hart, " says Conaty. "Or 'It's Only a Paper Moon' by Harold Arlen, whose February 15 birthday will be also observed on the two programs. The Big Broadcast will also salute the lyrics of Bert Kalmar, whose songs include 'Three Little Words, ' 'Who's Sorry Now' and 'The Same Old Moon.'" On the air since 1973, Rich Conaty's The Big Broadcast features classic jazz and pop tunes of the 1920s and '30s. Thanks to the Internet, this surviving bastion of dance band music on New York radio now has listeners as far away as Hawaii and Australia. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |