Radio Drama Video

The Washington Observer-Reporter produced a great video about Bill Cameron's Radio Drama course.

EAR CANDY FROM BIGDADDY- Hi-rotation list

Get some SPRING in your ears with our new hi-rotation list of jazz choices.
One last winter blast coming!!! but, we can keep that blood moving with the great new music and classic gold star jazz recordings that I have chosen for your pleasure. The new CD 'While We Hope and Dream' features London based guitarist Francesco Lo Castro but, it was recorded here in Pittsburgh with his musician cam-padres saxophonist and flautist Eric DeFade and bassist Tony DePaolis. Strong musicians in their own rights, they unit for a surprisingly tender and delicate set of music.            

We had a national broadcast debut recording this week, simply because I jumped on this record as soon as it hit my mailbox and CD Player- Trumpet player Jacob Varmus presents a CD called 'Terminal Stillness'- some new sounds and new compositions- without a New York City hard edge but with the divine glow.                           

George Heid III 

Young musicians keep proving that the jazz legacy matters/ case in point- the new CD 'Elevations' by Brett Williams/piano-Anton DeFade-bass and George Heid lll-percussion/ with an assist by Michael Stephenson-sax and Benny Benack lll- These guys have been 'standing room only' in Pittsburgh, NYC and Philadelphia. Check them out because they are going places.

For a nostalgic dip we have Blossom Dearie's quirky, mad recording of the Dave Frisberg gem  'I'M Hip'.   "I call my girlfriend 'Man' cause I'm Hip"   I guess we need Dave to write a new verse as I have heard some guys recently calling their girlfiends' ' Dude.'  Hmmmm..Maybe Ill change my name to BIGDADDYDUDE... whatcha think?

Happy listening!  

WNJR - HAPPY ROTATION LIST

Francesco Lo Castro- Album-While We Hope and Dream/By Candlelight

Lindsey Brier- Single- Angel Among Us  

Jacob Varmus *radio debut on WNJR- album- Terminal Stillness/Avenue C

Sean Jones- Chillin at the Grill- Gemini
Al Jarreau-Compared to What/  The Best of Al Jarreau

Chauncey Street-Josh Levinson
Troy Roberts  Go nu-jive 5

Stockton Helbing  Crazy Aquaruius

Patrick Arena-Night and Day/ How Could I Not Love You/Night and Day  

Sean Jones Transitions/The Search Within

The Verge   The verge

Dave Lalama Big Band   The Hofstra Project

Elevations/ Emergence 

Bill O Connell /  Triple Play

Blossom Dearie- I'm Hip /  From the Meticulous to the Sublime

Erikka Vikktoria for the win!

Congratulations to Erikka Vikktoria Loper! Her entry in the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters 2013 Excellence in Broadcasting Competition won in the Judges' Merit category. Erikka is being recognized for the "Staff vs. Students" episode of Friend or Fraud, her Communication Arts senior project. The awards ceremony will be held in Hershey PA on 6 May in conjunction with the annual PAB conference. 

Spring Break

A hush has fallen over campus, but you can still hear WNJR through the coming week.  Most community-hosted programs will be on the air, and our news and syndicated entertainment programs continue as usual. The diverse array of student shows will resume on Monday 25 March.

Saturday Light Brigade Day

Today is officially Saturday Light Brigade Day in Pittsburgh.  Larry Berger started the show 35 years ago at WYEP when he was 16 years old.  The show now originates from the SLB studios in the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and airs on six college radio stations. WNJR is pleased to be a broadcast affiliate of the program and is grateful to Larry and Rikki Berger for their support to W&J students over the years.  A number of WNJR students have interned at The Saturday Light Brigade and gone on to become media professionals.  Congratulations--and thanks--to Larry, Rikki, and the whole SLB crew.

 
Tune in every Saturday 6:00 am to 12:00 noon for puzzles, listener interviews, live music, and great coverage of community events.  Radio fun for the whole family.

This week's Hot List

 

Artist                  Song Title                  Sounds Like...
Thought Transfer               Get Up                                         The Cars, fun rock.
Little Boots                        Motorway                                    Techno beat/echoing sounds
Rhye                                  Open                                            Calming, beautiful vocals
Midwest Hype                   Elastic Booty Shorts                   Blues, Pop, Reggae, AND Rap
Carmen Villian                  Lifeissin                                      Beautiful vocals/synth sounds
Midwest Hype                   Runaway                                     Blues mixed with Rap/Pop
Factories                            Zombi                                         Upbeat Techno sound
Japandroids                       The House that Heaven Built      Rock
The Postal Service            A Tattered Line of String            Themselves, they rock.
BOY                                  Boris                                            Great stories told by lyrics
Youth Lagoon                   Dropla                                          Mellow; Of Monsters and Men
Phoenix                             Entertainment                               Upbeat with smooth vocals
Telekinesis                        Ghosts and Creatures                   Band Of Horses
DIIV                                  How Long Have You Known     Upbeat music with echoing vocals
BOY                                  Little Numbers                            Regina Spektor/ Feist
The Shout Out Louds        Walking In Your Footsteps         80s pop sound

One Last Chef Talk on WNJR

This week, the WNJR staff is saying goodbye to one of its own.

On behalf of the entire staff, congratulations to Lane McFarland on a fantastic run with our station! We wish him best of luck in all of his future endeavors, and we hope he finds time in his busy schedule to come back and visit what will always be his WNJR family. 

Tune in to 91.7 WNJR today at noon to catch the last installment of Lane McFarland's Chef Talk!

JAZZ MARCHES ON

BIGDADDY'S TOP 15 Hi-Rotation for March

WNJR features a wide variety of jazz this month.

On vocals we have Diana Krall's retro Come Dance With Me plus a classic or two, Nat Kind Cole relaxes with Sweet Lorraine while Sinatra gets quiet with Quiet Nights. For fun we have Ann Hampton Callaways' swinging version of Twisted with backup by New York Voices. NYV stands alone for Sassy Samba.

Exciting new instrumentals by The Odd Trio Raucous Bacchus, Scott Boni Trio Miss Iowa and Aytul's Waltz by Nichol and Farquarson.

Here's the entire list. Selections from this list are heard 3 times an hour during hi-rotation times.

Not Lucid-Tony DePaolis
Twisted-Ann Hampton Callaway
Naxotique-Jazz Indeed
Sassy Samba-New York Voices
Come Dance With Me-Diana Krall
Straight Into Sunrise-Gato Barbieri
You Left Me All Alone-Illinois Jacquet
Aytul's Waltz-Nichol and Farquarson
Scott Boni Trio-Miss Iowa
Raucous Bacchus-The Odd Trio
Sweet Lorraine-Nat King Cole
Fall Until You Fly-Zrazy
Moanin'-Liane Carrol
Quiet Nights-Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim

                     

 

 Amazing British singer Liane Carrol heard singing Moanin' on our hot choices list.