Voice of America Jazz Hour
Encyclopedia
The Voice of America Jazz Hour was broadcast on Voice of America
beginning on January 6, 1955 and through 2003; it was then folded into Voice of America Music Mix's program Jazz America. It began broadcasting in 1955, hosted by Willis Conover
; in its current form, it is hosted by Russ Davis
.http://www.voanews.com/english/Entertainment/musicmix_programs.cfm It was commissioned after Duke Ellington
's tour of the Soviet Union in 1954, and began broadcasting in 1955 over the initial objections of Congress
. http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/conover-obit.html The theme song of the program was Ellington's Take the A Train
. At its height, the Voice of America Jazz Hour was listened to by up to 30 million people, almost none of them in the United Stateshttp://www.ce-review.org/99/5/music5_lester.html, as Voice of America was prohibited from broadcasting in the United States
by the Smith-Mundt Act
.
was frequently banned in the Soviet Union and countries sympathetic to its views, Voice of America was often the only way people in those countries could listen to jazz, and Willis Conover's politics-free broadcasts are widely credited for keeping interest in jazz active in Soviet satellite states. http://www.standardnewspaperslk.com/WES2006-04-08/story2191.html In addition, Conover's clear, measured pronunciation when hosting the Jazz Hour is sometimes credited for leading to the development of Special English
in 1959 http://www.ce-review.org/99/5/music5_lester.html.
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
beginning on January 6, 1955 and through 2003; it was then folded into Voice of America Music Mix's program Jazz America. It began broadcasting in 1955, hosted by Willis Conover
Willis Conover
Willis Clark Conover, Jr. was a jazz producer and broadcaster on the Voice of America for over forty years. He produced jazz concerts at the White House, the Newport Jazz Festival, and for movies and television. By arranging concerts where people of all races were welcome, he is credited with...
; in its current form, it is hosted by Russ Davis
Russ Davis
Russell Stuart Davis is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and San Francisco Giants from 1994 to 2001. A highly touted prospect in the Yankee organization, he was packaged along with Sterling Hitchcock in a December 1995 trade for...
.http://www.voanews.com/english/Entertainment/musicmix_programs.cfm It was commissioned after Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
's tour of the Soviet Union in 1954, and began broadcasting in 1955 over the initial objections of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/conover-obit.html The theme song of the program was Ellington's Take the A Train
Take the A Train
"Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. It is arguably the most famous of the many compositions to emerge from the collaboration of Ellington and Strayhorn.-History:...
. At its height, the Voice of America Jazz Hour was listened to by up to 30 million people, almost none of them in the United Stateshttp://www.ce-review.org/99/5/music5_lester.html, as Voice of America was prohibited from broadcasting in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the Smith-Mundt Act
Smith-Mundt Act
The US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 , popularly referred to as the Smith–Mundt Act, specifies the terms in which the United States government can engage global audiences, also known as public diplomacy....
.
Contributions to the Cold War
As jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
was frequently banned in the Soviet Union and countries sympathetic to its views, Voice of America was often the only way people in those countries could listen to jazz, and Willis Conover's politics-free broadcasts are widely credited for keeping interest in jazz active in Soviet satellite states. http://www.standardnewspaperslk.com/WES2006-04-08/story2191.html In addition, Conover's clear, measured pronunciation when hosting the Jazz Hour is sometimes credited for leading to the development of Special English
Special English
Special English is a controlled version of the English language first used on October 19, 1959, and still presented daily by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America. World news and other programs are read one-third slower than regular VOA English. Reporters avoid idioms and use a...
in 1959 http://www.ce-review.org/99/5/music5_lester.html.