As you’ve often read in this column, the shows you hear on KZSM 104.1 FM/KZSM.org almost all originate right here. But we do import a few very special shows, and our newest addition brings a venerable history. The “Make Believe Ballroom” (Mondays 1-2 p.m.) was first heard over WNEW radio in New York on February 3, 1935, and has been broadcast almost continually since. The show, now hosted by Jeff Bressler on JAZZ 90.1 in Rochester, NY, still features the big band and jazz music that was popular when it began.
The show, created to fill in time between news bulletins covering the Lindbergh kidnapping trial, inaugurated the practice of playing recorded music on the radio. Before that, music shows had featured live orchestras in the studio. WNEW won a lawsuit brought by band leaders, “which subsequently authorized radio stations across the country to start playing recorded music and brought about the modern radio programming landscape,” according to Wikipedia.
“In my estimation,” Bressler explained, “the 1930s and 40s, swing and jazz were the golden age of American music and formed the foundation for the Great American Songbook.” His selections include everything from big band classics by stars like Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman to novelty numbers that haven’t been heard since their heyday.
