The Man Before Miles: Freddie Webster

[ghost of miles]

This week on Night Lights it's "The Man Before Miles: Freddie Webster." Trumpeter Freddie Webster is one of the great lost-legend stories of jazz, significant because he influenced both Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, little-known because he recorded only a few scattered solos and because he died at the age of 30 in 1947. We'll hear the most significant ones, including an anthemic "Yesterdays" with the Jimmie Lunceford Big Band, two sides apiece from sessions with Sarah Vaughan and Bud Powell, "I Fell for You" with Miss Rhapsody, recordings done with Louis Jordan's Tympani Five, the last and rarely-heard solo that Webster ever recorded ("Perdido"), and many more. "The Man Before Miles" airs Saturday, September 10 at 11 p.m. (9 p.m. California time, 12 a.m. NYC time)on WFIU; you can hear it at 10 on WNIN-Evansville as well. It will be archived on the following Monday.

For more information on Freddie Webster, see Part 22 of jazz historian Joe Mosbrook's "Jazzed in Cleveland". Special thanks to Mr. Mosbrook for his assistance with this program.

Next week: "Perfectly Frank: Sinatra's Small-Group Jazz Recordings."

[sidewinder]

Splendid ! This little series and its fine archive is turning into a University of Jazz.

[ghost of miles]

Up for broadcast in a minute or so on WNIN and in another hour on WFIU.

Edited September 11, 2005 by ghost of miles

[Brad]

Missed it but this will be a treat on the archives. Been waiting for this for awhile. Thanks.

[Free For All]

Missed it but this will be a treat on the archives.  Been waiting for this for awhile.  Thanks.

←

Ditto. Looking forward to checking this out.

[GregN]

Looks very cool. Nice work.

g

[ghost of miles]

"The Man Before Miles: Freddie Webster" is now archived.

[ghost of miles]

Up for re-broadcast this evening on Michigan's Blue Lake Public Radio (10 p.m. EST). Internet listeners can hear it now in the archives (Sept. 10, 2005).

[makpjazz57]

Great! Thanks for the heads up - Freddie Webster is legendary and I've not heard much from recordings featuring him. I'll be tuning in tonight and if I can get freecorder to work, will try to tape it on to my hard drive.

Marla

[Lazaro Vega]

Well David,

Last night about 1:30 in the morning I got a call from a young woman listener who requested some Freddie Webster. She said after hearing the program he became her favorite musician. We have maybe four pieces with his music on it: three by Frank Socolow with Bud Powell, and the Sarah Vaughn "You're Not the Kind." So I played those, but that's it. She was sad to hear his music is so hard to find, but I sent her off in search of the archive where she's planning on downloading the program.

This is exactly the kind of audience affirmation we were looking for by putting your show on at Blue Lake.

Lazaro

[Chuck Nessa]

Well David,

Last night about 1:30 in the morning I got a call from a young woman listener who requested some Freddie Webster. She said after hearing the program he became her favorite musician. We have maybe four pieces with his music on it: three by Frank Socolow with Bud Powell, and the Sarah Vaughn "You're Not the Kind." So I played those, but that's it. She was sad to hear his music is so hard to find, but I sent her off in search of the archive where she's planning on downloading the program.

This is exactly the kind of audience affirmation we were looking for by putting your show on at Blue Lake.

Lazaro

So you are still into disappointing young women?

[ghost of miles]

Well David,

Last night about 1:30 in the morning I got a call from a young woman listener who requested some Freddie Webster. She said after hearing the program he became her favorite musician. We have maybe four pieces with his music on it: three by Frank Socolow with Bud Powell, and the Sarah Vaughn "You're Not the Kind." So I played those, but that's it. She was sad to hear his music is so hard to find, but I sent her off in search of the archive where she's planning on downloading the program.

This is exactly the kind of audience affirmation we were looking for by putting your show on at Blue Lake.

Lazaro

Man, thanks so much for passing that along, Lazaro. Hopefully she'll check out the "Contact" tab on the site, because I could send her some material that didn't end up on the show. It would be nice to see some label do for Webster what Jazz Oracle did for Jack Purvis a couple of years back.

[Lazaro Vega]

Well David,

Last night about 1:30 in the morning I got a call from a young woman listener who requested some Freddie Webster. She said after hearing the program he became her favorite musician. We have maybe four pieces with his music on it: three by Frank Socolow with Bud Powell, and the Sarah Vaughn "You're Not the Kind." So I played those, but that's it. She was sad to hear his music is so hard to find, but I sent her off in search of the archive where she's planning on downloading the program.

This is exactly the kind of audience affirmation we were looking for by putting your show on at Blue Lake.

Lazaro

So you are still into disappointing young women?

Oh, unfortunately today's birthday party for Lu is cancelled on account of her stomach flu, so, yeah, pretty much.