Original air date - Phantom Dancer :: 12:00pm 21st Jul 2020

Hal Kemp is this week's Phantom Dancer feature artist in 1930s radio broadcasts and his last musical short film. The Phantom Dancer is presented and produced by 1920s-30s singer and actor Greg Poppleton. It's been on-air every week over 107.3 2SER Sydney since 1985. Listen to The Phantom Dancer online from 12:04pm AEST Tuesday 21 July at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/ The finyl hour is vinyl.

1920s

James Hal Kemp was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. He formed his first band in high school. At age 19 he led the University of North Carolina band called the Carolina Club Orchestra. They sailed to England, where they made their first recordings. On their return journey they made the acquaintance of the Prince of Wales who sat in with them on drums. This got the band mentioned in US press reports so that on their return they received several offers of contracts. In 1927, Kemp formed his own jazz orchestra, which at various times featured singer Skinnay Ennis, trumpeter Bunny Berigan, and pianist John Scott Trotter.

1930s

In the 1930s, with the economic and social challenges of the Great Depression, Kemp's band became better known for more soothing "sweet" dance music. From 1932 to 1934, they performed at the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago and were heard regularly on radio broadcasts. They became well-known nationally and secured a contract with Brunswick Records. Most of the vocals on their recordings were by Skinnay Ellis, whose vocal style and the arrangements by Trotter, which featured staccato triplets by the trumpeters and clarinets played through megaphones, gave Kemp's records a distinctive sound. Kemp and his orchestra had a number of hit records, including "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" (1933), "In the Middle of a Kiss" (1935), "There's a Small Hotel" (1936), "When I'm With You" (1936), "This Year's Kisses" (1937), and "Where or When" (1937).[4] From 1937, Kemp recorded for Victor Records.[4] His other recordings included "Got A Date With An Angel", "Heart Of Stone", "Lamplight", "The Music Goes 'Round And Around", "You're The Top", "Bolero", "Gloomy Sunday", "Lullaby Of Broadway", and many others. In 1936, John Scott Trotter left, being succeeded as arranger by Hal Mooney and Lou Busch. Ennis left in 1938, and Bob Allen became the band's featured singer. With the rising popularity of swing bands such as those of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey, the popularity of Kemp's orchestra declined and there were many changes in band membership, though they continued to make film appearances...

VIDEO

Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week this week is Hal Kemp playing clarinet, alto sax and conducting his tripling trumpets band in a Warner Brothers' short filmed one day before he was killed by a car accident, December 1940. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvcO8UM8voM

21 JULY PLAY LIST

Play List - The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #446
107.3 2SER Tuesday 21 July 2020 After the 2SER 12 noon news, 12:04 - 2:00pm (+10 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 - 5:55pm National Program: 1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Sunday 10 - 11pm 5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 - 3:30am 3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 - 4am 4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 - 4am 2SEA Eden Monday 3 - 4am 2MIA Griffith Monday 3 - 4pm 2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 - 4pm 3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 - 7pm 7MID Oatlands Tuesday 8 - 9pm 2MCE Bathurst / Orange / Central West NSW Wednesday 9 - 10am 2ARM Armidale Friday 12 - 1pm 7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 - 6am 3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 - 6am 6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Sunday 5 - 6am
Set 1	Swinging Big Bands on 1940s One Night Stand Radio
Open (Memories of You) + Blue Moon	Sonny Donham Orchestra	'One Night Stand' Palladium Ballroom Hollywood AFRS Re-broadcast 1 Aug 1944
The Good Earth	Woody Herman Orchestra	'One Night Stand' Cafe Rouge Hotel Pennsylvania AFRS Re-broadcast 23 Aug 1945
The Man I Love + Out Of Nowhere	Gene Krupa Orchestra	'One Night Stand' Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 31 Mar 1946
Set 2	Jazz on 1960s Radio
Open + The Lamp Is Low	Oscar Peterson Trio	Montreal Jazz Festival CBC Canada 1968
Just Lucky	Harry James Orchestra	El Patio Ballroom KCBS CBS San Francisco 20 May 1961
Set 3	Early 1930s Music Radio
Cool Water	RCA Victor Concert Orchestra	'His Master's Voice of the Air' Radio Transcription Nov 1932
Shake Hands With A Million	Harry Richman	'Dodge Show' Radio Transcription 1934
Dinah	Jimmie Grier Orchestra (voc) The Three Cheers	Cocoanut Grove Ambassador Hotel NBC Orange Los Angeles 1932
Set 4	Women Jazz Singers on the Air
Rockin' Chair	Mildred Bailey	'Guest Star' Radio Transcription NY 1951
Thank Your Stars	Ella Fitzgerald with her Orchestra	Savoy Ballroom WEAF NBC Red NY 25 Jan 1940
Open + Just A Moment More	Sarah Vaughan	'Stars in Jazz' Birdland WNBC NBC NY 21 Apr 1953
Set 5	Ray Noble on American Radio
The Very Thought Of You (theme) + And The Angels Sing	Ray Noble Orchestra (voc) Liz Tilton	Beverley-Wiltshire Hotel KFI NBC LA 22 Oct 1939
I Never Had A Chance	Ray Noble Orchestra (voc) Al Bowlly	'Coty Hour' WEAF NBC Red NY 13 Mar 1935
A Fountain in Havana	Ray Noble Orchestra (piano) Claude Thornhill	'Coty Hour' WEAF NBC Red NY 17 Apr 1935
Comanche War Dance + Theme (Goodnight Sweetheart)	Ray Noble Orchestra	Beverley-Wiltshire Hotel KFI NBC LA 6 April 1940
Set 6	Swing Bands on 1944 Radio
Sleep	Benny Carter Orchestra	Aircheck Trianon Ballroom Southgate Ca 1944
No Love, No Nothin'	Lionel Hampton Orchestra (voc) Dinah Washington	Trianon Ballroom Southgate Ca KFI NBC LA 16 Jun 1944
Three Little Words	Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	Casino Gardens Ocean Park Ca KECA Blue LA Oct 1944
Frantic in the Atlantic	Cab Calloway Orchestra	'One Night Stand' Club Zanzibar New York City AFRS Re-broadcast 22 Sep 1944
Set 7	Hal Kemp's Tripling Trumpets on 1934 Radio
When Summer Is Gone (theme) + It's Winter Again	Hal Kemp Orchestra (voc) Skinnay Ennis	'Lavena Program' Radio Transcription New York City 1934
Boulevarde of Broken Dreams	Hal Kemp Orchestra (voc) Deane Janis	'Lavena Program' Radio Transcription New York City 1934
Last Year's Girl	Hal Kemp Orchestra (voc) Skinnay Ennis	'Lavena Program' Radio Transcription New York City 1934
Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea + When summer is Gone (theme)	Hal Kemp Orchestra	'Lavena Program' Radio Transcription New York City 1934
Set 8	Jazz on 1940s-50s TV
Soft Winds + Perdido	Roy Eldridge All-Stars	'The Today Show' WNBC TV NBC NY 18 Jan 1957
My Funny Valentine	Helen Ward (voc)	'Eddie Condon's Floor Show' WNBC TV NBC NY 26 Mar 1949
Ridin' High	Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Ella Fitzgerald	'Texaco Show' WNBC TV NBC NY 9 Apr 1958
Intro + Drum Boogie	Ronald Reagan MC, Gene Krupa Orchestra (voc) Anita O'Day	'Ford Star Time' NBC TV LA 9 Feb 1960