[Dixielandjazz] LA JAZZ DJ

[Stephen G Barbone]

> "Robert Ringwald" <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote (polite snip)
>
> This from a singer's
> email list.
>
> During the 1950's, I spent lots of time listening to Los Angeles  
> jazz DJ's. For the
> life of me, however, I can't remember the names of these:
>
> 1. There was a jazz DJ whose programs started at midnight and lasted  
> into the wee
> hours. He called himself "The Voice of Jazz." He spoke in a very  
> deep, ultra-cool,
> drugged-out sounding voice. I remember him only as "The Voice."

That DJ was probably Al "Jazzbo" or "Jazzbeaux"  Collins.  (Jazz from  
the Purple Grotto)

His theme song for a while was "Blues in Hoss Flat" written by Frank  
Foster and played by Basie.

Collins was a well travelled jazz DJ with a very deep voice who  
actually hosted the the Tonight Show after Steve Allen left and before  
Johnny Carson. When he stated as a jazz DJ in NYC, (WNEW)  the room  
was purple, with all sorts of stuff on the walls and hanging from the  
ceiling. So, he turned the lights down low and called his show jazz  
from the purple grotto.

In 1959 he went to KSFO in San Francisco. Then during the 160s was  
broadcasting jazz on the Voice of America. Then starting about 1966 he  
went to LA with KMET, then KFI, then KGBS.

Then he went to Pittsburgh in 1969 staying their till 1976 or so when  
he went back to the Left Coast and San Francisco with KGO, than KKIS.  
Then back to NYC with WNEW in 1981 and back to San Francisco's KSFO in  
1983 and KFRC in 1986. Then back to NYC from 1987 to m1990, then back  
to Marin County and KAPX in 1990 and finally a weekly jazz show at the  
College of San Mateo (KCSM) in 1993 when he passed away in 1997.

We jazz heads used to listen to him when ever we could. He used to  
spin bedtime stories to jazz background during his jazz music shows.

To hear him do this go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgw9GuakRKY&feature=related

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQLhX5jdAfA

To hear Blues in Hoss Flat by Basie go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNHj6D18ZcU

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband