States

Willis Conover's House of Sounds, WEAM - Interview with Woody Herman, Bobby Hackett, Louis Armstrong transcript

Willis Conover's House of Sounds, WEAM - Interview with Woody Herman, Bobby Hackett, Louis Armstrong

An interview with Woody Herman, Bobby Hackett, and Louis Armstrong, conducted in late June of 1955, in connection with the performance of Louis Armstrong and His All Stars at the Carter Barron Amphitheater, Washington, D.C.
Date: June 1955
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #392-B, Interview with Milt Gabler, Part II transcript

Music USA #392-B, Interview with Milt Gabler, Part II

Part of the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA, including tune selections and an interview with Milt Gabler. "Laura," the last selection in this part, was not included in the final broadcast.
Date: December 1, 1955
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #1791-B, as heard in Lagos, Nigeria transcript

Music USA #1791-B, as heard in Lagos, Nigeria

A broadcast of Music USA transmitted by station WLWO in Cincinnati, Ohio, and recorded off of shortwave radio in Lagos, Nigeria. It was sent to the Voice of America to document the quality of radio reception in that area, and this hour includes most of Music USA 1791-B, a repeat of Music USA #1619-B, which was a tribute to Lester Young. As a live broadcast, the recording also includes news breaks and station identification.
Date: November 24, 1959
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Willis Conover presents The Orchestra of Washington, D.C., part 1 transcript

Willis Conover presents The Orchestra of Washington, D.C., part 1

Recording of a radio program by Willis Conover, featuring recorded selections by The Orchestra of Washington, D.C. Following the theme song, "Early Autumn," the program includes "Roundhouse," "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" (Lea Matthews, vocals), "Light Green," and "Don't Blame Me" (featuring trombonist Earl Swope).
Date: December 15, 1951
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #226-B, Interviews with Barney Bigard, Bobby Hackett, Woody Herman, and Louis Armstrong transcript

Music USA #226-B, Interviews with Barney Bigard, Bobby Hackett, Woody Herman, and Louis Armstrong

The entire program for the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA, including tune selections and interviews with Barney Bigard, Bobby Hackett, Woody Herman, and Louis Armstrong.
Date: June 28, 1955
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #392-B, Interview with Milt Gabler, Part III transcript

Music USA #392-B, Interview with Milt Gabler, Part III

Part of the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA, including tune selections and an interview with Milt Gabler. The first and second selections in this part, "Laura" and "Spanish Lace," were not included in the final broadcast.
Date: December 1, 1955
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #310-B, Interview with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Part II transcript

Music USA #310-B, Interview with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Part II

The second part of the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA, including tune selections and an interview with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.
Date: September 28, 1955
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #310-B, Interview with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Part I transcript

Music USA #310-B, Interview with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Part I

The first part of the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA, including tune selections and an interview with Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.
Date: September 28, 1955
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interviews with June Christy, Nat "King" Cole, Ted Heath, and Bob Flanigan transcript

Interviews with June Christy, Nat "King" Cole, Ted Heath, and Bob Flanigan

Willis Conover interviews June Christy, Nat "King" Cole, Ted Heath, and Bob Flanigan backstage at a performance at the National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C. The interview with Nat "King" Cole was likely used in Music USA program #520-B.
Date: May 1, 1956
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library

Ninety nine Generators

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Recording of Hugh le Caine's Ninety nine Generators. The title refers to the 99 organ sound generators sensitive keys - a separate generator for each note of the keyboard that can all be operated simultaneously. Le Caine here uses a resonance pedal and a device that can change the pitch to produce a vibrato or long glissandi impossible to achieve on an organ. The particular reverb of this piece is caused by the unusual acoustics of the place where it was realized.
Date: 1956
Creator: Le Caine, Hugh, 1914-1977
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #1638-B, Jazz from Tunis transcript

Music USA #1638-B, Jazz from Tunis

The entire program for the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA. This program replaced the original #1638-B only for the broadcast to North Africa on June 24, 1959. The original #1638-B was broadcast as #1737-B on October 1, 1959. This program, the Tunisian jazz feature, was later broadcast worldwide as #1917-B on March 29, 1960.
Date: May 19, 1959
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #1422, Irving Berlin Tribute, Part I transcript

Music USA #1422, Irving Berlin Tribute, Part I

The first hour of a two-hour tribute to Irving Berlin, in the year that Berlin turned 70, broadcast November 20, 1958. The program includes numerous interviews with popular artists and selected Berlin compositions which they recorded, including Guy Lombardo (interview dated September 17, 1958), Ginger Rogers (interview dated August 28, 1958), Rudy Vallee, and Fred Astaire.
Date: November 6, 1958
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Baytown-La Porte Tunnel Opening transcript

Baytown-La Porte Tunnel Opening

Interviews with area citizens and speeches of prominent guest speakers, including Allen Shivers, governor, and Tommy Cook, president of Texas Junior Chamber of Commerce. Also, a recording of Edward R. Murrow's radio broadcast of "I can hear it now", recorded July 4, 1953 from station KREL, Baytown, TX.
Date: September 22, 1953
Creator: Murrow, Edward R.; Cook, Tommy & Shivers, Allen
System: The Portal to Texas History

Dripsody

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Recording of Hugh le Caine's Dripsody. It is an study for variable speed recorder. It was composed in one night. Le Caine used a recording of a drop of water falling into a bucket, which he re- recorded different speeds, obtaining the heights of a pentatonic scale. Using 25 connectors and the variable speed tape recorder, it produced thousands of sound effects. Dripsody begins with the original sound of the water drop, repetition loop. Shortly afterwards, by adding more loops, the density of the sound increases and an arpeggio figure is produced. The complete work, lasting one minute and twenty-six seconds, was finished at 7.30 am, and Le Caine played it for those who arrived at the laboratory.
Date: 1955
Creator: Le Caine, Hugh, 1914-1977
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #695-B, Hungarian Jazz Guests transcript

Music USA #695-B, Hungarian Jazz Guests

The entire program for the jazz hour (second hour) of Music USA, aired on November 23, 1956. This program features Hungarian jazz musicians who sent a recording to Conover shortly before the Hungarian Uprising of 1956; this hour was apparently was quickly assembled to replace the original program #695-B which had been recorded in October, but set aside for this replacement. The musicians remain unnamed, presumably for their safety, as Conover notes that it is unknown whether the musicians in the recording were still alive. Gerry Mulligan, Tony Scott, Quincy Jones, J.J. Johnson, and Billy Taylor comment on the musical selections.
Date: November 21, 1956
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library

Invocation

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Recording of Hugh Le Caine's Invocation. The piece opens with a trio of three recorded sounds: a glass that is broken with a hammer, a ping-pong ball hitting a racket, and a drop of water. These sounds are the "instruments" used throughout the piece. Drips are configured as fast ascending and descending glissandi. A series of chords is constructed from a sustained movement of glass stamps. The sound of the ping-pong ball - from the left to the right - gradually accelerates. Severe rumbling and sharp joints appears as sudden changes in channels multiply. The introduction of these gestures disrupts the orderly progression of loops and the inclusion of small strips of paper connected to the ribbon which produces rough and jerky sounds further accentuate this breaking effect. Towards the end of the piece, sustained sounds are played out in a chord, but as soon as this effect is installed, the tape slows down and stops, as if someone had unplugged the music player. Then we hear a particularly violent sound of glass breaking.
Date: 1957
Creator: Le Caine, Hugh, 1914-1977
System: The UNT Digital Library
Music USA #1422, Tribute to Irving Berlin, Part II transcript

Music USA #1422, Tribute to Irving Berlin, Part II

The second hour of a two-hour tribute to Irving Berlin, in the year that Berlin turned 70, broadcast November 20, 1958. The program includes numerous interviews with popular artists and selected Berlin compositions which they recorded, including Bing Crosby (interview dated August 28, 1958), Benny Goodman, Ethel Merman, Fred Waring (interview dated October 1, 1958), and Eddie Cantor, with brief statements by Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Weston, Jo Stafford, Paul Whiteman, an interview with Berlin himself, and a statement from President Eisenhower.
Date: November 6, 1958
Creator: Conover, Willis
System: The UNT Digital Library