Greg Poppleton

Thurs 5 December - Sorcery & Swing Speakeasy - Cardea Barangaroo 7:30-9:30pm BOOK NOW

2SER Radio 107.3 Sydney
Get directions

14 February 2023

(Until 14 February)

Enoch Light Ping Pong Sound – Phantom Dancer 14 February 2023

Greg Poppleton's Phantom Dancer swing jazz radio show

Enoch Light swing band leader, violinist, lounge music wizard and recording engineer, inventor of the ‘ping-pong sound’ on 1950s-60s hi-fi records, gatefold albums and distinctive commissioned album art, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 14 February) and weeks of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

ENOCH

Enoch Henry Light was an American classically trained violinist, danceband leader, and recording engineer.

His earliest dance band recordings are from March 1927. You’ll hear his ‘Light Brigade’ swing dance band on this weeks Phantom Dancer from a fun park broadcast aired in 1944.

In 1928 he led a band in Paris, where, in the 1930s he studied conducting with the French conductor Maurice Frigara. He studied classical conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Opera Comique in Paris.

Throughout the 1930s, Light and his orchestras played on the Society Band circuit in New York City playing polite dance music for well-heeled patrons..

When he formed his Light Brigade he got radio exposure in broadcasts from NYC’s Hotel Taft.

A head-on car accident interrupted his band leading for two years. In those 2 years, the big band business had died and Light turned to the business side of recorded music.

LOUNGE KING

Light is credited with being one of the first musicians to go to extreme lengths to create high-quality recordings.

He was particularly into stereo effects that bounced the sounds between the right and left channels (often described as “Ping-pong recording”).

He introduced recording practices now used in multitrack recording, including overdubbing and isolating various groups of musicians from each other in the recording studio.

His first LP produced for Command Records, Persuasive Percussion, became one of the first big-hit albums based solely on retail sales. Light’s music received little or no airplay on the radio, because AM radio, the standard of the day, was monaural and had very poor fidelity.

The album covers were generally designed with abstract, minimalist artwork that stood out boldly from other album covers. These pieces were usually the work of Josef Albers.

GATEFOLD ALBUMS

Light was so interested in the sound of his music that he would include lengthy prose describing each song’s sounds. In order to fit all of his descriptions on to the album sleeve, he doubled the size of the sleeve but enabled it to fold like a book, thus popularizing the gatefold packaging format.

Enoch Light released 25 albums in various genres of music under a variety of names during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some were released under Grand Award Records, which he founded in 1955. He founded Command Records in 1959. ABC-Paramount Records acquired the Light family of labels in October 1959. Light stayed on to manage and handle A&R.

During this time, he pioneered many recording techniques such as the use of 35 mm magnetic film instead of magnetic tape, reducing wow and flutter. The recordings were released under the “35MM” series, starting from “Stereo 35-MM” released by Command Records. Musicians who appeared on Light’s albums include The Free Design, The Critters, Rain, Doc Severinsen, Tony Mottola, Dick Hyman, and organist Virgil Fox. As an arranger, Lew Davies was one of the label’s most important contributors.

Light remained with tABC/Command until 1965. After his departure, the quality of the records plummeted dramatically. The signature gatefold format (along with Light’s prose) was immediately discontinued, and the covers changed to budget labels pressed on recycled vinyl. In 1975, they were completely discontinued.

Light joined forces with the Singer Corporation in August 1966, to help the company launch production of phonograph records, tapes, and tape cartridges. Plans called for a new company to be formed, with Light and Singer each having half-interest and Light as both president and chief executive officer.

Light’s new label was called Project 3. It did not concentrate as heavily on stereo effects. Light recorded several successful big band albums with group of top New York studio musicians. Many of them were veterans of the bands of the swing era.

Released as Enoch Light and the Light Brigade, the arrangements used on the recordings were transcribed note-for-note from some of what were the hallmark recordings by many of the best bands of the swing era.

REMEMBERED

Enoch Light holds the record for having the most charting LPs without having a Top 40 single.

Events coinciding with Light’s birthday near his birthplace of northeastern Ohio have occurred since the late 1990s. The most recent is 2014’s Enoch Light Birthday Memorial Go-Go Happening and features bands performing Light’s work and multimedia installations remixing the distinctive Command Records album cover designs.

7 FEBRUARY PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney
LISTEN ONLINE

Community Radio Network Show CRN #584

107.3 2SER Tuesday 14 February 2023
12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT) and Saturdays 5 – 5:55pm
National Program
5UV Adelaide Monday 2:30 – 3:30am
5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am
3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am
4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am
2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am
2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am
2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am
2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am
3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm
7MID Oatlands Monday 3am – 4 and 6 -7pm
2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am
1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am
and Sunday 11pm
Reading Radio (QLD) Friday 1am – 2
2RRR Ryde Friday 11am – 12
2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm
5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm
6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Saturday 4am – 5am
Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturday 10 – 11am
Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm
7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am
3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am
3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
2SEA Sapphire Coast Eden Sunday 9 – 10pm

Set 1
Bob Crosby
Summertime (theme) + The Whistler
Bob Crosby Orchestra
‘One Night Stand’
Palladium Ballroom
Hollywood
AFRS Re-broadcast
3 Dec 1946
Don’t Forget Tonight Tomorrow
Bob Crosby Orchestra (voc) Bob Crosby
‘One Night Stand’
Palladium Ballroom
Hollywood
AFRS Re-broadcast
3 Dec 1946
The Honeydripper
Bob Crosby Orchestra (voc) Quig Quigley and Band
‘One Night Stand’
Palladium Ballroom
Hollywood
AFRS Re-broadcast
3 Dec 1946
The Man I LoveBob Crosby Orchestra (voc) Jewwl Hopkins
‘One Night Stand’
Palladium Ballroom
Hollywood
AFRS Re-broadcast
3 Dec 1946
Set 2
Woody Herman Third Herd with Erroll Garner
The Goof and I
Woody Herman Third Herd (piano) Erroll Garner
‘Monitor’
Basin Street
WNBC NBC NYC
26 Jun 1955
If I Could Be With You an Hour Tonight
Woody Herman Third Herd (piano) Erroll Garner (voc) Woody Herman
‘Monitor’
Basin Street
WNBC NBC NYC
26 Jun 1955
Sentimental Journey
Woody Herman Third Herd (piano) Erroll Garner
‘Monitor’
Basin Street
WNBC NBC NYC
26 Jun 1955
One O’Clock Jump and Close
Woody Herman Third Herd (piano) Erroll Garner
‘Monitor’
Basin Street
WNBC NBC NYC
26 Jun 1955
Set 3
Fairchild – Carrol
Theme + If You Were Someone Else + You and I Know + Goodbye Jonah
Fairchild Carroll Two Pianos and Orchestra
WEAF NBC Red NYC
15 Sep 1937
Set 4
Enoch Light and His Light Brigade
Caldonia
Enoch Light and His Light Brigade
‘One Night Stand’
New Park Casino
Palasades Park NJ
AFRS Re-broadcast
1944
You Belong to My Heart
Enoch Light and His Light Brigade (voc) Leslie James
‘One Night Stand’
New Park Casino
Palasades Park NJ
AFRS Re-broadcast
1944
There I’ve Said It Again / Un Solo Beso
Enoch Light and His Light Brigade (voc) Danny Sullivan
‘One Night Stand’
New Park Casino
Palasades Park NJ
AFRS Re-broadcast
1944
Where or When + Caldonia (close)
Enoch Light and His Light Brigade
‘One Night Stand’
New Park Casino
Palasades Park NJ
AFRS Re-broadcast
1944
Set 5
Valentine’s Day 1939
Deep Purple
Benny Goodman Quartet
‘Camel Caravan’
Earle Theatre
WCAU CBS Phildelphia
14 Feb 1939
Hold Tight
Benny Goodman Orchestra
‘Camel Caravan’
Earle Theatre
WCAU CBS Phildelphia
14 Feb 1939
Could Be (Valentine Lyrics)
Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Martha Tilton, Johnny Mercer, Benny Goodman
‘Camel Caravan’
Earle Theatre
WCAU CBS Phildelphia
14 Feb 1939
Sent for you Yesterday
Benny Goodman Orchestra
‘Camel Caravan’
Earle Theatre
WCAU CBS Phildelphia
14 Feb 1939
Set 6
A Date with the Duke
Caravan
Duke Ellington Orchestra
‘A Date with the Duke’
Apollo Theatre
WJZ ABC NYC
30 Jun 1945
Fickle Fling
Duke Ellington Orchestra
‘A Date with the Duke’
Apollo Theatre
WJZ ABC NYC
30 Jun 1945
Subtle Slough
Duke Ellington Orchestra
‘A Date with the Duke’
Paradise Theatre
WWJ ABC Detroit
19 May 1945
C-Jam Blues
Duke Ellington Orchestra
‘A Date with the Duke’
Paradise Theatre
WWJ ABC Detroit
19 May 1945
Set 7
Organ in Dance Music
Russische Impressionen Teil 1
Adolf Steimel und sein Organum Tanzorchester
Comm Rec
Berlin
9 Dec 1939
And the Angels Sing
Bill DoggettComm Rec
Cincinnati
16 Dec 1953
Traummusik
Adolf Steimel und sein Organum Tanzorchester (voc) Rudi Schuericke Terzett
Aircheck
Hollywood Empire
13 Nov 1940
Honey
Bill Doggett
Comm Rec
Berlin
20 May 1954
Set 8
Dorsey Brothers 1955-56
In The Cool, Cool Cool of the Evening
Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (voc) Johnny Mercer
‘NBC Bandstand’
WNBC TV NYC
1956
I Could Have Danced All NightDorsey Brothers Orchestra (voc) Dolly HoustonCafe Rouge
Hotel Statler
WRCA NBC NYC
1956
Too Close For Comfort
Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (voc) Tommy Mercer
‘NBC Bandstand’
WNBC TV NYC
1956
All Gigs
12:04 pm - 2:00 pm
2SER Radio 107.3 Sydney
Directions

11 Broadway Sydney NSW

Available now! Get your copy