Atlantic Records, Part 13 - ATCO Records. Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. The presentation of this behemoth, 14-part series celebrates the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week, part thirteen focuses on Atlantic's most successful subsidiary label, ATCO Records. When Atlantic co-founder, Herb Abramson returned from his military duty in 1955, he found a very different company that had continued to grow without him. His partner, Ahmet Ertegun suggested starting a subsidiary that would be fully managed by Abramson and so ATCO was born. ATCO originally focused more on vocal groups than its parent company had. The first national hit for the label was by The Sensations, a Philly group that featured Yvonne Mills on lead. The Royal Jokers, The Pearls, The Castelles and The Ray-O-Vacs also released singles on ATCO, but by far the biggest vocal group on the label was The Coasters. They came over in a big deal that Atlantic struck with songwriter/producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Atlantic would buy Leiber/Stoller's Spark records and take on the two of them as staff songwriters/producers. Some of their signed artists were also included in the deal and that's what brought Carl Gardner and Bobby Nunn of the Robins over to Atlantic to form a new group called The Coasters. They scored ATCO's first #1 record with "Searchin'." So, buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth look at the history of ATCO Records.

Banjo, harp, and drums, three instruments rarely found in the same band. Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, and Antonio Sánchez turn that unlikely combination into something vibrant and deeply musical, finding shared rhythm and shape in spontaneous conversation. The episode also returns to Fleck and Castañeda’s first duet in 2019, when the idea for this trio first came to life.

Coming Soon.

Vocalist Samara Joy burst onto the scene in 2019 when she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and went on to win two Grammy awards in 2023 for best new artist and best jazz vocal album for her CD, Linger Awhile. Since I talked to her in August 2023, she has gone on to win two additional Grammys. As part of our 25th anniversary celebration, we’re revisiting that early conversation with Samara, when her fame and career were just getting started.

Over the past thirty-five years, Jim Snidero has come to be known as one of the finest jazz musicians of his generation. As an alto saxophonist, composer, arranger, author and educator, Snidero has been called both a “master musician” and “alto saxophone virtuoso” by Downbeat Magazine. This week’s show is a fine example of why. Playing an extensive catalog of original compositions, Jim is joined by Phil Degreg on Piano, Dave Morgan on Bass and Reggie Jackson on Drums. From a November 6th, 2021 performance Gabe Pollack is your host for Jim Snidero – Live at the Bop Stop.

Phil Schaap devoted his life to jazz as a historian, broadcaster, archivist, and teacher. An NEA Jazz Master with an encyclopedic mind and deep passion for the music, Schaap shaped how generations heard and understood jazz. This episode celebrates his life and legacy with performances from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and rare recordings from the West End Café.

Atlantic Records, Part 14 - Cat Records. Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. Matt The Cat and the "Juke In The Back" present this behemoth, 14-part series celebrating the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part fourteen, Matt The Cat focuses on Atlantic's first subsidiary label, Cat Records. Atlantic set Cat up to be their Rock n’ Roll label, but after only a year and a half and 18 single releases, they decided to dissolve it in favor of ATCO Records. During those 18 78s and 45s, Cat issued some smokin’ Rhythm & Blues, jivin’ vocal groups as well as a few pop and novelty records. Cat Records only enjoyed one national hit, “Sh-Boom” by The Chords, but what a spectacular hit it was. It topped out at #2 on the R&B chart and crossed-over to an impressive #5 Pop. R&B greats Floyd Dixon, Jimmy Lewis, Margie Day and songwriter Rose Marie McCoy all stopped by Cat for one or two releases AND the first Mickey & Sylvia record was issued on Cat in 1954. This is the final installment in our 14-part series on the history of Atlantic Records, so buckle in for another audio adventure with the "Juke In The Back."