AMERICAN ROUTES
Songs as Poems; Poems as Songs Songs as Poems; Poems as Songs August 10th, 2022 (Hour 1)
Songs as Poems; Poems as Songs

We listen for poetry in music and music in poetry, songs as poems and poems as songs with Langston Hughes, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Ken Nordine. Plus, a visit to New York’s City Lore with poet-folklorist Steve Zeitlin, who rides the POEMobile to the People’s Poetry Gathering and then back to New Orleans to meet Louisiana’s poet laureate, Mona Lisa Saloy.

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ROCKIN' BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN: TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE

December 13th, 2017

During the Cold War, the U.S. State Department started sending jazz musicians overseas with the tactical aim of using their hot licks to thaw relations with Eastern Bloc countries. Jazz great Dave Brubeck recalls how Louis Armstrong, a.k.a. “Ambassador Satch,” won international hearts and minds with his trumpet. Band member Arvell Shaw saw Armstrong literally disarm Russian guards in East Berlin. Meanwhile, fear of nuclear war with the Soviets infiltrated American popular consciousness resulting in gospel, bluegrass and pop odes to and protests against atomic weapons. In the Sixties, the airwaves were dominated by rock’n‘roll, which pirate radio stations and the Armed Forces Network piped across the Iron Curtain. AFN soldier/deejay Rik De Lisle tells about spinning tunes that helped destabilize the Berlin Wall, and Hungarian diplomat/rock guitarist Andras Simonyi and Russian musician Stas Namin talk about life in the Soviet sphere and the cultural revolution sparked by the Beatles, Traffic and Jimi Hendrix.

  • Listen to Hour One
  • Listen to Hour Two

HOUR ONE

  • Open Bed: Midnight in Moscow Kenny Ball and the Jazzmen
    Midnight in Moscow, Kapp Records
  • Conelrad--Listen To Your Radio WEBN AM Buffalo
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Rockin' Behind the Iron Curtain Bobby Marchan singing with Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns
    The Best of Ace Records- The R&B Hits , Rock-N-Roll
  • Kruschev Bo Diddley
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Civil Defense Spot-- "Don't Use the Phone" Art Linkletter
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • I'm Gonna Dig a Hole Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Sputniks and Mutniks Ray Anderson & the Home Folks
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • SEGMENT: Andras Simonyi

    Listen
  • Instrumental: Mack the Knife Louis Armstrong and Lotte Lenya
    Lotte Lenya: American Theater Songs, Columbia Masterworks Heritage
  • SEGMENT: Arvell Shaw and Dave Brubeck on Louis Armstrong

    Listen
  • Frankfort Special Elvis Presley
    G.I. Blues, RCA Victor
  • Magic Carpet Ride Steppenwolf
    The Second, ABC Dunhill
  • Monk Times The Monks
    Black Monk Time, Polydor
  • Instrumental: Time is Tight Booker T and the MGs
    Booker T. & the MGs on Stax 1968-1971, Stax
  • SEGMENT: Rik De Lisle

    Listen
  • West of the Wall Toni Fisher
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Fraulein Townes Van Zandt
    The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, Tomato
  • Closing Bed: O'er the Waves Willie Nelson
    Red Headed Stranger, Columbia

HOUR two

  • James Bond Theme Monty Norman Orchestra
    The Best of James Bond, Capitol
  • Secret Agent Man Johnny Rivers
    ...And I Know You Wanna Dance, Imperial
  • Civil Defense Spot-- "CONELRAD...Sounds pretty complicated"
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Relax and Take It Easy Tommy Duncan
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Jesus Hits Like an Atom Bomb The Pilgrim Travellers
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Civil Defense Spot-- "Family Fall Out Shelter" Fred MacMurray
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Guided Missiles The Cuff Links
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • You Hit Me Baby Like an Atomic Bomb Fay Simmons
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Political Science Randy Newman
    Sail Away , Reprise
  • Instrumental: From Russia with Love Count Basie
    The Crime Scene, Capitol Records
  • SEGMENT: Gorky Park, Moscow 1989

    Listen
  • Civil Defense Spot-- "Listen and learn" Johnny Cash
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Tennessee Carl Perkins
    Atomic Platters, Bear Family
  • Atomic Power Uncle Tupelo
    March 16-20, 1992, Rockville
  • Eve of Destruction Barry McGuire
    Eve of Destruction, Dunhill Records
  • Gimme Shelter Rolling Stone
    Let It Bleed, London Records
  • Instrumental: Who Is Guilty Voskreseniye
    Russian Rock Legends Vol. 2, Moroz Records
  • SEGMENT: Stas Namin

    Listen
  • Where Have All the Flowers Gone Johnny Rivers
    Johnny Rivers Rocks the Folk, Imperial
  • Blowin' in the Wind Staple Singers
    This Land, Riverside
  • Closing Bed: Infinite Search Miroslav Vitous
    Infinite Search, Atlantic

THE LATEST STREAMS

  • August 10th, 2022

    SONGS AS POEMS; POEMS AS SONGS

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  • August 3rd, 2022

    CARIBBEAN CRUISE & SOUTH LOUISIANA SOJOURN: GARIFUNA GUITARIST AURELIO & CREOLE ACCORDIONIST CEDRIC WATSON

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  • July 27th, 2022

    THE FOLK REVIVAL REVISITED

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