What’s Your Passion?

Passions. You have to have them if you want to stay vital and mentally fit.

About four decades ago my father took me to a restaurant where we lived in Santa Barbara, California called Don Vito’s Spaghetti Syndicate. I do not remember how the food tasted by it had a jukebox filled with records of the Big Bands. We played name that tune and my dad knew every song. Aside from realizing that at one time he must have been cool, that evening kindled my life-long love of swing music. So in pursuit of my mania for “The Big Noise,” here are my top four places to listen:

KCEA 89.1 – Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California. A listener-supported radio station, hands down, the best station I have found.

The Swingin’ Years – heard 6:00 to 10:00 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays on KJazz, KKJZ 88.1, California State University Long Beach. Since 1956, Chuck Cecil has hosted this radio show of original records from 1935 to 1955. Chuck, who is a heck of a nice guy, has interviewed just about every big name performer so music is interspersed with cuts from these conversations as well as background on events current to the year he is featuring.

Kings Radio KZPO 103.3 – Lindsay, California. A commercial station, it plays “Nostalgia Music,” primarily from the 1950s and 1960s with some 40s and early 70s thrown in for good measure.

Martini in the Morning – Internet radio station originating from Los Angeles. Brad “Martini” Chambers was a D.J. on the last surviving adult standards station in Los Angeles. When it went off the air he started MITM and it has been on the air for several years. The station plays classic and contemporary swing and big band tunes.

TuneIn, a website at which you can listen to thousands of radio stations from all over the world, has all of these stations. I have it on my iPhone and iPad so I can hear swing music everywhere. As well, you can listen on iTunes, which is what I am doing right now.

Like anyone with a passion I could go ad nauseam. Books I have read, bands I like, movie trivia. Regrettably I suspect most of you do not share my enthusiasm. Not to worry. If I have not sparked your interest tell me about your passion and perhaps you will spark mine.

Question – What is your passion?
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