Atomic Age Cocktail Party

Atomic Age Cocktail Party

Friday nights at 8 & Saturday nights at 11 on WILL-FM

The show, simply put, is a celebration of the golden age of the hi-fi and beyond! It's American popular music from the 1950s and 1960s with a few modern numbers thrown in for good measure.

The Rat Pack (110)

Tune in this week to The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, because we are celebrating all things Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and the pinnacle of mid-century, Las Vegas cool. We’ll be featuring swinging live recordings from these three—solo and together—as well as a few other surprises.

After Hours (109)

This week, on The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s music for when the sun goes down. It’s a program titled After Hours--tunes that focus on the cool stillness of late-night as well as songs about the night. We’ll hear from Don Ho, Bud Shank, Lou Rawls, Henry Mancini, and many more.

Tin Pan Alley (108)

Coming up, on The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s the music of Tin Pan Alley and a look at how hi-fi artists approached and often made new again these standards from the early part of the 20th century. We’ll hear from The Mills Brothers, Louis Prima, Dave Pell, Eartha Kitt, and more.

A Man and a Woman (107)

This week, on The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s A Man and a Woman. Hi-fi songs about men and songs about women. We’ll hear from Blossom Dearie, Sarah Vaughan, Bobby Darin, Ann-Margret, and many more.

Meet The Beatles…Again (106)

On this episode of The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s time to Meet the Beatles…Again! Another look at how hi-fi artists approached the music of the mop-top lads from Liverpool. We’ll hear from The Four Freshman, Enoch Light, The Sammy Kaye Orchestra, Bing Crosby, and many more.

Shimmering Strings (105)

On this edition of The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, a show filled with tons of Shimmering Strings! It’s a look at music from the hi-fi era that featured lots of lush string orchestrations. We’ll hear from 101 Strings, the Living Strings, The Clebanoff Strings, The Hollyridge Strings, and many more.

James Bond and Beyond (104)

This week, on The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s James Bond and Beyond! Swinging spy tunes from the early Bond films as well as other music inspired by that suave secret agent! We’ll hear from Shirley Bassey, Billy Strange, Leroy Holmes, Johnny & the Hurricanes, and more.

Dynamic Duets (103)

Coming up on the next Atomic Age Cocktail Party, Dynamic Duets! The hi-fi magic that happens when two musical talents team up. We’ll hear from Al Hirt & Ann-Margret, Frank & Nancy Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, and many more.

Percussion Exotique (102)

This week, The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s Percussion Exotique-- exciting exotica that came out during the hi-fi era that was filled to the brim with all sorts of wild percussion. We’ll hear from Augie Colón, Frank Hunter & His Orchestra, Martin Denny, Robert Drasnin, and more.

Johnny Mandel (101)

Coming up, on The Atomic Age Cocktail Party, it’s another in our Great Arrangers Series, this time with the focus on Johnny Mandel—the man who penned such hits as Shadow of Your Smile, Emily, and the theme to a certain movie and TV show set during the Koren War. We’ll hear from Frank Sinatra, June Christy, Gerry Mulligan, Natalie Cole, and more.

About the host

Atomic Age Cocktail Party host, Jason Croft, holds a martini in one hand and a record under the other arm, while wearing a fez and a smoking jacket in this retro-style illustration.

Jason Croft has been collecting, enjoying, and programming lounge, easy-listening, and other music of the Atomic Age for over two decades. Now he is sharing this genre with you every Saturday and Sunday night with the Atomic Age Cocktail Party on WILL-FM. When he’s not knee-deep in his record collection, he’s the Technical Director for The 21st, local host for Here and Now, and one of the voices of AM580 on the weekends.

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