Atomic Age Cocktail Party

Atomic Age Cocktail Party

Friday nights at 9 & 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.

Strangers In the Night (1037)

This time around, we're "Strangers in the Night." It's look at all those great nighttime-themed songs of the hi-fi era. We’ll hear from The Randy Heller Percussionists, Carmen McRae, David Rose & His Orchestra, Jackie Davis, and more!

Atomic Age logo with an illustrations of a multi-piece band playing. Text reads Episode 1036 Atomic Age logo with an illustrations of a woman and a man at a bar enjoying cocktials. A bartender looks on. Text reads Episode 1037 Strangers In the Night
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Big Band Hi-Fi (1036)

It's a celebration of Big Band music during the hi-fi era, this time on the program. On this bill, music from Anita O’Day, Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and many more!

Atomic Age logo with an illustrations of a multi-piece band playing. Text reads Episode 1036 Big Band Hi-Fi
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Over The Moon (1035)

This time on the show, we look up at the skies for songs from the hi-fi era inspired by the moon. We’ll have selections from Esquivel, Dinah Washington, Buddy Greco, The Out-Islanders, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with illustrations of the moon. Text reads Episode 1035 Over The Moon
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Samba, Rhumba, Cha Cha Cha (1034)

Get on your dancing shoes on because this time we’re looking at the samba, rhumba, and the cha-cha-cha. We’ll get a sampling of some of the fun and sometimes strange records that came out highlighting these musical styles. We'll hear from Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Xavier Cugat, Art Mooney, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of feet and dance steps. Text reads Episode 1034 Samba Rhumba Cha Cha Cha
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Group Project (1033)

On the show this week, it’s a Group Project. A look at duos, trio, quartets and other combos during the lounge era. We’ve got the Hi-Lo's, Al Hirt & Ann-Margaret, The Brass Ring, Baja Marimba Band, Ferrante & Teicher, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of four men standing and singing into a mictrophone. Text reads Episode 1033 Group Project
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Just One Word (1032)

On program this time, Just One Word! Popular songs of the lounge era that only needed one word in their titles. We’ll hear from Eddie Fisher, Martin Denny, Rosemary Clooney, Jo Stafford, and more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of woman's head with an empty word box to her left. Text reads Episode 1032 Just One Word
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Music for Nightcaps (1031)

This time on the show, it's Music for Nightcaps. An hour of wonderful and lush sounds for end-of-the-evening cocktails featuring selections from Jackie Gleason, the 101 Strings, Paul Weston, The Norman Luboff Choir, George Shearing, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of woman and a man sharing cocktails. Text reads Episode 1031 Music for Nightcaps
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The Stars Sing (1030)

This time around, we’re going Hollywood! It’s stars of the big and small screens, who weren’t normally singers, trying their hands at making music. We’ll hear from Yvonne De Carlo, Robert Conrad, Maureen O'Hara, Sophia Loren, and many more!

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a movie crew with a film camera and lights. Text reads Episode 1030 The Stars Sing
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It’s A Blue World (1029)

On the show this week, It’s A Blue World. A look at how lounge music approached "The Blues." We’ll hear from Eartha Kitt, Chet Baker, Sammy Davis Jr., and a rare recording of songwriter Harold Arlen singing one of his biggest numbers.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a sad man in hat and coat out in the wind. Text reads Episode 1029 It's A Blue World
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Henry Mancini (1028)

We put the spotlight on the cool and swank sounds of Henry Mancini. We’ll hear from the man himself, as well as see how others of the hi-fi era interpreted his music.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of Henry Mancini. Text reads Episode 1028 Henry Mancini
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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.