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.

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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Summertime (1027)

This time on the program, we celebrate the season with a show featuring Summertime songs. Buddy Greco gets things hot, Jack Jones makes some promises, Percy Faith visits his Summer Place, plus many other summer-themed tunes.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a man and a woman on a blanket listening to a radio. Text reads Episode 1027 Summertime
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Blue Plate Special (1026)

It's an hour of songs about food! We’ll share some BBQ with Jonah Jones, The Andrews Sisters talk about their favorite dish, Peggy Lee gives us some sugar, plus a whole lot more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of waiter holding a covered tray. Text reads Episode 1026 Blue Plate Special
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Cool (1025)

We’re playing it cool this time on the program. It's look at the notion of what it meant to be “cool” during the hi-fi era. Music from Neal Hefti, Del Close and John Brent, King Curtis, Cy Coleman, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a winking man. Text reads Episode 1025 Cool
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Grooving Guitars (1024)

We’re all about Grooving Guitars this time on the program. We feature some of the players and innovators of the hi-fi era including Les Paul, Al Caiola, Wes Montgomery, Howard Roberts, Tony Mottola, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a guitar on an open book. Text reads Episode 1024 Grooving Guitars
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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.