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.

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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Count ‘Em Up (1023)

On the show this week, it’s time to Count ‘Em Up! Songs about numbers: One Note Sambas, Two Sleepy People, Three Coins in the Fountain, and a whole lot of guys named Moe. Featuring music from Bobby Troup, Xavier Cugat, Esquivel, Louis Jordan, and many more.

Atomic Age logo with various numbers in differnt fonts scattered throughout. Text reads Episode 1023 Count ‘Em Up
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Percussions on Parade (1022)

This time on the program, we've got the beat. And the boom. And the pow. it's an hour of hi-fi percussion from folks including Don Ralke, The Frank Barber Percussion, Augie Colon, Les Baxter and more!

Atomic Age logo with illustrations of drums, cymbals, xylophone, and triangle. Text reads Episode 1022 Percussions on Parade
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Broadway Bound (1021)

We’re Broadway Bound this time on the program! Tons of swinging hi-fi versions of tunes from the Great White Way from shows like Guys and Dolls, The Pajama Game, Kiss Me Kate, Bye Bye Birdie, and a lot more.

Atomic Age logo with a cartoon illustration of a man with a tophat and cane and a woman in a coast holding the leash of a small dog looking at sigh with theater masks on it. Text reads Episode 1021 Broadway Bound
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Bossa Nova Heat (1020)

On the program this week, we're feeling the bossa nova heat! We have lots of tunes from the greats like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz & João Gilberto, and Walter Wanderley. Plus many other who were part of the bossa nova craze.

Atomic Age logo with a cartoon illustration of a man and a woman dancing. Text reads Episode 1020 Bossa Nova Heat
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TV Time (1019)

This time around, we’re enjoying a little TV Time. It's great television themes from the Atomic Age. We’ll visit detective shows like Peter Gunn, The M Squad, and Perry Mason, plus spy shows, and a few other surprises.

Atomic Age logo with an illustration of a television set. Text reads Episode 1019 TV Time
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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.