That's American Forces Radio Service. Better than PBS or VOA by miles. A huge dump of broadcast tapes or files has just been posted on one of my favourite sites including material from WW2, Korea and Vietnam. Mostly music files of their time but also some wild things like a long tape of chopper gunship fire in Vietnam. But for me the juice is a lot of old things I'd not heard like a lot of Sinatra songs with Axel Stordahl's orchestra from 1942-43, some Dizzy Gillespie with a pick up band, including perhaps Lester Young, hard to say. Some 1940s Benny Goodman band and Artie Shaw band. Goodman for me was the better clarinet player, sweet tone and very inventive. And had the best band including the incomparable exuberance of Gene Krupa. Shaw was also a great technical player but there's something missing and I think it's soul. But in the very high register he had a better tone & depth than anybody. All of which got me to thinking about planning my funeral, whether or not anybody comes So far I've decided on Sinatra's Come Fly with Me for the carrying out of the coffin. I want that voice, phrasing, swagger and style to stay with me as long as possible.
