| Deutsch |

Shopping Cart
                 
 
 
   
 


New in Stock
   Jazz/Blues
   Classic/Opera
   Cabaret/Humour
   Pop/World
   Vinyl
   Theatre/Josefstadt
   DVD/Video
   Christmas (CDs)
   New Year Concerts (CDs & DVDs)
   Books
   Periodicals (Musica Jazz, OEMZ, Concerto)
Second Hand
   Records
   Books


 

AFRS Jubilee Records



Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), a creation of the American , was the name of an agency which produced entertainment programs during the Second World War, by order of the government of the United States, for the U.S. soldiers and military employees. These AFRS productions were broadcast into the early fifties in several series, for example AFRS-Bandwagon, AFRS-Downbeat, AFRS-G.I. Jive, AFRS-Command-Performance, AFRS-Basic Music Library or AFRS-Jubilee, to mention the more important ones. The enormous amount of material which went into one of those broadcasts would no longer be manageable today. Most of these programs were live shows, furthered by well-paying sponsors who, on the other hand, demanded jazz groups, big bands and comedy stars with a certain popular appeal. As a result, there were numerous shows with Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Harry James or Woody Herman.

Woody’s ”Wildroot-Show” for example, was financed by the shampoo manufacturer. The AFRS-Jubilees were recorded on electrical-transcriptions and broadcast a short time later. We can thank the German jazz scholar and discographer Dr. Rainer E. Lotz that all of the 433 (!) Jubilee programs were catalogued in a discography. The information on our CDs is based on his work.

In 1942, the former radio and Broadway show producer Major Mann Holiner came up with an idea for the Jubilee programs in which white and black music would be played, balanced with some vaudeville talent. The debut broadcast was on October 9, 1942 under the direction of Major Charles Vanda, a former CBS producer. After the first five programs, the show moved from New York City to Los Angeles, where Major Holiner was joined in his responsibility for the productions by Ernie ”Bubbles” Whitman, as the regular Master of Ceremonies.

Originally, the Jubilees were one-hour programs performed in front of an audience, usually early on Monday evenings. Occasionally there would be two complete shows of thirty minutes each on one evening. Eventually, these thirty-minute performances were adopted because of technical reasons. The recordings were made at the NBC, ABC or CBS radio stations and at the C. P. MacGregor, Radio Recorders or Universal Recorders studios. In mid-1943, the AFRS-Jubilee program was broadcast on short wave to both the west and east coasts as well as to Europe. At the end of the war, in the first few weeks of 1946, AFRS activities were gradually discontinued. Ernie ”Bubbles” Whitman left the institution and the Jubilee program took on another form, dominated primarily by white artists. In May of 1949, the production of V-Discs, for which the AFRS was also responsible, ceased (see RST 91565-2 ”The Combos”, RST 91566-2 ”The Big Bands” and RST 91567-2 ”The Girls”). In late fall of the same year, most of the AFRS-Live Shows came to an end (”Jill’s Juke Box”, ”Command Performance”). The last Jubilee show was recorded and broadcast in August of 1953, with pianist Joe ”Fingers” Carr and the Ted Vesely Dixieland Group performing alongside the AFRS-Jubilee orchestra, which for sometime already, had replaced the alternating Star big bands.

In the ensuing decades, a wealth of Jubilee selections have come out on LPs. The American label ”Joyce”, in particular, has released a large quantitiy of AFRS material, though mostly in the form of specific titles. Now, RST-Records has taken on the task of producing complete Jubilee show, chosen at random, two per CD.

RST-Records does not want to proceed chronologically but rather intend to position the programs musically, one against another. Moreover, the label only have a limited number of original programs at its disposal. In any case, you, the jazz fans and CD collectors, should be given the opportunity to hear uncut Jubilee shows, including their so-called ”comedy skits” and all of the announcements. As far as possible, the original transcriptions or cuts from the programs have been technically improved although, essentially, the initial sound was kept in order to preserve the historic character of these equally important music history and war-political documentations (Klaus Schulz).

AFRS-CDs

 

RST BSIN01028501

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 1 (No. 104 & 145)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 104 & 145 feat. Lionel Hampton, Les Paul, The Town Criers, Dinah Washington, Fletcher Henderson, Valaida Snow, The Gingersnaps, Eddie Green, Ernie Whitman. Recorded on February 24, 1945 & August 27, 1945.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agency which produced entertainment p... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01028778

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 2 (No. 116 & 191)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 116 & 191 feat. Lucky Millinder, Slim Gaillard Trio, M. Morland, B. Carter, E. Whitman, Benny Carter, The Eddie Beal Quartet, Herb Jeffries. Recorded on May 19, 1945 & July, 1945.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agency which produced entertainment programs during the Second... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01029055

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 3 (No. 139 & 168)

Composer: x

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 104 & 145 feat. Jimmie Lunceford, Alvino Rey, E. Whitman, E. Green, L. Randolph, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Joe Liggins, Art Tatum, Lena Horne, Slam & Bam. Recorded on June 25, 1945 & July 1945.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agency which produced entertainment programs d... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01029332

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 4 (No. 60 & 77)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 60 & 77 feat Cee Pee Johnson, The Charioteers, Maurice Rocco, Ivie Anderson, Bing Crosby, Ernie Whitman, Bing Crosby & The Charioteers, Fletcher Henderson, Lena Horne, Eddie Green. Jimmy Baskette. Recorded in December 1943 & May 1, 1944.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agen... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01029609

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 5 (No. 291 & 271)

Composer: x

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 291 & 271 feat The Just Jazz Allstars, Jack Teagarden, Woody Herman & The Allstars, Joey Preston, Jesse Price, Kay Starr, Pete Johnson, The Benny Goodman Quintet. Recorded on September 17, 1948 & April or May 1948.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agency which produced enter... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01029886

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 6 (No. 45 & 151)

Composer: x

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 45 & 151 feat. Erskine Hawkins, The Spirits Of Rhythm, Nat King Cole Trio, Lena Horne, The Jungleers, The Oscar Pettiford Trio, Harry "The Hipster" Gibson, Slim & Bam, Lena Horne, Harold M. Kingsley, Lena Horne with AFRS Fivesome. Recorded on October 4, 1943 & October 8, 1945.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Maj... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01030994

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 10 (No. 137 & 93)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 137 & 93 feat. Jimmie Lunceford, Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers, The Andre Previn Trio, Garry Moore, Ernie Whitman, Count Basie, Tiny Bradshaw, The Loumell Morgan Trio, June Richmond, Day, Dawn And Dark, Mantan Moreland, Benny Carter. Recorded on June 11, 1945 & August 21, 1944.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the America... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01031548

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 12 (No. 136 & 61)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 136 & 61 feat. Benny Carter And His Orchestra, The Four Blazes, Eddie Green, Ernie Whitman, Helen Humes, Cee Pee Johnson And His Orchestra, The Delta Rhythm Boys, Timmie Rogers, Johnny Mercer, Johnny Mercer & The Delta Rhythm Boys. Recorded on June 4, 1945 & January 17, 1944.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Majo... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01031825

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 13 (No. 98 & 351)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 NUR – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 98 & 351 feat. Count Basie And His Orchestra, Butterfly McQueen & Ernie Whitman, Artie Shaw, Kid Ory & His Creole Dixieland Band. Recorded on September 25, 1944 & November 12, 1949.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agency which produced entertainment programs during the ... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01032102

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 14 (No. 358 & 107)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 358 & 107 feat. Count Basie And His Orchestra, Kid Ory & His Creole Dixieland Band, Kid Ory - Alan Jeffrey, Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra, The Eddie South Trio, Leadbelly, Eddie Green. Recorded on December 31, 1949 & November 6, 1944.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agenc... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01032379

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 15 (No. 109 & 166)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 109 & 166 feat. Erskine Hawkins And His Orchestra, J. Benny, R. Anderson, E. Whitman, Jack Benny, The Loumell Morgan Trio, Benny Goodman And His Orchestra, Lena Horne, The Gene Krupa Trio, The Benny Goodman Quintet, Joey Preston. Recorded on November 20, 1944 & January 1946.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 
 

RST BSIN01032656

Various Artists - The Best Of AFRS Jubilee, Vol. 16 (No. 365 & 363)

Our Special offer until January 31, 2020 – only EUR 4,90
(regular price: EUR 9,90)!

2 complete AFRS Jubilies No. 365 & 363 feat. Count Basie And His Orchestra, Georgie Auld And His Orchestra, Billy Eckstine. Recorded in January 1949 & January 23, 1949.
Armed Forces Radio Service, a creation of the American Major Thomas Lewis, was the name of an agency which produced entertainment programs during the Second World War, by order of the government o... more
Price: 4,90 EUR    
 


Subject to alteration of prices!


Please call us for further informations.

Dieter Bock

BOCK'S MUSIC SHOP

 

Unsere Newsletter


subscribe newsletter
Stay informed!
Click here for subscription!