Hello!
I don't normally publicize our new Premier Collections CD releases to
my groups, but we've just introduced a new set which I know will be
tremendously exciting to quite a few of the people who subscribe to
this list.
Produced by Transco, the Transcription Company of America, "The
Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors" was a syndicated series of "remotes" that
replicated the sound and style of live broadcasts of the early 1930s.
Featuring the bands that played at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the
Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles - Gus Arnheim, Ted Fio Rito, Phil
Harris, Jimmy Grier, and others - these fifteen-minute programs were
heard nationwide from about 1931 thru 1934. The programs were
beautifully recorded and, when heard today, offer not only rich room-
filling sound but also arrangements that were either not commercially
released or are performed in full-length versions that extend far
beyond the three-minute running time of most commercially offered 78's
of the time.
Radio Archives has been fortunate to gain access to a large collection
of original 16" Transco recordings from the personal collection of
long-time enthusiast Jim Bedoian. We made brand new digital transfers
from these rare shellac discs, then both CEDAR processed and
painstakingly restored forty full-length programs from "The Cocoanut
Grove Ambassadors" radio series. These shows, presented in full-length
format complete with openings, closings, and song introductions, are
now available in a brand new 10-CD Premier Collection.
Over the years, musical selections from some of these programs have
been offered on LPs, tapes, and CDs -- but, to my knowledge, this is
the first time that so many of them have been made available in a
single collection, complete and just as originally aired in the early
1930s.
You can read all about "The Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors" at:
http://www.radioarchives.org/sets/PC70.htm
These beautifully packaged sets also make great gifts, so be sure to
order now in plenty of time for Christmas delivery.
Thanks and Happy Holidays from Radio Archives!
Harlan Zinck
Preservation Manager
First Generation Radio Archives
"Preserving Radio's Past for the Future"
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