In The Mood
Swinging Jazz on the Radio and More
Each week, In The Mood brings its listeners two hours of the best in Big Band and Small Combo swinging jazz. The music, which is largely overlooked even by jazz musicians today, is a major portion of a collective body of work that was America’s popular music in the 1920s, ‘30s. ‘40s and early ‘50s. It was written, arranged, and usually performed by highly skilled, gifted musicians who were classically trained in the colleges and conservatories of the time. The degree of proficiency required to perform this music well is similar to that of symphony players, although it embraces a much broader variety of playing techniques. The music itself embodies all the rhythmic, harmonic and melodic principles on which modern jazz is built. The musical vocabulary it presents is elemental and essential for every jazz musician of the past, present and future. That is why In The Mood exists - not solely as a nostalgic look back for those of us “who were there,” but as an instructive, inspiring living history of jazz in America for all musicians and fans everywhere. The recordings presented each week on In The Mood are the historical documents of jazz as an evolving art form in the 20th Century. They comprise a rich and colorful heritage unique to America and its time. Many of the performers and composers featured on the program have Alabama connections, such as Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Erskine Hawkins, Johnny Long, Pearl Bailey, Laura Washington, Dakota Staton and others. In The Mood celebrates their achievements and their contributions to jazz and popular culture. In The Mood serves as a reminder to players and fans alike of where jazz has been and who were its earliest and most influential proponents…all while presenting the music itself in all its propulsive, swinging glory. Along with the weekly In The Mood broadcasts, Mike Schiermann also uses live jazz performances by his band, The Usual Suspects, to promote jazz and inspire young players to embrace it and to consider pursuing a music degree in college, and to play in college jazz groups such as the Alabama Cavaliers and the Auburn Knights. Members of the band volunteer their time and talent to perform swinging jazz in the community and to conduct clinics and workshops offered free of charge to high school band students in Chilton County. The purpose of these workshops is to help young players “latch on” to swinging jazz and to help them develop playing techniques specific to the style. Then, these young players are invited to join the band in a performance. The weekly radio broadcasts help to promote these workshops and clinics, and to raise community awareness of jazz and its viability as an art form. Ours is a rural community steeped in the traditions of Appalachian, Gospel and country music. But when swinging jazz is performed at a high level and presented with taste and respect, eyebrows go up in surprise and delight. The music is embraced by young and old alike; its very nature appeals to the energy and spontaneity of youth, as well as to the musical sensibilities of the experienced listener. It has the power to unite people of all ages and backgrounds with its infectious beat, melodic beauty and timeless charm.
