Sweet & Swing
|
The Manx Radio station logo for Sweet & Swing | |
| Genre | Big band music / Swing music |
|---|---|
| Running time | Fridays, 9:00pm-10:00pm |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | Manx Radio |
| Starring | Jim "The Jazz" Caine & Howard Caine |
| Created by | Jim Caine |
| Air dates | since 1990s |
| Audio format | FM and MW radio and online |
| Opening theme | Slow Train Blues |
| Ending theme | Slow Train Blues |
| Website | http://www.manxradio.com/blog.aspx?blogid=14760 |
Sweet & Swing, is a radio programme broadcast on Manx Radio and features music from the Big Band Era.[1] The show is jointly presented by Jim "The Jazz" Caine (also known as: "Manx Radio's very own Music Man") along with his son, Howard Caine (who is referred to by Jim Caine as "H").
Sweet & Swing features music from the 1920s through to the 1950s; however music by contemporary Big Bands is also included on the playlist.[1] The programme is transmitted on the station's 9:00pm – 10:00pm slot on Friday nights and is broadcast on FM and MW frequencies as well as world wide through the Manx Radio website.[1][2]
Show format
Introduction
The programme begins shortly after the conclusion of the previous music slot at 9:00pm. Howard Caine commences each episode with the sentence; "A very good evening to you"[1] and then proceeds to play the show's theme tune, Slow Train Blues by Eric Winstone.[1]
Howard Caine then continues by playing several records as a prelude to the show's main content, which is entitled Featured Artist.[1]
Featured Artist
The Featured Artist segment of the show is recorded at the home of Jim Caine,[1] referred to by his co-presenter as "The Maestro"[1] due to his encyclopedic knowledge of the artists and songs of the Sweet & Swing era. Previously, Featured Artist would encompass the bulk of the transmission, but in more recent times the format has changed insofar as it now comprises a montage of previous recollections from Jim Caine recalling various artists.
Howard Caine, often refers to Jim Caine's house as either "Music Man HQ," "Maestro HQ" or "Maestro Towers" and until the change in format, he would begin that particular segment of the show with a brief résumé of the past week's weather before that week's chosen artist was revealed.[1]
Numerous artists have featured over the history of the show,[1] some of whom have been known personally to Jim Caine (an accomplished jazz musician and raconteur in his own right). Such artists which have been featured include a diverse mix of repertoire ranging from the sounds of Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Ray Noble, Harry Roy, Geraldo, Tommy Dorsey, Ambrose, Ted Heath, and Jack Hylton, through the swing era to the modern era with the likes of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and The RAF Squadronaires.[1]
Solo artists have also featured, including such people as Vera Lynn and Al Bowlly.[1]
Of particular renown is the work of Joe Loss[1] who spent several seasons playing at the Villa Marina, Douglas, Isle of Man during the 1950s. Another artiste performing in Douglas during the immediate post-war years, and who was also acquainted with Jim Caine, was Ivy Benson. More later Bud Freeman became known to Jim Caine, with Freeman staying at the family home where he was introduced to the young Howard. Said to of been a keen player of the game Scrabble, Bud Freeman also left a token to the family consisting of one of his coats. The coat has been kept for posterity and is referred to as the "Bud Coat." Also known to the presenters was Humphrey Lyttleton, who used to receive Manx Kippers from Jim Caine.[1]
Another regular feature of the playlist is what Howard Caine refers to as a "twofah:" two-for-the-price-of-one, where two recordings from a particular artiste or dance band are played in succession.
Conclusion
The broadcast generally ends with Howard Caine reviewing certain aspects of that particular night's show, whilst Slow Train Blues fades in the background.[1] The edition is then available on the Manx Radio website to be listened to again for the following seven days.[1]
The content of the programme is light-hearted, educational and informative. The programme has listeners as far away from the Isle of Man as The Philippines and New Zealand.[1]
Whilst Manx Radio is a commercial radio station, Sweet & Swing is not interrupted by the playing of commercials.
History
The programme can trace its lineage from former Manx Radio programmes of a similar genre such as Jim Caine's previous jazz show and Manx Radio's Big Band Hour, which was presented by former BBC Radio Controller, Mark White.[1] Sweet & Swing bases its format on a mixture of music from British dance bands of the 20s and 30s and from the Big Band Era. The show was originally presented solely by Jim Caine, but his workload was reduced following a bout of illness leading to some listeners fearing for the show's continuance. However Howard Caine, employed primarily as a Manx Radio journalist and newscaster,[3] then began presenting the main content of the show.[1]
Caine Gang Christmas Party
One programme during the course of the Festive Season is referred to as the Caine Gang Christmas Party.[1] This sees the regular presenters joined by Chris Caine (Howard Caine's brother), and generally takes the format of a jocular presentation with the presenters playing some personal favourite jazz numbers as well as recounting certain anecdotes.[1]
- Howard Caine also presents Manx Radio's nature programme Mannin the Wild.[2]