Jazz Spotlight On Sinatra-Nancy Barell’s “In The Pocket” Broadcasts

Melody Breyer-Grell, Contributor
09/21/2017 12:42 pm ET

In my March article, I discussed Mary Foster Conklin’s weekly broadcast, A Broad Spectrum. Jazz and Vocal Standards.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jazz-and-vocal-standards-mary-foster-conklin-regales_us_58d31dace4b002482d6e6e40

Today we look at Nancy Barell’s Jazz Spotlight On Sinatra.

As mentioned, in these days of YouTube, Spotify and other video and streaming services, deciding what music to enjoy can be overwhelming. Thus, the curated shows like those of Ms. Conklin’s and Nancy Ann Barell’s offer a way to just go online and have an opportunity to hear music carefully selected by connoisseurs of almost every type of music, from opera to jazz and beyond.

With all the “Sinatra” stations out there, Barell’s Jazz Spotlight on Sinatra offers an especially wide range of tunes. Some are sung by “The Chairman,” while a great part of the program includes jazz and standard singers, who have been influenced by Sinatra and his repertoire. Which means practically everyone.

I met Nancy over a decade ago, when I was booking singers for the Ninth Avenue restaurant, Chez Suzette. Unlike most of the people I came across, she was not looking for a gig—Nancy was actually an artist’s manager (for pianist David Hazeltine and singer/pianist Dena DeRose) and great fan of jazz music. I was honored to become her friend and have followed her return to a pastime that she has a great passion for—radio.

Melody: How did you get bitten by the jazz bug, The Great American Songbook, and ultimately Frank Sinatra?


Nancy: My Aunt Jenny worked for a record company. Don’t remember which. She brought me records starting when I was ten or eleven. I got introduced to Sinatra, Doris Day, Jo Stafford, Stan Kenton, and so many more. That was just the start! Jazz, I got from listening to the radio late at night. I was very young and picked up stations from Chicago, Philly, NYC, and Boston. I was exposed to instrumentalists like Erroll Garner, Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy and the rest of the greats. When I was a senior in high school I made a little money, and then bought records. Sinatra’s In The Wee Small Hours was the first, and Erroll Garner the second.

read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jazz-spotlight-on-sinatra-nancy-barells-in-the_us_59ba297ce4b06b71800c36d9