Fred Hall's SWING THING

Fred Hall’s SWING THING

We have been on the web now since 2001 – although it should be noted that the show has been in production since 1945!

At first only those within “earshot” of the station’s tower were lucky enough to catch the show – but then as Fred’s popularity grew, he started preserving the shows.
Many were later scrapped, that is, replaced or recycled – the best ideas and interview segments recombined with fresher commentary, cleaner recordings. Swing Thing was a labor of love. In time, Fred started syndicating the show to other radio stations.

For most of that time Fred was heard on radio stations all across the US – at it’s peak we had over 70 that carried the show; several in large markets – although now most of those have dropped away. After all, how many (in this generation) actually care for swing or Big Band music!

Yes, there are still some that do – and that’s why we’re here on the web.

In the last years of his life, Fred lived with me – Timothy (his son); and right up the the end of his life (in 2001 – at age 80) Fred continued making shows. It’s what he loved after all.

Fred passed gently while listening to one of his shows – we found him sitting there with a wan smile still on his face. He loved the music, and did what he wanted to do all his life.

We should all be so lucky!
Well, we still have the shows.

If you’ve followed us recently you may have noticed we upgraded the site to what you are seeing now. And we hope you’ll stay tuned, because I have big plans to add lots of really cool content that’s still in boxes and yet to be redescovered.

It’ll take time to do, we have all the raw, unedited, original interviews Fred used for the shows, all the way back to 1945 – including lots that never made it into the show. All those amazing artists – singers, songwriters, band leaders, sidemen, arrangers, composers and producers – literally thousands of hours of unedited, candid interviews. And YES, we will eventually make them available here on this site to listen to and download.

They would set up somewhere comfortable, drinks in hand, and talk (ruminate) about all manor of things Swing. Just click the player on this page to join a show in progress. It’s obvious they really loved talking to him, and you are not at all likely to find a MORE direct pipeline to the heart and soul of the folks he interviewed.

This is an historic archive – a national treasure for sure!
You, of course, decide.

Additionally, if you ever heard of the Ojai Festivals ? – an event that still takes place each year in Ojai, California to this day ? – well Fred was the first Ojai Festivals committee president. He also MC’d the shows for many years. I worked for him in those days at a radio station we built in Ojai (KOVA) – and it was a privilege, along with Dave Meyers (both of us recording engineers in those days) to record those shows. Most notably, the Sunday concerts – also known as “Jazz at the Ojai Festival Bowl”. And MAN ‘O’MAN – were they fun!!

All the recordings are in our archives, and yes, I do have plans to digitize the best of those, and will one day have them here as well.

Fred also wrote several books..

• Dialogues in Swing
• More Dialogues in Swing
• (and) “It’s About Time” – the official Dave Brubeck autobiography.

All three will also have a place here – for digital download, as well as the real bound books – for those of you still interested in holding one in hand.

Oh yeah, we have BIG PLANS -
I just hope I can find the time.

So, stay tuned.

One last thing..

If anyone out there is interested in preserving this library and would like to offer ways to do it; or, maybe help us digitize all this stuff .. please, do feel free to contact us.

It’s a huge job, and I still have to work for a living -

- ENJOY!