During studio tours and by email, we still get questions about legendary Jazz broadcaster Willis Conover, whose program Jazz Hour was on VOA airwaves for more than 40 years (1954-1996). Through his show, Conover brought worldwide prominence to an exclusively American brand of music. While Conover is relatively unknown in the United States, he had a tremendous following behind the Iron Curtain, known across the world for his 17 hours per week of Jazz broadcasting at VOA. His personal collection, stored at the University of North Texas, includes over 22,000 recordings, memos, magazines, record catalogs, manuscripts and program notes. Conover’s 20,000 reels of coverage VOA broadcasts are housed in the National Archives.
Today, Conover’s legacy lives on through Jazz America, a Jazz show introduced in 1998 and hosted by Russ Davis. Davis says while both he and Conover “love this music very much and have a strong bond with the men and women who create it,” their shows differ in circumstance and the actual style of delivery and of content.
Davis’ show Jazz America can be heard through VOA Music Mix on Saturday and Sunday for one hour. Listeners can also read Diaa Bekheet’s Jazz Beat blog on voanews.com. For more information regarding Conover, visit our Willis Conover webpage at http://www.insidevoa.com/about/history/Willis-Conover-112034109.html
(Source : What's Up Inside VOA)
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