Night Train (radio show)

Last updated
Night Train
Night Train show logo.jpg
GenreJazz/Blues/Standards
Running time240 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home station WLRN-FM Miami, Florida WKWM-FM Florida Keys
Hosted by Ted Grossman
Recording studio Miami, Fla.
Original releaseJanuary 2, 1977 – present
Audio format Stereophonic
Opening theme"Night Train", Jimmy Forrest, composer
Ending themeSame as opening theme
Website Night Train

Night Train is a four-hour-long, weekly radio program originating from public radio station WLRN-FM in Miami, Florida. It has aired continuously since 1977 and been hosted by Ted Grossman since its debut. Each broadcast features an eclectic mix of jazz, Big Band, and blues recordings dating from the '30s to the present.

WLRN-FM public radio station in Miami

WLRN-FM is a class C1 FM station on 91.3 and is the main public radio station for South Florida and the Keys based in Miami. The station is owned by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is the area's flagship NPR member station, therefore carries Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!. It is also affiliated with Public Radio International and carries The Takeaway and The World, among others. It airs its own locally-produced music programs Evenin' Jazz with Tracy Fields on weeknights, and Night Train on Sundays, before being taken over by the BBC World Service during the overnights.

Miami City in southeastern Florida

Miami, officially the City of Miami, is an American city that is the seat of Miami-Dade County, and is the cultural, economic and financial center of South Florida. The city covers an area of about 56 square miles (150 km2) between the Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east. Miami is the sixth most densely populated major city in the United States with an estimated 2018 population of 470,914. The Miami metropolitan area is home to 6.1 million people, the second-most populous in the southeastern United States and the seventh-largest in the nation. The city has the third tallest skyline in the U.S. with over 300 high-rises, 55 of which exceed 490 ft (149 m).

Florida U.S. state in the United States

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

Contents

Format

The show airs live on Sunday nights from 8:00 to midnight EST. It is simulcast live to the Florida Keys on WLRN's affiliate, WKWM.

Eastern Time Zone time zone observing UTC−05:00 during standard time and UTC−04:00 during daylight saving time

The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 22 states in the eastern part of the contiguous United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama in Central America, and certain Caribbean and Atlantic islands, along with certain countries and parts of countries in South America. Places that use Eastern Standard Time (EST) when observing standard time (autumn/winter) are five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−05:00).

Jimmy Forrest's 1951 instrumental jazz standard "Night Train" serves as the show's eponymous opening and closing theme music.

James Robert Forrest Jr. was an American jazz musician, who played tenor saxophone throughout his career.

Night Train (Jimmy Forrest composition) blues instrumental standard, covered by James Brown

"Night Train" is a twelve-bar blues instrumental standard first recorded by Jimmy Forrest in 1951.

Occasionally, the show will feature local or nationally-known recording artists or other musicians as in-studio guests, with Grossman playing recordings and quizzing his guest about the identity of the recording's performer(s) or vocalist(s).

The last hour of the show typically features a music segment titled "Jazz Can Be Beautiful." Many shows are built around a theme featuring the recordings of a particular jazz performer (example: Duke Ellington) or vocalist (example: Frank Sinatra), or around a holiday, such as Halloween or Christmas.

Duke Ellington American jazz musician, composer and band leader

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than fifty years.

Frank Sinatra American singer, actor, and producer

Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.

In its early years (in the late 1970s), the show aired on Friday nights from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Host

Ted Grossman has hosted the show since its debut in January 1977. [1] In addition to playing the recordings on his show, Grossman supplies anecdotes and authoritative commentary about the bands and performers, including album notes and assorted trivia. He often peppers his show with mentions of the birthdays, deaths, or other anniversaries of jazz notables, past and present.

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References

  1. Spangler, Nicholas (January 14, 2007). "DJ's 'Night Train' keeps rolling on". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 19 September 2016.