|
Mark Channon is the host of Thursday Morning Jazz on
WWUH radio.
He is "a long time listener" to WWUH, being
first turned on to it in 1976. He has been on the station since 1989
and was asked to take over the Thursday Morning Jazz program
in the fall of 1994.
The nucleus of his show is drawn from, but not
limited to, contemporary big bands. Some of his music training and
influence comes from his father, Bill Channon, who worked as an arranger
for Buddy Rich, Bob Chester and Buddy Fischer's bands in the 40's.
Mark's dad started the formal music program in the Simsbury, CT public
school system in 1956 and was his high school band director.
Mark has produced over 30 Big Band shows with The Woody Herman Orchestra,
Buddy Rich and his Big Band, The United States Air Force Airmen of
Note, The United States Air Force Falconaires Jazz Ensemble, The United
States Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, The United States Navy Commodores
Jazz Ensemble, The Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, The University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band,
The New England Jazz Ensemble, and The Mike Vax Big Band featuring the alumni of the Stan Kenton
Orchestra playing before full houses. He has been Emcee at The Greater
Hartford Festival of Jazz and Jazz in the Park (Torrington) Jazz Festival.
He is the recipient of The Commander's Award and Medallion for Public Service from the United States Army, and also an honorary member of the premier big band of the USAF, "The Airmen of Note".
Since Mark has taken over Thursday Morning Jazz,
he's had the opportunity to interview some of Connecticut's jazz community
as well as nationally and internationally known jazz figures such
as Doc Severinsen, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Maynard Ferguson, Slide
Hampton and Louie Bellson. Louie says that Mark conducted "one
of the best interviews I ever did." In his "Artist on
the Hour" series, Mark selects an artist to feature at 9:00,
10:00, 11:00 and just prior to noon. You'll hear the artist's biography,
music, and frequently an interview with him or her. What radio stations
do you know that will devote this amount of time to expose such wonderful
jazz talents?
A 1981 graduate of The Connecticut School of Broadcasting,
Mark enjoys being a part of WWUH's unique programming. With jazz radio
having fallen on hard times in many parts of the US, WWUH offers Connecticut
(as well as the whole world) a tremendous outlet for both jazz musicians
and listeners! |