Hello again! It’s time once again for yours truly to hit the airwaves on your favorite radio station, datafruits.fm. We’ve got two new episodes worth of programming for you this evening, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy what you hear. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Talkie Time: The Saint - A Gangster District Attorney / The Case Of The Blonde Who Lost Her Head
"look, luv, 'e don't look lik' nothin now, but oi tell ye 'e cleans up might good" -- orace, probably
When one thinks Vincent Price, all kinds of goofy horrors come to mind; Henry Jarrod from House Of Wax (seen off to the right there), Gallico the Great from The Mad Magician, Prince Prospero from The Masque Of The Red Death. But what doesn’t often come to mind is how god damned suave the man could be.
Enter one of the most legendary gentleman thieves in the history of fiction: Leslie Charteris’ legendary rogue, known to the law as Simon Templar and known to society’s underdogs as The Saint. A dashing modern Robin Hood so devilishly handsome that James Bond himself (or one of them anyways, Roger Moore) literally could not play Bond in multiple films because he was far more interested in playing The Saint on television.
But, much like Bond, The Saint has many faces and voices, and on radio he was played by the master of horror himself, Vincent Price. We’ve got two episodes of his time with the three-piece suit and the dagger named Anna tonight. First off, we’ll be hearing “A Gangster District Attorney”, originally aired on Oct 15, 1947. After that, we’ve got “The Case of the Blonde Who Lost her Head”, originally aired on May 26, 1948 and then re-aired on Nov 13, 1949 (according to the incredible work of fan site saint.org, whose work actually got me into Charteris’ dashing anti-hero to begin with!)
If you like hearing the master of horror play a dashing rogue, don’t you worry…we haven’t seen the last of him here on Talkie Time. As they say, just watch for the sign of The Saint. He will be back.
The Jazz Program: Archie Shepp - Four For Trane (1964) / Live From Paris 1974
Shoutout to the fantastic tape-heads at Transversales Disques for unearthing and releasing this gem of a concert.
Last time we played Archie Shepp on The Jazz Program, it was Valentine’s Day, and we stuck with three records about women. This time, we’re playing something a bit different–one about The Man Himself, and one long-lost tape recorded off the boards of one of the greatest cities in the world.
Archie Shepp should need no introduction; absolutely legendary avant-garde jazz saxophonist, some of the finest records on the Impulse! label – which in and of itself is an accomplishment – and a career which continues to this day. Our first record, Four For Trane, was Shepp’s first record with Impulse! after the label’s owner, none other than St. John Coltrane himself, made a point to sign the young saxman.
And Shepp does not dissappoint. Joined by Alan Shorter, John Tchicai, Roswell Rudd, Reggie Workman, and Charles Moffett, Four For Trane is one of those jazz albums that, if you haven’t heard it, you have to tune in tonight. It’s a core part of the jazz canon for a reason.
From there, we’re heading ten years ahead, with a relatively rare Shepp recording, Live From Paris 1974, released just two years ago in 2024 by French tape-hunters Transversales Disques. This is an entirely different Shepp; three tracks, all well over ten minutes, overflowing with avant-garde energy and bursting with creativity.
That about covers this week’s show! Next week, we’ll be heading to a different planet all together, then coming back to earth to stop in at the Pitt and tie up some loose ends.
(Can you guess what we’re playing next week from these clues? This one’s probably either easier than most or way more obscure, I can never tell when I write these…but if you’ve got a guess, email me at piperbomb (at) protonmail (dot) com if you think you can guess our programming for either The Jazz Program or Talkie Time. If you can, I’ll give you a shoutout on-air!)
If you’re reading this the day of, and you can make it in tonight, you should come hang out in the chat with us on Datafruits! We’ve got a good crowd of folks in the chat every week, and whether you have a suggestion for a future show or just want to hang out and chat with fellow jazz enjoyers, you’re welcome here with us.
You’re all amazing and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not. Stay safe out there, and I’ll see you back again next week. Same time, same station: on datafruits dot fm..
Footnotes…