Remember, Jazz is America's Music,,, so Think Jazz.

LISTEN TO YOUR MAMA,,,,, (complements of Carol D Emerich cemerich@woh.rr.com)

Do you want to hear good jazz, five nights a week, 8 PM to 11:00?  Listen to your Mama.

Do you want to hear the latest CD of that California jazz band you like so much?  Listen to your Mama.

Do you want to know about the jazz events in our area, and jazz festivals in other parts of the country?  Take my advice and listen to your Mama.

Mama Jazz, Phyllis Campbell in her other life, is “everyone’s Mama”, the popular hostess of a nightly jazz program on WMUB, 88.5 on your FM dial, or wmub.org via the Internet.  For more than 20 years, Mama has given her listeners music and jazz information on this National Public Radio station located on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She can be heard Mon–Fri 8PM to 11PM. Mon through Thurs Mama is live from the WMUB studio.  Friday night you can hear a taped show of “The Best of Mama Jazz”.  Her listening audience is constantly growing, and thanks to the Internet has now expanded to include fans in California, Australia, Canada, England and all points in between.

Mama fell in love with jazz when she heard Sidney Bechet with Henry Levine and his Dixieland Octet play Muskrat Ramble.  She started looking for more of this wonderful music and now has a treasure trove of albums and CDs she shares with her audience every night.  

On Mama’s show you hear the great old recordings by the original artists, and today’s newest CDs when they are hot off the press.  Jazz bands and performers from all over the world send her their newest endeavors, and many record companies, including Stomp Off, George Buck’s various labels, Arbors and others, send her new releases by the boxful to be played on the show.  Listeners send her CDs they get at jazz festivals, distant cities, garage sales, or wherever they find something they think she will like. 

Tuesday is Traditional Night, which Mama says is her favorite night, the night of happy music, Dixieland style jazz.  The show opens with her Tues night theme, Dave Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers playing the jazz classic, “Dr. Jazz”, but in Dave’s version, for Mama, it’s “Hello Central, give me Mama Jazz”. 

Mama receives many calls from travelers who pick up the show on their car radios and call to say what a wonderful show it is, and wish they could have something like it back home.  Long haul truck drivers have called in requests as they drive on I-70.  Since WMUB went on the Internet she has got e-mail from nearly all our 50 states, in addition to Australia, Canada, Sweden, England, France, and Germany.    Her listeners come from all walks of life, and range in age from pre-schoolers to the elderly.  Many youngsters hear jazz for the first time on her show and become life-long fans. 

 Mama has said for a long time she would love to do an all gospel show, and that has finally come to be. Beginning in mid-September “The Gospel According to Mama” can be heard on WMUB at 7AM Sunday mornings.  Jazz, gospel music and Mama Jazz – you simply can’t find a better combination than that.

 It is said we never forget our first love and that is true for Mama.   Sidney Bechet is still her favorite after all these years.  We can be thankful that Sidney caused Mama to become passionate about jazz and that she shares it with us all, playing for us the very best the music world has to offer.  Thank you Sidney, thank you Mama, and thank you WMUB.
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