Swing Set, our signature swing show, will be celebrating 100 episodes on Saturday, May 25 at 7pm with special guest Ricky Riccardi, the Grammy award-winning Armstrong biographer and Director of Research Collections at Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, NYC.
“In this complicated world, I’m all for celebrating life’s happy milestones, and I still pinch myself at being part of the station’s great Saturday night line up,” expressed host Alex Pangman. “I love sharing swing music on air, and always strive to learn something new each show. To have done it 100 times now is pretty darn amazing. Time does indeed fly when you’re having fun.”
Swing Set premiered in March 2022 as part of our new progamming lineup at that time. Alex Pangman, JUNO-nominated jazz vocalist known as Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing, took the reins as host of the show that celebrates all things swing. I think that hearing my first show come on the air was massively thrilling.” Alex reminisces, “But hearing from listeners each week is a highlight and learning how the music touches their lives is very cool. I’m often inspired (& surprised!) by them.”
Having Ricky Riccardi on as a special guest was a no brainer, considering that the Armstrong Alley feature is a staple in the show. “This is a man who understands the music, the man, and knows the combination to the safe where Satchmo’s trumpets are kept,” says Alex.
Alex hopes that she can continue inspiring her listeners for the next 100 episodes of Swing Set, I love spreading the gospel of old school swing, so I want to keep doing that. It always makes me smile when someone says “I didn’t know I liked this music until I heard your show” so I want to keep up the good tines, turning heads, finding great anecdotes about the artists, and of course I love playing the living lions in jazz too.
Swing Set‘s 100th episode airs Saturday, May 25 at 7pm. Tune in live or online at jazz.fm.