{"id":14144,"date":"2015-07-22T08:46:26","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T12:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=14144"},"modified":"2015-07-22T08:49:58","modified_gmt":"2015-07-22T12:49:58","slug":"the-wsj-features-willis-conover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/the-wsj-features-willis-conover\/","title":{"rendered":"The WSJ features Willis Conover"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Willis<\/a>(Source: Wall Street Journal<\/a> via Any Sennitt)<\/p>\n

The Radio Broadcaster Who Fought the Cold War Abroad but Remained Unheard at Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

By DOUG RAMSEY<\/p>\n

During the Cold War, listeners in captive nations behind the Iron Curtain huddled around radios in basements and attics listening to the imposing bass-baritone voice of the man who sent them American music. His greeting\u2014\u201cGood evening, Willis Conover in Washington, D.C., with Music U.S.A.\u201d\u2014was familiar to millions around the world. At home, relatively few people knew him or his work. A proposal for a postage stamp honoring Conover may give hope to those who want the late Voice of America broadcaster to be awarded a larger mark of distinction.<\/p>\n

For 40 years, until shortly before his death in 1996, Conover\u2019s shortwave broadcasts on the Voice of America constituted one of his country\u2019s most effective instruments of cultural diplomacy. Never a government employee, to maintain his independence he worked as a freelance contractor. With knowledge, taste, dignity and no tinge of politics, he introduced his listeners to jazz and American popular music. He interviewed virtually every prominent jazz figure of the second half of the 20th century. His use of the VOA\u2019s \u201cspecial English\u201d\u2014simple vocabulary and structures spoken at a slow tempo\u2014made him, in effect, a teacher of the language to his listeners.<\/p>\n

Countless musicians from former Iron Curtain countries have credited Conover with attracting them to jazz, among them the Czech bassists George Mraz and Miroslav Vitous, the Cuban saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D\u2019Rivera and the Russian trumpeter Valery Ponomarev. On the Conover Facebook page established in 2010, Ponomarev wrote that Conover had done as much for jazz \u201cas Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, Horace Silver, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.\u201d Conover\u2019s New York Times obituary said, \u201cIn the long struggle between the forces of Communism and democracy, Mr. Conover, who went on the air in 1955 . . . proved more effective than a fleet of B-29\u2019s.\u201d In his publication Gene Lees Jazzletter, the influential critic wrote, \u201cWillis Conover did more to crumble the Berlin Wall and bring about the collapse of the Soviet Empire than all the Cold War presidents put together.\u201d[…]<\/p>\n

Continue reading at the Wall Street Journal…<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regular\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em> readers know that I’m a huge fan of Willis Conover<\/a>. Much like VOA’s\u00a0Leo Sarkisian<\/a>,\u00a0Conover represented some of the best diplomacy this country has had to offer. [I’ve actually had the honor of meeting and interviewing\u00a0Leo Sarkisian at his home in Maryland, a few years ago–one of the highlights of my career.]<\/p>\n

Are there any SWLing Post<\/em> readers out there who listened to Willis Conover from behind the “Iron Curtain?” Please comment!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: Wall Street Journal via Any Sennitt) The Radio Broadcaster Who Fought the Cold War Abroad but Remained Unheard at Home By DOUG RAMSEY During the Cold War, listeners in captive nations behind the Iron Curtain huddled around radios in basements and attics listening to the imposing bass-baritone voice of the man who sent them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,56,442,3,305,288,43],"tags":[10,182,3776,940],"class_list":["post-14144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-broadcasters","category-music","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-shortwave-radio","tag-voa","tag-voice-of-america","tag-wall-street-journal","tag-willis-conover"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-3G8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14591,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/the-unt-willis-conover-archive-is-now-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":14144,"position":0},"title":"The UNT Willis Conover Archive is now online","author":"Thomas","date":"September 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Regular\u00a0SWLing Post readers know that I\u2019m a huge fan of the late\u00a0Willis Conover. I just learned, via the Arts Journal blog, about an amazing collection of Conover\u00a0audio archives that are now being shared online: \"The music program at the University of North Texas has graduated hundreds of jazz artists who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Willis Conover, The Voice of America (Source: Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2895,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/willis-conovers-jazz-a-secret-weapon-in-the-cold-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":14144,"position":1},"title":"Willis Conover’s Jazz: A secret weapon in the Cold War","author":"Thomas","date":"March 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"David Goren, Shortwaveology\u00a0author and producer for\u00a0Jazz at Lincoln Center, released a JazzStories Podcast today featuring VOA broadcaster, Willis Conover. Willis Conover is a noted name in both Jazz music and international broadcasting. His characteristic deep and articulate voice guided many shortwave listeners behind the iron curtain, into the realm of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8795,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/shortwave-radio-recordings-voice-of-america-circa-1968\/","url_meta":{"origin":14144,"position":2},"title":"Shortwave Radio Recordings: Voice of America, circa 1968","author":"Thomas","date":"February 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to David Firth, who is kindly sharing shortwave radio recordings he made on reel-to-reel recording equipment in the late 1960s. Firth is uncovering and digitizing these off air recordings as time allows and, thanks to his generosity, we will be posting these recordings on the Shortwave Radio Audio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Willis Conover, The Voice of America (Source: Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13104,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/support-a-willis-conover-us-postage-stamp\/","url_meta":{"origin":14144,"position":3},"title":"Support a Willis Conover US postage stamp","author":"Thomas","date":"May 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're a fan of the iconic Willis Conover, you might consider signing this petition supporting a postage stamp in his honor. Marie Lamb writes: Those of us at the Willis Conover Facebook page are trying to get support for a postage stamp in honor of the great Voice of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Willis Conover, The Voice of America (Source: Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16126,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/unt-archives-publish-willis-conover-interview-with-louis-armstrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":14144,"position":4},"title":"UNT Archives publish Willis Conover interview with Louis Armstrong","author":"Thomas","date":"December 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to the endeavors of\u00a0Maristella Feustle at the UNT Music Library,\u00a0five hours\u00a0of recently-restored Louis Armstrong interviews with Willis Conover are now online and free to download\/listen. Kudos\u00a0to the UNT archives for making these amazing recordings so accessible! What a treasure trove. Click here to view links to all five hours\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Photo source: Inside VOA)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Willis-Conover-Louis-Armstrong.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Willis-Conover-Louis-Armstrong.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Willis-Conover-Louis-Armstrong.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31414,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/wunc-on-jazz-americas-coolest-weapon-during-the-cold-war\/","url_meta":{"origin":14144,"position":5},"title":"WUNC on Jazz: “America\u2019s Coolest Weapon During The Cold War”","author":"Thomas","date":"March 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: WUNC's The State of Things via Kim Elliott) During the Cold War, the U.S. Department of State sent jazz musicians around the world to sell the American way of life. This initiative took place in the 1950s, during segregation and the beginning of the civil rights movement. Jazz was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Willis Conover, The Voice of America (Source: Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/614px-Willis_Conover_1969.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}