Classic Ross Amico

Tag: WRTI

Kile Smith Composer Curator Photographer

He’s a Smith whose forge is seldom dark.

With so many talents, his hammer rings like Siegfried’s on Mime’s anvil.

In addition to being a fine composer, Kile Smith (pictured, left) was, for many years, curator of the Fleisher Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Scores housed in the collection continue to form the basis for his monthly podcast, “Fleisher Discoveries,” which is more or less a continuation of “Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection,” a show he produced back during his days at WRTI.

He’s also a fairly prolific writer, with intelligent articles on arts and culture appearing in publications like the Broad Street Review. His liner notes include those for the Naxos release of music by 19th century Philadelphia composer William Henry Fry (which, if you haven’t “discovered” it yet, I urge you to do so).

But it is through radio that I primarily know Kile, as a frequent presence on WRTI, and once, as a guest on my weekly program “The Lost Chord.” In addition, I’ve broadcast his music many times over the years during my regular live air shifts. I’m particularly fond of the recording of his “Vespers,” with The Crossing and Piffaro, The Renaissance Band, a flat-out masterpiece. I’ve programmed it several times at both WWFM and WPRB.

It was actually through Kile that I got my foot in the door at WRTI. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do my own classical programming there, and most of my air time was spent on jazz overnights. I would have loved to have been able to select more of my own music during the classical shifts. Certainly, Kile’s recordings would have been included in the rotation.

Wouldn’t you know, it turns out his eye is as fine as his ear. If you haven’t already been doing so, check out Kile’s wildlife photography. He shares a lot of it on his Facebook page. And in case I forgot to mention, he has a wry, understated sense of humor, which comes through in most of his posts.

His blog entries and podcasts can be accessed at his website, kilesmith.com. There’s also a schedule of performances and premieres, a list of Grammy nominations, music publications, and compositions, and more wildlife photos.

Happy birthday, Kile. Long may your hammer ring true!

From “Vespers”

The latest installment of “Fleisher Discoveries,” featuring the music of Leo Sowerby

Fleisher Discoveries: Leo Sowerby and the Sense of the Joy

PHOTO: Kile Smith with yours truly at a Princeton Festival concert last year at Trinity Church. Yes, that’s Kenneth Hutchins on the right.

August 24, 2023
Bob Perkins WRTI Legend to Podcast

After over a quarter century on the WRTI airwaves, BP is taking his GM to the PC.

Anyone who listens to jazz on the radio in Philadelphia is familiar with broadcast legend Bob Perkins’ shorthand. “BP with the GM” is “Bob Perkins with the Good Music,” naturally.

Perkins eased into semi-retirement last year, going from full-time hosting on WRTI to anchoring its “Sunday Jazz Brunch.”

The “PC” is my own unauthorized addition to Perkins’ lingo. It stands for podcast. At 89, Perkins will be taking the leap into producing fresh digital audio content. You can learn more about it at the link.

During my time at WRTI, we crossed paths occasionally, if I happened to be filling in on an afternoon classical shift. Knowing his sly sense of humor, I offered once, “It’s not every day that British Petroleum meets American Oil Company” – a play on BP and Amico (Amoco).

I wish Bob the best. With a lifetime of experience in jazz and the media, the man himself is living history. And of course he’s always had impeccable taste. Whether it’s Yusef Lateef’s “Love Theme from Spartacus” or Dakota Staton’s “The Late, Late Show,” I’ve always enjoyed his GM.

https://www.wrti.org/wrti-spotlight/2023-03-29/as-bob-perkins-signs-off-at-wrti-a-broadcasting-legend-looks-ahead?fbclid=IwAR0GnvcZ-hHUhffcgm0ZI5RlZOd47j3KjAC9zKjMAvxLTkfwt5yP7c6Q2XA

March 30, 2023
Romeo Cascarino Centennial on WRTI

On the 100th anniversary of his birth, @[100063618910416:2048:WRTI] celebrates Philadelphia composer Romeo Cascarino. Tune in throughout the day, at approximately 8:25am, 11:00am, and 4:15pm, to enjoy recordings of Romeo’s music. Listen locally at 90.1 FM or anywhere online at wrti.org.

EDIT: Having just read the complete article, thank you, WRTI and Bruce Hodges, for the shout-outs. And for linking my show!

September 28, 2022
Remembering Bliss Michelson Radio Legend

I am so sorry to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague, Bliss Michelson. You may recall my mentioning it was Bliss who trained me when I started at WWFM – The Classical Network, preparing me for my long weekend morning run that spanned 19 years, beginning in 1995.

At the time, I had had nine years’ experience in community radio, but Bliss taught me the new board, how to fill out the logs, how to rewind the reel-to-reel machines without snapping the tape, and how to record our broadcast concerts off of satellite. Most important, he taught me how to turn on the transmitter at 4:50 a.m., in the years before the station went 24 hours.

Bliss was the most natural radio man I have ever known. In an average hour on a weekday morning, he would share a playlist of five pieces, impeccably curated for maximum variety and interest, work done swiftly at his desk the preceding afternoon. He was also the most-disciplined, accomplishing much of his production work in an adjacent studio, in real time, during his live air shift, laying down voice tracks during a Vivaldi concerto and editing audio in the span of a Joonas Kokkonen symphony.

He also had the uncanny ability to instant cat-nap. Not infrequently, he would perform evening gigs as a freelance double-bassist. With pack-up and transportation, these could run quite late for a man accustomed to rising in the middle of the night. Even keeping normal hours, by the standards of the rest of humanity, he often didn’t wind up getting very much sleep. After a time, he started asking me if I could fill in for him on mornings following rehearsals. Then he’d saunter in around 6:45 to start on his day.

On weekends, when I seldom saw other full-time staff, it was not unusual for Bliss to show up early on a Saturday or a Sunday, to check his email and put some finishing touches on a produced show, before heading out for an afternoon of tending the sheep. Literally. He kept sheep. He also loved cats, of which, I gather, he had several.

Later, we also worked together at WRTI in Philadelphia. We were both on-call classical music hosts, but I also did a regular overnight jazz shift, so occasionally our paths would cross on a Saturday morning. Earlier in his career, Bliss hosted shows on Trinity University’s KRTU and KPAC in San Antonio and, prior to WWFM, WNED in Buffalo.

Bliss was passionate about Nordic music (he was proud of his Swedish heritage) and also historic recordings of the great conductors. As a double-bassist with the San Antonio Symphony, he played with many of the greats. He shared anecdotes about performing with Aaron Copland, Los Romeros, and a phenomenal roster of guest maestros.

In front of a microphone, there was nothing he couldn’t do. I’ve been in the studio when he was on the air and he’d just been handed a script, and he’d invariably deliver it with ease and grace, as if he’d already committed it to memory.

My training amounted to sitting in with him for two air shifts. During the final hour of the second, he turned it over to me. As I sat in the chair, moments away from my WWFM debut, my throat was dry and my hands were shaking. Intuiting my nerves, Bliss offered the following words of advice: “Remember… it’s just you and the microphone.”

For me, it will always be Bliss and the microphone. Perfect together. Rest easy, my friend. I will think of you whenever I play the Sibelius Fourth.

March 15, 2021
Christmas Classical Music on WRTI & WWFM

Can it already be this close to Christmas? I guess it is. Today will mark my final two live air shifts before the Christmas holiday.

I hope you’ll join me on WRTI in Philadelphia at 90.1 FM and wrti.org, as I’ll be seated under the mistletoe from 10 am. to 2 p.m. Among the works I’ll be presenting will be Antonio Vivaldi’s OTHER “Gloria” (RV 588), one of Robert Russell Bennett’s splashy suites from “The Many Moods of Christmas,” and a complete recording of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” I’m not sure if there will be any time left over for me to add anything of my own, but hey, any opportunity to actually sit and listen to a complete “Nutcracker” is fine by me.

Then I ride the Polar Express to the Trenton-Princeton area, where I’ll pick my own music, on WWFM The Classical Network at 89.1 FM and wwfm.org, from 4 to 6 p.m. I’ll keep it fairly light today with Leopold Mozart’s “Musical Sleigh-Ride,” in that wacky recording by the Eduard Melkus Ensemble, with all the rowdy dogs and horses, and John Rutter’s work for children’s chorus and harp, “Dancing Day,” kind of a companion piece to Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols.” It’s probably safe to assume there will be some more English music, as well.

Then at 6:00, on WWFM, I’ll be your host for “Picture Perfect,” when the focus will be on music from Christmas television specials that were originally broadcast from the 1950s through the 1980s. I’ll write a little more about it, here, as the time draws nigh.

And don’t forget “The Lost Chord,” my syndicated program of unusual and neglected repertoire. It airs on WWFM on Christmas night, this week at 11 p.m., in order to make room for a broadcast of Handel’s “Messiah” from Trinity Wall Street at 8. On the program will be Hubert Parry’s “Ode on the Nativity” and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ very last work, “The First Nowell.”

Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy listening!

December 23, 2016

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