Make Believe Ballroom
Music Podcasts
Hosted by Jeff Bressler, The Make Believe Ballroom, each week, brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
The program has been broadcast almost continuously since 1935. Each program mixes beloved 78 rpm records, stories, listener requests, and special guest features, all geared to bring you the music and history of the big band era.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Music Podcasts
Description:
Hosted by Jeff Bressler, The Make Believe Ballroom, each week, brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. The program has been broadcast almost continuously since 1935. Each program mixes beloved 78 rpm records, stories, listener requests, and special guest features, all geared to bring you the music and history of the big band era.
Language:
English
Contact:
6317412436
Episodes
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/24/25 Edition
10/24/2025
The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
On this week's program: Two Bandleaders are better than one, some bands that performed at the legendary Onyx Club, tracing a Glenn Miller song, plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/17/25 Edition
10/17/2025
The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
On this week's program: A song from the 1700s that was swingin in the 1930s and 40s, a questionable Fats Waller tale, Frank Sinatra's first record with Tommy Dorsey - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/10/25 Edition
10/10/2025
The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
On this week's program: A trivia question about a dance enjoyed by young and old alike, a groundbreaking female vocalist, some songs from the 30s that rocked in the 50s - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 10/3/25 Edition
10/3/2025
The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
On this week's program: Did Big Bands of the 30s and 40s ever play classical music, the B side of a record we played last week, our yearly tribute to Benny Goodman’s groundbreaking 1938 Carnegie Hall performance, and the song Sing Sing Sing - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/26/25 Edition
9/26/2025
The Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s.
On this week's program: Lionel Hampton changes instruments, a unique big band business model, Charlie Christian and his electric audition, a cartoonish big band - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's broadcast.
Duration:00:58:07
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/19/25 Edition
9/19/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s. On this edition - the first bandleader ever to appear on the radio, orchestras that were artistic successes but financial failures, Jeff digs up an old box with some great bandleader quotes inside - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/12/25 Edition
9/12/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a Duke Ellington story, a listener's famous big band relative, an underrated vocal group, a song and dance that was not as it appeared - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:04
Make Believe Ballroom - 9/5/25 Edition
9/5/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - one of the forefathers of swing, a song from the 1920s that took decades to get its just due, an Artie Shaw request, Benny Goodman tale and music - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/29/25 Edition
8/29/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a second string band that was anything but second best, a crooner of the 1930s whose life ended much too soon, Lester Young's clarinet, a strange radio remote - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/22/25 Edition
8/22/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - some Bing Crosby duets, a long-forgotten female vocalist, a battling composer, a couple of first-time-ever-recorded songs - plus many more great records and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/15/25 Edition
8/15/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s -Frank Sinatra turned down for a job, a song that became a gold record 43 years after it was written, World War II tunes, plus many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:09
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/8/25 Edition
8/8/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a one hit wonder, a lightly played Benny Goodman tune, how Marilyn helped Ella, listners emails, Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 8/1/25 Edition
8/1/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a historic big band colaberation, a singing sisters nick name for a wildly popular comic and bandleader, listners emails, Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/25/25 Edition
7/25/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - we spin a couple of lightly played Glenn Miller recordings, two great classic Jam Sessions from the origional Make Believe Ballroom, Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:00
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/18/25 Edition
7/18/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a big band leader who had to change his name, a popular bandleader who had a second career as an MC and DJ, this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:02
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/11/25 Edition
7/11/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - an email from a 95 year old veteran who played in the Air Force Band, a song written for the legendary disc jockey Al Jarvis, a tip on how Jeff does some of his record research, Lenny from Down the Block's Record Pick of the Week—this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:58:01
Make Believe Ballroom - 7/4/25 Edition
7/4/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a look at a listener's somewhat controversial list of the most influential jazz musicians and vocalists of the swinging 1930s—this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program.
Duration:00:57:53
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/27/25 Edition
6/27/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a special tribute to Angelo Carbone and the Raphie from Canarsie, Brooklyn Record Club, also Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week—this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on this week's program program.
Duration:00:58:19
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/20/25 Edition
6/20/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s - a game show hosts famous uncle, a longtime listners special playlist, a gambling song, Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week—this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on the program.
Duration:00:58:06
Make Believe Ballroom - 6/13/25 Edition
6/13/2025
This week's Make Believe Ballroom with Jeff Bressler brings you Classic Big Band Hits from the 30s and 40s -One of the all time great female vocalists first record as a younf teenager, a dubious record company executive, Lenny from Down the Block with his Record Pick of the Week—this and many more great songs and stories to cherish and enjoy on the program.
Duration:00:58:12