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Phil Schaap

Phil Schapp's parents were introduced to each other by Red Rodney, jazz trumpeter. They were real jazz lovers, and got a son who a was a jazz lover. 

Phil Schaap has 10 years of Birdflight on his website, his radio show on WKCR, the Columbia radio station. He died in 2021. He started broadcasting in 1970! The website has 2008-2018 of his morning show Birdflight. 

I remember a friend yelling, "shut up" because he talked a lot, because he knew so much. He was a real institution for those who loved jazz. You quickly realize after listening to him that you don't know anything, and that can be discomforting, and because he knows so much, he talks and talks and talks. He received six Grammy Awards over the course of his career.

He was talking to jazz musicians when he was 5, and weaves his life through the lives of jazz musicians. Count Base and big band jazz weaves into his bird show because the show had huge ratings, and he never gave it up. Many jazz musicians moved to Hollis where he lived. 

He also programmed The West End Bar on 113th, where he revived old Base musicians careers in a way, he says that is one of the more proud things he's done. 

He quit taking music classes in high school when his teacher got in trouble for allowing him to write about a jazz musician. He was teaching in the history department at Columbia at age 18, not the music department.


Links:

Traditions In Swing 2009-2020.

Here's a video of him scatting a solo: https://youtu.be/pyqossl-uXA?si=gwsCleXMTQ-tIkC9.

Found this interview: YouTube. Fascinating stuff, he booed Bob Dylan because you booed every new act so they didn't play an encore because he wanted to see the blues act at the end, he booed a lot of people he doesn't remember, he only remember Dylan because he blew up right after that. 


YouTube 8 minute video on how to appreciate jazz.

3:47:06 show: Traditions in Swing: Duke Ellington (June 4, 2011) from WKCR YouTube.

Interview with Mr. Music YouTube.


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