Our Mailbag

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 16, 31 October 1930, Page 5

Our Mailbag

Jazz Week Wanted. I AM a very interested listener to the latest theme songs and think that ‘a jazz week from 2YA will be quite in _ the way of modern times. We have ’ had high brow music for a week now. Give us the low brow, and be fair to the listening public, especially to the lovers of theme songs. The only good night from 2YA is Tuesday when they put on something light. It is always a programme worth listening to. Why not make our dinner music a bit lighter and not play the same recordings over and over again? Make the items of all tastes with two or Ciree fox-trots in between. I for one "ean, tolerate high brow music so can e high brow listeners tolerate the modern music. So be fifty-fifty and

eater for us jazz fiends.-

Happy

Days

(Okato.)

Criticising Broadcast Technique. EBOPOLD STOKOWSKI, the conductor of the Philadelphia’ Symphony Orchestra, said recently with reference to the broadcasting of orchestral music that "eventually this will be not only equal but musically more eloquent than concert hall projection of music." Now, I don’t think we can expect this from our New Zealand stations for some considerable time, but I do think that with very little effort the present broadcasting could be vastly improved. This evening the overture from 2YA was "Poet and Peasant," by the Wellington Municipal Tramways «Band. The tone, balance, or rather hopeless lack of it was really ridiculous. On turning to 3YA we have 4 recording of "Finlandia," which was really thrilling. And yet, when any mere listener presumes to criticise the "experts" they fatuously claim that they have more experience on these technical matr ters, microphone placing, etc., than any listener. At present band broadcasts from 2YA are poor, while from .3YA they are sometimes quite good. Records, however, are better from Wellington than the other stations. It surely wouldn’t take much experimenting to find the correct technic for proadcastiing orchestras, bands, etc., and keep to it. It seems obvious to a listener that there is no set procedure at all. Sometimes for instance a cornet sc’*g with a band has the cornet much loud and again it is too much in thet: background. There is undoubtedly ean for 9 gsreat deal of improvement-

Philadelphia

(Hillgrove).