Friday, August 29, 2008

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After years of hosting Hot Jazz Saturday Night, Rob Bamberger still shakes his head in admiration over the last long notes: "An exquisite rendering by Louis Armstrong of 'Love, You Funny Thing,'" he says into the microphone. He unleashes his next offering, a lively number that has him snapping his fingers and tapping his toes. If Bamberger's listeners are half as pleased with the music as he is, then there is joy in the land.

How does a senior policy analyst for the Congressional Research Service - a guy who spends his days studying fuels and minerals - find happiness in the world of vintage jazz? "I'm a record collector and love the music I collect," he says. "And, like many of the music hosts at WAMU, I'm also a historian who's interested in the society and culture in which this music developed and flourished."

WAMU listeners enjoy the fruits of this lifelong passion. Bamberger says he spends about 12 hours a week planning his show. On Saturday afternoon, he stacks his recordings on a luggage cart and makes his way across the river to WAMU and what he calls his perch in studio four. From 7 until 10 p.m., the air is filled with some of the most exuberant, inventive music ever recorded.

You may contact Rob Bamberger by sending an email to hotjazz@wamu.org or by using the contact form on this website.

Rob Bamberger

Rob Bamberger

Host, Hot Jazz Saturday Night

Rob Bamberger is creator, producer and host of WAMU 88.5 FM's vintage jazz show, Hot Jazz Saturday Night.

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