AllMusicPodcasts

In his two books on jazz at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, author Edward Allan Faine pulls back the curtain on the Nixon White House. Was Tricky Dick really a jazz fan? After all, he did give Duke Ellington the Medal of Freedom in 1969. And wait 'til you hear who was in the band, and who played the “after-party.” As always in politics, there’s a backstory and Faine fills us in on the behind-the-scene machinations in "Ellington At The White House."In his second book “The Best Gig In Town,” Faine focuses on the thirteen additional jazz-related performances Nixon would hold between 1969 and 1974. Hear the inside accounts of why Sinatra almost got canceled, and who that was playing piano behind some of Pearl Bailey’s set. Did Peggy Lee perform "Fever" at the White House? We’ll also touch on some of the more recent presidents and their bands of choice for “the best gig in town!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices