Symphony Sid on FM

[Ira Chineson]

Back in the early 70s I remember hearing Symphony Sid doing a weekly
jazz show on a New York FM radio station. At the time I was new to jazz
and I didn't know about Sid's storied career during the glory days of
Bop in the 40s and 50s. I do remember he sounded kind of bored with
the whole enterprise and often played the same tunes week after week.
If I'm not mistaken Horace Silver's "Song for My Father" was a big
favorite of his. However at the time there wasn't much jazz played on
the radio and since I didn't own many records it was worth listening to.
I've been trying to remember the call letters of the station but I'm
drawing a blank. Can anybody help me out? I'm also curious if this was
Sid's last radio gig?

[MARCANE]

Symphony Sid's last few years on radio in NYC was on a FM station, I believe it
was WRVR however to the best of my knowledge he played mostly latin dance
music/Salsa. He retired to Isla Morada In the Keys here in South Florida. His
last radio gig was on the former WBUS-FM, now the horrible WLVE<LOVE 94>,
neo-waved, cool jazz(instrumental RnB), in the late 70's "The Bus" was a free
form FM station with great announcers and fantastic music, on Saturday eves
Symphony Sid and his Puerto Rican wife, "La Peñita who is alive and well and
working in a high-line woman's dress shop, hosted a Salsa show and refused to
play any Jazz despite the requests from amny a fan who recalled his Be-Bop,
Cu-Bop and straight-ahead Jazz days in NYC and before that in Boston. Sid
Torrin died here in So. Fla in the early 80's..............

[George Bailey]

Ira Chineson wrote:

The AM station in NY was WEVD. Interestingly enough, this station was
formed during the hayday of U.S. socialism and its call sign stands for
Eugene V. Debs the socialist and union organizer and candidate for the
presidency. Yeah, I listened to Sid and witnessed his transition to an
Afro-Cuban/Salsa groove. There was another jazz DJ in NY, Mort Fega who
played good music but lacked the hoarse charisma of Sid.

GB

[Chris DuPre]

Wasn't it a gas just to hear Sid say, "I dig you the most!"?