Damn that Radio Song ♫♪

Jumpin' with my boss Sid in the city
Jumpin' with my boss Sid in the city
Mr. President of that DJ committee
We're gonna be up all night gettin' ready
We want you to spin the sounds from the city
Far down in the land that's real real pretty
Let everything go real crazy over jazz
Make everything go real crazy over jazz
Let everything cool for me and my baby
I don't want to think we're listening too lazy
It's gotta be Pressburg cheering all the Basie
It's gotta get it all set right clear on the eighty
Let it roll
Let it roll

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_QSy1xphEU[/youtube]

Give me something gentle
Make it sentimental
Whatever you could suggest
I'll take Robbin's Nest

Make it sweet and tender
So I must surrender
You know I'd like nothing but the best
So I'll take Robbin's Nest

For when I get that feeling
Goin' 'round and 'round
Something brings me down
Way down, way down

Give me something sweet and gentle
Make it sentimental
Whatever you could suggest
I'll take Robbin's Nest

When I get that feeling
Goin' 'round and 'round
Something brings me down
Way down, way down

Give me something sweet and gentle
Make it sentimental
Whatever you could suggest
I'll take Robbin's Nest

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qcS6ceaxc8[/youtube]

The LP "Soul Battle" was released on Prestige records in 1961, matrix (7223). It lands on Track 2, Side A. It featured three tenor sax players King Curtis, Oliver Nelson, and Jimmy Forest, Roy Haynes pick up drum duties, Gene Casey and George Duvivier sound out the session on piano and bass respectively. (...) For years I had assumed that MF stood for ************, but the original Soul Battle LP spells out in parentheses that the M.F. stands for Mort Fega. The back of the LP spends a mere 26 lines describing the song, So I'll quote a bit of that as it's relevant to our story here.

..."Blues for M.F. is a tone poem with a fine set of altered blues changes which lend themselves to distinguished soloing by all three of the reed men. The tune certainly captures the intensity, the sincerity, and the quiet humor which have made Mort Fega one of the nations most popular jazz announcers..."

The song is an exploration of a blues scale replete with flatted thirds, but with a very steady meter to provide a platform to hold all nine minutes and thirty seconds of soulful sax solos. Each is worldessly singing the praises of Mort Fega who was at the peak of his career at the time. Unusually this wasn't even the first Jazz tune dedicated to Mr. Fega. In 1959 The Red Garland Trio Plus Ray Baretto recorded Manteca for Prestige (7139). Donald Fagen testified in a 2006 obituary for the man that the song was played on Fega's show regularly:

"I looked forward to Mort’s between-track commentary as much as to the music itself. With Red Garland’s “Mort’s Report” playing softly in the background, Mort, with the grace and enthusiasm that reveals itself only in the most bona-fide jazz lover, would carefully list every soloist and sideman." source

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l6K7AA1-ug[/youtube]

(...)
I dig, oh-oh, rock and roll music
I could really get it on in that scene
I think I could say somethin' if you know what I mean
But if I really say it, the radio won't play it
Unless I lay it between the lines
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rOTKeoAs7M[/youtube]

On the talk back show
On the radio
At the local bar
In the hot traffic by the red tail lights

Playin' for week in Rhode Island
A man came to the stage one night
He smoked a big cigar, drove a Cadillac car
And said boys, I think this band's outta sight
Oh, sign a record company contract
You know I've got great expectations
When I hear you on the car radio you're gonna be a sensation