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Jerry Blavat Hijacked

For a long time, I’ve wanted a “VCR for radio” so I could time-shift radio programs. Maybe there is such a thing, but I never saw one, although I guess I could have rigged up a tape recorder and a timer... if I were MacGyver. Now that most radio stations can be heard online, software has made my dream come true as there are several apps available that can record on a schedule. The two I looked at are WireTap Pro and Audio Hijack Pro. (I guess I’m a sucker for anything named Pro). I decided on Audio Hijack Pro, which works by “hijacking” the audio output from an application. Because it can record from a specific application instead of just taping the system output, it is possible to record two programs at once, or listen to one program while recording another.

Before leaving for work Saturday night, I set the timer to record Jerry Blavat’s new show on WXPN, “The Geator’s Rock and Roll Rhythm & Blues Express.” When I posted about this new show, I was incredulous that Blavat had found a welcoming home at WXPN. I hadn’t heard Jerry Blavat on the air in over 30 years, so I was very curious to hear just how much he would clash with the XPN gestalt. I imagined his show would be some kind of oldies/nostalgia festival, but Blavat introduced his selections with fascinating historical anecdotes about the music, the musicians, and the record industry. I like a little history with my music, and enjoy shows like “American Routes” and Philly’s own “The Historical Approach to the Positive Music,” hosted by Harrison Ridley, Jr., so this show hit my weak spot hard. At one point, Jerry even said, “We not only play, we not only explore, we also educate.” I’m all ears, professor.

This episode covered the Chicago music scene in the Fifties. After listening to a few songs, most of which were new to me, I began to understand why the show is called “Rock and Roll Rhythm & Blues.” Many of these songs really were hybrids of both styles.

By the way, Audio Hijack performed flawlessly. I chose 8 kHz mono for the recording, so not only did the whole hour take up only 60 megabytes, but the audio quality reminded me of AM radio where so much of this music made its debut. The show was scheduled to last an hour, but it was rudely interrupted by Penn basketball coverage. In spite of that, you can bet I’ll be renewing my WXPN membership.