In my solitude you haunt me With reveries of days gone by In my solitude you taunt me With memories that never die
Those lyrics that Eddie DeLange wrote for Duke Ellington’s classic melody, “(In My) Solitude,” have taken on so much more meaning for all of us these days. For me, though, they have always been all too familiar. Until last August, when I began hosting Midday Jazz here on WBGO, I was the host of Jazz After Hours for almost 24 years.
In radio hosting, which is by definition a solitary profession, that’s a lot of long night watches, a lot of “Will Smith in I Am Legend” moments, a lot of four-in-the-morning in downtown Newark. Until lately, that was when you found Brick City at its quietest.
But even during all those long nights that began for me in 1995, I knew I was never alone. Many of you spent and still spend those nights with us, just as more and more of you spend your days with us as well. Now, as we mourn the passing of legends in our world, we do it together; when we debut something brand new, we do it together; when we hear some old favorites on the air, we are hearing and singing them together. And when we raise the necessary funds that are required to keep WBGO on the air — well, we’re doing that together, too.
So even though my fellow hosts and I are working from our homes these days, we are still united in bringing you the best sound we possibly can. We are still here with you because, as of this month, you have been with us for 41 years plus. And no matter how much the rhythm of the world changes, the beat of WBGO goes on...
(Incidentally, when I hear a voice in my head singing that Ellington favorite, it always belongs to Billie Holiday.)
A healthy and happy spring to you all,
Brian Delp
