WFUV Second Annual Big Broadcast “Rent Party”

The Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Terry Burrell, Bryan Wright
and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks Perform at
The Second Annual Big Broadcast “Rent Party”
Wednesday, October 20th at 7:00 PM

New York, NY – The Second Annual Big Broadcast “Rent Party,” an evening of music with Jazz Age roots benefiting WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org), will take place on Wednesday, October 20th at 7:00 PM at 320 Park Avenue. The event will include performances by The Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Terry Burrell, Bryan Wright and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, while Big Broadcast host Rich Conaty emcees throughout the evening. Tickets include cocktails, buffet dinner and performance and are available at $2,000 for tables of four and $500 or $250 for individuals. More information can be found at www.wfuv.org/bigbroadcast.


In the 1920s, money-crunched New Yorkers would throw “rent parties” to raise some fast cash. Entertaining their guests with performances by singers and jazz bands, hosts would raise funds to meet their month’s rent. Public radio station WFUV will revive this ritual at the Big Broadcast Rent Party, where performers will pay homage to Milton Ager, whose hits included “Ain’t She Sweet,“ “Happy Days are Here Again” and “Happy Feet,“ which was performed by The Manhattan Rhythm Kings and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks in Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator.“ In an additional nod to the era, a part of ragtime pianist Bryan Wright’s performance will be captured on original 100 year-old Edison cylinder recording equipment by phonograph expert Peter Dilg.

“We’re all very excited to present another evening of this wonderful music in such an unmatched setting. And we hope to capture the fun an excitement found the grooves of those old 78 RPM records I get to play on the program every week,” says Conaty, who has been hosting the program since 1973.

“Rich is doing important work with his program on WFUV and his listeners came out to last year’s rent party in full force to show their appreciation. Everybody seemed to have so much fun that we decided to make the rent party an annual tradition,” said WFUV General Manager Ralph Jennings.

Airing on WFUV every Sunday evening at 8:00 PM, The Big Broadcast has featured classic jazz and pop tunes of the 1920s and '30s for more than 35 years, and its focus has remained on the vast amount of music produced in this relatively brief period. Over the years the program has expanded from one to four hours and has found loyal online listeners as far away as Hawaii, Australia and Thailand.

The Manhattan Rhythm Kings started performing together on the sidewalks of New York in 1980 and graduated to playing cabarets, colleges and concert halls across the country. In 1992, they were featured as Mingo, Moose, and Sam, a trio of crooning bumpkins, in the “new” Tony Award-winning Gershwin musical “Crazy for You.” �

Terry Burrell's Broadway credits include “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Swinging On A Star,” Stephen Sondheim’s “Into The Woods,” Michael Bennett’s “Dreamgirls,” “Honky Tonk Nights,” “Eubie” and the first London production of “Showboat.” In addition, Terry is a seasoned cabaret artist who’s performed her nightclub act for audiences from Monte Carlo to the Caribbean.

Bryan Wright began piano studies at the age of fivee and holds degrees in Musicology from the College of William and Mary and the University of Pittsburgh. He has hosted popular radio programs dedicated to ragtime, traditional jazz and big bands. Wright founded Rivermont Records in 2004 as a way of preserving music for the first half of the 20th century.

A big-band historian and collector, Vince Giordano has more than 60,000 scores in his collection. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks are renowned on the New York scene for their commitment to preserving and authentically presenting 1920s and ‘30s jazz and popular music. He and his band can be seen currently in Martin Scorsese’s HBO’s series “Boardwalk Empire.” Vince and The Nighthawks perform every Monday and Tuesday evenings at Sofia’s Restaurant/ Club Cache.

For press passes to the Big Broadcast Rent Party, please contact Eva Dilmanian, 646-675-8550 or eva@buzzwordpr.com.

WFUV is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station, licensed to Fordham University for over 60 years. Serving the New York area as well as an international audience on the web, and a leader in contemporary music radio, WFUV is Rock & Roots Radio, offering an eclectic mix of rock, singer-songwriters, blues, world and other music, plus headlines from National Public Radio and local news.