Meet the WETF Family

Eliud Villanueva

Founder of WETF-LP 107.5 FM, station manager/engineer, host of “The Latest”, "Front Row Seat" and co-host (with wife Laurie) of “Happy Birthday, Dear Jazz Artist.”

Stephen Merriman

Eliud Villanueva

WETF founding board member, renowned jazz drummer in the region, co-founder of and producer for Merrimans’ Playhouse, South Bend’s only jazz club, and co-host of “This Is The Gig.”

Mary Merriman

Eliud Villanueva

Brent Banulis

WETF founding board member, accomplished jazz bassist, co-founder of and producer for Merrimans’ Playhouse and co-host of “This Is The Gig.” For information on Merrimans’ Playhouse, visit its website at www.merrimansplayhouse.org

Brent Banulis

Mike Finnerty (a.k.a. The Phantom of the Bopera)

Brent Banulis

WETF board member, founder of the New England Jazz Hall of Fame, WETF program director, host of “Collector’s Choice,” “Jazz for Kids,” “Saturday Night/Last Call,” and “Big Band Blowout.”

Glenda Rae Hernandez

Mike Finnerty (a.k.a. The Phantom of the Bopera)

Founding member of the WETF board, and the station’s secretary/treasurer.

Mike Finnerty (a.k.a. The Phantom of the Bopera)

Jazz tenor man, moved to South Bend from Chicago, the newest member of the WETF board and host of “Collector’s Choice" and "Swinging with Mike"

David Basse

Host of “Classic Jazz”, began broadcasting career at Kansas University decades ago, creator of NPR comedy/jazz series “Twelfth Street Jump”.

Ed Bride

David Basse

Founder of Villanova University’s jazz festival, the Berkshire’s Jazz Group, and the Pittsfield (Mass.) jazz festival. One of the foremost authorities on the music of Stan Kenton and host of WETF’s “Kenton Specials.”

John Clark

David Basse

John Clark

Clarinetist, sax man and leader of “The Wolverines”, one of the nation’s most highly acclaimed exponents of “traditional” jazz; a highly respected researcher and lecturer on the subject and host of “Jazz Focus.” For more on the Wolverines and Clark’s writings, research and podcasts, visit www.John Clark/New England Traditional Jazz Plus.

Mark Chilla

Steve Cushing

John Clark

WFIU-FM (Bloomington, Ind) program director and host of “Afterglow,” a weekly feature on the American Songbook and interpretations of it by jazz artists and others.

Steve Cushing

Host of “Jazz Oasis,” which is out of Public Radio station WDCB in Glen Ellyn-Chicago and which focuses on “modern jazz.” described by Cushing as the Golden Age of the genre, 1946-64.

Jay Daniels

Vocalist/pianist, record collector, host of “Simply Timeless” which originates from New York City.

Larry Dwyer

Jay Daniels

Host of “Jazz for Everyone,” pianist/trombonist, leader of the most popular jazz trio in South Bend for decades, director of jazz studies at Notre Dame.

Mark Gridley

Jay Daniels

Mark Gridley

Award-winning jazz flutist, host of “Reflections on Jazz Styles,” author of America’s most widely used introductions to jazz: “Jazz Styles” and its abridged edition, “Concise Guide to Jazz.” To hear podcasts or read articles by Gridley, go to www.jazzstyles.net

Russ Hamer

Monika Herzig

Mark Gridley

Host of the “Afro-Cuban and Latin Jazz” hour, became deeply appreciative of jazz in Central and South America after having lived in Brazil for several years.

Monika Herzig

Host of “Jazz Talk”, jazz pianist, composer, entrepreneur and author or "David Baker: A Legacy in Music" and "Experiencing Chick Corea: A Listener's Companion", leader of international touring group Sheroes, Indiana University Bloomington Arts Administration faculty and editor of "Jazz Education in Research and Practice"

http://www.monikaherzig.com

Eric Jackson

Monika Herzig

The “Dean of Boston Jazz Radio”, host of “Eric in the Evening” out of WGBH-FM, has been on the air since 1969.

David Brent Johnson

Host of “Night Lights” originating out of WFIU in Bloomington and featuring jazz,1945-90 — a time span that Johnson notes “weirdly parallels Miles Davis’s recordings and the Cold War.”

Bonnie Johnson

David Brent Johnson

Host of “Colors of Jazz” out of WICN, which emphasizes the diversity and evolution of the music.

Joan Merrill

David Brent Johnson

Joan Merrill

Host of “The Vocalists with JM Jazz”, producer of 14 “Jazz Profiles” shows for NPR, representative for major jazz singers, wrote liner notes, produced several records and websites, including carmenmcrae.com, and the documentary film “Say It With Jazz.” Lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Jon Pollack

Scott Prebys

Joan Merrill

One of the Boston area’s most veteran jazz hosts, whose show, “Jazz Train”, originates from WMBR-FM on the MIT campus in Cambridge.

Scott Prebys

Native son of South Bend, jazz percussionist, retired director of jazz studies at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. Host of “Prebys on Jazz” which originates on the “Prairie Public Radio” network.

Tom Reney

Peter Sokolowski

Historian, author of books and articles on jazz, longtime host of “Jazz a la Mode” which is simulcast out of New England Public Radio in Springfield/Amherst, Mass. For a look at Reney’s podcasts and published works, including profiles and obituaries on significant jazz artists, club owners, producers, journalists and broadcasters, search the internet for JazzBeat with Tom Reney .

Peter Sokolowski

Alternate voice of “Jazz a la Mode” from New England Public Radio, freelance musician, blogger and podcaster.

Bex Taylor

Peter Sokolowski

Bex Taylor

Alternate host of “Jazz a la Mode out of Springfield/Amherst, Mass. Former station manager at WMUA-Amherst and host of a Sunday morning show, “Jazz, Taylormade”, on WRNX.

Dick Vacca

Bex Taylor

Alternate host for Brent Banulis on Wednesday’s “Collector’s Choice/Jazz From New England” series, author of “Boston Jazz Chronicles”, the definitive history of jazz in Boston. For a look at his archival material and latest articles, visit www.troystreet.com