Eric Alan Wannenburg (1951 – 2022) was a music institution in his own right. A promoter of radio jazz in South Africa and globally for some 50 years, he passed away peacefully after a debilitating illness in June this year. Eric leaves a legacy of support and passion for professional radio broadcasting focusing on jazz, blues, Latin and the world jazz of South Africa and the global village writes CAROL MARTIN.
Eric was a founding member of Fine Music Radio (FMR) which went live in 1995, and worked as the Program Manager responsible for jazz programming amidst a predominately classic music oriented station. He was also responsible for training new jazz presenters for this new community station, and in 1993, mentored a young FMR Duty Producer, Granville Skippers, who later joined All Jazz Radio as a weekly presenter.
During his tenure, Richard Arends served as Chair of FMR’s Board of Directors, and Rashid Lombard was Station Manager. In 2005, Eric left FMR in to join Radio 2000, a national public broadcast station with the SABC PBS portfolio, where he produced and presented his popular ‘Jazz Rendezvous’ series of weekly three-hour sessions, which included live interviews intermixed with airplay of leading albums, chats about good foods, wines, and all good things that accompany the world of improvised music, blues, Latin, and world jazz.
In 2012, Eric saw the need for a wider exposure and listenership of the growing jazz genre, both within South Africa and globally. Thus, his home radio studio birthed All Jazz Radio as an internet radio station which streams 24/7 jazz ‘live on the net’ on www.alljazzradio.co.za. He left Radio 2000 in 2013, subsequently, to pursue this lifelong dream.
Global jazz village
Each program is streamed live during the day, and repeated twice during the week in the evenings in-between the playlist streaming. The broadcasts can also be streamed from various mobile apps, like TuneIn and Radio South Africa.
As the founder, program and music manager, and compiler for All Jazz Radio, Eric brought on board several jazz radio presenters over the years. Of the Capetonians, Granville Skippers presented his The Mother City Mix; James Kibby presents The Kibby Factor with James “Acid Robot” Kibby; Clifford Graham had presented his Take 5 & Then Some; and Brian Currin focused on local blues and rock in The Vagabond Show.
The global village of radio presenters included Berlin-based Wolfgang König, who produces Jazz Around The World; then there’s Modern Jazz Today with Jeff Williams & Kari Gaffney (US); Todd’s Turntable with Todd Gordon (UK); Smooth Jazz Weekend with Tina E Clarke (US) and The Groove Merchant with Andy Hardy (NZ).
Eric presented his The Jazz Rendezvous Radio Pinotage, Coffee, Sarmie (Sandwich) & Stockvel Show, which included ‘In Conversation with’. His ‘The Klutz In The Kitchen’ segment presented zany and sometimes irreverent chats with Chefs and restaurateurs about recipes, artisanal wines, liquors, and beers, and how to lick your fat fingers delicately.
Wingerd Griep en Ander Stories (Vineyard Flu and Other Stories, also known as The Wrath of the Grape) debunked many of the myths of enjoying and drinking wine, spirits and beer with a special focus on artisanal products.
Making jazz accessible
Before his professional broadcasting days began, Eric had been a club DJ and chef/restaurant owner with a penchant for South Africa’s finest Pinotage. Since he collected recipe books, he added books and albums about jazz, blues, Latin and world jazz to his cluttered shelves.
He made sure the written word about the world of jazz was accessible and informative to avid listeners and readers. The All Jazz Radio website contains a section for this – including his ‘Blog Supreme’ with quirky chats, reviews, and comments about the food-wine-jazz world of quality cuisine supported by quality live jazz. Other writers, like myself, Carol M. Martin’s reviews and interviews are found under ‘Carol’s Musings’.
Sadly Eric’s shows drained his time away; his energies had to be diverted to the necessary tasks of organising and cataloguing all incoming albums he received from all over the world, daily.
Thanks to contributions from the volunteer contributors named above and to Eric’s passion and leadership, All Jazz Radio received various awards and acknowledgements since inception.
Eric leaves behind many colleagues and close friends. His wishes are that the AJR Radio station continue to promote its mission. Friends can join the various media platforms, such as TuneIn and Radio South Africa apps, on Facebook pages here and here.
What: Eric Alan Wannenburg All Jazz Radio
Twitter: @AllJazzRadioSA
Internet Radio: Here
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