𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔

A month and a half ago, a wonderful human being whom I admired deeply and was fortunate to be close to passed away. The grief was intense and it kept coming back inexorably in waves that drowned my soul in sorrow in the ensuing weeks. Fr. George Johnson was primarily the parish priest of an Orthodox Church, but his mastery was not confined to theology and religion but also to fields as disparate as English literature and music, both classical and popular, and also, of course, religious music, which he was skilled enough to compose.

Nearly ten years ago, while in informal conversation with his wife Matushka (Mother) Deborah Johnson, our discussion somehow veered to the subject of American music, specifically jazz. I am by no means an expert in that genre of music, but I mentioned to Matushka, to her complete surprise, that I had, decades ago, growing up on the other side of the world, loved listening to jazz over Voice of America shortwave radio transmissions almost every evening. As if that was not enough of a surprise, I added that the program I listened to was ‘Music USA Jazz’ presented by a polished gentleman by the name of Willis Conover. I could have knocked Matushka over with a feather when I mentioned being a jazz aficionado in a distant land admiring Willis Conover.

At that time, five decades ago, television was still confined to metropolises and had not come to my small town yet and the Internet was not even a distant dream. In that era, shortwave radio was the only medium for international connectivity, information, and entertainment. I was blessed to have at home a massive – by modern standards – Telefunken tube (valve) radio that was made, as proudly stated on the front, in “Western Germany.”

A wire antenna slung from trees in the yard was enough to pull in crystal clear audio from stations like the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Voice of America (VOA), Deutsche Welle, Radio Nederland, Radio France, Radio Australia, Radio Moscow, and whole slew of stations from all around the world. Shortwave radio provided, in addition to news, entertainment in the form of radio drama, comedy, and a wide variety of music – pop, rock, country, classical, jazz, you name it.

Willis Conover’s music programs, whether it was the ‘Voice of America Jazz Hour’ or ‘Music USA Standards,’ presented with laidback elegance in his baritone voice, were completely charming. I was hooked from the first time I listened to his music programs. Here is a short YouTube clip that will bring back memories to those listened to Conover and to those who were less fortunate, it will provide a taste of what it was like.

Willis Conover_VOA Jazz Hour intro_June 1981.flv

Getting back to our conversation, there was an even bigger surprise from Matushka Deborah that awaited me. She told me that her father, John Garvey, was himself a jazz musician. Not just that but also an academic and musician at the University of Illinois and he had led the ‘Jazz Big Band’ of that university till his retirement.

Here’s a short clip of the ‘Jazz Big Band’ with John Garvey, Matushka Deborah’s father, conducting.

University of Illinois Jazz Band TV Broadcast 1978

I was at a loss for words. What are the chances that there was something in common that connected the two of us over decades and across thousands of miles. But the surprises did not end there. Matushka Deborah added that the Department of State had sponsored the University of Illinois ‘Jazz Big Band’ for a trip of the former USSR in 1969.

And then I remembered how popular Conover’s ‘Voice of America Jazz Hour’ was behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War years, both in the USSR and in Eastern Europe. He had made several trips to those countries apparently sponsored by the US government. As a matter of fact, Conover’s jazz programs were so popular that he enjoyed celebrity status in those countries, especially the Soviet Union and Poland. Ironically, at home in the US, he almost unknown because Voice of America programs were broadcast primarily to overseas audiences.

A couple of days ago Matushka Deborah handed me a tastefully wrapped gift. Approximately a foot (30 cm) square and about 3 inches (7 cm) thick, the package was unexpectedly heavy for its size. When I unwrapped the gift, it almost brought tears to my eyes. Inside was a boxed set of ‘The Complete Commodore Jazz Recordings – Volume I” containing 23 (no less!) mint LP records. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Matushka Deborah!

Willis Conover, John Garvey, and Fr. George would all have smiled in approval.