Donnie McKethan's "The American Song Book" on WPFW-FM

December 17, 6:02 PMClassic TV ExaminerDoug Krentzlin

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                            Francis Albert Sinatra 

"The American Song Book,” WPFW, 89.3-FM, Sundays, 2 – 4 p.m.

Good news for those who love classic jazz! Donnie McKethan, who has inherited the throne once occupied by the late, great Felix Grant as the King of D.C. Jazz DJs, has started a brand new show on Sunday afternoons. The show is called “The American Song Book” and it is a perfect showcase for McKethan’s impeccable taste in music and musicians. (For more info or to listen to archives, visit www.wpfw.org.)

“My radio career began in 1993 at a small AM station in Bethesda,” Donnie says, “I worked there on Saturday mornings playing the kind of music that I play currently. I moved to WPFW in 1999 and worked the 3 to 6 a.m. shift on Wednesdays until 2004, when I moved to Thursday evenings.”

According to Donnie, “’The American Song Book’ is the honoring of the great composers, such as Gershwin, Berlin, Mercer, Kern, Ellington and the great artists who render their work.”

As to those artists, McKethan’s three favorites are Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and the man he invariably refers to as Francis Albert Sinatra. (As with his Thursday show, a half an hour each Sunday will be dedicated to Sinatra.) “They mean so much to me because of their unselfconscious artistry,” says Donnie.

Donnie sums up his devotion to this music with, “My feeling about jazz is that I am proud that it is an original American art form.” For those of us who share his passion, his new show is one more reason to look forward to lazy day Sundays.