UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 29, Page 7
April 30, 1992
WXDR DJ: Gloria James

          Name:        Gloria James
          Show:        Avenue C
          Time:        10 p.m.-1 a.m., Thursday
          Occupation:  Doctoral candidate, social worker

     Gloria James' debut on WXDR's "Avenue C" jazz show three years
ago was not her first experience behind the microphone. Before coming
to Delaware, she was a part-time professional disc jockey playing
gospel, jazz and top-40 music at WJDY, a Salisbury, Md., commercial
station.
     The format James uses for her night of "Avenue C" differs from
what the other jazz DJs play. She explained that there are three kinds
of jazz: traditional (also called progressive), avant-garde and
fusion. Traditional jazz, the type the other "Avenue C" DJs favor,
includes styles like big band sounds, Clifford Brown and Wynton
Marsalas. Fusion jazz, James' preference, is more contemporary,
including artists like Grover Washington Jr. and Kenny G.
     A doctoral candidate in lifespan development with a concentration
in gerontology at Delaware, James works full-time for the Department
of Health and Social Services' Division of the Aging. She described
her work and study schedule as "taxing," but her radio time as
"relaxing" and a "positive release." It's a reciprocal experience that
energizes her because she touches her audience through her music, and
she gains satisfaction from that, she said.
     Although listeners were critical of the format at first, she
said, her show, "The Progressive Side," has now found an audience. Her
listeners comfortable enough with her show that they even call in
dedications and requests-something she said is not common on jazz
shows.
     She did not relate to jazz until she began listening to artists
such as Washington and Sanborn, she said, calling her show a "bridging
force," which introduces her audience to jazz.
     "If you really believe in something, you must follow that note,"
James explained.
     -Laura Reisinger