Jack's Big Music Show
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| Jack's Big Music Show | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Children's |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes approx. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Noggin |
| Picture format | NTSC (480i) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | September 12, 2005 – April 1, 2007 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Jack's Big Music Show is a children's television program shown on the Noggin television network. The show premiered on September 12, 2005.
The main characters are Jack, his best friend Mary, and his drum-playing dog Mel, all of whom are puppets. The show takes place in Jack's backyard clubhouse, and centers on the characters' love for music. Each episode runs without commercials for a duration of approximately 22 minutes. The characters play music in every episode, and are often accompanied by other puppets or human musicians. Each episode also features two music videos by children's musical artists.
According to Noggin's website:
- The mission of Jack’s Big Music Show is to expose and foster an appreciation of music. Music and musical instruments help children expand their universe and develop memory, language, literacy, and reasoning skills as well as the cognitive, social, and motor skills that are needed to excel in school.[1]
The show is produced by Spiffy Pictures—David Rudman, Todd Hannert, and Adam Rudman. David Rudman, who also stars as Jack, is a veteran of the long-running public TV children's show Sesame Street, playing such popular Muppets as Baby Bear, Cookie Monster, and half of the Two-Headed Monster. Adam Rudman won six Emmys for his writing on Sesame Street;[2] Mary's Alice Dinnean and Mel's John Kennedy are also Sesame Street alums.
The popularity of the show makes the idea of appearing on it attractive to musicians. An executive at Noggin says that they're "clamoring to get onto Jack's Big Music Show."[3]
Contents |
[edit] Guest Puppets
- The Little Bad Wolf
- The Bongo Birds
- The Bugs
- Henry the Monster
- Animal Music Camp
- The Squirrels
- Gertrude the Groundhog
- Scat Cat
- Phil the Coo-Coo Bird
- Leonard the Country Squirrel
- Spunky the Alien
[edit] Guest musicians
Most episodes feature a music video by popular children's musician Laurie Berkner. The music videos are produced by SnapFilms in New York.
Musician Cathy Richardson joins the characters in the clubhouse in multiple episodes, and also provides the voice of Jack's mother, who speaks off-camera with Jack at the beginning and end of every episode. When she appears in the clubhouse, she greets Mel with the catchphrase "What up, dawg?"
In one episode, Chicago blues legend and guitarist Buddy Guy appears as the "King of Swing," Jack's favorite musician. In another episode, violinist and vocalist Anne Harris appears as "Prudence," the music genie who especially loves yodeling.
Other musicians featured on the show, appearing either in videos or with the puppets, include:
- Yolanda Adams
- Andrew Bird
- Steve Burns (formerly of Blue's Clues) & Steven Drozd (of the Flaming Lips)
- Comic Book Heroes
- Guy Davis
- Dirty Sock Funtime Band
- Rebecca Frezza
- Hot Peas 'N Butter
- Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town
- The Mighty Weaklings
- Milkshake
- Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb (formerly Liz and Lisa)
- Music for Aardvarks & Other Mammals
- Jamia Simone Nash
- Nuttin But Stringz
- Cathy Richardson
- Audra Rox
- Sweet Honey in the Rock
- Dan Zanes
[edit] Influences
In an interview on the Nick Jr. website, Rudman says that The Jack Benny Show was an influence on Jack's Big Music Show (along with The Little Rascals).[4] The names Jack, Mary, Mel, and the "Schwartzman Quartet" are references to characters on The Jack Benny Show (Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Mel Blanc, and the Sportsmen Quartet).
Hannert says that the music is influenced by Chuck Berry and the whole history of rock and roll.[citation needed]
[edit] Episode guide
[edit] Season One
First aired September 2005–February 2006
| Episode title | Guests | Songs performed |
|---|---|---|
| Little Bad Wolf | Laurie Berkner |
"Mary Had an Accordion", "The Little Bad Wolf Had a Tuba", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "My Energy", "Music Everywhere" |
| How Mel Got His Groove Back | Cathy Richardson |
"Listen to the Animals", "Every Animal Has Its Groove", "Mel the Meowing Dog", "Mister", "I Like It That Way" |
| The Music Genie | Anne Harris Laurie Berkner |
"Mel's Musical Trunk", "Prudence", "Yodel", "Under a Shady Tree", "Number 1" |
| The Bongo Bird | Laurie Berkner |
"Yeah Yeah Yeah" "The Song of the Bongo Bird", "Bongo Bird Beat", "Bongo Bird Lullaby", "I Know a Chicken", "Bongo Bird" |
| Marching Band | Cathy Richardson |
"Marching Song", "Rain Rain Go Away", "Rhythms Around You", "Boots", "Bottle of Sunshine" |
| Bug Love | Laurie Berkner Rebecca Frezza |
"Loud Sound/Soft Sound", "A Pretty Good Bug", "Bugs Are Really Swell", "I'm Me and You're You", "B3" |
| Mel's Super Swell Dance Party | Tracey Ellert Cathy Richardson |
"Dance How You Like", "The Mel Polka", "Rock and Roll Freeze Dance", "The Me Dance", "I Really Love to Dance", "Dino-Sauring" |
| Space Opera | Laurie Berkner Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town |
"Mary's Opera", "Space Explorer", "Space Opera", "What Are They Gonna Do About That?", "I'm Not Perfect", "I'm Glad" |
| Grow Daddio | Cathy Richardson Laurie Berkner |
"Where Is Mary?", "What Will Arthur Grow Up to Be?", "Playin' Jazz", "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary", "Running Down the Hill", "H2O + O2 + Sun" |
| The Grumpy Squirrel | Laurie Berkner Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals |
"It's Fun to Invent Your Own Instrument", "Clap Your Hands", "Lullaby", "Music Is the Best", "I'm Gonna Catch You", "Grumpy" |
| King of Swing | Buddy Guy |
"The Welcome Song", "List", "Shama-Lama", "Clean It Up", "New Shoes" |
| The Music Monster | Laurie Berkner Milkshake |
"This Song", "If You're Scary and You Know It", "Monster Boogie", "Scared" |
| Silly Show | Laurie Berkner Hot Peas 'n Butter |
"Twinkle Twankle", "Baloney Sandwich", "We Feel Silly", "Googleheads", "Deep Down" |
[edit] Season Two
First aired January 2007–April 2007
| Episode title | Guests | Songs performed |
|---|---|---|
| Snow Day | Anne Harris Laurie Berkner |
"Beach Party", "Wiki Wiki Hele", "Sing a Winter Song", "Mahalo", "Polar Bear" |
| Leonard the Country Squirrel | Laurie Berkner The Dirty Sock Funtime Band |
"Found Sounds", "We're a Jugband", "Jugband Jamboree", "I Am a Sad Squirrel", "I Am a Happy Squirrel", "Farm Song", "No Good Reason to Party" |
| Spunky the Alien | Laurie Berkner The Mighty Weaklings |
"Yo Yo Yo", "Gotta Power Up", "Spunky's Lament", "Fleeber", "Rocketship Run", "Rocketship" |
| Jack Bunny | Anne Harris Laurie Berkner |
"Mel the Musical Magical Magician", "The Hop", "Bugle Bunnies", "Magic Box", "Wombo Lombo" |
| Phil the Coo-Coo Bird | Laurie Berkner Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals |
"The Twisty Twist", "The Dance", "Phil the Coo-Coo Bird", "The Coo-Coo Bird", "Who's That?", "Move Your Feet" |
| Jack's Big Oops! | Andrew Bird J. Walter Hawkes |
"Strings", "Dr. Strings", "Just Tell the Truth", "What Have I Got to Lose?", "Thunder" |
| Jack's Big Orchestra | Laurie Berkner Dirty Sock Funtime Band |
"Being a Conductor Would Rock", "Sneaks", "Super Spies" |
| Scat Cat | Laurie Berkner |
"I Have A Friend (Super Swell Friends)", "Scat-Scat-a-Tat-Tat", "The Wiggle Dance", "The Cat Came Back", "You're the One Who's Made for Me and I Was Made for You" |
| Groundhog Day | Laurie Berkner Steve, Burns and Steven Drozd |
"Hip Hip Hooray For Groundhog Day", "First Day of Preschool", "When Will Spring Be Sprung?", "I Had a Friend", "I Hog the Ground" |
| Super Swell Sing-Along | Laurie Berkner & Susie Lampert Rebekah Jordan |
"Sing-Along Song", "Samba", "Just Stopped By", "Down at the Barbershop", "Green", "I Like to Rap", "This Is Zydeco", "Jenny Jenkins" |
| Laurie's Big Song | Laurie Berkner Comic Book Heroes |
"Get on the Train", "A Little Bitty Rhythm", "It's Hard to Call an Elephant Without an Elephant Call", "Purple People Eater", "Duck 4" |
| Mel's Bath Day | Cheryl Hines Laurie Berkner |
"You Must Take a Bath", "Super Sudsy Bubblestein Bubbles", "I'm a Mess", "I Hope My Mama Says Yes" |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | Tyler Bunch Laurie Berkner |
"Up", "Sha-La-La", "Anyone Can Make a Song", "In the Clouds" |
[edit] References
- ^ Learning Goals and Activities Noggin Website
- ^ 'Sesame Street' alums add zip to 'Jack's Big Music Show', Jeanne Spreier, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 12, 2005
- ^ Kindie Rock, Scott Lamb, Salon.com, June 24, 2006
- ^ Meet the Creators of Jack's Big Music Show Nick Jr. Website
[edit] External links
- Jack's Big Music Show Noggin Website
- Spiffy Pictures
- SnapFilms
