Richard Weize Presents: The Ultimate Documentation on Nazi Propaganda Music Set to Popular Swing and Jazz Melodies of the Era--by Rainer E. Lotz.

Nazi Airwaves is a monumental archival release curated and produced by Richard Weize and presented on the And More Bears label, offering the most comprehensive documentation ever assembled of Nazi propaganda music set to the popular swing and jazz melodies of the 1930s and 1940s. At the core of this expansive project is the scholarly work of historian Rainer E. Lotz, whose research reconstructs a disturbing yet historically significant chapter of World War II-era broadcasting, in which propaganda was embedded within familiar musical forms to reach international audiences.

Between 1939 and 1943, under the direct influence of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda commissioned the Reichsrundfunk and Deutsche Grammophon to produce nearly 250 recordings designed for psychological warfare. These recordings—performed primarily by Karl “Charlie” Schwedler alongside the Lutz Templin Orchestra, billed as “Charlie and His Orchestra”—reworked well-known jazz standards with newly written anti-British and anti-Jewish lyrics. Distributed via shortwave radio and mail to Allied territories, the broadcasts were intended to demoralize enemy populations while exploiting the global popularity of American swing and jazz idioms.

This deluxe edition marks the first time that all known surviving recordings from this program have been compiled, restored, and presented in their entirety and in chronological sequence. Spanning 162 tracks across six CDs and covering the period from 1936 to 1943, the audio has been meticulously transferred from original shellac discs and remastered by Marc Vich to achieve the highest possible fidelity while preserving historical authenticity. The recordings feature performances in multiple languages—including English, French, German, Dutch, Japanese, and Portuguese—reflecting the international scope of the propaganda effort.

Complementing the audio is an extensive 240-page hardcover book housed within a premium full-color slipcase, providing a deeply researched contextual framework for the material. The book includes complete lyric transcriptions, detailed annotations explaining the propagandistic messaging, and comprehensive essays on the production, dissemination, and reception of these broadcasts. Richly illustrated with rare photographs, reproductions of original record labels, and period sheet music covers, the volume serves as both a historical document and a critical analysis of the intersection between music and ideology.

Despite the overtly propagandistic intent of the recordings, the musical performances themselves—executed by highly skilled jazz musicians—often display remarkable technical proficiency, resulting in a paradoxical body of work that can be appreciated for its musical qualities while simultaneously understood within its historical and political context. Nazi Airwaves stands as an essential release for historians, archivists, and collectors, offering an unflinching examination of how popular music was weaponized during wartime and preserving a complex cultural artifact with unprecedented depth and completeness.

Additional Details

Label: And More Bears

Genre: Jazz

Language: English

Run Time: 79:99 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 09/04/26

UPC: 9783000872129