Monday, April 12th, 2010
Strictly Come Dancing, I know I know…not the greatest show. I still cringe when I think of it. However, I can’t help but have soft spot for this Charleston routine to Pencil Full of Lead by Paolo Nutini. It’s such a tune!
Week 11: Ali Bastian’s Charleston – Click here for more blooper videos
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
The title sort of says it all really. After the second world war we saw a lot more women both playing in bands and heading them up. Quite how anyone manages to conduct an orchestra whilst shimmying about in a sparkly number and balancing all those curls on top of their head is a total mystery to me. You’re unlikely to hear this number on a dance floor, complete with yelps and screams, I always think it sounds rather like the B52s if they’d been born a few decades earlier. However, thanks to the power of YouTube we can enjoy some of it’s more visual qualities.
I think i have said this before but chick+brass=winning combination. Don’t believe me? Ask this girl.
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Discovering new music to add to your collection is a fun process and there are lots of ways of going about it. You might have read that last month I told you about the old swing CDs I discovered at my parent’s house? Well, checking out your current CD and MP3 collection is the best place to start. I can guarantee that you’ll come across some swing tunes that you never knew you had! Friends are a great source of tips and suggestions. I’ve got a mate in Germany who gives me good tips, as do several of my UK friends. Its fun sharing ideas with others, especially if they don’t dance on the same scene as you as they’ll have plenty of new tunes for you. My last tip for finding new music is Lastfm.com. Its simple: pick an artist you like, lets say “Ella Fitzgerald” and it’ll start by live-streaming one of her tunes and will then introduce you to a raft of related artists. Enjoy! March’s top 5 toe tapping toons …
1) “Smooth Sailin’ – Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald: legend. “Smooth Sailin’” is a familiar song on the scene, and a good’un. Its gentle, smooth (well, you kind of get that from the title don’t you) and a fine example of Ella’s talent at scatting – there aren’t any real words in there, all boo be doos etc.. But hey, who needs words!
2) “Let the Good Times Roll” – Kansas City Stompers
The Kansas City Stompers are a Danish band, who’ve apparently been on the scene for 50 years. Wow. They have spent a fair amount of time in the US getting into the New Orleans groove. And the result is sublime. Vocals are by a gal called Sanne Salomonsen.
3) “Goody Goody” – Della Reese
Della’s powerful vocals beckon you to the floor, where with this song you can have fun with some fantastic breaks. Della started singing aged 6 in her local gospel choir in Detroit. Inspired by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday she turned to jazz and joined the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra in 1953. In the 1950s and 1960s Della appeared in many TV shows and was the first black woman to host her own talk show. She’s still singing today and is an ordained minister.
4) “Junco Partner” – Louis Jordon
Every now and again you’ll hear a Latin tune sneak into a swing set. This is a good example of one. It has that Latin feel, but beneath you’ll find a rhythm that you can swing to. Louis started his musical career in the 1930s playing big band swing as a saxophonist for bands such as the Savoy Ballroom Orchestra led by Chick Webb. He later became on the leading practitioners of “jump blues”. Apparently he was married 5 times.
5) “I Love Being Here With You” – Barbara Morrison
I had never heard of Barbara Morrison until a few weeks ago in Bristol, but my word, this woman has a pair of lungs… She started performing aged 10 on her local radio station in Detroit and has still touring today. She sings a range of genres from blues to jazz from gospel to pop and has performed with greats including Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles and Etta James.
Happy listening. And if you have any feedback, or want to share some tunes then leave a comment in the box.
Hannah (AKA Mistress Groove)
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
So imagine that someone took an array of old swing styled tracks and reworked them in a sort of hip hop style, slung in a DJ, A man wielding clarinetist and a very hypnotic female vocalist and brought them all to a bar just off Brick Lane. Sound like fun? Yea, we thought so too. Which is why we’ll be checking out Future Swing Stories at the Redchurch bar after class on Thursdays.
WATTS-ON? Jivers and Jitteries! 18th Of March marks the virgin eve celebration of a boisterous musical period in a” COOL CAT” contempory manner. FUTURE SWING STORIES , Is a night of revised vintage vibes and daredeviling dancing. Kick off your shoes and bust your conk off.
Expect: Swing suit clad men, Jive and Jitterbug dancers galore, man weilding clarinet, specially created early era films and the Londons best swing dj’s, mixing, scratching and mending, blending some of the best knees up audio this side of chicago.
Best of all, they dig Kormac. My new favourite swing mash up act. Don’t believe us? Well don’t take our word for it…have a listen.
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
To say we’ve emerged ‘fresh’ from the first of the girls only workshops with Sharon Davis last night would be stretching the truth slightly. However, we’ve all certainly emerged very excited about next week! So let us indulge ourselves for a little bit (sorry guys) with this archival clip from Night Music, a mini documentary on some of the female jazz bands of the 30’s and 40’s.
If you liked that you should check out this clip of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. Chicks and brass are SUCH a winning combination 
Friday, March 5th, 2010
LIFE magazine, August 1938
“Jitterbugs are extreme Swing addicts who get so excited by its music that they cannot stand or be still while it is being played. They must prace around in wild exhibitionist dances.”
This article is a really interesting insight into the Jitterbug dance craze was perceived by the Jazz scene. Apparently to the ‘hot musician’ the Jitterbugs are plain poison! A rowdy crowd only humoured because they helped to bring prosperity to Swing music. It really is an interesting insight into a different era. It’s quite clear that the author believe that Jitterbug is the worst thing that could have ever happened to Jazz! Perhaps the funniest bit is the photo on page 57 where they have tried to illustrate the effect of Swing on a Jitterbugger. The poor woman looks deranged!
The whole magazine is packed with great articles but this is part of a special feature on Swing – as ‘the hottest and best kind of Jazz reaches it’s Golden Age.’
At the end of the article LIFE compile a list of swing records – apparently from ‘considered opinions of experts!’ ‘They form the nucleus of a good collection for those who want to know more about hot music.’
If you are a Spotify user you can listen to their list of ‘30 Great Hot Records’ here
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Greetings UK Swing Aficionados! Here’s some very exciting news from Australia’s premier swingin’ Big Band…
After six years of performing live – to the acclaim of thousands at corporate, private and public performances in Australia – we constantly field requests for a CD which captures the essence of our exciting Big Band sound, so it’s with great delight that we announce the release of our debut CD – Bounce!
This CD captures the best of B# (that’s ‘B Sharp’ for those of you new to ‘music speak’) to date, and begins another swingin’ journey we want to take you on into the future! It’s our tribute to some of the ground-breaking legends of the original Swing Era, and an acknowledgement of the talent and passion of the B# team in the same tradition today. Bounce! offers you 16 classic Big Band Swing tunes as well as a fabulous 16 page liner note booklet! Tunes we’ve included are ones that our fans have told us they love the most! And as a former Swing Patrol teacher for 6 years in Melbourne, there’s even more reason for me to be excited about this release, with feedback from dancers in Australia confirming that the diversity of tunes on Bounce! are “awesome” and ideal for social dancing!
The B# Big Band consists of Australia’s highest calibre and experienced jazz and session musicians – including those that are regular band members in various theatre productions and T.V. shows. Combined with our ability to re-create the magic of the 30s, 40s and 50s swing eras, you can be assured this CD really swings! And it’s not just Aussies that have discovered our fresh beat over the festive season – discerning music lovers in England, Germany, Poland and Italy have also ordered a copy of Bounce! and sent back fabulous feedback re the selection and quality of tunes!
So, ready to Bounce! with us? Here’s how to find out more and order your copy:
Visit our Bounce! CD page at the ‘Try Booking’ website by clicking here: B# Debut CD – Bounce! The ‘Try Booking’ website is fast, safe and simple! Follow the step-by-step prompts for ‘international orders’, pay by credit card, and we’ll ship your copy (or copies) of Bounce! to you within 7 to 10 days.
And as a Swing Patrol UK special offer, you’ll get 15% off the regular international price of AUD $37 when you enter the ‘discount code’: SWING PATROL as part of the booking process. Easy as that!
With our growing acclaim, we hope to tour the UK someday, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy our swingin’ sounds on Bounce! as much as others currently are.
Any questions, feel free to email me: henry@bsharpbigband.com.au Otherwise, get set to Bounce! with B#.
Cheers,
Henry K & The Swingin’ B# Team
www.bsharpbigband.com.au
Join the B# Mailing List
Friday, February 26th, 2010
The weekend is here again, offering a whole plethora of opportunities to get out and dance! All we have to do is get through Friday. So here is a bit of lunch break inspiration fodder to get you in the mood This clip is from the film Stormy Weather (1943) and features Cab Calloway doing a version of the Jumpin’ Jive. It features an amazing tap break from the Nicholas Brothers about half way through. By the way, anyone who knows for sure what it means to like your eggs on the ‘Jersey side’….PLEASE let us know.
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
The other day I found a raft of swing CDs back at my parents’ house that I hadn’t touched since my teenage big-band years. These poor neglected CDs had been sat gathering dust, completely forgotten, and it was wonderful to stumble across them. It’s been great revisiting old familiar artists and songs with my dancing hat on.
To this month’s pick of swingin’ songs from artists I discovered pre-lindy hop …
1) “A Swinging Safari” – Bert Kaempfert
This is a song that’ll put a spring in your step. You’ll probably know it from the ING advert, or as the theme music of several American TV shows. Bert Kaempfert was a prolific German songwriter and orchestra leader with over 50 albums to his name. After WW2, in which he’d served in the German army as a bandsman, he turned his hand to producing and signed a little known band called “The Beatles” to perform as a backing band.
2) “The Pink Panther Theme” – Hollywood Studio Orchestra
I expect you’re familiar with the clumsy Inspector Clouseau, and have watched the cartoon opening, feet tapping. But have you danced to it yet? This is cool jazz verging on lounge music and is very danceable with the most incredible saxes. Henry Mancini who wrote the song was a pianist and arrangist for the Glen Miller Orchestra, and became a composer for Universal pictures with 20 Grammys to his name.
3) “Hallelujah I love her So” – Ray Charles
Ray Charles – what a Master! Soul, blues, country, gospel, swing: he does it all. This is such a happy song: I can’t get enough of it and have been known to stand at the bus stop subtly (and then not too subtly) executing jazz steps to it on repeat. If you are interested in learning more about Mr Charles, catch the film “Ray”.
4) “Tuxedo Junction” – Glenn Miller
I have to confess that I’m a big Glenn Miller fan. You don’t play in a big band without coming to love his classic tunes. There’s a fair bit of snobbery on the dance scene about Mr Miller, but I say if you like the music and it makes you want to groove then who cares! Tuxedo Junction has long been a favourite of mine – it’s the muted trombone that does it – and no matter how many times it’s played, I still want to get up and dance to it!
5) “Shadrack” – Louis Armstrong
I met Louis as a kid, listening to “The HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy” with his “What a Wonderful World”. “Shadrack” by contrast is a haunting religious song about burning children in fiery furnaces … and their subsequent rescue by angels with snow-white wings. The song is medium tempo with a nice upbeat tempo contrasting to theme.
Happy listening. Let me know what you think of the tunes in the comments section.
Hannah (AKA Mistress Groove)
Monday, February 15th, 2010
I don’t care who you are….everyone loves a great cover version. No one is too cool to enjoy a fresh take on a classic. Bands like Novelle Vague have made a name for themselves covering classic tunes in their unmistakable French lounge style. How often have you typed a song nem into Spotify and got a million versions of it?
Swing is all about covers. Name a swing classic and everyone around you will be able to give you a different band who’ve covered it. But I bet nbot many people can give you the name of a band that have covered eighties tunes in a Django Reinhardt, gypsy guitar swing style?
Enter the Lost Fingers and their new album Lost in the Eighties. I’m a massive fan of their cover of Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertand but that was until I heard their cover of Straight Up by Paula Abdul. It may be love….it’s definitely a Bal classic in the making. Speaking of which…Balboa with Joel Plys and Evita Arce this Wednesday, don’t miss out!
Lost in the Eighties