Thursday, February 11th, 2010
I know it’s very British to talk about the weather but hasn’t it been funny lately? 
On the weather theme take a look at this brilliant clip from the 1942 film “The Powers Girl” featuring Benny Goodman. If you watch closely through the rain and the ‘old movie’ haze there’s some lovely dancing from Dean Collins and Jewel McGowan. Not to mention a whole load of sliding around. Enjoy
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
“Imagine if David Lynch had discovered a time machine with the dial stuck on 1950 and decided to send a Soho nightclub back through it. Then listen to Sweet Tooth.” Big Cheese magazine
There’s been a great deal of buzz about electro swing lately and any keen listener should not miss out on the irresistible sounds of London based band Sweet Tooth. I’ve had their new Charleston inspired release Venus in Hollywood blasting out my laptop since they put in on their MySpace last week. Sit back, close your eyes and let their sultry retro lounge pop transport you to another time. Don’t forget…you heard it here first.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
It’s easy to get addicted to live swing music and TJ Johnson bring a sound and energy that swing dancers have fallen in love with. The usual challenge though is that TJ Johnson play in a lot of places where we haven’t much room to dance so we are so excited to announce a special night where we can all dance to this amazing group of musicians…and have lots of room to properly swing out! This is a rare opportunity to dance for FREE to this great group of musicians.
When TJ and his team are chilling we have old skool swinging DJ Shellzapoppin in the house for your pleasure.
We’ll be running a two classes before the gig to get you in the mood. If you want to come and learn some dips, tricks and tip for your swing outs then click here to find out more.
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
You’ve just started dancing, you love the music, but just don’t know where to start when it comes to buying your own tunes. Sound familiar? It’s exactly how I felt when I first started. I remember asking a mate from my Sunday class and he came up with “Louis Jordon, you can’t go wrong with him”. In retrospect, Louis probably isn’t the most obvious choice, although enjoyable, and if you asked me now I’d probably direct you towards Count Basie, one of the greatest big band leaders.
I’ve recently been discovering a lot of bands playing around the world at the moment. So my choices today are going to be a mix of the old and the new.
So, to the top 5 for January…
1) “Big Fine Daddy” by Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
This track opens with an awesome blast of brass and sax and then Lavay comes in with her beautifully silky, biting voice and you can’t help but want to groove along. An American band, blues influenced, they’re based in San Francisco and apparently even Bill Clinton is a fan! www.lavaysmith.com
2) “Splanky” by Count Basie
What a tune! The piano tempts us in, the trombones greet us and gently call to the saxophones who playfully answer, building up to a crescendo of brass reminiscent of a cop show of the 1970s. Your feet will be tapping from the first beat.
3) “Long Gone John” by Gordon Webster
A bouncy, feel good tune with a Caribbean lilt and some great trombone slides. A Canadian jazz pianist and swing dancer, Gordon Webster (and band) has just released a new album, “Happy When I’m With You,” written especially for swing dancers. (Free song download on his website www.gordonwebsterswings.com)
4) “The Fox” by Ray Anthony
Another bouncy one, that’ll beckon you to the floor – classic 50s big band I’d say. An American, Ray Anthony cut his teeth with the Glen Miller band in the early 1940s as a trumpeter, and then went on to form his successful dance band, The Ray Anthony Orchestra. Interesting fact, Ray dabbled with film acting in the 1940s and 50s and even had his own TV show. As far as I can tell, the man is still alive and well into his late 80s.
5) “Shout Sister Shout” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
I just love this song with Rosetta’s alluring and gritty voice. Brought up a gospel singer, Rosetta made waves in the 1930s when she mixed sacred and secular in her first recordings with the Lucky Millinder orchestra. She went on to play with Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway and much later, when she switched to blues, Muddy Waters.
That’s it for now. Happy listening. And let us know what you think of the tunes!
Hannah (AKA Mistress Groove)
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
If were at the recent Swing Pit then chances are you have heard a few tracks from this great compilation. We stumbled across it on Spotify. While not strictly Swing it’s got some amazing tracks on it, although as you probably guessed, they’re mostly a bit rude. Our favourites include Big Long Slidin’ Thing by Dinah Washington (it’s about a trombone…honest) and Walking Blues by Fluffy Hunter. A lot of rhythm, a bit of blues and just a dash (well, maybe a bit more) of sex. Enjoy!
Listen on Spotify
