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

Share

Ladies and gentlemen meet Buddy Guy…

Now meet Gui Cavalcanti and Jenn Martinez, blues dancers, in love, getting married and on a campaign to get above-mention King of Blues to play at their wedding. Yes that’s right, their wedding!  Crate & Barrel is sponsoring a contest with a $100,000 prize towards the wedding of your choice meaning if Jenn and Gui can muster enough votes they would be able to pay Buddy Guy and his band the small sum of $75,000 (plus a rider…i know) to play at their wedding.

Bonkers? Maybe. Adorable? Absolutely. Go on, do it for Blues dancing and do it for romance. Get involved on facebook or directly at the Ultimate Wedding Contest and save them from this guy.

Share

To say we’re pretty excited to be offering GIRLS ONLY EVENINGS with Sharon Davis from Wed Mar 10, 17 & 24 is a bit of an understatement. Sharon hails from Perth Australia but these days spends spends most of her time teaching and performing around the world with her dance partner Juan Villafane (Argentina), and dance troupe The Killer Dillers.  Sharon is also a founder of Australian burlesque company Sugar Blue Burlesque, with which she has delighted audiences with her graceful feather fan dances and sassy showgirl antics. You can see her show reel here..

Sold? Yeah….we thought so. Register now to avoid disappointment! Sharon will be teaching two course at two levels in Solo Jazz for Girls and Josephine Baker (Bananas optional). This is an amazing treat for the ladies…! Never heard of Josephine? Allow us us enlighten you…

Share

Hang on hang on! Despite the dodgy title…it’s not what you think. That said, there’s more flashes of satin pants in this than your average Anne Summers. Take a look at this great vintage clip we stumbled accross on YouTube. A bit of a Swinging threesome if you will. Albeit a classy version. Oh the moves….

Share

Hands up if you enjoyed the Balboa workshop with Joel Plys and Evita Arce last night. Mmmm….learning Balboa from two international stars? Who wouldn’t enjoy that? Well,we thought any Spotify users among you might appreciate a Spotify playlist with some Balboa – slow and fast, new and old. Enjoy!

All you new Bal addicts should hurry and get signed up for Balboa: Beyond the Basics workshop with Heidi Salerno and Steve Garrett on the 4th March. Famous for their amazing and creative footwork, Steve & Heidi teach Balboa as it was done by the old-timers and Bal-Swing & LA Style Lindy Hop with their very own style and flair and what they call JitterBal, their fun and exciting combination between Balboa and Lindy Hop. They ALSO broke the Guinness World Record for “Most Dance Spins by a Couple in a Minute”  at Balboa on the River in Brisbane, Australia on September 18, 2009.  The old record….a dizzying 113 was upped by Heidi & Steve to 116 Spins in a minute! If you don’t believe me, watch them in action here.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to carry on improving your Balboa. Register now!
Share

Learning Balboa from the greats!…we can’t tell you how excited we are to be able to offer a Balboa workshop with Joel Plys and Evita on 17^th. Balboa came from Southern California during the 20’s and increased in popularity until World War II. Balboa was the first style of Swing I ever saw on a dance floor and it was really love at first sight.

Joel Plys continues to travel the globe sharing his love of Swing dancing, bringing a high quality, energetic approach to the dance that makes every lesson with him and any partner a blast! He is a regular teacher at major events all over the world, his down to earth, enthusiastic attitude is contagious. He has taught all over the US (26 states and counting) as well as Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Scotland and Sweden.

Joining him on 17^th is Evita  who currently teaches in NYC and dances with the Killer Dillers. She’s a world class teacher, a recent hit amongst all the dancers on her tour of Australia  and she will be teaching at Herrang later in the year.

As you can tell…we’re pretty excited and we can’t wait to see you there on the 17^th. This is a really exciting opportunity to learn a wonderful dance from some truly amazing teachers. Don’t miss out! Register now.

Share

Congratulations to our very own Scott Cupit and Pippa Tooher who won first place in the inaugural DJam Blues competition in Durham last weekend. One look at these photos and it’s not hard to see how they stole the show!  Scott Cupit said of the win “I rarely compete these days so it was great fun to dance and have a lot of friends cheering.” So, congratulations Scott and Pip…and thanks to Barry Crabtree for the photos

Blues, blues, blues…you love the music now come learn the dance! This amazing art is currently sweeping the world and we are so pleased to bring Lucky to you for two hour Blues workshop on Wednesday 3rd February.

Lucky started dancing in 1996 and began teaching in 1998. Since then he has taught and performed a many styles of dances in Asia, Europe, and North America. He has also had the privilege of working with such celebrities as Neil Young, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Katie Holmes, and Frankie Manning. Lucky teaches a wide variety of dance classes in which he creates a fun and playful atmosphere. He believes that play is learning and learning is fun!

So now for the catch….this workshop is now closed for follows but if you’re a lead then register now for this amazing opportunity!

Share

Welcome to our second installment of essential twenties slang where we walk you through the slang of the flapper sub-culture!

Caper - a criminal act or robbery

Cash or check? – Do you kiss now or later?

Cat’s Meow – Something splendid or stylish; similar to bee’s knees; The best or greatest, wonderful.

Cat’s Pajamas – Same as cat’s meow

Chassis - the female body

Cheaters - Eyeglasses

Copacetic - Wonderful, fine, all right

Daddy - a young woman’s boyfriend or lover, especially if he’s rich

Dame - a female

Darb - An excellent person or thing (as in “the Darb” – a person with money who can be relied on to pay the check)

Dogs - feet

Don’t take any wooden nickels - Don’t do anything stupid

Drugstore Cowboy – a guy that hangs around on a street corner trying to pick up girls

Dry up - shut up, get lost

Click here for Essential Twenties Slang A-B

Share

Are you out getting your Charleston on this weekend? Well, while you’re out practicing your steps why not get down with the lingo too? Let Swing Patrol walk you through the slang of the flapper sub-culture! Why not memorise some of these and see if you can’t crowbar them in to some of your between dance conversations at the Speakeasy tonight. Stay tuned for more over the coming weeks. Enjoy!

All Wet – describes an erroneous idea or individual, as in, “he’s all wet.”

Applesauce - an expletive, As in “Ah applesauce!” See also horsefeathers

Attaboy - well done!; Can also be used for women…Attagirl!

Balled Up – confused, messed up

Baloney - nonsense!

Bank’s Closed – no kissing or making out – i.e. – “Sorry, Mac, the bank’s closed.”

Bearcat - a hot-blooded or fiery girl

Beat one’s gums – idle chatter

Bee’s Knees – An extraordinary person, thing, idea; the ultimate

Beef - a complaint or to complain

Beeswax - business, i.e. None of your beeswax.”

Berries - That which is attractive or pleasing; similar to bee’s knees, As in “It’s the berries.”

Big Cheese – The most important or influential person; boss. Same as big shot

Big six – a strong man; from auto advertising, for the new and powerful; six cylinder engines

Bimbo - a tough guy

Bronx Cheer – A loud spluttering noise, used to indicate disapproval. Same as raspberry

Share