Music via the interwebs, Part 3: Amazon mp3

Returning to my reviews of online music sources, let me say a few words about Amazon mp3. This source has two advantages over iTunes: it's slightly cheaper (by about 10 cents per track, $1 or more per album) and ALL of the files are high bit-rate mp3s. Those are both big reasons to shop Amazon.

In terms of the catalog of available music, it seems to be mostly the same as iTunes. Lots of the same obscure tracks are available through both, and I have yet to find a track on one but not the other. (Of course, sometimes neither source has what I need...)

The integrated search engine is good (it's integrated with the rest of Amazon), but the browsing interface is less than stellar. iTunes still has the edge there. My only other complaint with Amazon is that there are very few reviews integrated in with the browsing interface. Not that I even put much stock in them, but it is nice to have something to read if you've stumbled across a new artist.

Fizz setlist 12/08/2008

This was the late set from last night, starting around 11:00 p.m. Honestly I was kind of phoning this one in--we had so much trouble with the sound last night, I was focused on trying to get that sorted out. (Thanks again for your help, Luke.)

1. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35
2. I Ain't Got Nobody (Graham-Peyton-Williams) - Ruby Braff & Ralph Sutton - For Dancers Only! (A Lindy Hop Compilation) - 3:52
3. San Francisco Bay Blues - Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - Blues Over Bodega - 3:41
4. Everything Is Jumpin' - Artie Shaw - The Very Best Of Artie Shaw - 5:09
5. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wroebel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
6. All Of Me - Helen O'Connell - Great Girl Singers, Sing 22 Original Hits - 2:09
7. Okay for Baby - Jimmie Lunceford - For Dancers Only - 3:13
8. Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald - Bluella: Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Blues - 3:08
9. Hesitation Blues - Dave Van Ronk - The Two Sides Of Dave Van Ronk - 3:32
10. Cole Slaw - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:44
11. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27
12. Evenin' ['36] - Jimmy Rushing - Count Basie - America's #1 Band - 2:56
13. Rhythm Itch - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander - Moppin' and Boppin' - 3:11
14. At Long Last Love - Bill Henderson - Bill Henderson With the Oscar Peterson Trio - 2:30
15. Fibre de verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39
16. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10
17. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44
18. Ridin' And Jivin' - Earl Hines - Rosetta - 2:39
19. Too Darn Hot - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin (Live) - 3:16
20. Viper mad - Swing Parade South - Hommage à Sidney Bechet - 4:30
21. Gang Busters - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 3:06
22. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24
23. Hold It Right There - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Redux - 5:27
24. Let The Good Times Roll - Helen Humes - Let The Good Times Roll - 3:02
25. Blues for Stephanie - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 4:29
26. Ja-Da - The Famous Castle Jazz Band - The Five Pennies - 3:07
27. Grabtown Grapple - Artie Shaw - 1944-45 - 3:00
28. You Talk a Little Trash - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:55
29. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
30. Sleepy Head - Firecracker Jazz Band - Firecracker Jazz Band Explodes - 5:29
31. My Old Daddy's Got a Brand New Way to Love - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:20
32. Honeysuckle Rose - Django Reinhardt - The Swing Sessions Volume 1 - 2:49
33. Fiddle Dee Dee - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:39

Set list from First Friday at Big City Swing

The dance at Big City Swing last Friday was really fun and really crowded. It was an interesting mix of people--lots of folks came for the beginner lesson and then stuck around for quite a while (which is great--I get the impression that often those people stick around for half an hour and then disappear) and a bunch of scene regulars. And some of our favorite out-of-towners, which was a treat. My set ran from about 8:45 to 12:15ish, and we had to kick people out at the end. It's always a good feeling when you finish to a full house, instead of the crowd thinning out towards the end of the night. Leave 'em wanting more, right?

1. Mood Hollywood - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:31 - 170
   
2. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10 - 150
3. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26 - 145
4. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10 - 140
5. Bli Blip - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16 - 135
6. When I Grow Too Old To Dream - Della Reese - Song Book, Vol. 3 - 2:35 - 145
7. Flat Foot Floogee - Ray Bryant - Swing Dance Special - 2:42 - 160
8. Easy Does It - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 - 130
9. Okay for Baby - Jimmie Lunceford - For Dancers Only - 3:13 - 145
10. Goody, Goody - Ella Fitzgerald - Something To Live For - 2:31 - 150
11. I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:59 - 160
12. Route 66 - Linda Hopkins - Wild Women Blues - 3:05 - 160
13. They Raided The Joint - Helen Humes - Let The Good Times Roll - 3:19 - 160
14. Ridin' And Jivin' - Earl Hines - Rosetta - 2:39 - 155
15. Hoodle-Addle - Ray McKinley Orchestra - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 3:21 - 140
16. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35 - 150
17. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats (Remaster) - 4:41 - 160
18. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42 - 175
19. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06 - 190
20. San Francisco Bay Blues - Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - Blues Over Bodega - 3:41 - 160
21. Madame Dynamite - Eddie Condon - Let's Swing It - 2:55 - 185
22. Snake Hips - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - Jazz Age! - 2:59 - 215
23. Papa What Are You Trying To Do To Me - Randy Sandke - The Re-Discovered Louis & Bix - 3:49 - 200
24. Four Or Five Times - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:12 - 135
25. Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:53 - 160
26. I Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 3:09 - 160
27. All Of Me - Helen O'Connell - Great Girl Singers, Sing 22 Original Hits - 2:09 - 145
28. Ain't No Flies On Me - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz Giant - 3:15 - 120
29. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:50 - 160
30. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51 - 162
31. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06 - 160
32. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41 - 152
33. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32 - 122
34. It's De-Lovely - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 4:04 - 152
35. Everything Is Jumpin' - Artie Shaw - The Very Best Of Artie Shaw - 5:09 - 165
36. Lindyhopper's Delight - Chick Webb - Strictly Jive - 2:45 - 195
37. Rose Room - Artie Shaw - Artie Shaw, King Of The Clarinet - 2:43 - 155
38. Who Walks In When I Walk Out? with Ella Fitzgerald - Louis Armstrong - The Wonderful Duets - 2:21 - 135
39. Sugar Blues - Clarence Williams - Boogie Woogie Blues - 3:40 - 135
40. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42 - 125
41. Love Me or Leave Me - Peggy Lee - Black Coffee - 2:10 - 135
42. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45 - 140
43. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 5:43 - 145
44. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - Muggsy Spanier - Vintage Jazz Volume 8 - 2:54 - 155
45. Shout, Sister, Shout! - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 2:41 - 145
46. Vine Street Boogie - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:37 - 155
47. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18 - 125
48. I Ain't Goin' To Cry Anymore - Dinah Washington - Mixed Emotions - 2:40 - 135
49. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wroebel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47 - 175
50. All The Cats Join In - Jessica Molaskey - A Good Day - 4:15 - 125
51. Fever - Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Smith - Blue Bash! - 5:36 - 115
52. Just One Of Those Things - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin (Live) - 3:53 - 135
53. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47 - 140
54. My Blue Heaven - Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin' Stuff - 3:46 - 160
55. As Long As I Live - Ernestine Anderson - Never Make Your Move Too Soon - 4:40 - 130
56. Ain't Doin' Too Bad - Bobby "Blue" Bland - The Bobby "Blue" Bland Anthology (Disc 1) - 2:42 - 110
57. Hesitation Blues - Dave Van Ronk - The Two Sides Of Dave Van Ronk - 3:32 - 115
58. All That Jazz - Banu Gibson - Vintage Banu - 2:55 - 110
59. Viper mad - Swing Parade South - Hommage a Sidney Bechet - 4:30 - 175

Music via the interwebs, Part 2: One more thought on EMusic

One more thought about EMusic, specifically using EMusic to build a music collection for DJing. This is an avuncular scolding for would-be DJs out there, maybe with a dash of "do what I say, not what I do" thrown in.

So as I said in my earlier post, EMusic is a good way to ramp up a collection if you are just starting out or looking to see what the view is like from behind the DJ table. And it's also a good way to branch out and discover new music.

BUT....

I think it is a bad idea to be an exclusively EMusic DJ, especially if you are using the (less than stellar) social recommendation aspects of EMusic. If you do, you're going to end up with exactly the same collection as all the other DJs that use it and we would all start to sound homogeneous and boring. It's lesson one of Web 2.0: crowd-sourcing can easily breed group-think.

On its own, EMusic is not a very good tool for learning about music. Sure it is a source for music, but without other resources to learn about musicians and jazz, it's not a good way to actually learn. You can easily blow hours browsing around at random, listening to hundreds of 20 second clips, and not gain anything by it. But if you have some other way of learning about musicians, bands, composers, jazz culture, that sort of thing, then EMusic is a useful tool to have access to.

What are those other ways of learning? Friends, books, maybe the Internet (Swing DJs, Pandora), and of course cd/LP liner notes.

Friday is First Friday

This Friday, 8:45 to Midnight, is the First Friday dance at Big City Swing. I'm DJing for the evening. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, admission is FREE.

Music via the interwebs, Part 2: EMusic

Part two of my review of various online music sources, this one focused on EMusic. EMusic is a different sort of scheme than iTunes or Amazon, in that it is a flat-rate subscription service. The basic plan is $12 per month for 30 downloads, which works out to 40 cents per track if you use them all. The credits are use-em-or-lose-em, so you do have to poke around on the site every month if you actually want to get your money's worth.

Before I get to my comments, two shameless plugs:
1. If you are an EMusic member and a dj, let me know your user name! I'd like to be EMusic "friends" with you. Post a comment or email me. Here's my profile page, from which you can friend me.
2. If you are considering joining EMusic, just hold on a second. They've got an incentive scheme set up so that if I invite you to join, they give us both a bunch of free tracks. So email me if you are considering joining, and I'll send you an invite, and then we'll have extra tracks to play with. And I'll be your "friend."

Okay so that was me pimping for EMusic. Forgive me--read on, and I will give you an honest critique to make up for it.

Starting with what makes EMusic attractive. First and most obviously, the price is right. On a single track per download basis, it's less than half the price of iTunes. Of course, if you download a Best of Oscar Peterson album, you might blow your monthly allowance of tracks on a single album, which you could get for $10 from iTunes or probably less from Amazon. The price advantage comes if you want to poke around and grab a few tracks from an album here, one from that big old compilation, and a few more from somewhere else. If you are looking to build up your collection of danceable music, this is a good approach.

Second advantage: EMusic has an ever-growing collection of interesting music, lots of independent labels, and lots and lots of jazz and blues. I have yet to find anything that wasn't also on iTunes or Amazon, but considering that those services of gigantic international retailers, that's a bit of an unfair comparison--relative newbie EMusic really isn't doing too bad. Several times I have pissed off local djs by revealing that I've grabbed tracks off EMusic that they spent years and years looking for in record shops--stuff that's the prize of their collections. (Two examples: Clora Bryant, ...Gal with a Horn and many of the Definitive Black & Blue Sessions are on EMusic.)

But, EMusic is far from perfect. I would rank the most important drawback as the quality of the digital files you get when you download a track. Some are perfectly good quality, stuff that is fine to spin at a dance on a nice sound system. Other albums are really lacking, so you do have to be careful.

The other drawbacks to EMusic really have to do with the design of the website, so they are aspects of the service that could be improved, if EMusic has the programming talent to do so. Biggest complaint here is that the search interface is PATHETIC. There's no way to do advanced searches, so if you are browsing a particular artist and want to find a specific track, you have to browse through ALL of their albums. Hopefully EMusic is embarrassed by its lack of a respectable search feature, and is working as hard as it can to improve it. If not, shame on you EMusic, shame.

Along with the search interface, EMusic's social recommendation system leaves a lot to be desired. It's impossible to search for your friends (which is why y'all need to tell me your user names), you can't un-friend other users, and you have zero control over your "neighbors"--ostensibly the users whose download patterns are most similar to yours. C'mon, EMusic. Get with it.

As long as I'm griping, here's one graphic design suggestion (you listening, EMusic?): get rid of the pop-up album reviews. Put the full review somewhere on the page, so that I can read the whole thing, or go back and forth between reading the review and previewing the tracks. Thanks, EMusic ;). Also, it would be nice if the EMusic download manager had the option of loading your music directly into iTunes. The Amazon mp3 download manager does this--it couldn't be too hard to add that little feature, and it would save the trouble of having to copy the files from one folder to another, then delete the originals.

Music via the interwebs, Part 1: iTunes

I acquire by going to record stores like Jazz Record Mart (a wondrous place, but dangerous for the wallet--I can never get out of there without spending about $75), plus every once in a long while a treat from a specialty shop like Mosaic Records. Lately I've also been buying a lot more music online. Initially, I would look for mp3s when I knew of a particular track I wanted, but didn't want to buy the whole album (or couldn't find the album). For instance, if I heard a tune at a dance and asked the DJ what the title was, it's easy to go home and look it up. Lately I've spent more time just exploring online music, as oppose to only making specific, targeted acquisitions.

My three main sources, as you can tell from the links I list in my "One Track Mind"posts, are iTunes, EMusic, and Amazon mp3. Over the next couple posts, I offer my opinion on each of these sites.

Starting with iTunes...

iTunes seriously annoys me, in many ways, but chiefly for their online store. For a long while, the mp3 files sold in the iTunes Online Store had digital rights management (DRM) protection on them, so that you couldn't freely share the files with your friends. Piracy issues aside, it also means that I can't play those files in most other music players other than iTunes.

I've been gradually going through and getting rid of all the DRM'ed AAC files that I've accumulated through iTunes, replacing them with mp3's or whatever the current standard is. I think some (maybe most) of iTunes is now DRM-free, but still their whole scheme really annoys me.

The main attraction of iTunes is convenience (assuming that you too are deeply caught in Apple's web of personal music products). Since I use iTunes to organize my collection, it's easy to pop over into the store and grab a track, and it shows up in my library with no added fiddling. They also have a very large collection of music, and a good search interface. Since it's all integrated into iTunes, it feels more like you're browsing through a database than clicking through web pages. I like how the album reviews and user reviews are integrated into the page, so you can read them and browse through tracks at the same time.

The biggest drawback to iTunes is cost. It's the most expensive source out there, so it's easy to quickly run up a decent sized bill. Other drawbacks were the DRM and the low bit-rate on the files, but I think those are getting to be less of an issue.

Jazz profiles

Okay so here's one more clue that, yes indeed, I am a 20-something white guy who grew up in an affluent suburb: I'm about to recommend a podcast produced by National Public Radio, which I listen to regularly on my iPod. (Further evidence: #13, #23, #24, #28, #42, #61, #72, #80, #81, #90, #94, #110, #111, #112 from this list.)

Now that that's out of the way: check out Jazz Profiles, which is a series that NPR did a few years ago profiling many legendary jazz musicians. They're gradually posting all of the episodes on the web. I get the sense that they tried to focus on musicians who were still alive at the time but might not be for much longer, though they also cover the super-important figures in jazz like Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie that you couldn't get away with not saying something about. The shows are hosted by Nancy Wilson, a contemporary jazz singer, who has a very nice voice and every now and again interjects little personal comments.

I've found most of the shows to be interesting, and some exceptionally so. In particular, check out the episodes on pianist and band leader Jay McShann, bassist Milt Hinton, and trombone player Al Grey. You can download the shows from the website, or subscribe to the podcast and a new show will appear in your feed about once a week.

Playlist from Now You Has Jazz

Just back from my DJ/Music-lover's workshop. Most of the folks that came were really just curious to learn more about music, not necessarily specifically because they are interested in DJing. I promised to post the music I played, so here it is. I'll ask Dave if he can remember what he played, and if so I'll add that to this list.

• Take It Easy Greasy - Lil Johnson - Lil Johnson & Barrelhouse Annie Vol. 3 1937 (This was an example of a song I really like that I don't spin due to recording quality.)
• It's Only a Paper Moon - Oscar Peterson - With Respect to Nat (In contrast, this track has great fidelity.)
• Shake That Thing - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Shake That Thing (Example of music with a two-beat feel, good for teaching beginner's six count, but not so much for anything that involves triple-steps.)
  
• Jersey Bounce - Benny Goodman - B.G. in Hi-Fi (Example of classic big-band sound, rhythm that makes you want to triple-step, and very good recording quality.)
• Groove Juice Special - Slim Gaillard - Chronological, 1938-1946 (Example of a song I love that I don't play because of the tap-dancing solo in the middle.)
• In the Mood - Glenn Miller - Ken Burns' Jazz (Example of stereotypical big band music.)
• In the Mood - Glenn Miller - Best of the Lost Recordings (A slightly faster rendition, that I like more and would actually DJ.)
• There's Rhythm in Harlem - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 (Same riff as In the Mood, but this rendition kicks ass.)
• Tar Paper Stomp - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call of the Freaks (I didn't play this during the workshop, but this is another track with the same riff as In the Mood. Mora's Modern Rhythmists is a great modern band that plays in the style of a 1930's big band. They're amazing to dance to live.)
• Brown Derby Jump - Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot (Neo-Swing, baby!)
  
• I'm Gone - King Pleasure - King Pleasure Sings (First swish from our "wine-tasting." We decided that this is an interesting, challenging track for more advanced lindyhopper/blues dancers to play with, but not good for beginners.)
• Everything is Jumpin' - Artie Shaw - The Very Best Of Artie Shaw (Great, really swingin' big band music. Good for dancing, no matter what your skill level.)
• Fiddle Dee Dee - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets (Interesting, mysterious introduction, followed by really swingin' small-group.)
• Lazy River - Bobby Darin - The Ultimate Bobby Darin (This was used to illustrate transitioning between styles.)
• Give My Regards to Broadway - Pete Fountain - The Dixieland Kings (Going right from Bobby Darin to this would be disconcerting, but with the right song in between, we made it work.)

If you were there this afternoon, thanks for coming out! And thanks for your participation and questions--it made for an interesting afternoon. And thanks for the rootbeer. If you have a comment or follow-up question, feel free to leave it as a comment to this blog post.

From the feedback I've gotten so far, it sounds like the stuff we covered this afternoon might have assumed too much prior knowledge of jazz. We didn't really talk explicitly about different genres or styles of jazz/swing dance music--and unfortunately we didn't get to my Old Testament/New Testament Basie band example. It's too bad, as I think it would have been really interesting and eye-opening for many people. So....just have to do another workshop, I guess. Maybe next time, it should focus just on introducing people to different styles of music. Title it "A Basic Primer in Music for Swing Dancing" or something like that. What do you think?

You will has jazz tomorrow!

My DJ/Jazz-Lover's workshop is coming up tomorrow at Big City Swing. See details in this earlier post. Lippy and I will be sharing our secrets, we'll be listening to a lot of great music and then getting nerdy about why it's awesome, and we'll probably end up arguing a fair amount about whether your music really swings. Plus: a "wine-tasting" (?!?!) and "the Flow Challenge."

I guarantee that you will leave thinking that I am an even bigger geek than you already suspected.

P.S. Bring rootbeer!

P.P.S. to Chris: Do you want to play music, or do you want to be a DJ?

Fizz setlist 11/10/2008

Monday night I had the late set again. I feel like I did quite a bit better than last time, though there are so many external factors that it is hard to really make much of the comparison. The DJ before me played a very wide variety of music, lots of which I would classify as West Coast music--blues and pop, mixed in with older big band music (e.g., the Henderson band doing Christopher Columbus). To balance out those selections, the first part of my set was geared heavily towards solid, safe music, relying on more swingin' piano jazz/bluesy-jazz than I usually play.

1. Wade In The Water - Eva Cassidy - Eva By Heart - 4:04 (Birthday jam, by request. I know I gave y'all a heart attack when you heard me play this.)
   
2. Easy Does It - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 (New favorite safety song.)
   (After this track, I decided I wanted to work in Hold It Right There. To do that, I kept the styles similar but started to climb the tempo. )
3. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A letter - Jay McShann - For Dancers Only! - 3:55
4. They Raided The Joint - Helen Humes - Let The Good Times Roll - 3:19
5. Hold It Right There - Joe Williams - Nothin' But the Blues - 2:44 (This thinned out the floor a little.)
6. Blue Skies - Cootie Williams - Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me - 2:50 (Not the greatest follow-up track.)
7. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35
8. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:45 (The whole floor was covered in shim-shammers. To follow up, I decided to go out on a limb with a faster one.)
9. Well Git It! - George Gee - Buddha Boogie - 2:45 (It took a minute, but eventually a moderately full floor was dancing to this one.)
10. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24 (Recover.)
11. Yes Indeed - Sy Oliver - Yes Indeed - 3:13
12. Too Close For Comfort - Dianne Reeves - Good Night, And Good Luck - 3:50
13. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32
14. It's Only A Paper Moon - Oscar Peterson - With Respect To Nat - 2:32 (Boston throw-back.)
15. Don't You Miss Your Baby - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55
    (I decide to play some big band sounds, start working out a transition...)
    
16. Flat Foot Floogee - Ray Bryant - Swing Dance Special - 2:42
    
17. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
18. Mood Hollywood - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:31
19. Jersey Bounce - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:07
20. Vine Street Boogie - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:37
21. Cole Slaw - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:44
22. Mr. Gee - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:49
23. Ain't Doin' Too Bad - Bobby "Blue" Bland - The Bobby "Blue" Bland Anthology - 2:42 (For Sara. I got a request for some "balboa" music during this track.)
24. You Upset Me Baby - B.B. King - Singin' The Blues - The Blues - 3:02
25. Jump & Shout - Erline Harris - For Jumpers Only! - 2:19 (I think I may have satisfied the request with this track, though not sure.)
26. Rock Me All Night Long - The Fabulous Treniers - The Hoss Allen Sessions - 2:41
27. Give My Regards To Broadway - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:37 (Or maybe with this one?)
28. Pardon My Southern Accent - Jeff Healey - Among Friends - 3:45 (Or this one?)
29. Comes Love - Miss Tess - When Tomorrow Comes - 3:54 (Tessa was standing next to me in the booth when I played this--she dug the artist. Folks were leaving at about 12:30, so there were only a few couples dancing to these last few songs.)
30. Twisted Snake - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:02
31. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
32. Madame Dynamite - Eddie Condon - Let's Swing It - 2:55
33. Georgia Cake Walk - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 3:06

Madison Invasion - setlist from Saturday night dance 11/8/2008

Our buddies up in Madison invited me to DJ for their Fall Invasion, which happened this weekend. John Kraniak, a dj on WORT in Madison, spun the Friday night dance, using nothing but original 78's from the 20's, 30's, and 40's. It was pretty cool to hear records that were actually physically created during the swing era, and a treat to get to dance to them. It put me in a good mood all weekend. Todd and Ronni from Denver taught a day of classes on Saturday, including classes focused on dancing to slow tempos and to faster tempos.

My setlist is below. A couple of things I was shooting for that evening: 1) playing mostly higher fidelity recordings, because the Friday night dance was (understandably) low-fi, 2) working in more blues & boogie material than I usually play, because on Friday I noticed that the Madison crowd seemed to really respond to those sorts of sounds, and 3) my usual goal of playing a wide variety of styles & tempos. The first two I think I did pretty well on, but on number three, I think I had some trouble managing tempos. I think I could have pushed the boundaries on tempo a bit further in either direction--the floor would have thinned a bit, but I could have played some 200+ bpm music and still had folks dancing. I guess my Fizz habits got the best of me there--I rarely break 200 on Monday nights. And I had a few fun songs in the 90-110 range that I just didn't work in, which is too bad (I know the crowd would have liked Toast My Bread). It also would have been better to transition with tempos a little bit more gradually.

Here's the distribution of tempos over the night:


And here's a graph of beats per minute over time:


The red dots are Todd and Ronni's demo, the three songs used for the Jack & Jill finals, and the demo of "Shortnin' Bread." Sorry about the thick black borders on these, and low resolution on the second image. I haven't figured out a good way to publish charts on this blog.

And finally, here's my set list. I list title - artist - album - time - beats per minute:

1. Ain't Misbehavin' - Kermit Ruffins - Putumayo Presents: Kermit Ruffins - 4:36 - 140
2. Blues for Stephanie - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 4:29 - 130
3. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35 - 150
4. All Of Me - Helen O'Connell - Great Girl Singers, Sing 22 Original Hits - 2:09 - 145
5. Strictly Instrumental - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:39 - 170
6. Birmingham Bounce - Tommy Dorsey - Greatest Hits: Tommy Dorsey - 2:57 - 160
7. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52 - 145
8. Massachusetts - Maxine Sullivan And Her Jazz All-Stars - Memories Of You - 3:16 - 145
9. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05 - 155
10. Let's Misbehave - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 2:52 - 190
11. Six-appeal - Charlie Christian - Six-appeal - 3:20 - 145
12. Let The Good Times Roll - Linda Hopkins - Wild Women Blues - 3:26 - 140
13. Twisted Snake - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:02 - 145
14. Shout, Sister, Shout! - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 2:41 - 145
15. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24 - 155
16. Big John's Special - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:18 - 170
17. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06 - 190
18. Corner Pocket - Count Basie - April In Paris - 5:07 - 140
19. Easy Does It - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 - 130
20. Smack Dab In The Middle - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:59 - 130
21. They Raided The Joint - Helen Humes - Let The Good Times Roll - 3:19 - 160
22. The Darktown Strutters' Ball - Katherine Davis - Dream Shoes - 3:40 - 135
23. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47 - 140
24. My Blue Heaven - Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin' Stuff - 3:46 - 160
25. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38 - 170
26. Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:50 - 190
27. My Baby Just Cares for Me - Indigo Swing - Indigo Swing - 4:03 - 115 (Todd & Ronni's demo)
    
28. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51 - 160 (Jack & Jill warm-up all-skate)
29. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41 - 150 (Jack & Jill phrase battle, 1st song)
30. Jeep Jockey Jump - The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Swingin' The Century - 2:51 - 210 (Jack & Jill phrase battle, 2nd song)
31. Fiddle Dee Dee - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:39 - 195
32. Jive At Five - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:51 - 175
33. The Right Idea - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:13 - 185
34. I May Be Wrong (Boogie Woogie) - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:21 - 165
35. Vine Street Boogie - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:37 - 155
36. Like It Is - Erroll Garner - That's My Kick & Gemini - 2:44 - 130
37. A Man That Don't Want Me - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 2:43 - 125
38. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 140
39. Gang Busters - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 3:06 - 185
40. Shortnin' Bread - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:41 - 170 (demo of the routine taught earlier that day)
41. All Of Me/The Peanut Vendor - Dick Hyman Group Feat. Howard Alden - Sweet And Lowdown - 1:43 - 170
42. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:50 - 160
43. Lindyhopper's Delight - Chick Webb - Strictly Jive - 2:45 - 195
44. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06 - 160 (Shim sham!)
45. Home To Mississippi - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:29 - 130
46. I'm A Bouncin' Mama - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:30 - 165
47. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18 - 125
48. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35 - 145
49. Boys from Harlem - Randy Sandke And The Nagel Heyer Allstars - Uptown Lowdown - 3:33 - 160
50. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats (Remaster) - 4:28 - 160
51. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32 - 120
52. Sugar Blues - Clarence Williams - Boogie Woogie Blues - 3:40 - 135
53. Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01 - 185
54. Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41 - 195

Joe Williams & Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Hold It Right There

Available on EMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

This is an ear-catching tune pairing Joe Williams and saxophonist Eddie Vinson. I found it years ago at a local library, grabbed it because I like Joe Williams, and got hooked on it immediately. The whole album is really good. I think Joe Williams has one of the outstanding voices in all of jazz history--he sounds polished, dignified, and elegant--especially compared to his predecessor in the Basie band, Jimmie Rushing--but his voice is also time-worn and sometimes blue. Vinson, on the other hand, has a very rough voice, very bluesy, like his saxophone style.

The track is energetic in a groovy way. I don't play a lot of stuff from this style of jazz--my book is kind of short on it, and I'm less attuned to it than to other eras--but I enjoy this particular track and it has gotten a good response when I play it in a set. I know I should stock up my arsenal in this style, just so that I can be versatile. Anyone have a suggestion for similar tracks to check out?

Fats Waller - That Ain't Right

Available on EMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

I think Fats Waller is still pretty popular right now for swing dancing--maybe due in part to Skye & Frida's ULHS routine from last year. The song they used, 24 Robbers, is available on the album "The Unique Mr. Waller," which has lots of other good dance tunes on it. I'm sure the tune is available elsewhere too--I'll let y'all dig around for it yourselves, if you haven't already.

I like Fats because his combo is good at laying back, relaxing, and then turning it on and jamming out. And of course, a lots of his songs are hilarious--take "Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister!" for instance, or "Your Feet's Too Big." Sometimes he sings quite sentimental material, and walks a fine line--hamming it up, but still delivering a sort of earnest performance. His solo "Two Sleepy People" is a great example of this.

"That Ain't Right" actually comes from a performance in the 1943 film Stormy Weather, which features an all-star line-up of performers, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, and the Nicholas Brothers. If you haven't seen the film, check it out. You'll be blown away. Here's a clip:



It's not just that Fats sings silly songs, it's that his timing and rhythm are so perfect and so expressive. "That Ain't Right" is a great example, a slow, jazzy blues number featuring vocalist Ada Brown. Her voice has a commanding power and a great timbre. As she sings, Fats talks back to her and kind of draws her along. He's full of one liners and jive talk, of course ("Beef to me mama, beef to me! I don't like pork no-how..."), but what's really striking is how he fits it all in to the phrasing of the song, and makes it rhythmical. The give-and-take between Ada and Fats is funny and charming. I love the climax of the song, where Fats delivers the punchline (again, with perfect timing) and then the band comes in at a faster tempo.

Ray Charles - Rockhouse, Parts 1 & 2

Available on Amazon and iTunes.

This tune is in my top 3 LEAST favorite songs of all time. I'm not even really sure what the other two are--I'm just being conservative. It drives me nuts. I hate the groove, I can't stand the hits on 1 and 4 that just go on and on and on. It doesn't go anywhere, and there is no sense that the musicians are interacting at all--the rhythm section is really just backing the pianist the whole time, and I think they sound tired and mechanical and plodding.

I don't like dancing to this song, and I don't like the sort of dancing that this song pushes people towards (as far as I have observed). Since there's no give-and-take among the musicians, I think dancers tend to try to be "musical" with this song by just mimicking the most obvious rhythm in the melody. And the hits on 1 and 4 are so painfully strong in the melody, it makes the dancing choppy--and it makes me wince.

Rockhouse is also one of the most overplayed songs in Chicago, even at Fizz. Can y'all just lay off? Please? There's tons of other Ray Charles out there--he recorded for close to 60 years. What would you think of just leaving that cd at home for six months? Please?

Fizz setlist 10/20/2008

I had the late set for the first time tonight at Fizz. I'd gone all night (9 pm to 1 am) a few times before, but I'd never picked up at 11 and finished from there. Man have I got some stuff to learn about how to work the late night crowd. I just couldn't find the groove tonight--couldn't find a style and energy level that matched the crowd. A lot of people left around midnight or 12:15, and by 12:30 there were only two couples dancing.

Here's my setlist:

1. Too Close For Comfort - Dianne Reeves - Good Night, And Good Luck - 3:50
2. A Smo-o-oth One - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 3:16
3. Deacon's Hop - Ronnie Magri & his New Orleans Jazz Band - Shim Sham Revue - 2:39
4. Give My Regards To Broadway - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:37
5. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - Muggsy Spanier - Vintage Jazz Volume 8 - 2:54
6. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
7. Yes Indeed - Sy Oliver - Yes Indeed - 3:13
8. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
9. Solid As A Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00
10. Bar Fly Blues - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:32
11. Send for Me - Nat King Cole - The Billy May Sessions - 2:38
12. A Man That Don't Want Me - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 2:43
13. All Of Me - Helen O'Connell - Great Girl Singers, Sing 22 Original Hits - 2:09
14. Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald - Bluella: Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Blues - 3:08
15. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
16. Fibre de verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39
17. Moten Swing - Oscar Peterson - Night Train - 2:55
18. Flat Foot Floogee - Ray Bryant - Swing Dance Special - 2:42
19. Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:50
20. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05
21. Roll With My Baby - The Eric Byrd Trio - Triunity - 4:00
22. At Long Last Love - Bill Henderson - Bill Henderson With the Oscar Peterson Trio - 2:30
23. Fever - Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Smith - Blue Bash! - 5:36
24. Southern sunset - Swing Parade South - Hommage a Sidney Bechet - 3:32
25. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32
26. Honeysuckle Rose - Katherine Davis - Dream Shoes - 3:14
27. Knock Me A Kiss - Ruth Brown - Fine And Mellow - 4:20
28. Squeeze Me - Della Reese - Song Book, Vol. 3 - 2:37
29. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18
30. Movin' and Groovin' - Sam Cooke - The Man Who Invented Soul - 2:53
31. Who's Making Love - Johnnie Taylor - Stax Gold - 2:50

Music with big breaks

Thanks to everyone who came out for Lindy 210 at the Galaxie today. We had a great time messing around with y'all. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, we would love to hear it. Email me or leave a comment below.

Here is a list of the music we used in class, plus some more tracks that have big, whack-you-over-the-head breaks. You should be able to find most of them on EMusic, Amazon MP3, or iTunes. Also, if you find the same song by a different artist, that version will probably have pretty good breaks too.

1. A Smoooth One - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 130 bpm
2. Deacon's Hop - Ron Magri and his New Orleans Jazz Band - Shim Sham Revue - 130 bpm
3. Potato Chips - Slim Gaillard - Laughing in Rhythm - 145 bpm
4. Shout Sister Shout - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 145 bpm
5. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing - 150 bpm
6. Chicken Ain't Nothin' But a Bird - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep to the Jive - 160 bpm
7. Everything is Jumpin - Artie Shaw -The Very Best of Artie Shaw - 165 bpm
8. Whistle Stop - The Swing Session - Stompy Jones - 165 bpm
9. Groove Juice Special - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1946 - 170 bpm
10. Jazz Me Blues - The Swingsations - Swingers and Novelties - 170 bpm
11. Hop, Skip and a Jump - Engelbert Wrobel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 175 bpm
12. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1946 - 175 bpm
13. We Cats Will Swing for You - Cats & the Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing for You - 175 bpm
14. Shortnin' Bread - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 190 bpm
15. Posin' - Jimmie Lunceford - Jukebox Hits 1935-1947 - 190 bpm
16. Jeep Jockey Jump - Glen Miller - Operation: Build Morale - 200 bpm
    

Setlist from Swing Noir at the Galaxie 10/18/2008

Lippy and Nicolle hosted a Roaring 20's-speakeasy-interactive-murder-mystery-swing dance last night at the Galaxie, billed as "Swing Noir: a night of dancing, death, and deception." A great, very well dressed crowd showed up to participate. The idea was to do the interactive murder mystery night, all while keeping the dance floor full--plus there was a performance and a solo Charleston contest.

I had a bit of a challenge as a deejay, because the night was supposed to have a strong 1920's/early 1930's atmosphere. Rather than playing a typical set, which might range from 1930's big band to 1970's piano trios, I wanted to stick with music that fit the theme. It was a delicate line to walk--keeping the music interesting while staying within the stylistic constraint. Admittedly, I ended up interpreting it pretty loosely--more that I just avoided musical styles that would have sounded very out of character. So no Gene Harris, no Glen Miller or other big name big bands (too associated with WWII era big band), no Oscar Peterson trio. I relied heavily on modern groups like Mora's Modern Rhythmists, who play in an early big band/1930's style. And in some cases I used later recordings of songs that are associated with early jazz--for instance, Dinah Washington's (1950's) interpretations of Bessie Smith's (1920's) hits. Here's my set:

(Starting off a few minutes before 10 p.m., as the Charleston lesson was ending.)

1. Charleston - Ken Gordon And Band - Charlestons "Yes Sir That's My Baby" - 3:02
2. Big John's Special - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:18
3. Dancin' With A Debutante - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Mr. Rhythmist Goes To Town - 2:24
4. Them There Eyes - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters: Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen - 2:57
5. Now Or Never - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:13 (This track did not fit the sound I was going for, but it definitely got a lot of people up and dancing.)
   
6. The Dipsey Doodle - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 2:58
7. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24
8. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - Muggsy Spanier - Vintage Jazz Volume 8 - 2:54
9. Putting On The Ritz - The Pasadena Roof Orchestra - Pasadena - 25th Anniversary Album - 3:12 (This track bombed.)
   
10. All Of Me/The Peanut Vendor - Dick Hyman Group Feat. Howard Alden - Sweet And Lowdown - 1:43
11. It's De-Lovely - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 4:04
12. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32 (I haven't played this one in a while, and had forgotten how much I like it. It went over well.)
    
13. Mood Hollywood - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:31 (Just discovered this solid lindy hop tune.)
    
14. Shine - Dick Hyman Group Feat. Howard Alden - Sweet And Lowdown - 1:47
15. Five Feet Two, Eyes Of Blue - Creole Jazz Band - Jazz Del Bueno Para Bailar - 2:57
16. Savoy Blues - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters: Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen - 3:53
17. Everybody Loves My Baby - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 3:11
18. Georgia Cake Walk - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 3:06
19. Rockin' In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings of Duke Ellington, 1926-1931 - 3:02
20. Easy To Love - Billie Holiday - First Issue: Great American Song Book - 3:03
21. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44
22. That's A Plenty - Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - Bing Crosby With Ella Fitzgerald & Peggy Lee Featuring Fred Astaire - 2:23 (This is an interesting vocal version of That's a Plenty. It starts out at a moderate tempo, then gets really peppy at the end.)
    
23. Chicago Stomp - Jimmy Blythe - Boogie Woogie Blues - 2:44
    
24. Jazz Me Blues - Pete Fountain - Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? - 4:42
25. Callin' Your Bluff - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 - 3:00
26. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38
27. Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:50
28. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats (Remaster) - 4:28
29. Trombone Butter - Dinah Washington - Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith - 3:34
30. Southern sunset - Swing Parade South - Hommage a Sidney Bechet - 3:32
31. Let's Misbehave - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 2:52
32. Dippermouth blues - Muggsy Spanier - Weary Blues - 2:29
33. I've Found A New Baby - Chicago Rhythm Kings - Mezz Mezzrow: Makin' Friends, 1928-37, Jazz Archives #72 (158042) - 3:11
    (Performance by Jenna's troupe of ladies, dressed rather nicely. Right after the performance, the lights went out, gunshots were fired, and Lippy was murdered. Gasp!)
    
34. All That Jazz - Banu Gibson - Vintage Banu - 2:55 (Yes, I was trying to be corny.)
    
35. Give My Regards To Broadway - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:37
    (At this point, Lippy took over for a while--now that he was dead, he could devote his attention to deejaying. Around 12:30, we had a solo charleston contest. 36 and 37 were used for the contest.)
    
36. Tiger Rag - The Firehouse Five Plus Two - The Firehouse Five Plus Two Story - 3:04
37. Ahma Fonda Rhonda - Firecracker Jazz Band - Firecracker Jazz Band Explodes - 4:14
    (I get the sense that the crowd is ready for something more relaxing. I like this next one because it's just so lazy.)
    
38. Careless Love - Harry Connick, Jr. - Oh, My Nola - 4:13
39. A Man That Don't Want Me - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 2:43
40. How Come You Do Me? - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 2:51
41. Squeeze Me - Della Reese - Song Book, Vol. 3 - 2:37
    (Lippy, still dead, announces that people should cast their ballots as to who his murderer is.)
    
42. Sugar Blues - Clarence Williams - Boogie Woogie Blues - 3:40
    (The culprit is announced.)
    
43. Shake That Thing (Album Version) - Vince Giordano's Nighthawks - The Aviator Music From The Motion Picture - 3:00
44. Cheek to Cheek - Fred Astaire - Irving Berlin - A Hundred Years - 3:20 (I put this on by accident, and was surprised by how many people danced to it.)
    
45. The Mooche - Sidney Bechet - Blues In The Air - 3:09
    (Lippy takes over and finishes out the night.)
    

Clarence Williams - Sugar Blues

Available on EMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

You might dismiss this as "mood music" ("Cosmo, mood music please!") but I beg to differ. I played this at the WCLX Saturday night late-night and people seemed to dig it and dance to it--I had several people come up to me to ask about what the title is.

Sure, it's certainly a "stretch" track, not something you play for a room full of beginners. To my ear it is both bluesy and janky, but it might take a more experienced dancer to be able to play with those elements. Another way I might describe it is that it's got a nice stroll to it. It's got a strong beat, even though it's just a solo piano, and it has lots of rhythmic character. (I guess that's the nerdy way of saying, it's playful--listen to the left-hand rolls around 2:35, kind of sounds like an elephant stomping around). I've used it as a cool-down track after an uptempo Charleston number, when I want to keep that feel going. Some dancers blues to it, some do a sort of slow Charleston, some swing out.

So what is it? If you follow one of the links, you'll see that it is actually a piano roll--as in, an automatic player piano--not a recording of a live musician. It was made by Clarence Williams, a jazz virtuoso whose heyday was in the 1920's. (I'm not really sure how piano rolls were created, whether there was a machine that could record every key press on a piano, or whether they punched the holes by hand to get it to sound just like a live performance.) Listen to this track and imagine yourself at a rent party or a bar somewhere in Harlem where the music was provided just by a stride piano player--people used to dance to stuff just like this!

Bio-blurb for Madison invasion

I'm djing at the Madison Invasion this coming November, featuring instructors Todd & Ronni from Denver. All the details and registration here. Come dance with me and Mary and our buddies from Madtown.

The Invasion folks requested a biographic blurb, and I ended up out-nerding myself by writing two. They used the first one, but I like the second one too. Here's both:


Bio 1:

James sometimes wonders what would have happened if his dad hadn't showed him that Count Basie album in fifth grade, or if he hadn't played it for his friends. Maybe his schoolmates would have thought he was cool, coach would have put him in the game for more than the last six minutes, that girl Megan would have agreed to go to the Homecoming dance with him, and he would have spent far less time in the library during college. But such is life. James began building up his DJ instincts as early as high school, becoming adept at calling shotgun so as to have total control over the stereo on every car trip. Since then, he has amassed an extensive collection of high-, medium-, and low-fidelity jazz, which he enjoys playing for dancers. He is thrilled when they complement him on his good taste, instead of complaining and insisting on listening to the same Dave Matthews bootleg for the fourth time. He lives in Chicago, IL with his wife Mary, deejays regularly at Fizz, Big City Swing, and other venues, and has no regrets.


Bio 2:

Though he prefers the more traditional if somewhat anachronistic term "disc jockey," James does not mind being called an MP3 monkey, for he knows in his heart of hearts who the real monkeys are. From his solitary perch in the DJ booth, he looks out at a floor full of dancers and thinks to himself, "Hahaha! Dance, my pretties! Yes! Swing out for ME!" before turning back to his music collection to pick out another song that will drive them into further gyrations and syncopations. He treats his pets well, exercising them regularly and feeding them a carefully selected, varied diet of smooth and bluesy vocals, janky uptempo tunes, and solid, swingin' big band music. He lives in Chicago, IL and enjoys feeding the animals at Fizz, Big City Swing, and other venues around town.

Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer

I just saw this interesting documentary about Anita O'Day. Unfortunately it just finished its short run in Chicago. Even more than just listening to her sing, being able to watch Anita perform is really captivating. She's very expressive, and a really commanding presence. I was surprised to see how bossy she was on the bandstand--she would count off the tempo she wants and her combo damn better well give her exactly what she asked for. The documentary isn't so much focused on relating all the biographical details of the singer's life--the details of her multiple marriages are mentioned but not dwelled on, and sometimes the timeline is pretty hazy. But it does give you a really good portrait of her personality, especially through the interview footage from late in her life.

And of course, there's lots of footage of Anita performing, dancing around with Roy Eldridge, tearing it up on television broadcasts and in concerts. Her rhythmic control and vocal nuance are stunning. Here is a clip of her (pretty famous) performance at the Newport Jazz Festival:



Here are a few Anita O'Day tracks that I play at dances now and again:
Honeysuckle Rose - Anita O'Day's Finest Hour - 3:16
Whisper Not - Anita O'Day and the Three Sounds - 3:00
Let Me Off Uptown - Roy Eldridge: Little Jazz - 3:25

Fizz schedule

I just got my time slots for Fizz for the next three months. Check out the 4th link down under "About Me" to see when I'll be spinning at Fizz and elsewhere.

Set list - First free dance at First Free Church

Phil Malinak and his wife organized a dance at their church last night--First Free Evangelical Church in Andersonville. I volunteered to DJ. The night was an interesting mix of folks there from the church, learning east coast for the first time, and some of the usual suspects from the scene. Actually, come to think of it the mix of scene people was pretty interesting too.

Anyways, having total beginners there with long-time veterans, it was tricky to strike a balance of music. At the start of the night, just after the six count lesson finished up, I tried to dig out as much beginner-friendly music as I could (yes, including In the Mood), which was more of a challenge than I anticipated. I've been pretty much focused on DJing at Fizz, which I think of as someplace that you can play more interesting, unusual, or challenging music and the dancers will appreciate it. So I tried to keep the tempos between 140 and 180, so that folks could do relaxed east coast. I think I leaned too heavily on 40's big band (actually, I think that's true throughout the night). After about an hour or hour and a half, most of the church folks had taken off, and I was left with the scene suspects, so I tried to branch out and throw more variety at people.

1. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10
2. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24
3. In The Mood - Glenn Miller - Ken Burns Jazz - 3:36
4. Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong) - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:50
5. All Of Me - Della Reese - Cocktail Classics - 2:01
6. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
7. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28
8. Dunkin' A Doughnut - Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 2:51
9. Solid As A Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00
10. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
11. Hoodle-Addle - Ray McKinley Orchestra - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 3:21
12. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
13. Take A Swing With Me - B.B. King - The Early "Blues Boy" Years - 2:35
14. Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Carrie Smith - When You're Down and Out - 3:35
15. San Francisco Bay Blues - Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - Blues Over Bodega - 3:41
16. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit (Disc 1) - 3:37
17. Teardrops From My Eyes - Ruth Brown - Rockin' In Rhythm - Best Of - 2:59
18. All Right, Okay, You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 2:45
19. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41
20. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
21. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27
22. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42
23. Meet Me in Uptown - The Mighty Blue Kings - Meet Me In Uptown - 2:59
24. Rock A Beatin' Boogie - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:34
25. Jump, Jive, An' Wail - Louis Prima - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 3:31
26. Papa What Are You Trying To Do To Me I've Been Doing It For - Randy Sandke - The Re-Discovered Louis & Bix - 3:49
27. When I Grow Too Old To Dream - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:47
28. My Blue Heaven - Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin' Stuff - 3:46
29. In a Mellow Tone - Count Basie - Blues In Orbit - 2:40
30. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing - Cootie Williams - Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me - 3:45
31. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16
32. Every Day I Have the Blues / Goin' to Chicago Blues - The Four Tops - Lost and Found: Four Tops "Breaking Through" (1963-1964) - 3:50
33. Sugar Blues - Clarence Williams - Boogie Woogie Blues - 3:39
34. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42
35. Home To Mississippi - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:29
36. I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) - 2:39
37. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
38. Jambalaya Strut - Dr. Michael White - Dancing In The Sky - 3:46
39. Jive At Five - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:51
40. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
41. Six-appeal - Charlie Christian - Six-appeal - 3:20
42. Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01
43. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water - Lou Rawls - Stormy Monday - 3:55

Upcoming DJ workshop at Big City Swing

Coming in November at Big City Swing, Dave "Lippy" Rentauskas and I are going to be offering a workshop for DJs and music lovers. Dave has done DJ workshops in the past that were mostly focused on technical stuff like how to use a mixer, but this one is going to be much more about finding good music, choosing the right track, and putting together a set. We're still working on exactly what topics we're going to address, but we want to make it accessible to as wide an audience as possible--not just for people who are already DJs and just want some pointers, but also for dancers who only know a little about the music they dance to, but are curious to learn more.

Here's the workshop details:

Who: James and Dave

What: Now You Has Jazz: Workshop for DJs and Music Lovers

When: Saturday, November 15th, 2-4 p.m.

Where: Big City Swing, 1012 W. Randolph, Chicago

How Much: $10 at the door (call it a suggested donation--if you can't afford $10, chip in what you can; if your mind is blown, tip liberally). No pre-registration necessary, though feel free to tell us that you're coming.

Why: Short version is, we love geeking out about jazz, and if you are interested too we would love to geek out with you. For the long version, see below.

What to bring: If you have a laptop or mp3 player with dance music on it, or a case of cds, bring them. Feel free to bring snacks too. And rootbeer. James loves rootbeer.

Another important note: Since we're still putting together topics, we are very willing to adapt the workshop to people's interests. If you're coming, feel free to leave a comment below, email me, or talk to me--if there are specific questions you have, things you wonder about, things you need advice about, we would be glad to address them.


The long version of why we're doing this:

A couple months ago, there was a DJ contest at Fizz, meant to give folks that were interested in maybe getting into DJing a chance to take a spin, get some fresh blood behind the turntables, and generally just stir things up a little bit. Fizz still definitely needs to add one (or more) new DJs to the roster, so it was very much meant to be a chance to discover new talent. Unfortunately for us Fizz regulars, the winner, Shannon, was only in town for a little while--now she's back in the San Francisco Bay area.

Sure it would have been great to have some local kid show up and blow everyone away with how awesome they are. Short of that, it would also be great if some incredible DJ from another scene just happened to move to Chicago because of their job. But I'm not holding my breath. I think our best bet to make sure that our scene stays strong and interesting is to start encouraging people who are interested and give them opportunities to learn and grow into strong DJs.

It's not a skill anybody learns over night, and I think as a scene we've been a bit negligent about providing opportunities. Many of the regular DJs in Chicago have been doing it for 5+ years (for example, Doug Hillman, Dave Rentauskas, Riley Wymes), and many are also dance instructors (Dave, Riley, Carl Linder, myself) so I think your average dancer may have the impression that its something like a professional gig that requires an advanced degree in lindy hop or something like that. It's definitely not. I think that being an avid dancer helps, but only because it means you'll be able to empathize with the people out on the floor--the dancers you're trying to keep happy. Really the skills required are 1) the ability to press "play" on a cd player or computer 2) ears for listening to lots of music and 3) eyes to observe how dancers react to what you play.

So I am eager to offer a workshop to try to stir up interest in the music we dance to, to start a conversation about things, share what I know, and learn about what I don't. Dave and I tend to have pretty different taste in music and different approaches to DJing, so the process of working together on this is definitely going to be a learning experience for us both. Hopefully hearing a range of perspectives will benefit others too.

Upcoming events

Man I'm getting busy on the turntables (okay fine, the mousepad) these days. Last weekend was WCLX. This coming weekend I'm djing at a free dance, not far from our apartment. It's at the First Evangelical Free Church in Andersonville. Details here. Join us! It should be low-key and fun, and did I mention that it's FREE?

Then in two weeks, on Saturday October 18th, I'm djing at the Galaxie for an event organized by Lippy and Nicolle called Swing Noir. It's a speak-easy themed swing dance and interactive murder mystery. More details, including on the characters you can play in the murder mystery, here. And here's the Facebook event page. I'm supposed to spin lots of 20's-style music, in keeping with the theme, so come prepared to do the charleston and the foxtrot and the black bottom and my personal favorite, the squirrel.

Also, for all of my groupies out there, the fourth link on the right-hand side of this page ("Events and DJ schedule") takes you to a calendar where you can see all of my upcoming gigs.

Fizz setlist 10/06/2008

10/6/2008, the day after WCLX, I spun from a little after nine until a little after eleven p.m. On the whole, an odd night, and certainly not my best set ever. It was pretty empty until about 10:15, and folks seemed pretty intent on conversation. Maybe everyone was just tired from a weekend full of revelry. Because of who was there, I started out trying to play "Boston-style" music--stuff you might hear at Monday night practice.

1. Exactly Like You - Alix Combelle - 1935-40 - 3:09
2. Drinking Wine, Spo Dee O Dee - Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy - Jukebox Hits 1936-1949 - 3:08
3. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35
4. Sent for You Yesterday (and Here You Come Today) - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 4:09
5. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
6. As Long As I Live - Ernestine Anderson - Never Make Your Move Too Soon - 4:40
7. Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 2:47 (This got everyone going, finally.)
   
8. All Of Me - Helen O'Connell - Great Girl Singers, Sing 22 Original Hits - 2:09
9. I Want a Tall Skinny Pappa - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 2:52
10. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41
11. He Ain't Got Rhythm (Jimmy Rushing, Vocals) - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 2:49
12. Big John's Special - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:08
13. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
14. It's Only A Paper Moon - Oscar Peterson - With Respect To Nat - 2:32 (The quintessential Mike Smith song.)
    
15. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water - Lou Rawls - Stormy Monday - 3:55
16. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35
17. I Ain't Got Nobody - Ruby Braff & Ralph Sutton - For Dancers Only! (A Lindy Hop Compilation) - 3:52
18. Mack The Knife - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin (Live) - 4:39
19. I Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 3:09
20. Everything Is Jumpin' - Artie Shaw - The Very Best Of Artie Shaw - 5:09
21. Twenty-Four Robbers - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:45 (By request.)
    
22. You Do Something To Me - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 3:25
23. Saint Louis Blues - Carrie Smith - When You're Down and Out - 2:42
24. Good Bait - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Swingmatism - 2:53
25. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit (Disc 1) - 3:37
26. Ain't Misbehavin' - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 2:52 (This was a poor choice. Too exotic for the moment, when I was trying to)
    
27. Gimme A Pigfoot - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:09
28. Perdido - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:08 (My wife doesn't like this song. I think she's in the majority. I'm in the minority.)
    
29. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45
30. I Love Jazz - Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong - 4:39 (My DJ program hiccuped in the middle of this song, and skipped to the next song after only 2 minutes of Louis. Disappointing, particularly because it felt like there was a good groove building.)
    
31. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42
32. Flying Home - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 2:53
33. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
34. St. James Infirmary (LP Version) - Della Reese - The Story of the Blues - 3:59
    (Announcement about upcoming blues workshop with Don West & Tina Davis. Next song is a blues number, to put folks in the mood.)
    
35. You Just Usin' Me for a Convenience - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - A Long Way from Home - 3:45
36. Trombone Butter - Dinah Washington - Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith - 3:34
    (Lippy takes over.)