Saturday, September 27, 2008

Ella Fitzgerald - Sugarfoot Rag

Available on Amazon and iTunes.

Some songs that I otherwise really enjoy present a problem for deejaying. A lot of big band music is meant to convey excitement/energy/pep, so it comes out with horns blaring, firing riffs off every which way, and never lets up. (I think this is true of music from every era--maybe particularly so for more arranged music.) Sounds like the perfect way to keep the energy high in a room full of dancers, but actually I've seen songs like that backfire. The problem is, if a dancer doesn't feel up to matching the intensity of the first few bars of the song, they might be more inclined to sit the song out. Sometimes you just don't want to dance that exuberantly.

In songs with big intros, sometimes the energy also drops off a cliff once you hit a long solo. Take for instance, Count Basie Orchestra playing Dance of the Gremlins--fun song, great riffs, but it can be kind of draining. Other Count Basie numbers have a different energy pattern to them--the steady build. Basie's version of One O'Clock Jump is a masterpiece (will have to blog about that one later), but the energy in it is like a steady climb up a hill--it doesn't peak until two thirds of the way through the number.

Sugarfoot Rag, on the other hand, is like a roller coaster ride. It has an interesting pattern of phrases that take the energy up and down, then up and down again. The song is a standard three choruses, but the choruses follow a rather unusual pattern. Typically in swing music, a chorus is made up of 4 (8-bar or 4-eight count) phrases in an AABA pattern. In this song, the pattern is AABCC, and each phrase puts a different twist on the energy.

After a very short intro from the horns and Ella, she starts in on the first verse (phrase A):
Gonna get out the sycamore, shine up my shoes,
Meet my baby and tell him the news.
I bet my bundle on a sway-back nag
And I came home a winner with plenty of swag
In the second phrase (also an A), she sings the refrain, which sounds a bit like a nursery rhyme:
One foot, two foot, slew foot drag
Swing your honey to the sugarfoot rag
Dig a little jig and a zig and a zag
And listen to the trombone, sugarfoot rag
In the background, the band claps their hands, which gives a little boost to the energy, but not over the top. At the end of the phrase, Ella summons the trombone, who comes in for the next phrase (B) as the band plays a sort of smooth, slow riff. It's cool and tense at the same time--it feels to me like the song is in slow-motion all of a sudden. The trombone kicks into high gear with a bigger, more energetic solo for the next two phrases (C), while the band plays some bold, brassy riffs in support.

Then the same pattern repeats, first with the verse and refrain, then a slow-motion phrase, and then two phrases of high-energy solos. This time, Ella calls out "And listen to the tenor, sugarfoot rag," which cues a saxophone solo. The third time, same thing, but Ella cues herself "And listen to me, sugarfoot rag," then unleashes some virtuosic scatting.

Calling out the next soloist is a neat gimmick. I've played this song at dances with good results, because it's high-energy but not in a draining way. The constant ups and downs of the arrangement give it a playful feeling, and make it seem less daunting for dancers who might be at the edge of their comfort-zone as far as the tempo goes.

Balboa Party setlist 9/26/2008

I deejayed the Balboa party at Big City Swing from about 8:30 to 11:45 on 9/26/2008. Attendance was lighter than normal, probably because the first presidential debate was on TV from 8:00 to 9:30. More folks started to drift in after that, mostly friends of mine whose taste in music I have a pretty good sense for. Because of that, and because of the smaller crowd, I used more drastic transitions between tempos and styles, figuring that I didn't need to worry as much about super-smooth flow, and should concentrate more on variety, playing whatever selections I thought the dancers would really enjoy most so that nobody would get bored. A few of the songs I tested out for the first time, with mixed results.
  1. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35
  2. Perdido - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 3:13
  3. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05
  4. Mr. Ghost Goes To Town - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Mr. Rhythmist Goes To Town - 3:58
  5. Whistle Stop - The Swing Session - Stompy Jones - 2:15
  6. Celery Stalks At Midnight (Album Version) - Will Bradley - Swing Time! - The Fabulous Big Band Era (1925-1955) - 3:15
  7. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
  8. Rose Room - Artie Shaw - Artie Shaw, King Of The Clarinet - 2:43
  9. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44
  10. Fiddle Dee Dee - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:39
  11. Boys from Harlem - Randy Sandke And The Nagel Heyer Allstars - Uptown Lowdown - 3:33
  12. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
  13. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 3:26
  14. Carolina In the Morning - Jimmy Dorsey - Big Band Masters: Jimmy Dorsey, Vol. 2 - 3:49
  15. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
  16. Dipsy Doodle - Larry Clinton & His Orchestra - G.I. Jukebox, Original Hits from the Swing Era, 1938-1946 - 3:03
  17. Take It Easy Greasy No. 2 - Lil Johnson - Lil Johnson & Barrelhouse Annie Vol. 3 1937 - 2:58
  18. Grabtown Grapple - Artie Shaw - 1944-45 - 3:00
  19. Shorty George - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:46
  20. I May Be Wrong (Boogie Woogie) - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:21
  21. Country Man - Carrie Smith - When You're Down and Out - 3:46
  22. Jambalaya Strut - Dr. Michael White - Dancing In The Sky - 3:46
  23. San Francisco Bay Blues - Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - Blues Over Bodega - 3:41
  24. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  25. Madame Dynamite - Eddie Condon - Let's Swing It - 2:55
  26. Tiger Rag - The Firehouse Five Plus Two - The Firehouse Five Plus Two Story - 3:04
  27. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
  28. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45
  29. Ridin' And Jivin' - Earl Hines - Rosetta - 2:39
  30. Thursday Evening Swing - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:28
  31. The Right Idea - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:13
  32. Digga Digga Doo - Asylum Street Spankers - Mercurial - 4:10
  33. Let's Get Drunk And Truck - The Harlem Hamfats - Let's Get Drunk And Truck - 3:06
  34. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16
  35. Colonel Josh's BBQ - Asylum Street Spankers - Strawberry - 3:40
  36. Hoodle-Addle - Ray McKinley Orchestra - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 3:21
  37. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06
  38. Shout, Sister, Shout! - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 2:41
  39. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35
  40. All Of Me - Della Reese - Cocktail Classics - 2:01
  41. Harlem Air Shaft - Duke Ellington - Piano In the Background - 4:03
  42. Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01
  43. Shoot the Likker to Me, John Boy - Artie Shaw - Self Portrait (Box Set) - 2:48
  44. Don't Be That Way - Chick Webb - Jazz After Hours - 2:43
  45. Everybody Loves My Baby - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 3:11
  46. My Blue Heaven - Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin' Stuff - 3:46
  47. Sugar Blues - Ella Fitzgerald & Chick Webb - Standing Tall - 3:05
  48. Jive At Five - Count Basie - Swinging The Blues: 1930-1939 - 2:46
  49. Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:50
  50. Darktown Strutters Ball - Jeff Healey - It's Tight Like That - 4:50
  51. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38
  52. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
  53. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26
  54. Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - Django Reinhardt - The Swing Sessions Volume 1 - 2:58
  55. Hot Biscuits - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 3:08
  56. Jazz Me Blues (trimmed) - Jimmy Dorsey - America's Premier Dixieland Jazz Band Live 1950 - 2:00
  57. Never Make You Move Too Soon - Barbara Morrison - Doing All Right - 3:34
  58. I Found A New Baby - Cootie Williams - Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me - 2:39
  59. Putting On The Ritz - The Pasadena Roof Orchestra - Pasadena - 25th Anniversary Album - 3:12

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Eddie Condon & company - Madame Dynamite

Available on eMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

This peppy mid-tempo instrumental (well, in Chicago it would be borderline up-tempo) has a lot of qualities that I think make for really fun, interesting dance music--stuff that really makes me want to swing out. Let me highlight a couple:
  • The loose, laid-back timing. The song is around 185 beats per minute, but it's lazy. It doesn't feel driving or fast.
  • A rapid flow of different voices. Listen to the introductory phrase, where the horns come in one after the other, and then cut out, leaving the piano to finish. None of the individual instruments solos for very long--there's a constant flow of different sounds. I think this makes it fun to dance to--there's always something new just around the corner, so if you're having trouble following or connecting with the saxophone, no worries, here comes the trumpet.
  • Stop time. Super fun. Stop time is where the band halts and just plays some sort of choppy rhythm that hits on every bar or every other bar, while one instrument solos. It happens several times in this song. The first instance is after the ensemble has played the main melody phrase twice through. In the next phrase (starting around 0:32), the band goes into stop time while the clarinet (Pee Wee Russell) plays over them, then slides into a normal solo to finish the chorus. Later on there are two more stop-time phrases that follow the same pattern, first with Bud Freeman on saxophone and then Alex Hill on piano.
  • Eddie Condon's guitar. In combination with the drums, he provides a lot of little rhythmic fills that make the stop-time build up, and that generally just keep things rolling along.
I've played this song once or twice at dances. I would play it more, except the fidelity isn't that great--there's a bit of a hiss. The style is also not something that a lot of Chicago dancers are used to, so it's not a track that will draw a lot of folks out onto the floor around here. Categorize it under "songs James thinks are great and that he is gradually trying to introduce into his scene."

Sunday, September 21, 2008

What's all this nonsense?

While I'm on the topic of introductions, I figured I might add a word about what I'm trying to do with this blog.

I intend to use it to:
  • Post set lists from my gigs at Fizz and elsewhere. I've gotten into the habit of doing a bit of a post-mortem on most of my sets, as a way to help me remember what worked and what didn't work. Most of the time deejays don't get a lot of feedback about how they are doing, so this is a way to critique myself. Set lists that include this sort of commentary will be labeled with the tag "commentary."
  • Recommend particular tracks of music, and comment about why I think they're good for deejaying (or just interesting). I explained this to my friend Jenna, and she summed it up pretty well: "It's like Peter Strom's [blog], only much nerdier." I'll label these posts with the tag "One Track Mind" so you can easily find them or ignore them.
  • Muse. I'm interested in a geeky way about how people's musical tastes form, so a lot of the musing may relate to this question.
I'm not imagining that a lot of people would actually read this blog, but I'd love to be proven wrong. If you do read it, I'd love to hear from you, to get your reaction to the songs I recommend or to my sets, to get your recommendations on music, or to start an argument about how I'm completely off base (off-bass?) about something.

Who am I?

My name is James. I'm newly married and am about to be a graduate student again. I've been swing dancing for about 9 years (see the long version of that below). My wife (Mary) and I used to live and dance in Boston. We moved to Chicago two years ago. I have been teaching off and on for about the past four years, I perform occasionally with a troupe from Big City Swing, and I have been DJing for about two years.

I deejay at two dances in Chicago. I'm in the rotation at the regular Monday night dance at Fizz Bar & Grill. This dance attracts a lot of the core of the Chicago scene, plus lots of casual dancers. I also occasionally deejay for the Balboa Nights at Big City Swing. This monthly dance is meant to promote balboa, and caters to a mix of folks--we try to play music that is good for beginners who want to east coast, and for lindy hoppers too, so the average tempo ends up being slower than you might expect for a balboa dance.

Here's a little timeline of my life as far as swing dancing goes:
  • 1991 (5th grade) - Discover my dad's Best of the Big Bands cd and decide that I like jazz.
  • 1997 (High School) - Take some very basic ballroom dancing lessons with a friend. Our teacher is 80+ years old and walks with a cane. First see the movie Strictly Ballroom.
  • 1998 - Learn east coast swing as part of a bad community theater production that featured several "period" dance numbers. I think there was a number that was supposed to be a cakewalk too.
  • 1999 (College) - Discover the newly founded Boston College Swing Kids, and start going to on-campus lessons and getting hooked. First see the movie Swing Kids.
  • 2000 - Still taking lessons on campus. I think during the Spring of this year, I decided to venture off campus to take lessons from someone who actually knew what they were doing. First performance with the Swing Kids troupe, to the song "Leap Frog" by Les Brown.
  • 2001 - Assume the presidency of the Swing Kids club, along with my friend Nick. We are taking basic lindy lessons in Boston on Tuesdays, then running back and teaching what we learned to the club on Wednesdays. First workshops with Steven & Virginie.
  • 2003 - Still running the college club, taking lessons in town. Getting serious about getting better. First learn the balboa.
  • 2004 - Living and dancing in Boston. Taking lots of lessons & workshops.
  • 2005 - Start teaching the free lesson before the Wednesday night dance at MIT. Occasionally filling in as a DJ there too. This is when I started to learn how to actually teach.
  • 2006 - Teaching for a while with ItsAllSwing studios in Boston, and Providence Swings in Providence. Practicing a lot with a troupe of friends from Boston and Providence.
  • September 2006 - Move to Chicago, start dancing, teaching, and deejaying.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Fizz setlist 9/8/2008

This set ran from about 9:00 to 11:10 p.m. or so on 9/8/2008. I got quite a few of compliments on it. Tessa, who runs Fizz, said, "You played a lot of complex music, but it kept people on the floor." What did you think? Leave a comment if you were there.

I made use of some new eMusic finds in this set (fans of Hey Mr. Jesse will recognize a few tracks). I tried to balance that out as much as possible by using very familiar songs, but I think I may have still played too much new music for one night. On the whole the set was a bit scatter-brained, jumping around stylistically (you'll see that in some of the transitions). The flip-side of that is that I accomplished one of the things I always try to do as a DJ, which is to play a wide variety of sounds, styles, and tempos.
  1. Dipsy Doodle - Larry Clinton & His Orchestra - G.I. Jukebox, Original Hits from the Swing Era - 3:03
    (At the start there was only one person there besides me. Fizz can be really unpredictable in that respect. I played a few random tracks from my collection.)
  2. Mackie Messer - 8 To The Bar - Swingin It - 4:17
  3. That Ain't Right - Fats Waller - Last Testament: His Final Recordings 9-23-43 - 2:59
    (I love this song, but I don't know if I would spin it at a dance. I figured I would test it out on an empty room. Three more people arrive.)
  4. Sophisticated Swing - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:46
  5. My Blue Heaven - Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin' Stuff - 3:46
    (There's a few people sitting at the tables, and they dance during the next song.)
  6. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  7. I'm Coming Virginia - Artie Shaw - Artie Shaw, King Of The Clarinet - 2:27
    (I could have skipped that last one. The next two pull people away from the tables to start dancing in earnest.)
  8. Wake Up Neesie - Kermit Ruffins - Big Easy - 5:50
  9. Don't You Miss Your Baby - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55
  10. One 0'clock Jump - Oscar Peterson - Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie - 5:52
    (The OP is a bit too chill for the moment (also on the long side)--I'm afraid I'm losing people to their drinks again. Also, more people are flowing in at this point, so I would rather have an up-beat vibe. The next song definitely works for that.)
  11. Jambalaya Strut - Dr. Michael White - Dancing In The Sky - 3:46
    (I thought this transition would work really well, but it flopped. Listening to it again, I don't really know what I was thinking.)
  12. All Of Me - Della Reese - Cocktail Classics - 2:01
    (To make up for it, pull out an old war-horse. The next seven songs are a steady build that works really well.)
  13. All Right, Okay, You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 2:45
  14. Shout, Sister, Shout! - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 2:41
    (My wife loves Shout Sister Shout, I just learned.)
  15. Loose Wig - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 2: Flying Home - 3:04
  16. Savoy - Lucky Millinder - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:04
    (People seemed to dig the last track, which surprised me because in the past it has seemed to thin out the floor. I think to myself, okay should I relax the tempo a little after this one? Naahh...)
  17. Thursday Evening Swing - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:28
  18. I Love Jazz - Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong - 4:39
    (I Love Jazz has the floor packed. The next song is a peak, at 185 bpm. It seemed to thin out the floor.)
  19. Flying Home - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 2:53
    (In retrospect, I might have been able to push the tempo for one song further.)
  20. Hoodle-Addle - Ray McKinley Orchestra - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 3:21
    (The next three are a little set of nice, groovy numbers, which I think went over well.)
  21. Bye Bye Baby, Bye Bye - Barbara Morrison - Johnny Otis Presents Barbara Morrison - 3:16
  22. Country Man - Carrie Smith - When You're Down and Out - 3:46
  23. Like It Is - Erroll Garner - That's My Kick & Gemini - 2:44
  24. Smack Dab In The Middle - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:59
    (During Smack Dab I decide I want to play Honeysuckle Rose, which has a very different feel to it. I thought I transitioned well: male group vocal to male group vocal featuring a Stuff Smith violin solo....)
  25. On the Sunny Side of the Street - Dizzy Gillespie - The Champ - 3:09
    (...and on to another tune that features a prominent violin.)
  26. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47
    (I'm regretting playing that Stuff Smith version of My Blue Heaven earlier. It would have been good to play here instead. I don't like the transition to the next song very much--it doesn't make sense.)
  27. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing - Cootie Williams - Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me - 3:45
    (For the next track, I was looking for this groovy Ellington version of Harlem Airshaft, but I couldn't find it. I pull out The Minor Goes Muggin' instead, which kind of kills the floor because it's so frantic.)
  28. The Minor Goes Muggin' - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings - 3:00
    (Since the floor has thinned, I try to pull everyone back on with a drastic drop in tempo (from 180 to 125) and a change in style.)
  29. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18
  30. Shake That Thing - Wynonie Harris - Risque Blues - It Ain't the Meat - 2:17
  31. Who Walks In When I Walk Out? with Ella Fitzgerald - Louis Armstrong - The Wonderful Duets - 2:21
  32. At Long Last Love - Bill Henderson - Bill Henderson With the Oscar Peterson Trio - 2:30
    (The next song is slow, about 100 bpm, and long but has great, really unique energy. I knew a the start of the night that I wanted to feature it, and I figured now was a good time--just before 11 o'clock. The floor was full for it.)
  33. Song With No Words - Asylum Street Spankers - Strawberry - 5:43
    (The next song was a good transition. A friend of mine's favorite.)
  34. Everybody Loves My Baby - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 3:11
    (I didn't know if it would work to throw the next one in there, but I figured I could experiment a little bit at the very end of my set. The previous song is 145, the next is 215, but has a relaxed feel.)
  35. Forty Days & Forty Nights - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Forty Days and Forty Nights - 2:51
  36. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38
    (The previous song and the next song are pretty chill. In retrospect, I should have probably picked punchier stuff because this time of night (just after 11 p.m.) is a threshold for some people--do I stay or do I leave now?)
  37. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
    (A guaranteed crowd-pleaser to end the set.)
  38. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 5:43

Monday, September 8, 2008

Ellington, Hibbler, and Davis - I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues

Available (in various versions) on eMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

I first heard this track on a podcast about Duke Ellington, part of a 4-part series from NPR Jazz Profiles. The podcast is a really great introduction to Duke that I would recommend for any jazz fan, even if the four parts do get a little repetitive. Here's a link to the first part. There's also a podcast that focuses just on Hibbler.

I've never played the track at a dance, and honestly I'm not sure if I would. It's slow, pretty far out stylistically, and the phrases are kind of disjointed. I might play it at a blues late night if there were some creative dancers there that were up for pushing their boundaries. I've also had it in my head lately that it would make for an interesting dance routine (though definitely a challenge to choreograph). But that's not why I'm bothering to mention it.

I'm blogging about it because it's a fascinating piece of music, both as an arrangement/composition and as a performance. Speaking just as a fan (not having any deep knowledge about Ellington's work), it seems to me to really epitomize what Duke does. Here, he takes a really good blues song and juxtaposes it against the sharp, modernist jazz style that his band does so well, turning a popular genre into a much more complex, captivating statement about life. That's what I hear, at least--maybe I'm reading too much into things, it wouldn't be the first time. Take a listen:

After a full-band intro, we hear Harry Carney's deep baritone saxophone simply stating the main melody. In between the breath of the melody, the band plays an odd syncopation--it's jarring to have the slow tempo of the melody rolling gently along while the band plays such an energetic, angular rhythm.

There's an interlude with just piano and bass, and then we hear Blind Al Hibbler singing the main melody: "Ain't got the change of a nickel/Ain't got no bounce in my shoe/Ain't got no fancy to tickle/I ain't got nothing but the blues." The timbre of his voice is pretty similar to Carney's saxophone, and he sounds very melancholy. Behind him, in between each line of the melody, Kay Davis hums a high-pitched, exotic harmony as the band plays the same odd syncopations as before. It gives the impression that nobody in the world notices that Hibbler is singing the blues--life just passes him right by. At the end of the phrase, Hibbler is almost interrupted by a jaunty trumpet, drawing the band back in.

Hibbler continues into a verse, with Davis singing these odd harmonies and a trumpet adding fills. After repeating the chorus, the bari sax comes back in, then there's a big outtro with the whole band rolling over Hibbler. But then no, wait, it's not quite done and it actually ends with the band playing a soft little tag.

The whole thing is disconcerting--each phrase is a different texture, and each voice/instrument heard sounds gorgeous on its own but amazing in combination. It keeps you off guard through the whole piece. In the Jazz Profiles podcast about Hibbler, Kay Davis says that when Ellington was first teaching the song to Hibbler, she was standing around just casually humming along. Ellington heard her, and told her to do the same thing when they performed the number on stage. Davis's wordless harmony hits some really odd notes that sound spooky and beautiful, which make for a very interesting contrast to Hibbler's strong, simple take on the lyrics.


Sunday, September 7, 2008

Pete Foutain and the Kings of Dixieland - Shine on, Harvest Moon

Available on eMusic, Amazon, and iTunes.

This tune has become one of my stand-bys at Fizz. Indispensable, I might even dub it. Why? Take a listen...

In the first 40 seconds you hear only a solo banjo, playing the main melody with rapid strumming. It's a little bit mysterious--it makes you focus in, wondering where it's gonna go. As a DJ, an intro like this is useful if you want to really shift gears, or give dancers a second to catch their breath and then find their next partner. However, it's a bit on the long side, and sometimes I start the track at the very end of the solo bit if I want to keep the energy building from the previous song.

Right around 40 seconds, percussion comes in to, and the banjo starts to play the melody at a more defined tempo (around 160 bpm). It's chill but rhythmic, and fun for dancing. But it only lasts for two phrases.

Then the whole band comes in, with trumpet leading and the trombone and clarinet right behind. The transition adds a smooth but really large burst of energy to a room full of dancers. Try playing it, and watch as your crowd gets peppy. The trumpet, clarinet (the leader, Pete Fountain), and trombone each take half a chorus, followed by some group improvisation. Then the band drops out, and it's back to just the banjo and percussion for a little coda. Cheesy good fun.

It's over in under 3 minutes, and that includes the long prelude. Sometimes I wish it was a bit longer. Other times I appreciate that it's so short--like giving everyone the musical equivalent of a shot of whiskey and letting them loose again.

One of the things that stands out about this song is the quality of the drumming. It's nicely audible, relaxed and swinging, and has some fun rhythmic fills, all of which make it much easier to dance to than a lot of Dixieland. The songs rhythm is accessible and infectious (banjo helps a lot with that!), great for spinning in a room where you've got some people out for their first night of East Coast, and some that have been coming to the dance for years.

Oh yeah, if you're not familiar with the tune, there quite a few vocal versions out there. Search for renditions by Leon Redbone, the Ink Spots, or the Asylum Street Spankers.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Fizz setlist 7/21/2008

Starting around 9 p.m. on 7/21/2008. My DJing software was still acting up, so again the following is only a partial list.
  1. Diga Diga Doo - Artie Shaw - The Very Best of Artie Shaw - 2:40
  2. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
  3. One 0'clock Jump - Oscar Peterson - Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie - 5:52
  4. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
  5. Four or Five Times- Joe Williams - For Dancers Only! - 4:48
  6. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10
  7. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
  8. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35
  9. The Flat Foot Floogee - Slam Stewart - Slam Bam - 3:08
  10. Honeysuckle Rose - Katherine Davis - Dream Shoes - 3:14
  11. Savoy Blues - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters: Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen - 3:53
  12. Jambalaya Strut - Dr. Michael White - Dancing In The Sky - 3:46
  13. Hoodle-Addle - Ray McKinley Orchestra - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 3:21
  14. Cole Slaw - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:44
  15. Smack Dab In The Middle - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:59
  16. Good Rockin' Tonight - Jack McDuff & Jimmy Witherspoon - The Blues Is Now - 2:17
  17. Whiskey Makes Me Mean - Gerry Hundt - Since Way Back - 3:04
  18. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  19. The Right Idea - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:13

Fizz setlist 6/23/2008

Kicking off at 9 p.m. on 6/23/2008. My DJ software was acting up, so some of the tracks I played did not get logged. The following is only a partial list.
  • Yes Sir, That's My Baby - Earl Hines - A Monday Date - 3:00
  • Minor Swing - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Jammin' the Blues - 3:24
  • Four Or Five Times - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:12
  • Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:53
  • All Right, Okay, You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 2:45
  • We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42
  • The Right Idea - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:13
  • My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45
  • Grabtown Grapple - Artie Shaw - 1944-45 - 3:00
  • Ain't She Sweet - Pearl Bailey - 16 Most requested Songs - 2:59
  • Take It Easy Greasy No. 2 - Lil Johnson - Lil Johnson & Barrelhouse Annie Vol. 3 1937 - 2:58
  • Ballin' The Jack - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 2:18
  • It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 3:15
  • Chicago - Muggsy Spanier - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 2:36
  • It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  • I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:59
  • (I Would Do) Anything For You - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:43
  • All Of Me/The Peanut Vendor - Dick Hyman Group Feat. Howard Alden - Sweet And Lowdown - 1:43
  • Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10
  • Cole Slaw - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:44
  • Life Is So Peculiar with Louis Jordan - Louis Armstrong - The Wonderful Duets - 3:24
  • Smack Dab In The Middle - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:59
  • I Love Jazz - Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong - 4:39
  • Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
  • Jeep Jockey Jump - Glenn Miller - Inspirational Swing! - 2:13
  • In a Mellow Tone - Count Basie - Blues In Orbit - 2:40
  • Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 5:43
  • Who Walks In When I Walk Out? with Ella Fitzgerald - Louis Armstrong - The Wonderful Duets - 2:21
  • Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35
  • Jambalaya Strut - Dr. Michael White - Dancing In The Sky - 3:46
  • I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28
  • Flying Home - Benny Goodman - 16 Most Requested Songs: Benny Goodman - 3:17
  • Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11

Fizz setlist 6/2/2008

Starting just after 9 p.m. on 6/2/2008. Mary and I taught a beginner lindy taster lesson from 8 to 9, so I kicked it off with some easy-going music so folks could practice.
  1. Sweet Georgia Brown - Alberta Hunter - Amtrak Blues - 4:12
  2. Moon Song - Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson - Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson - 4:37
  3. Sleepy Head - Firecracker Jazz Band - Firecracker Jazz Band Explodes - 5:29
  4. How About You? - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 4:03
  5. Bli Blip - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16
  6. Smack Dab In The Middle - George Gee - Swingin - 3:00
  7. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18
  8. Fibre de verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39
  9. Moten Swing - Oscar Peterson - Night Train - 2:55
  10. Solid As A Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00
  11. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10
  12. Good Bait - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Swingmatism - 2:53
  13. Massachusetts - Maxine Sullivan And Her Jazz All-Stars - Memories Of You - 3:16
  14. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
  15. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
  16. Careless Love - Harry Connick, Jr. - Oh, My Nola - 4:13
  17. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32
  18. Lazy River - Bobby Darin - The Ultimate Bobby Darin - 2:46
  19. A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
  20. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47
  21. You Send Me - Rachelle Ferrell - First Instrument - 5:07
  22. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05
  23. Moppin' and Boppin' - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Moppin' and Boppin' - 4:13
  24. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26
  25. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06
  26. Good Rockin' Tonight - Jack McDuff & Jimmy Witherspoon - The Blues Is Now - 2:17
  27. Meet Me in Uptown - The Mighty Blue Kings - Meet Me In Uptown - 2:59
  28. Teardrops From My Eyes - Ruth Brown - Rockin' In Rhythm - Best Of - 2:59
  29. As Long As I Live - Ernestine Anderson - Never Make Your Move Too Soon - 4:40
  30. Toast My Bread - Wycliffe Gordon - This Rhythm On My Mind - 4:16
  31. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
  32. Ridin' And Jivin' - Earl Hines - Rosetta - 2:39
  33. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38
  34. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 5:43

Fizz setlist 5/4/2008

The Powers That Be decided to change the start time at Fizz (WOOOHOO!), so I kicked off this set at 9 p.m. on 5/4/2008. My friend Sara taught the Black Bottom (line dance) from 8 to 9 p.m.
  1. Truckin' - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 - 2:47
  2. Georgia Cake Walk - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 3:06
  3. Hot Biscuits - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 3:08
  4. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
  5. Ja-Da - The Famous Castle Jazz Band - The Five Pennies - 3:07
  6. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45
  7. Wednesday Night Hop - Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy - The Golden Age of Swing, Vol. 1 - 3:05
  8. Diga Diga Doo - Duke Ellington - The Duke's Men: The Small Groups, Vol. 1 - 2:52
  9. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38
  10. Birmingham Bounce - Tommy Dorsey - Greatest Hits: Tommy Dorsey - 2:57
  11. Ain't Misbehavin' - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 2:52
  12. Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - Django Reinhardt - The Swing Sessions Volume 1 - 2:58
  13. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27
  14. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 3:15
  15. That Chick's Too Young To Fry - The Prisonaires - Just Walkin' In The Rain - 1:45
  16. All Right, Okay, You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 2:45
  17. Thanks A Million - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 4:26
  18. Yes Indeed - Sy Oliver - Yes Indeed - 3:13
  19. Let Me Off Uptown - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz - 3:24
  20. Tar Paper Stomp - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:32
  21. Big John's Special - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:08
  22. Duke's Place - Ella Fitzgerald - Something To Live For (Disc 2) - 4:13
  23. Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 2:47
  24. Like It Is - Erroll Garner - That's My Kick & Gemini - 2:44
  25. They Can't Take That Away From Me - Sarah Vaughan - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:43
  26. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42
  27. Wake Up Neesie - Kermit Ruffins - Big Easy - 5:50
  28. Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11
  29. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
  30. Call The Police - Nat King Cole - Hit That Jive, Jack - 3:06
  31. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  32. Moppin' and Boppin' - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Moppin' and Boppin' - 4:13
  33. Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41
  34. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18
  35. Take My Love With You - Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves - (Am I Just) Fooling Myself? - 3:37

Fizz setlist 4/14/2008

Starting around 9:30 p.m. on 4/14/2008. I got a lot of complements on this set, so I posted it on Windyhop (here). Looking at it two days later, I commented that I would have liked to have hit a broader range of tempos, but the timing of when lots of folks started to show up made it a little tricky.
  1. Shine - Ella Fitzgerald - Rhythm And Romance - 2:55
    (Beginning of the night was a pretty light crowd, seemed to be some new lindyhoppers and some folks comfortable with East Coast Swing. )
  2. All Right, Okay, You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 2:45
  3. Birmingham Bounce - Tommy Dorsey - Greatest Hits: Tommy Dorsey - 2:57
    (Starting to get more crowded.)
  4. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  5. Georgia Cake Walk - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 3:06
    (Next two are for folks to get their bal on.)
  6. All the Cats Join In - Benny Goodman - The Capitol Years - 4:22
  7. Carolina In the Morning - Jimmy Dorsey - Big Band Masters: Jimmy Dorsey, Vol. 2 - 3:49
    (It's quite crowded by this point.)
  8. Tea For Two - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - Ella And Basie! - 3:18
    (Next one's a nod to the bandleader, who was in the house.)
  9. Good Bait - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Swingmatism - 2:53
    (Time for some bluesier sounds.)
  10. Let the Good Time Roll - Linda Hopkins - Wild Woman Blues - 3:26
  11. Whiskey Makes Me Mean - Gerry Hundt - Since Way Back - 3:04
    (Chicago Live Blues fans may be familiar with Gerry, husband of a local lindy hopper. This is an original number of his. I was kind of unsure about whether the transition between the Linda Hopkins tune and Gerry's would work, but I think it did. Follow up with one more up-tempo blues number.)
  12. As Long As I'm Moving - Ruth Brown - The Essentials: Ruth Brown - 2:43
    (Shine On Harvest Moon is one of my stand-bys at the moment. It seems to work as a transition between feels.)
  13. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
  14. Shake That Thing (Album Version) - Vince Giordano's Nighthawks - The Aviator Music From The Motion Picture - 3:00
    (Vince Giordano's Nighthawks are a group from NYC that play really tight 1920's style music. The next track starts to Cool things down. Also a vocal, after 3 instrumentals in a row.)
  15. Now Or Never - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:13
  16. Six-appeal - Charlie Christian - Six-appeal - 3:20
    (Next song is the slowest of the set, but still has an energetic feel.)
  17. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18
    (I should have played a track or two in the 130-135 range here.)
  18. Honeysuckle Rose - Katherine Davis - Dream Shoes - 3:14
  19. Nature Boy - Johnny Hartman - For Trane - 3:29
  20. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28
  21. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42
  22. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
  23. Carioca - Artie Shaw - Bal Mix from Mary Timmons - 4:07
    (I think Carioca thinned out the floor a bit much. Typically when that happens I drop back the tempo a lot, but I think I didn't go far enough with Strictly Instrumental. Too peppy still--I should have gone right to Viper's Moan.)
  24. Strictly Instrumental - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:39
  25. A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
    (Announcements, then Doberman takes over.)

Fizz setlist 3/17/2008

Starting around 9:30 p.m on 3/17/2008. My friend Marc Andre was in town that night (way-layed at O'Hare), and I was kind of trying to feed him fun music all night.
  1. Afternoon Of A Moax (Shake, Rattle 'N Roll) - Charlie Barnet - Swing Street Strut - 3:24
  2. The Gal from Joes - Duke Ellington - The Essence of Duke Ellington - 2:59
  3. Thursday Evening Swing - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:28
  4. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
  5. Big John's Special - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:08
  6. Tea For Two - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - Ella And Basie! - 3:18
  7. If You're A Viper - Kermit Ruffins - The Big Butter & Egg Man - 3:08
  8. Potato Chips - Slim Gaillard - Laughing In Rhythm: The Best Of The Verve Years - 3:05
  9. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26
  10. Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:53
  11. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
  12. In a Mellow Tone - Count Basie - Blues In Orbit - 2:40
  13. King Porter Stomp - Kansas City All-Stars - KC After Dark - 4:38
  14. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35
  15. Now Or Never - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:13
  16. (I Would Do) Anything For You - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:43
  17. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
  18. Savoy Blues - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters - 3:53
  19. On the Sunny Side of the Street - Dizzy Gillespie - The Champ - 3:09
  20. Mr. Gee - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:49
  21. I Ain't Goin' To Cry Anymore - Dinah Washington - Mixed Emotions - 2:40
  22. (Otto Make That) Riff Staccato - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) - 3:02
  23. The Gal from Joes - Duke Ellington - The Essence of Duke Ellington - 2:59
  24. Georgia Cake Walk - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 3:06
  25. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
  26. When You're Smiling - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Forty Days and Forty Nights - 3:51
  27. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24
  28. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
  29. Grabtown Grapple - Artie Shaw - 1944-45 - 3:00
  30. Boys from Harlem - Randy Sandke And The Nagel Heyer Allstars - Uptown Lowdown - 3:33

DJ Battle at the Galaxie 2/16/2008

Lippy and Nicolle organized a DJ battle at the Galaxie last February, inviting six DJs to spin short sets, each representing a single artist or band. The line-up was as follows:
  • Dave "Lippy" Rentauskas representing Helen Humes
  • Doug "Doberman" Hillman representing Gene Harris
  • me representing Duke Ellington
  • Chris "The Man with the Middles" Aubin representing Count Basie
  • Riley Wymes representing Ella Fitzgerald
  • Kevin Caruso representing Jay McShann
  • Nathan Gumley providing warm-up and transitions
The night was a smashing success, and really interesting musically. After a secret ballot (open to all attendees), Count Basie/Chris Aubin was awarded the blue ribbon and asked to spin an encore set. Commentary, as well as most of the other DJs setlists, can be found on Windyhop here.

Here's my set:
  1. The Mooche - Duke Ellington - Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings of Duke Ellington, 1926-1931 - 3:13
  2. Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01
  3. Jump For Joy (Alternate Take) - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:56
  4. Perdido - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:08
  5. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 4:42
  6. Pitter Panther Patter (Take 2) - Duke Ellington - Solos, Duets and Trios - 3:01
  7. Main Stem - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:52
  8. Cottontail - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 3:15
  9. Take the "A" Train - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 2:51
A big jam broke out during Main Stem and Cottontail, which ended up making my set a little longer than some of the other DJs' spots.

I found this night really challenging. I'd put a lot of work into it (even digging up and editing some short audio clips of Irving Mills introducing the Ellington band, to play as intros for some of the tracks) and had started with a very long list of possible selections. It was difficult to whittle it down, but perhaps even more difficult to choose tracks that would be accessible and really good for dancing. The acoustics in the room were also hard to deal with, given that I had some pretty low fidelity material, plus stuff that prominently featured Jimmy Blanton's bass lines.

Ellington's music is so spirited, but so challenging, that I'm torn about whether to play it for dances. Many of his tunes have really interesting, unusual rhythms in them, which can be difficult for dancers to deal with. But on the other hand, more advanced dancers probably appreciate the opportunity to give it a shot and try to keep up with the Duke. Duke also uses a very broad pallette of musical colors--more dark or mysterious sounds, more sharp contrasts, and a LOT more dissonance than any other big band.

I can't remember where I read or heard it, but I recall one comment about Duke Ellington that has stuck with me--that his band really transcended the era. The roster featured some of the most amazing talents in the world, and as a group they could be the most amazingly swingin' ensemble anyone had ever heard. At the same time that he created some of the tunes that defined the Swing era, Duke wasn't limited to writing dance music. His tunes capture and portray more of life, and somehow have even more spirit, than just swing. His music is the pinnacle of what Jazz can be.

Fizz setlist 2/4/2008

I spun all night this Monday, from 9:30 p.m. until around 1:00 a.m.
  1. When The Lights Are Low - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:14
  2. Who's Honey Are You? - Fats Waller - Vintage Piano Volume 2 - 2:38
  3. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41
  4. Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:53
  5. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45
  6. Boogie Woogie - Tommy Dorsey - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 3:07
  7. (Otto Make That) Riff Staccato - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) - 3:02
  8. One O'Clock Jump - Count Basie - Swinging The Blues: 1930-1939 - 3:03
  9. Stomp It Off - Jimmie Lunceford - Stomp It Off - 3:07
  10. Minor Swing - Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt 3: Minor Swing - 3:16
  11. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm - Bunny Berigan & His Orchestra - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 2:24
  12. Hello Dolly - Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong - 5:55
  13. Jazz Me Blues - The Swingsations - Swingers and Novelties - 3:00
  14. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
  15. Boys from Harlem - Randy Sandke And The Nagel Heyer Allstars - Uptown Lowdown - 3:33
  16. Hooray For Love - Ella Fitzgerald - Harold Arlen Songbook - 2:43
  17. At Long Last Love - Carmen McRae - The Great American Songbook - 2:27
  18. Lean Baby - Illinois Jacquet - Flying Home - 3:05
  19. Toast My Bread - Wycliffe Gordon - We - 4:49
  20. Honeysuckle Rose - Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day's Finest Hour - 3:15
  21. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 3:26
  22. Smack Dab In The Middle - George Gee - Swingin - 3:00
  23. Streamliner - The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Introducing Dorothy Dandridge - 3:49
  24. The Right Idea - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:13
  25. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
  26. Fibre de verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39
  27. Careless Love - Harry Connick, Jr. - Oh, My Nola - 4:13
  28. Bli Blip - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16
  29. All Right, Okay, You Win - Joe Williams - The Definitive Joe Williams - 3:05
  30. In A Mellow Tone - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 3:19
  31. Afternoon Of A Moax - Charlie Barnet - Swing Street Strut - 3:24
  32. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05
  33. Shiny Stockings - Count Basie - April In Paris - 5:17
  34. Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald - Bluella: Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Blues - 3:08
  35. Blues for Big Scotia - Oscar Peterson - The Essential Oscar Peterson - 5:58
  36. As Long As I Live - Ernestine Anderson - Never Make Your Move Too Soon - 4:40
  37. I've Got A Mind To Ramble - Alberta Hunter - Amtrak Blues - 4:13
  38. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit - 3:31
  39. This Can't Be Love - Mary Stallings - Manhattan Moods - 4:19
  40. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jazz Me Blues - 3:00
  41. I Love Being Here with You - Barbara Morrison - Live at the 9:20 Special - 3:07
  42. That Old Devil Moon - Carmen McRae - The Diva Series - 3:45
  43. Too Darn Hot - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin - 3:16
  44. Celery Stalks At Midnight - Will Bradley - Swing Time! - The Fabulous Big Band Era (1925-1955) - 3:15
  45. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:54
  46. Things Ain't What They Used to Be - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:06
  47. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
  48. Frankie and Johnnie - The Ink Spots - Voice Masters Vol. 2 - 2:56
  49. Rock Me All Night Long - The Fabulous Treniers - The Hoss Allen Sessions - 2:41
  50. Shake That Thing - Wynonie Harris - Risque Blues - It Ain't the Meat - 2:17
  51. My Sweet Hunk O' Trash - Louis Armstrong - The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949 - 3:20
  52. Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 2:47
  53. Dale's Wail - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz - 3:39
  54. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35
  55. I'm A Bouncin' Mama - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:30
  56. Roll With My Baby - The Eric Byrd Trio - Triunity - 4:00
  57. Ain't Misbehavin' - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 2:52
  58. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
  59. Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01
  60. Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - Django Reinhardt - The Swing Sessions Volume 1 - 2:58
  61. Long, Strong and Consecutive - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) - 2:52
  62. Back Water Blues - Dinah Washington - D W Story - 4:37
  63. When You're Smiling - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Forty Days and Forty Nights - 3:51

Fizz setlist 1/14/2008

Starting around 9:30 on 1/14/2008.
  1. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42
  2. Jeep Jockey Jump - Glenn Miller - Inspirational Swing! - 2:13
  3. Whistle Stop - The Swing Session - Stompy Jones - 2:15
  4. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10
  5. Cavernism - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Mr. Rhythmist Goes To Town - 3:23
  6. There's Rhythm In Harlem - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 - 3:11
  7. Jive At Five - Count Basie - Swinging The Blues: 1930-1939 - 2:46
  8. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38
  9. A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
  10. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit - 3:37
  11. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05
  12. Savoy - Lucky Millinder - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:04
  13. Back Bay Shuffle - Artie Shaw - His First Three Bands: 1936-1940 - 3:15
  14. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
  15. I'm Puttin' All My Eggs in One Basket - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis Again - 3:28
  16. Coquette - Teddy Wilson - Teddy Wilson, His Piano Orchestra With Billie Holiday - 2:45
  17. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 5:43
  18. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
  19. The Big Butter And Egg Man - Kermit Ruffins - The Big Butter & Egg Man - 4:03
  20. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 3:26
  21. Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11
  22. When You're Smiling - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Forty Days and Forty Nights - 3:51
  23. Man from Mars - Artie Shaw - Self Portrait - 3:39
  24. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
  25. It Don't Mean a Thing (If You Ain't Got That Swing) - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:01
  26. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
  27. Rockin' Chair - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz - 3:18
  28. The Minor Goes Muggin' - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) - 3:00

Fizz setlist 11/26/2007

Starting around 9:30 p.m. on 11/26/2007.
  1. Ain't Misbehavin' - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 2:52
  2. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26
  3. Jersey Bounce - Ella Fitzgerald - Claps Hands, Here Comes Charlie! - 3:34
  4. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
  5. All Of Me/The Peanut Vendor - Dick Hyman Group Feat. Howard Alden - Sweet And Lowdown - 1:43
  6. Somebody Stole My Gal - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:26
  7. Jubilee Swing - Chick Webb - Strictly Jive - 3:12
  8. Coquette - Teddy Wilson - Teddy Wilson, His Piano Orchestra With Billie Holiday - 2:45
  9. A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
  10. Sunday - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:37
  11. Solid As A Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00
  12. Tea For Two - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - Ella And Basie! [Remaster] - 3:18
  13. Ain't Misbehavin' - Kermit Ruffins - Putumayo Presents: Kermit Ruffins - 4:36
  14. Now Or Never - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:13
  15. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats (Remaster) - 4:28
  16. I'm A Bouncin' Mama - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:30
  17. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:54
  18. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41
  19. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
  20. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
  21. The "C" Jam Blues - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 2:38
  22. Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - Django Reinhardt - The Swing Sessions Volume 1 - 2:58
  23. Jeep Jockey Jump - Glenn Miller - Inspirational Swing! - 2:13
  24. Twenty-Four Robbers - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:45
  25. Esquire Bounce - Coleman Hawkins With Loenard Feather's Esquire All Stars - Summit Meetings 1939-1950 - 3:16
  26. Pennies From Heaven - Dinah Washington - Mixed Emotions - 2:19
  27. Shake That Thing - Wynonie Harris - Risque Blues - It Ain't the Meat - 2:17
  28. Blues In Hoss' Flat - George Gee - Swingin - 5:15
  29. Blues for Smedley - Clark Terry & Oscar Peterson Trio - Oscar Peterson Trio + One - 6:56
  30. Bye-Bye, Blackbird - Carmen McRae - The Diva Series - 3:27
  31. Boss Blues - Buck Clayton - For Dancers Only! - 4:42
  32. Them There Eyes - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - Ella And Basie! - 5:08
  33. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42
  34. Back Water Blues - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 4:41
  35. Chicken Shack Boogie - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 3:16
  36. At Long Last Love - Bill Henderson - Bill Henderson With the Oscar Peterson Trio - 2:30
  37. Deacon's Hop - Ronnie Magri & his New Orleans Jazz Band - Shim Sham Revue - 2:39
  38. Shake That Thing - Wynonie Harris - Risque Blues - It Ain't the Meat - 2:17
  39. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
  40. Yes Sir, That's My Baby - Earl Hines - A Monday Date - 3:00

Fizz setlist 11/19/2007

Every year around Thanksgiving, Lippy organizes "Food Night" at Fizz. Chris, Dave, Kevin and I took turns spinning tracks that involve food and drink. Chris and I had the early part of the night. We took turns, trading two or three tracks back and forth. All the setlists are posted on Windyhop here. Here are my picks:
  • Potato Head Blues - Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings - 2:58
  • I Can't Dance (Got Ants In My Pants) - Georgia Washboard Stompers - The Complete Recordings 1934-35 - 3:01
  • Aint Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jellyroll - Sidney Bechet - Blues In The Air - 3:13
  • Sugar - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:57
  • Shortin' Bread - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:41
  • Swinging At The Sugar Bowl - Alix Combelle - 1935-40 - 2:04
  • All That Meat And No Potatoes - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:47
  • Duquesne Pilsener -- Grab A Duke! - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 0:15
  • Nuts To You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:32
  • Pound Cake - Count Basie - America's #1 Band - 2:46
  • The Bean Stalks Again - Coleman Hawkins - April in Paris Featuring Body And Soul - 3:28
  • When I've Been Drinking - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 3:15
  • One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jazz Me Blues - 3:00
  • Chicken Shack Boogie - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 3:16
  • That Chick's Too Young To Fry - The Prisonaires - Just Walkin' In The Rain - 1:45
  • Toast My Bread - Wycliffe Gordon - This Rhythm On My Mind - 4:16

Fizz setlist 10/22/2007

Originally posted on Windyhop here. I dj'ed all night, from 9:30 p.m. to about 1:00 a.m. Windyhop had a discussion of tempos going, so I created this graph of my set's bpm:
(At the beginning the night, the only folks there are a group of kids that are teaching each other East Coast Swing. They happen to be humming the melody to In the Mood, so I kick it off with Tar Paper Stomp.)
  1. Tar Paper Stomp - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:32
  2. Send Me - Wingy Manone - Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings of Louis Prima and Wingy Manone (1924-1937) - 2:44
  3. Exactly Like You - Alix Combelle - 1935-40 - 3:09
  4. Tuxedo Junction - Jan Savitt - Shuffle In Style - 3:12
    (From what I know of the folks there at this point, the crowd likes classic big band.)
  5. American Patrol - Glenn Miller - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 3:23
  6. My Blue Heaven - Artie Shaw - The Very Best Of Artie Shaw - 3:47
  7. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:41
  8. Big John's Special - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:18
  9. Sugar Foot Swamp - Artie Shaw - His First Three Bands: 1936-1940 - 3:22
  10. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44
    (At this point I want to move from classic big band to more New Orleans style and hot jazz.)
  11. Sad Sap Sucker Am I - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 3:06
  12. All Of Me/The Peanut Vendor - Dick Hyman Group Feat. Howard Alden - Sweet And Lowdown - 1:43
  13. Twenty-Four Robbers - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:45
    (Twenty-Four Robbers is a new favorite that I can't get out of my head. Skye and Frida used it for their routine at ULHS.)
  14. Viper Mad - Sidney Bechet - Sweet And Lowdown - 3:06
  15. C'est Si Bon - Louis Armstrong - Happy Birthday Louis - 3:05
  16. When Day Is Done - Coleman Hawkins - April in Paris Featuring Body And Soul - 3:21
  17. A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
  18. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
  19. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05
  20. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
  21. Let's Misbehave - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 2:52
  22. All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10
    (There's a buzz of energy in the room at this point.)
  23. Jeep Jockey Jump - Glenn Miller - Inspirational Swing! - 2:13
  24. Daphne - Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt 3: Minor Swing - 3:03
    (This track is too chill for people - I was hoping to draw some balboa dancers out, but it doesn't work. I shift gears to more of a boogie rhythm, and plan on chilling out down to some blues music.)
  25. I'm A Bouncin' Mama - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:30
  26. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10
  27. Bli Blip - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16
  28. Just One Of Those Things - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin - 3:53
  29. For Dancers Only - Junior Mance - Happy Time - 5:50
  30. Trombone Butter - Dinah Washington - Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith - 3:34
  31. Since I Lost My Baby (with Susan Tedeschi) - Pinetop Perkins - Ladies Man - 3:52
    (Next track is a birthday jam. In retrospect, it's reaalllly long.)
  32. Sweet And Lovely - Mary Stallings - Manhattan Moods - 5:20
  33. Keepin' Out A Mishif Now - Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32
  34. Savoy Blues - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters - 3:53
  35. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47
  36. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16
  37. Shake That Thing - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Shake That Thing - 6:30
    (Shake That Thing is much longer than what I usually play, but it seemed to me like it worked. Anyone who was there have an opinion?)
  38. Gang Busters - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 3:06
  39. Minor Swing - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 3:45
  40. Fibre de verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39
  41. Money Blues - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 2:53
  42. The Mooche - Duke Ellington - Early Ellington: The Complete Brunswick and Vocalion Recordings of Duke Ellington, 1926-1931 - 3:13
  43. Just A-Settin' and A-Rockin' - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:34
    (Yes, it's an odd transition. Next two tracks are by request.)
  44. Wade In The Water - Eva Cassidy - Eva By Heart - 4:04
  45. Bring It On Home to Me - Sam Cooke - The Best of Sam Cooke - 2:42
  46. Finest Lovin' Man - Bonnie Raitt - The Bonnie Raitt Collection - 3:58
  47. All The Cats Join In - Jessica Molaskey - A Good Day - 4:15
    (Aris flips me off because the last track has an extreme tempo change in it. The next track also changes tempo, from 60 to 120 bpm. It's a more natural transition though.)
  48. Yesterdays - Carmen McRae - Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man - 4:54
  49. Lullabye of Birdland - Ella Fitzgerald - Unknown - 2:57
  50. In a Mellow Tone - Count Basie - Blues In Orbit - 2:40
  51. Harlem Air Shaft - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:05
    (By 12:30, there are only a few folks left. Things get a little wonky from this point on.)
  52. Take The A Train - Duke Ellington - Big Band Spectacular - 5:18
  53. Can't We Be Friends - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis - 3:47
  54. Ain't Misbehavin' - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:27
  55. The "C" Jam Blues - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 2:38
  56. Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance) - Benny Goodman - The Birth of Swing - 2:23
  57. Whisper Not - Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day and the Three Sounds - 2:59
  58. Someone Else Is Steppin' In - Ernestine Anderson - When the Sun Goes Down - 4:51
  59. Basin Street Blues - Jack Teagarden - Mis'ry And The Blues - 5:11

Fizz setlist 9/24/2007

Starting a bit before 9:30 p.m. on 9/24/2007.
  1. Blues In The Dark - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 3:06
  2. Tough Truckin' - Duke Ellington - The Duke's Men: The Small Groups, Vol. 1 - 3:08
  3. Egyptian Fantasy - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 3:01
  4. Shake It And Break It - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 2:55
  5. Unknown - Eddie Condon - Tappin' The Commodore Till - 4:01
  6. No Calling Card - Wingy Manone - Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings of Louis Prima and Wingy Manone (1924-1937) - 3:11
  7. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27
  8. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:50
  9. Esquire Bounce - Coleman Hawkins With Loenard Feather's Esquire All Stars - Summit Meetings 1939-1950 - 3:16
  10. Somebody Stole My Gal - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:26
  11. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
  12. Jive At Five - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:51
  13. Back In Your Own Backyard - Billie Holiday - A Musical Romance - 2:42
  14. Basin Street Blues - Louis Prima - Putumayo Presents: New Orleans - 2:06
  15. Jersey Bounce - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:07
  16. Everything Is Jumpin' - Artie Shaw - The Very Best Of Artie Shaw - 5:09
  17. Out of Nowhere - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:21
  18. Flying Home - Benny Goodman - 16 Most Requested Songs - 3:17
  19. Loose Wig - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 2: Flying Home - 3:04
  20. Reconversion Blues - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:22
  21. Lean Baby - Illinois Jacquet - Flying Home - 3:05
  22. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 3:26
  23. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35
  24. They Can't Take That Away From Me - Sarah Vaughan - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:43
  25. Whisper Not - Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day and the Three Sounds - 2:59
  26. Let's Fall In Love - Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson - Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson - 3:19
  27. Send for Me - Nat King Cole - The Billy May Sessions - 2:38
  28. Jack Hits The Road - Bud Freeman - Chicago/Austin High School Jazz In Hi-Fi - 4:52
  29. Ruby Baby - Björk Gudmundsdóttir & Trió Gudmundar Ingólfssonar - Gling-Gló - 4:06
  30. Sassy's Blues - Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan's finest hour - 5:37
  31. Beaver Junction - Count Basie - America's #1 Band - 2:57
  32. Hold It Right There - Joe Williams - Nothin' But the Blues - 2:44
  33. Little John Special - Lucky Millinder - Apollo Jump - 3:09
  34. Yesterdays - Carmen McRae - Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man - 4:54
  35. Fever - Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Smith - Blue Bash! - 5:36
  36. Love Me or Leave Me - Peggy Lee - Black Coffee - 2:10

Fizz setlist 9/17/2007

Starting at 9:30 p.m. on 9/17/2007.
  1. Ridin' And Jivin' - Earl Hines - Rosetta - 2:39
  2. I've Found A New Baby - The Mills Brothers - The Mills Brothers: Chronological Vol. 2 - 2:45
  3. Geronimo - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:20
  4. Oh! Peter - Eddie Condon - Let's Swing It - 3:05
  5. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 3:15
  6. The Gal from Joes - Duke Ellington - The Essence of Duke Ellington - 2:59
  7. One Night Stand - Artie Shaw - His First Three Bands: 1936-1940 - 3:05
  8. Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four - The Andrews Sisters - 50th Anniversary Collection - 2:20
  9. Ballin' The Jack - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 3:52
  10. Jersey Bounce - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:07
  11. Hooray For Love - Ella Fitzgerald - Harold Arlen Songbook - 2:43
  12. Sunday - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:37
  13. Ostrich Walk - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters - 4:01
  14. Sweet Sue - Firecracker Jazz Band - Firecracker Jazz Band Explodes - 4:50
  15. Celery Stalks At Midnight - Will Bradley - Swing Time! - The Fabulous Big Band Era (1925-1955) - 3:15
  16. My Baby Likes To Be-Bop - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:45
  17. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26
  18. Baby You Don't Know - Johnny Otis - The Johnny Otis Show Live At Monterey! - 3:01
  19. I'm A Bouncin' Mama - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:30
  20. Just A-Settin' and A-Rockin' - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:34
  21. The Comeback - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 4:10
  22. Perdido - Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady - 3:08
  23. Bill Bailey - Ella Fitzgerald - Something To Live For - 3:26
  24. Boogie Woogie - Tommy Dorsey - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 3:07
  25. Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41
  26. Put A Lid On It - Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot - 2:39
  27. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - Pete Fountain - Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? - 3:07
  28. In a Mellow Tone - Count Basie - Blues In Orbit - 2:40
  29. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28
  30. Streamliner - The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Introducing Dorothy Dandridge - 3:49
  31. Blues For Stephanie - George Gee - Swingin - 4:15