A set full of beginner-friendly tunes from this month's dance at First Free Church 8/29/2009

When I walked in to First Free last night, there were about 20 or 25 people taking the beginner lesson (a lot of them college kids, I think). They were all pretty enthusiastic about learning 6-count swing, and stuck around the ENTIRE night to dance. Almost everyone there was a beginner with 6-count, so I tried to cater to these guys with the music I chose. What follows is my best impression of a set for brand-spanking new dancers. You'll note 1) higher-than-normal tempos, 2) lots of music I don't play at Fizz, and 3) almost all tracks with vocals (all but 4 of 42).

Here's the BPM frequency distribution and spark line.

1. More - Bobby Darin - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 2:25 - 150
2. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10 - 150
3. Hep Cat's Love Song - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 3:03 - 160
4. In The Mood - Glenn Miller - Ken Burns Jazz - 3:36 - 167
5. See You Later Alligator - Bill Haley And The Comets - Bill Haley And The Comets - 2:07 - 170 (I tend to think of early rock-and-roll as easy for 6-count swing, but I've noticed lately that it doesn't seem to work that well...maybe kids these days don't identify with the music as much, so they're not as interested in dancing to it?)
   
6. My Baby's Sweet - Stompy Jones - The Swing Session - 3:08 - 155
7. Ain't Misbehavin' - Kermit Ruffins - Putumayo Presents: Kermit Ruffins - 4:36 - 140
8. Route 66 - Linda Hopkins - Wild Women Blues - 3:05 - 160
9. Big Hair Mama - Indigo Swing - Red Light! - 3:16 - 120
10. He Ain't Got Rhythm - Jennie Löbel & Swing Kings - Hep Cat's Best Of Modern Swing - 2:52 - 178
11. Put A Lid On It - Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot - 2:39 - 198
12. Jump Jive An' Wail - The Brian Setzer Orchestra - The Dirty Boogie - 2:53 - 200 (This produced audible squeals of delight.)
    
13. I Get A Kick Out Of You - Frank Sinatra - The Very Good Years - 3:14 - 175
14. Old Mother Hubbard - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:44 - 145
15. Mood Hollywood - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:31 - 170 (This instrumental seemed to go over well.)
16. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:28 - 196
17. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42 - 160
18. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10 - 140
19. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five - 2:45 - 135
20. The Darktown Strutters' Ball - Alberta Hunter - Amtrak Blues - 5:23 - 150 (Mary's suggestion.)
21. Hello, Dolly! - Bobby Darin - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 3:14 - 165
22. Just You, Just Me - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 3:22 - 180
23. Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 3:11 - 195
24. Man from Mars - Artie Shaw - Artie Shaw, King Of The Clarinet - 3:37 - 215 (One for the DJ, to dance with his wife.)
25. Let Me Give You All My Love - Stompy Jones - The Swing Session - 2:29 - 160
26. Jump Through The Window - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz Giant - 2:44 - 145
27. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42 - 175
28. Touch And Go - Wynona Carr - Jump Jack Jump! - 2:14 - 165
    
29. You Can Stay But That Jive's Got To Go - Dusty Brooks - Dusty Brooks - Swing Time Jive - 2:38 - 155
30. I Like Pie, I Like Cake - Jackie Washington - Midnight Choo Choo - 1:33 - 230
31. French Poodle - Sam Butera & The Witnesses - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 2:27 - 120 (By request...but unfortunately the young lady who requested it was powdering her nose while it played.)
32. Sweet As Can Be - Ray Charles - Ray Charles - Swing Time Jive - 2:23 - 160
33. Brown Derby Jump - Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot - 2:58 - 204
34. Take My Love With You - Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves - Take My Love With You (Single) - 3:37 - 138
35. TV Is The Thing This Year - Dianne Reeves - Good Night, And Good Luck - 1:43 - 160
36. Too Darn Hot - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin (Live) - 3:16 - 160
37. Hit That Jive, Jack - Diana Krall - Bal Mix from Mary Timmons - 4:18 - 210
38. Flat Foot Floogee - Ray Bryant - Swing Dance Special - 2:42 - 160
39. Potato Chips - Slim Gaillard - Laughing In Rhythm: The Best Of The Verve Years - 3:05 - 145
40. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:50 - 175 (Sometimes I'm a space cadet. I just played the instrumental version of this as #38.)
41. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180
42. Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance) - Benny Goodman - The Birth of Swing - 2:23 - 177

My Daddy Rocks Me

Just had one of those little moments that other jazz fans may identify with, where things get connected up for you in a surprising way. Actually it may be old news to all you, but it was a little "aha" for me. Bear with me...what follows is a bit stream-of-consciousness...

Most dancers are probably familiar with the tune Six Appeal, played by the Benny Goodman Sextet with Lionel Hampton and Charlie Christian (EMusic, Amazon, iTunes). Even if you don't recognize the name, you've probably heard it many times at dances. If not, download it immediately and tip off your local DJ's, because it's an incredible recording. It's both laid back and driving at the same time, devious, moody, and yet playful. Though it's a only a small group, and for large portions of the arrangement only three instruments are playing at any given time, in my experience it will still raise the energy in the room. By the way, there's also a good recording by Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, a little slower and using a little fuller instrumentation (Amazon, iTunes).

So what I've just realized is that the tune comes from a blues song called "My Daddy Rocks Me." The lyrics are simple, bawdy fun:

My daddy rocks me with one steady roll.
There's no slippin' when he once takes hold.
I looked at the clock and the clock struck one.
I said "Now Daddy, ain't we got fun."
He kept rockin' with one steady roll.

My man rocks me with one steady roll.
There's no slippin' when he once takes hold.
I looked at the clock and the clock struck three.
I said "Now Daddy, you a-killin' me!"
He kept rockin' with one steady roll.

My man rocks me with one steady roll.
There's no slippin' when he once takes hold.
I looked at the clock and the clock struck six.
I said "Now Daddy, you know a lot of tricks!"
He kept rockin' with one steady roll.

My man rocks me with one steady roll.
There's no slippin' when he once takes hold.
I looked at the clock and the clock struck ten.
I said "Glory! Amen!"
He kept rockin' with one steady roll.

I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. I found the lyrics on a 1938 recording with vocals by Trixie Smith, accompanied by Sidney Bechet (available on EMusic, Amazon, iTunes--don't miss that there are two parts). This is a pretty awesome recording too--the vocals are gritty, Bechet's fills are plaintive and intricate, and it all pushes forward enough that I could play it at a dance if the moment called for blues.

I should say, hat-tip to Steve from Australia/Norway for recommending the track that connected the dots for me. He suggested a recording of "My Daddy Rocks Me" by Benny Goodman, featuring a nice Slam Stewart bass solo (available here on Emusic and Amazon--couldn't find it on iTunes). As I was listening to it I realized that it was the same tune as "Six Appeal" and from there I found the vocal version from Trixie Smith. This recording is cool too--its slow for lindy hop, about 100 bpm, but you could certainly play it at a dance. I'll have to report back once I test it out on some dancers.

So there you have it: four track recommendations for the price of one--five if you count the two parts of the vocal version separately.

Fizz setlist 8/24/2009

Good night at Fizz last night. It was grad night, so there were a bunch of students in Big City Swing's Swing class there. There were also a bunch of old school dancers there, people that started dancing years and years ago. It made for an interesting mix trying to cater to those two crowds. I feel like I managed to hit all the bases pretty well--everything from Indigo Swing and Ernestine Anderson to the Boilermakers and Artie Shaw. Even played Diana Krall (?!?!). Overall I was heavier on slower music and more modern recordings, again due to the crowd.

Here's a bpm sparkline and frequency distribution. And here's the set:

1. Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho - Milt Hinton - Bassically With Blue - 3:19 - 215
2. The Flat Foot Floogee - Slam Stewart - Slam Bam - 3:08 - 175
3. Grabtown Grapple - Artie Shaw - 1944-45 - 3:00 - 190 (It was a light crowd at the beginning of the night. People start to trickle in during this song.)
   
4. Topsy - George Gee - If Dreams Come True - 2:48 - 180
5. Mood Hollywood - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:31 - 170
6. Okay for Baby - Jimmie Lunceford - For Dancers Only - 3:13 - 145
7. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 3:26 - 132
8. The Big Butter And Egg Man - Kermit Ruffins - The Big Butter & Egg Man - 4:03 - 135
9. Shotgun Boogie - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:55 - 165
10. Oo Poppa Do - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - One Hour Mama - 3:13 - 160
11. 5-10-15 Hours - Blue Harlem - Talk To Me - 3:17 - 130
12. Goin' To Chicago Blues - Ernestine Anderson - When the Sun Goes Down - 4:54 - 135 (By request.)
13. Big Hair Mama - Indigo Swing - Red Light! - 3:16 - 120
14. Corner Pocket - Count Basie - April In Paris - 5:07 - 140
    
15. Let The Good Times Roll - George Gee - Swingin - 2:27 - 156 (Starting to build here.)
16. Boog It - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:57 - 170
    
17. In the Mood - Glenn Miller - Best of the Lost Recordings & The Secret Broadcasts - 3:15 - 180 (People seemed to respond to this one, so I push the tempo up one more notch.)
18. I Didn't Like It The First Time - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 20th Century Closet - 2:38 - 200
19. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10 - 140 (Should've skipped either this one or the next one--they're too similar to each other.)
20. Don't Cha Go Way Mad - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald 1936-1950 - 3:20 - 125
21. My Baby Just Cares For Me - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:48 - 130 (I recognize quite a few old school dancers who have arrived by now.)
22. Sassy's Blues - Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan's finest hour - 5:37 - 130
23. Golden Earrings - Ray Bryant - Ray Bryant Trio - 4:53 - 145 (This song is kind of somber and mellow. I think of it as pretty challenging to dance to because of the mood/texture changes. I like how the transition between this and the next song worked.)
24. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28 - 162
25. Gang Busters - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 3:06 - 185
26. Summit Ridge Drive - Buddy DeFranco - Plays Artie Shaw - 4:35 - 145
27. Lean Baby - Illinois Jacquet - Flying Home - 3:05 - 125
28. Straighten Up And Fly Right - Diana Krall - Steppin Out - 3:56 - 125 (From this point on I try to build up the energy 'til the end of my set.)
29. Soul Swinga Nova (Soul Bossa Nova) - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:54 - 135
30. My Baby's Sweet - Stompy Jones - The Swing Session - 3:08 - 155
    
31. I Will Always Be In Love With You - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 4:08 - 180
32. Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11 - 150 (This was a what-the-hell, I need something quick song, stalling before the graduation dance.)
33. Everybody Loves My Baby - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 3:11 - 145 (Graduation dance for Big City's Swing I class.)

Note from a reader

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I recently got a nice email from Steve, an Australian living in Norway:

Just to let you know that we are having fun in Stavanger Norway reading your blog. We are a lindy hop scene here with about 50 regular dancers www.swingcats.no. We've been looking up your songs- so some of them are definitely going to be played here on the west coast of Norway! So thanks for the playlists and all the comments you post with them. Amongst the (few) of us who DJ here we are calling any songs from you the Pustoblogsky songs.

He also passed along a list of favorite songs from his scene, plus some more obscure ones with the aim of recommending some music that wasn't on my radar. I'm still digging through the list, but I may pass on some of his suggestions once I find them.

It's awesome to hear from somebody reading the blog, especially from someone outside of my circle of friends in Chicago. I'd probably keep posting even if nobody ever read it, but it's still encouraging.

I do actually listen to non-swing music...

...in case you were wondering. Just for kicks, I'd thought I'd give you an idea of the other sorts of music I listen to. I created the list below by sorting my iTunes library by "Last Played" and then going genre by genre, grabbing some of the most recent tracks I've played. Admittedly, I cherry-picked a bit, mostly to give a more representative collection of artists, rather than listing five tracks by the same band. Some of the genres are in heavier rotation than others too (I think the last time I listened to most of the tracks under Hip-Hop/Rap was some time in 2007). Right now I'm into country music.

I hate having a messy iTunes library, so I always categorize tracks into one of the nine categories below, or into jazz. I also like to arrange things so that all tracks by a given artist fall within one genre. Outside of jazz though, I don't really think too hard about how an artist gets classified, so what you think of as Country, I might call Rock/Pop, what you call Blues, I call Folk, etc. Labels are arbitrary, we get the point. Here goes:

Blues

• You Do Me Any Old Way - Big Bill Broonzy - In Chicago 1932/1937
• Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho - Josh White - Josh White Vol. 5 (1944)
• Cornbread, Peas And Black Molasses - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - An Introduction To Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
• Whiskey Makes Me Mean - Gerry Hundt - Since Way Back (We're friends with Gerry and his wife, who's a swing dancer. Gerry's an awesome musician in the Chicago area. Here's his MySpace page.)
• Sweet Mama Tree Top Tall - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony
• The Blues Ain't Nothin' But - Georgia White - Georgia White Vol. 3 1937-1939 (Great vocal, GREAT lyrics.)
  
• Your Average Kind of Guy - Dr. John - Dr John Plays Mac Rebennack, The Legendary Sessions

Classical

• Suite for viola and orchestra - Yuri Gandelsman, Slovak Radio Orchestra - Bloch: Israel Symphony; Suite For Viola and Orchestra
• Symphony No. 9 in E minor From The New World, Op. 95 - Czech Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak: Symphonies Nos 7-9
  
• Symphony No. 2 in D major op.43 - Philadelphia Orchestra - Sibelius: Symphonies No. 2 & No.7
• Beethoven: Cello Sonata #3 In A, Op. 69 - Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Ashkenazy - Beethoven: Cello Sonatas
  
• IV. Allegro - Pablo Casals - Brahms: Sextet No. 1, Piano Trio No. 1

Country

• My Window Faces the South - The Time Jumpers - Jumpin' Time (I heard this band in Nashville, at the Station Inn. They play classic western swing.)
• Struck It Rich - Town Mountain - Heroes And Heretics (Heard these guys in Nashville too. They play bluegrass, including many original songs.)
• Move It On Over - Hank Williams - Lovesick Blues
• San Antonio Girl - Lyle Lovett - Anthology Volume One
• Miss Molly - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys - The Essential Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
• Let's Chase Each Other Around The Room - Merle Haggard - The Essential Merle Haggard
• Maybe Sparrow - Neko Case - Live from Austin, Texas
• Just A Closer Walk With Thee - Patsy Cline - Golden Hits

Folk

• The Littlest Birds - Be Good Tanyas - Blue Horse
• That'll Be A Better Day - The Old Crow Medicine Show - Eutaw
• Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Bill Monroe - Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection
• Wagon Wheel - The Old Crow Medicine Show - O.C.M.S. (We love singing along to Old Crow Medicine Show on car rides.)

Gospel (I like listening/singing along to Gospel music. Not for swing dancing though.)

• When The Saints Go Marching In - Wycliffe Gordon - In The Cross
• Didn't It Rain - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith
• Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb - The Soul Stirrers - Shine On Me
• Move Somewhere - The Swan Silvertones - Singin' In My Soul / Blessed Assurance
• Come To Jesus - Mahalia Jackson - Oh, My Lord

Hip-Hop/Rap

• No Diggity - Blackstreet & Dr. Dre - Another Level
• You Don't See Us - The Roots - Things Fall Apart (Yes, I was in college, and bought a Roots album once.)
• Bowtie (Featuring Sleepy Brown & Jazze Pha) - Outkast - Speakerboxxx

R&B/Soul

• Who's Making Love - Johnnie Taylor - Stax Gold
• Here I Am (Come and Take Me) - Al Green - Greatest Hits
• You Beat Me To The Punch - Mary Wells - Motown: The Classic Years
• Good Good Loving - The Simms Twins - Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story: 1959 - 1965 (Disc 2)
• (Mama)-He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Ruth Brown - Rockin' In Rhythm - Best Of
• How Do I Let a Good Man Down - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Naturally
  

Rock/Pop

• Youth Culture Killed My Dog - They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
• Before You Accuse Me - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Country
• Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
• Nothing Matters When We're Dancing - The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
• Rain King - Counting Crows - August & Everything After
• Peggy Day - Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline
• Hotel Yorba - The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
• Hold On - Tom Waits - Mule Variations
  

World/Latin

• Tristeza, Separacion - Astor Piazzolla - Astor Piazzolla Key Works 1984-1989
• Mami Me Gusto - Ibrahim Ferrer - Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
• Miyaabele - Baaba Maal - Missing You (Mi Yeewnii)
• Jigi Jigi Isapa - King Sunny Ade - Odu (My uncle gave me a KSA tape back in the '80's, and I've been a fan since.)
  
• Youth And Pleasure Polka - Vrazel - Golden Sounds (This is from my polka-dancing grandma.)
  

Fizz setlist 8/10/2009

Good night at Fizz last night in terms of attendance and overall vibe, though I wasn't real thrilled about how my set went. I had two problems. First was sound issues--everything sounded kind of off and a few tracks were really poor, hard to even hear the drum line--and the likely cause of the problem didn't occur to me until the night was over. (I think it was probably that the 12 band equalizer on the sound board in the booth was set funny. Should have thought of that earlier--if I'd had the early set, I would have caught it when I was setting up.)

The other problem was more of a mental block. I just couldn't get out ahead of my set, and often ended up choosing the next song at the very last second, just as the previous one ended. Because of this, I ended up kind of stuck in a narrow range of tempos and also chose a couple songs that made me go "ugh." For some stretches of the set, I'm pretty happy about the flow (for instance 9 through 12, 20 through 24), but on the whole it could have been better.

Here's a bpm sparkline and frequency distribution. And here's the setlist:

1. Bye Bye Baby, Bye Bye - Barbara Morrison - Johnny Otis Presents Barbara Morrison - 3:16 - 135 (This was a birthday jam for two ladies, plus a going-away jam for our friend Andrea.)
   
2. Splanky - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 4:31 - 135 (Right after 11 p.m., with these next couple songs I was trying to keep the tempos moderate but build up the energy, to encourage people to stay.)
3. Down south camp meeting - Svend Asmussen & Jacob Fischer - Still Fiddling - 3:41 - 145
4. Oo Poppa Do - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - One Hour Mama - 3:13 - 160 (Bit of a throwback tune--it crossed my mind because there were a couple of San Francisco dancers in the house.)
5. Onion - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five, 1938-1940 - 2:55 - 170 (Felt like things were peaking here, so I chilled out for the next one.)
6. But Not For Me - Gloria Lynne - Hits Anthology - 2:36 - 120
   
7. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Clarence Gatemouth Brown - American Music Texas Style - 4:45 - 130 (Didn't like this choice.)
8. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52 - 145
9. Ballin' The Jack - Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band - This Kid's The Greatest! - 3:15 - 145 (This one seemed to go over well--better than I anticipated--and I stick with this sort of old, loose-sounding style for the next 3 songs.)
10. South - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 3:17 - 182
11. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It - Papa Bues Viking Jazzband - Live In Copenhagen - 3:36 - 135 (This track always goes over well. It can add a big jolt of energy to a room. From a Louis Armstrong imitator, I segue into the real thing...)
12. Perdido Street Blues - Louis Armstrong - The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949 - 3:08 - 145
13. Bar Fly Blues - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:32 - 116 (This one was too mellow for the moment.)
14. Easy Does It - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 - 130
15. Somebody Loves Me - Stuff Smith - Cat On A Hot Fiddle - 3:42 - 150 (The sound problems were particularly pronounced on this track. Stupid JRiver also froze on me, so I launched Winamp real quick...the next one was the first song in the Winamp playlist, so that's what I played.)
16. Don't You Miss Your Baby - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55 - 140
17. My First Impression of You - Chu Berry - Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions - 2:52 - 145
18. Someday You'll Want Me To Want You - Catherine Russell - Cat - 3:13 - 145 (Didn't like how this worked--I was trying to get away from the jazz violin, but forgot that this track has one.)
19. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29 - 135
20. Confessin' The Blues - Carrie Smith - When You're Down and Out - 4:36 - 120
21. Frankie and Johnnie - The Ink Spots - Voice Masters Vol. 2 - 2:56 - 130 (This leads into two more tunes with harmonizing male vocals.)
22. Soothe Me - The Simms Twins - Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story: 1959 - 1965 - 2:17 - 110
23. Smack Dab In The Middle - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:59 - 130
24. Shiny Stockings - Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie - Ella And Basie! - 3:34 - 120 (This track is a pain because it starts really soft and then gets really loud, with blaring horn shouts, so you have to fiddle with the volume the whole time.)
25. Perdido - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 3:13 - 130
26. Ain’t Misbehavin’ - Kay Starr - Kay Starr: the Best of The Standard Transcriptions - 2:04 - 139 (Whoops this one has a fiddle too. Should have used a big band vocal here, rather than a small group.)
27. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44 - 140
28. T'aint No Use - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 2:45 - 155
29. Evenin' - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 3:32 - 165 (The mix was horrible on this track, you could barely hear the vocal.)
30. Shotgun Boogie - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:55 - 165
31. Sugar In My Bowl - Miss Tess - When Tomorrow Comes - 3:15 - 105
32. Trombone Butter - Dinah Washington - Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith - 3:34 - 100 (I wanted to play one more slower/blues-inflected tune. People danced to this one, but it would have been better to pick something that sounded less similar to the previous tune.)
33. Hold It Right There - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Redux - 5:27 - 130 (Mix was pretty bad on this track too.)
    
34. Sure, Had A Wonderful Time - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 3:00 - 135
35. My Melancholy Baby - Honeysucklerose - Hep Cat's Best Of Modern Swing - 3:37 - 131 (Didn't like this choice. Too flat.)
36. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180 (Good choice for a final song, if I do say so myself. Janky, musical, and a vocal that makes you smile.)

Set list from First Friday at Big City Swing, 8/7/2009

First Friday last night was a really interesting evening from a DJ's perspective, for two reasons that each bear a little explaining. First off, after observing the "Flashback Night" at Fizz the week before last, Jenna (who runs the First Friday dance) was keen to try something a little different. The idea of Flashback Night was to take things back to circa 1998, with all the fashions, styles, and music of that point in modern swing dance history. Think Bleyers, track pants, Skants, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I couldn't make the evening myself (yes, I'm a curmudgeon), but Jenna reported that the floor was packed with the beginners from her Swing I class for the ENTIRE evening. She wanted to use a little of that same flavor for the first hour or so of First Friday, to try and keep the folks who come for the beginner lesson at the dance for more than 20 or 30 minutes. To that end, I dug out some neo-swing and other music that, while not stuff that I would want to listen to all the time, was in a style that I thought would appeal to beginners. I think it worked pretty well--the lesson ended at 8:45, and there were still a good number of those folks there at 11:00.

The other reason that last night was interesting: my friend Jason Young was making his DJ premiere. Jason is nuts about old music and has a great ear for musical details. Jenna and I had been bugging him about DJing for quite a while, and after some time and effort to get some computer equipment and to get his music organized, he was ready to spin last night. I'd given him a little coaching about how to prepare and how to think about DJing. The biggest piece of advice I had for him was to be sure to have a good list of safety songs to pull out when you need them--well-known music that you know will fill the floor. You need safety songs so that you can recover if and when you pull out that particular undiscovered gem that you've been dying to play, you finally get to slip it in to your set, and then it kills the floor because the crowd doesn't at that moment in time have the same level of cultured appreciation for a stylish saxophone counter-melody or for the raucousness of that trumpet solo. If you don't have safeties, you'll get yourself in trouble; if you do, you can recover gracefully.

Jason has very strong and defined tastes in jazz music, maybe even stronger than mine (this from a self-confessed snob), and he's very enthusiastic about his music. The challenge for him as he starts to DJ is going to be moderating his taste. He'd love to be able to share all of his favorite music (and I for one would love to dance to it all night), but in order to be successful, any DJ needs to meet the crowd where they are. Dancers just don't want to hear interesting, novel music all night long; they enjoy new tunes, but they also enjoy hefty doses of familiar music--either tunes they know or tracks that at least sound familiar (a different version of a favorite song, or a different number from a familiar band).

This is all stuff that Jason and I talked about before last night. It's good advice, right? It's also funny because I needed to apply the exact same principles myself, finding music that would be familiar and appealing to the beginners there for the lesson, rather than just trusting that they would be won over by my impeccable taste in jazz. Ah, self-reflection... All that said, Jason did a really good job last night, kept the floor full, and still managed to work in some of his favorite tracks and personal style. His set was sandwiched in between mine. Here's what I played (and here's a BPM sparkline and histogram):

1. Deed I Do - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:42 - 170 (This was played at the end of the beginner lesson, just before 9 p.m. There was a good crowd there for the lesson, and they seemed very enthusiastic. To transition from the lesson to the dance, I thought what the hell let's take a trip in the wayback machine and play...)
   
2. Zoot Suit Riot - Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Zoot Suit Riot - 3:53 - 185 (No he di'n't! Oh but I did.)
3. Boog It - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:57 - 170
4. Oh Marie - Stompy Jones - Stompy Jones - 2:32 - 165 (So throughout this set I'm trying to keep things appealing to beginners with lots of catchy vocals, familiar songs, and tempos that are easy for east coast swing.)
5. Savoy Blip - Jonathan Stout & His Campus Five - Hep Cat's Best Of Modern Swing - 2:56 - 165
6. Sure, Had A Wonderful Time - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 3:00 - 135 (Little lower tempo here to cool the room off, and also let some lindy-hoppers swing out nice and easy.)
7. Honey Pie - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 4:10 - 150
8. In The Mood - Glenn Miller - Ken Burns Jazz - 3:36 - 167 (This is the version that you'll find on every single Best of the Big Bands cd ever made. And you know what, people seemed to like it.)
9. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Compact Jazz - 3:26 - 132
10. Jersey Bounce - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:07 - 132 (Chilling out here. I'm now going to start climbing the tempo.)
11. Sunday - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:37 - 150
12. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27 - 160
13. Big John's Special - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:08 - 183
14. Put A Lid On It - Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot - 2:39 - 198 (I really like this song. The floor was full too, lots of east coast swing going on, so I push the tempo up one more. When you've been lindy hopping for years, sometimes you forget that it's really fun to dance 6-count swing to peppy music.)
15. When You're Smiling - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Forty Days and Forty Nights - 3:51 - 215
16. Solid As A Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00 - 145
17. I Love Being Here with You - Barbara Morrison - Live at the 9:20 Special - 3:07 - 155
18. Don't You Miss Your Baby - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55 - 140
19. Your Socks Don't Match - Louis Jordan, Bing Crosby - Sing And Swing - 3:00 - 115 (I wanted something slow here, but this track was maybe a little too smooth/crooner/pop for me.)
20. The Spinach Song - Julia Lee & Her Boy Friends - Kansas City's First Lady Of The Blues - 2:59 - 160 (I picked this one because the lyrics are catchy.)
21. Down south camp meeting - Svend Asmussen &Jacob Fischer - Still Fiddling - 3:41 - 145

So that was my first set, going 'til about 10 p.m. Of 21 tracks, 16 were vocals. Jason took over and kept the floor going, until just before 11. Not intentional on my part, but I kind of picked up right where I left off, with another jazz violin track:

1. Somebody Loves Me - Stuff Smith - Cat On A Hot Fiddle - 3:42 - 150 (Looking at the crowd at this point, there were still some folks there from the beginner lesson, but more lindyhoppers had come in too.)
2. Massachusetts - Maxine Sullivan And Her Jazz All-Stars - Memories Of You - 3:16 - 145
3. That's What's Knockin' Me Out - Jimmy Liggins - Jimmy Liggins And His Drops Of Joy - 2:07 - 127
4. Tutti Frutti - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:38 - 170
5. Jive At Five - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:51 - 175 (I felt like folks would appreciate a bluesy number at this point. The next one is one of Jenna's favorites.)
6. Georgia Grind - Louis Armstrong - Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography Disc 1 - 3:19 - 115 (Followed it up with another Louis Armstrong number, to keep the style similar but up the tempo.)
7. My Bucket's Got a Hole In It - Louis Armstrong - An Evening With Louis Armstrong And His All Stars - 4:24 - 145 (This track has a false ending, where the band cuts out, but then does an encore for another minute or so. I should have cut out at the false ending--it tends to throw people, they say "thanks for the dance" and start walking their partner off the floor, and then when the song continues there's an awkward moment of deciding whether to keep dancing or not. Anyways, people seemed to be into the trad. jazz, so I throw on one more.)
8. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:50 - 160
9. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? - Stompy Jones - The Swing Session - 3:18 - 125
10. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18 - 125 (This track has a sharp, blues-style rhythm in it, as does the next one.)
    
11. Home To Mississippi - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:30 - 130 (I thought people would like something with a blues sound to it, but this one didn't really work very well. I move back towards more of a big band sound.)
12. All Of Me - Helen O'Connell - Great Girl Singers, Sing 22 Original Hits - 2:09 - 145
13. Too Darn Hot - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin (Live) - 3:16 - 160 (Getting to be the end of the evening, so I allow myself a wider latitude here, pick up the tempo up and just play stuff that I really enjoy.)
14. Madame Dynamite - Eddie Condon - Let's Swing It - 2:55 - 185
15. When I Grow Too Old To Dream - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:47 - 200
16. My Melancholy Baby - Honeysucklerose - Hep Cat's Best Of Modern Swing - 3:37 - 131
17. The Raggle Taggle - Boots & His Buddies - Boots And His Buddies: 1937-1938 - 2:37 - 205 (I didn't have a last song picked out before I started dancing to Raggle Taggle--should have had one chosen, because the next one was kind of an odd way to end the night.)
18. What Goes Up Must Come Down - Kay Starr - Kay Starr: the Best of The Standard Transcriptions - 2:35 - 140