Catherine Russell with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band

Check this out: the Riverwalk Jazz website (click here, or here for the Youtube channel) now features nine videos of a performance by Catherine Russell, in concert with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band and Dick Hyman. I loved Catherine Russell before. After watching these videos, I really have a crush on her. She's very expressive, with her hands as well as her voice, and she seems to be having a really good time on stage. I play her tunes at dances pretty regularly, particularly the following tunes (albums in parentheses):

• I Don't Care Who Knows (Sentimental Streak, available on Amazon)
• Someday You'll Want Me to Want You (Cat, available on Amazon, EMusic)
• As Long as I Live (Inside This Heart of Mine, available on Amazon, EMusic)

I like these tunes because they have really broad appeal. Lindy hoppers who like slower vocals and bluesy jazz will go for these, and they also have a nice chunka chunka in the rhythm section (some of her tunes even feature a ukulele, I think) that makes them work as a transition from classic swing.

Slim & Slam in super-stereo

Check this out, it's a mash-up of several Slim & Slam tunes (Flat Foot Floogie, Jump Session, and Tutti Fruiti) all at the same time. The guy's got a point. But I love Slim & Slam all the same.

Fizz 7/5/2010 featuring the Cangelosi Cards

Last night was a treat at Fizz: Tessa (the organizer) booked the Cangelosi Cards, an amazing and very unique band from New York City. The band is pretty well known on the lindy hop circuit by now, and they have a recent album out--I guess you'd call it an EP, since it's 8 tracks--that you can pick up at their website. Also check out reviews of the album from Eve Polich and Michael Steinman.

The band was great. In particular, the vocalist, Tamar Korn, was a wonder. Her style is utterly personal, expressive, and captivating. Together with the old-time jazz tunes that the band serves up, she creates music that is charming and joyful. And very danceable, as evidenced by the packed house, in spite of the hot, humid weather. At one point I could feel the floor of Fizz bouncing up and down from all the shuffling and swinging. Yikes. Also, most everyone there was a big sweaty mess by the end of one set. Personally I changed shirts twice over the course of the evening. Again, yikes. With a different band, I think many people would have decided to stay home cuddled up with their air conditioners. But when you heard the Cards, you can't help but want to move, and to smile, and decide screw it, I'm gonna dance.

I was on call to DJ beforehand and during set breaks. I haven't done a lot of band-break sets, so my theories about what works are pretty tentative. Last night, I was trying to play tunes that fit in stylistically with the Cards sound, while providing some more moderate tempos and also shorter songs. Here's what I played, along with the usual BPM sparkline and frequency distribution: The first five tunes were done before anyone showed up, so really the dancing started with the sixth tune.

1. How'm I Doin', Hey-Hey - The Mills Brothers - The Mills Brothers: Chronological Vol. 2 - 2:16 - 215
2. Billie's Blues - Billie Holiday - Blue Billie - 2:40 - 120
3. Papa De-Da-Da - The Wolverines Jazz Band Of Bern - Wolverines Of Bern At 35 - 3:32 - 115
4. Jubilee Stomp - David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band - Blues In Our Heart - 3:21 - 275
5. Panama - David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band - Blues In Our Heart - 3:52 - 240 (People showed up en mass at the end of this song.)
6. Little Jazz - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz Giant - 3:06 - 140
7. Strictly Jive - Chick Webb - Stomping At The Savoy - 3:19 - 170
8. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180
9. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05 - 155
10. Charleston Alley - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - 1941-Transcription Performance - 2:46 - 155
11. Yes Indeed - Sy Oliver - Yes Indeed - 3:13 - 128
12. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47 - 140
13. Miss Brown To You - Stephanie Nakasian - Billie Remembered: The Classic Songs Of Billie Holiday - 3:15 - 145
14. Good Queen Bess - Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra - Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra - Passion Flower 1940-46 - 2:59 - 160
15. Daphne - Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt 3: Minor Swing - 3:03 - 210
16. Someday You'll Want Me To Want You - Catherine Russell - Cat - 3:13 - 145 (This was the last song before the band started, around 10 p.m. The next 7 songs were played between the first and second sets.)
17. Dark Eyes - Fats Waller - Happy Birthday Fats Vol. 1 - 3:22 - 160
18. Bucket Got a Hole In It - Kid Ory - In the Forties - 2:30 - 144
19. Artillerie Lourde - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 5:28 - 140 (This was a poor choice--the song has this very distinctive riff in it, fun for musical dancers but a challenge for 6-count swing, and the riff gets old after a short while. Also, it's too long.)
20. All I Know - The Countdown Quartet - Sadlack's Stomp - 2:56 - 125
21. Hey, Ba-Ba-Re-Bop - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 3: Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop - 3:21 - 140
22. For Dancers Only - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Swingmatism - 2:34 - 159
23. Let The Good Times Roll - Helen Humes - Let The Good Times Roll - 3:02 - 155 (Last song before the second set. The band's next set was mostly up-tempo. Even the last song, a blues tune, was pretty peppy. After the second set, I started with some slower tunes to let things relax.)
24. Careless Love - The Storyville Jassband - Storyville Jubilee - 3:29 - 100
25. Gimme A Pigfoot - Lavern Baker - LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:09 - 120
26. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29 - 135
27. Too Darn Hot - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin - 3:16 - 160
28. Jive At Five - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:51 - 175
29. Don't Cha Go Way Mad - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald 1936-1950 - 3:20 - 125
30. Smack Dab In The Middle - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:59 - 130
31. Krum Elbow Blues - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 20th Century Closet - 2:45 - 155
32. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 2:50 - 175
33. Exactly Like You - Carmen McRae - - 2:11 - 135 (Last song before the third set. Afterwards, there was time for just a couple more tunes.)
34. Home To Mississippi - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:30 - 130
35. Muddy Water - Davina & The Vagabonds - Live @ the Times - 2:29 - 123
36. Buzz Buzz Buzz - The Mighty Blue Kings - Meet Me In Uptown - 3:07 - 140
37. Chant Of The Groove - Fats Waller - Fats Waller 1941 - 3:05 - 185
38. Sermonette - Gordon Webster - Happy When I'm With You - 3:40 - 115 (I liked this as a set-closer.)

Chicago give-away (#1)

My wife and I are moving apartments (still in the neighborhood, just new digs), so today I drastically reduced the size of my CD collection. I'm selling most of the popular and classical music, getting rid of all of my jewel cases, and I've got a stack of music to give away. So, rather than donating it or throwing it out, I thought I'd give away some of the stuff. Would you like some new (to you) music?

The first set I'm giving away is a three-pack of blues music:

• Muddy Waters: The Real Folk Blues
• Pinetop Perkins: Ladies Man
• Otis Spann: Best of the Vanguard Years

All three of these albums have a lot of great music for blues dancing, and a few tracks that are good for lindy hopping too. The Pinetop Perkins album is almost all duets with famous blues women like Marcia Ball, Ruth Brown, Susan Tedeschi, and Odetta, and it is a scream. That dude knew how to work it with the ladies, even at age eighty-something.

This first give-away is open to Chicago-area dancers. (Later on I'll do one or two that are open to anyone in the U.S.) Chicago dancers, if you'd like to have these albums, leave a comment telling me your favorite song for blues dancing or lindy hopping, along with why you like it or why it's your favorite. Do it by next Sunday, July 11th. I'll pick a comment at random and contact you if you win.

First Friday at Big City Swing 7/2/2010

Last night at Big City was kind of an odd night. It was pretty hot & sweaty (Big Sweaty Swing!), so after the beginner lesson people gradually drifted upstairs, where the air conditioning was stronger. By about 10 p.m., there was hardly anyone dancing downstairs, and I was playing for an empty room. Someone came up and requested "At Last," which isn't something I get asked for very often (or ever), but I figured why not, since there wasn't anyone else dancing. (I also made the mistake of asking the guy and the girl who was with him whether they were getting married, since At Last is such a common first dance song. I figured they might be taking wedding dance at Big City, and wanted to practice to the song they'd picked. But evidently not. I got blank stares, followed by an embarrassing silence. Whoops.)

So here's the music I played, some of which was played to a basically empty room. (And here's the sparkline and frequency distribution.)

1. Stompin' At The Savoy - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:15 - 150
2. Old Mother Hubbard - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:44 - 145
3. Tuxedo Junction - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Ain't No School Like the Old School - 3:14 - 155
4. Choo Choo Ch' Boogie - Louis Jordan & His Tympani Five - Jukebox Hits Volume 1 1942-1947 - 2:45 - 165
5. Baby Drives Me Wild - The Mighty Blue Kings - Meet Me In Uptown - 2:18 - 170
6. A Woman's Intuition - Stompy Jones - Stompy Jones - 3:17 - 140
7. My Blue Heaven - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Songs of New Orleans - 5:21 - 148
8. All Of Me - Frank Sinatra - The Essential Frank Sinatra (The Columbia Years) - 2:40 - 130
9. Sure, Had A Wonderful Time - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 3:00 - 135
10. It's Been So Long - Duke Heitger And His Swing Band - Rhythm Is Our Business - 3:34 - 155
11. Shotgun Boogie - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:55 - 165
12. Jump, Jive, An' Wail - Louis Prima - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 3:31 - 200
13. When I Take My Sugar to Tea - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Jump for Joy - 4:00 - 165
14. Someday You'll Want Me To Want You - Catherine Russell - Cat - 3:13 - 145
15. Did I Remember - Stephanie Nakasian - Billie Remembered: The Classic Songs Of Billie Holiday - 3:03 - 140
16. Gettin' In The Groove - Panama Francis & his Savoy Sultans - Gettin' in the groove (Paris 1971) - 3:06 - 130
17. Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - Classic Big Band Jazz - 3:26 - 145
18. Duke's Place - Ella Fitzgerald - Something To Live For - 4:13 - 140
19. Twenty-Four Robbers - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:45 - 190
20. For Dancers Only - John Lewis, The American Jazz Orchestra - The Music Of Jimmie Lunceford - 4:34 - 145
21. At Last - Barbara Morrison - Live At The Dakota, Volume 2 - 6:37 - 50
22. The Feeling Music Brings - Susan Tedeschi - Austin City Limits: Live From Austin, TX - 5:20 - 120
23. That's Rhythm - Rex Stewart - Jazz Foundations, Vol. 62 - Rex Stewart - 2:52 - 145
24. Taking a Chance on Love - Anita O'Day - Anita Sings the Most - 2:24 - 135
25. Little Jazz - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz Giant - 3:06 - 140
26. Swinga-Dilla Street - Echoes of Swing - Harlem Reflections - 4:24 - 155
27. Mood Hollywood - Don Neely's Royal Society Jazz Orchestra - Radio Rhythm - 3:31 - 170
28. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:41 - 160
29. Singin' the Blues Till My Daddy Comes Home - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 3:25 - 128