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.)