I Charleston Chicago

It has been awhile since anyone has posted on this blog, but I felt the need to post a fun video we recently made in Chicago to go along with www.icharlestontheworld.com.

The music is by two local bands from Chicago. For jazz bands, the Fat Babies have two excellent albums available for purchase. The Modern Sounds have artists that crossover between the two bands, but also include Joel Patterson, who also plays in some great local blues bands.

We are approaching 2,000+ views in less than 24 hours of the premiere of the video.

Please share the video with anyone who wants to smile...assuming anyone still checks this blog.

Enjoy!

I Charleston Chicago

First Friday at Big City Swing 6/2/2012

Last night was another jam-packed First Friday at Big City--the house was packed with lots of very talented and enthusiastic dancers. Like last month, fellow DJ and co-blogger Bob and I spent the better part of the evening trading 3 or 4 songs back and forth. One of these times, we'll try to get a record of the entire back-and-forth, rather than just my half of it. I've marked the points where Bob took over, as best I can remember. Here's the usual BPM sparkline and histogram, and here's my tunes:

• Jump Session - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1939 - 2:35 - 160
• Short Dressed Gal - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1 - 2:38 - 160
• Let Me Give You All My Love - Stompy Jones - The Swing Session - 2:29 - 160
• All Night Long - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Permanent Magic - 2:48 - 170
• Cherokee - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 3:21 - 180
• I Never Knew - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:32 - 190
• Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11 - 150
• Honeysuckle Rose - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 3:59 - 150
• Let The Good Times Roll - Linda Hopkins - Wild Women Blues - 3:26 - 140
• Blues In Hoss' Flat - Duke Ellington Orchestra & Count Basie Orchestra - Duke Ellington Meets Count Basie - 3:14 - 144
• Two O'Clock Jump - Harry James - Harry James and His Big Band - 2:19 - 150
  (Bob played a few)
• Bli Blip - Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16 - 135
• Love Me or Leave Me - Banu Gibson - Let Yourself Go - 3:07 - 165
• All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10 - 165
  (Bob played a few)
• T'aint No Use - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 2:45 - 155
• It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42 - 160
• Ballin' The Jack - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 2:18 - 180
  (Bob played a few)
• Bennie's Bugle - 4Beat6 - The band that plays the music of Benny Goodman - 3:01 - 195
• Jeep Jockey Jump - The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Swingin' The Century - 2:51 - 209
• Honeysuckle Rose - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 2:56 - 170
  (Bob played a few)
• Mr. Gee - Tab Smith - Top 'n' Bottom - 2:49 - 115
• The Darktown Strutters' Ball - Alberta Hunter - Amtrak Blues - 5:23 - 150
• T'aint What You Do - Sy Oliver - Yes Indeed - 3:02 - 165
  (Bob played a few)
• 8, 9 And 10 - Slim Gaillard - The Very Best Of - 2:43 - 175
• Put A Lid On It - Davina & The Vagabonds - Live @ The Times - 3:13 - 170
• Rosetta - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Ol' New Orleans Home - 3:36 - 205
  (Bob played a few)
• When I Get Low - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 5:27 - 105
• Wailing Interval - Duke Ellington - The Private Collection: Volume Six, Dance Dates, California, - 3:39 - 160
• Jump For Joy (Alternate Take) - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:56 - 190  (for Tom, though Mary seemed to like it too.)
• Main Stem - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:48 - 206 (This quickly turned into a jam...)
• Everybody Loves My Baby (cut) - Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band - Vol. 2 - 2:43 - 220  (...which continued...)
• Big Apple Contest - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Swingmatism - 2:57 - 210 (...right into the Big Apple, by request. After which, Bob played a few.) 
  
• One Monkey Don't Stop No Show - Big Maybelle - The Okeh Rhythm & Blues Story 1949-1957 - 2:50 - 125
• Shake That Thing - Willie Mabon - The Comeback - 3:33 - 120
• Baby Won't You Please Come Home - The Smoking Time Jazz Club - Quarter Note Vol. 1 - 4:08 - 110

Black Rock 5/22/2012

Last night I had the chance to DJ at the Black Rock Tavern, which has a regular Tuesday night swing dance. It was a nice change of pace for me for a couple of reasons. I don't often get to spin 3 full hours in a row, which forced me to pace myself, be a bit more deliberative than I usually am, and think about the overall flow of the evening. Change of pace also in the quite literal sense that the crowd there includes a lot of balboa dancers (who'd just had weekend workshops with some out of town instructors), so I played more 180+  BPM stuff than I would at Fizz or Big City. Finally, Black Rock has a very nice selection of beers on tap, and they are CHEAP! Three Floyd's Robert the Bruce for $3.50 makes for one happy DJ.

Here's the BPM sparkline and histogram, and here's the run-down:

1. Clementine - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 2:59 - 165 (Starting off with mid-tempo big band)
2. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10 - 140
3. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Count Basie - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:59 - 160
4. Froggy Bottom - Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy - Kansas City: Swing, Blues, Jive & Boogie - 3:05 - 150
5. Nice Work If You Can Get It - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:10 - 160
6. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180  (Yes two in a row from Billie. Who would possibly complain?)
7. A Viper's Moan - Willie Bryant And His Orchestra - 1935-1936 - 3:25 - 150
8. Walk 'Em - Buddy Johnson - Jukebox Hits 1940-1951 - 2:53 - 125
9. Money's Getting Cheaper - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon - 2:59 - 135 (Thinking that I'd shift into more of a jump blues feel...)
10. They Raided The Joint - Roy Eldridge Sextet - Little Jazz Giant - 3:18 - 145
11. Humpty Dumpty - Slim Gaillard - The Very Best Of - 2:31 - 155 (but then got side-tracked by nursery rhyme songs.)
12. A-Tisket, A-Tasket - Ella Fitzgerald - Rhythm And Romance - 2:38 - 155
13. Four Or Five Times - Lionel Hampton - All Star Sessions, Volume 2: Hot Mallets - 2:50 - 180  (Time for small-group swing)
14. Whoa Babe - Django Reinhardt - The Swing Sessions Volume 1 - 2:43 - 200
15. Honeysuckle Rose - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 2:56 - 170
16. Sweet Potato Fries - Gordon Webster - Live In Rochester - 4:26 - 145
17. Yacht Club Swing - Echoes of Swing - Harlem Joys - 3:19 - 160
18. Moppin' And Boppin' - Fats Waller - 100 Swing & Big Band Classics - 4:27 - 170
19. The Dipsy Doodle - Chick Webb - Stomping At The Savoy - 3:15 - 184
20. Tickle Toe - Kansas City All-Stars - KC After Dark - 3:10 - 195
21. Undecided - Ella Fitzgerald - Live At The Savoy - 1939-40 - 3:06 - 210
22. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27 - 160
23. Cherokee - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 3:21 - 180
24. Fiddle Diddle - Lionel Hampton - All Star Sessions, Volume 1: Open House - 3:27 - 140
25. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06 - 160
26. Onion - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five, 1938-1940, Volume 1 (Disc - 2:55 - 170 (transitioning into New Testament jazz.)
27. Bli Blip - Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16 - 135
28. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Cootie Williams - Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me - 3:43 - 120
29. Corner Pocket - Count Basie - April In Paris - 5:07 - 140
30. Yes Indeed - Slam Stewart - Slamboree - 3:35 - 150
31. He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! - 3:32 - 170
32. Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41 - 195 (A few more to satisfy the balboa crowd.)
33. Smoke House Rhythm - Benny Goodman - VICTOR 26107 - 2:53 - 205
34. Number Two - The Hot Club Of San Francisco - Yerba Buena Bounce - 3:42 - 180
35. Artillerie Lourde - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 5:28 - 140 (Time for "modern" music.)
36. She Keeps It Up All The Time - Duke Heitger - Duke Heitger's "Krazy Kapers" - 3:11 - 110
37. You Can Have My Husband - Tuba Skinny - Six Feet Down - 3:48 - 140
38. Bring It On Down - The Baby Soda Jazz Band - Cures Everything But The Blues - 2:34 - 175
39. When I Grow Too Old To Dream - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Live @ D.B.A. - 2:55 - 190
40. Georgia Grind - Lillian Boutté - Music Is My Life - 3:32 - 145
41. Ten 'Til Five - Glenn Crytzer And His Sycopators - Harlem Mad - 2:49 - 135
42. Shake That Thing - Wynonie Harris - Risque Blues - It Ain't the Meat - 2:26 - 135
43. Ochi Chornya - Wingy Manone - Wingy Manone: 1940-1944 - 2:54 - 165
44. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:45 - 135
45. Sales Tax - Leigh Barker & The New Sheiks - The Sales Tax - 3:42 - 130
46. Someday Sweetheart - David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band - Blues In Our Heart - 4:52 - 110
47. Fibre de verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39 - 135
48. Junk Man - Midnight Serenaders - Hot Lovin' - 4:39 - 110
49. Down south camp meeting - Svend Asmussen - Still Fiddling - 3:41 - 145
50. Pousse-Café - Al Casey - Jumpin' With Al - 3:51 - 165
51. Exactly Like You - Casey Driscoll - Le Mer - 4:16 - 185
52. Five Foot Two - Gordon Webster - Live In Rochester - 4:04 - 210
53. Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller - The Very Best of Fats Waller - 3:59 - 100

Fizz 5/21/2012

Fun times at Fizz last night. It was pretty empty until right about 9:35 p.m., when all of a sudden a huge mob of people showed up, keeping the dance floor basically full for the rest of the night. My set wasn't the biggest stretch, most interesting, inspiring, flowing, acutely attuned to the floor 2 hours I've ever played. I pretty much alternated between new music by newer bands and old music by old big bands, with not much in between. But it kept people dancing. I limited myself to just two tracks off Gordon Webster's new album, even though I'm pretty sure that few would have complained if I'd played the whole thing start to finish. (It's fantastic. Go Buy It Now.) Here's my BPM sparkline, BPM histogram, and track listing:

1. Call The Police - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Ol' New Orleans Home - 4:43 - 200
2. Boot-Ta-La-Za - Slim Gaillard - 1938-46 - 3:25 - 214
3. Four Or Five Times - Engelbert Wrobel, Chris Hopkins, Dan Barrett - Harlem 2000 - 7:44 - 140
4. The Beaver Bump - Glenn Crytzer And His Sycopators - Harlem Mad - 3:35 - 150
5. Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - An Album To Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program - 2:41 - 130
6. Soft Winds - 4Beat6 - The band that plays the music of Benny Goodman - 2:46 - 165
7. Free Eats - Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1946-1947 - 2:56 - 155
8. Sweet Georgia Brown - Benny Goodman - Very Best of Benny Goodman - 3:07 - 175
9. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44 - 140
10. You’ve Got To See Mama Ev’ry Night - Kay Starr - The Best of The Standard Transcriptions - 1:57 - 127
11. Jump Through The Window - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz Giant - 2:44 - 145
12. Everybody Eats When They Come To My House - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:46 - 155
13. Strictly Jive - Chick Webb - Stomping At The Savoy (Disc 3) - 3:19 - 170
14. Peckin' - Duke Ellington - The Duke's Men: The Small Groups, Vol. 1 - 3:09 - 160
15. It's A Sin To Tell A Lie - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:04 - 150
16. Jive At Five - Count Basie - Swinging The Blues: 1930-1939 - 2:46 - 172
17. Lumby - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Essential, Vol. 2 - 2:31 - 195
18. Night Train - Gordon Webster - Live In Rochester - 3:59 - 140
19. Knock Me a Kiss - Davina & The Vagabonds - Live @ the Times - 3:25 - 120
20. Cole Slaw - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:44 - 135
21. Shake That Thing - Kid Ory - The Ultimate Jazz Archive 9: Kid Ory, Vol. 1 - 3:31 - 148
22. South - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 3:17 - 180
23. The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin' The Town - Lionel Hampton - All Star Sessions, Volume 2: Hot Mallets - 2:46 - 135
24. Dark Eyes - Fats Waller - Happy Birthday Fats Vol. 1 - 3:22 - 160
25. You Can Have My Husband - Tuba Skinny - Six Feet Down - 3:48 - 140
26. Lazy Lazy River - Leigh Barker & The New Sheiks - The Sales Tax - 5:09 - 120
27. Satchel Mouth Baby - Catherine Russell - Strictly Romancin' - 3:19 - 130
28. Somebody Loves Me - Stuff Smith - Cat On A Hot Fiddle - 3:42 - 150
29. I Like Pie - Gordon Webster - Live In Rochester - 5:37 - 160
30. Stompin' At The Savoy - George Gee - Swingin' Away - 4:00 - 170
31. For Dancers Only - Duke Ellington - Recollections Of The Big Band Era - 3:04 - 145
32. Flying Home - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 2: Flying Home - 3:10 - 195

Band breaks at Friday Night of ALHC

This past weekend I covered the band breaks of the Friday evening dance at the American Lindy Hop Championships (the event's first time in Chicago).  Note in particular the song from Leigh Barker & the New Sheiks--somebody asked about it after I played it--it comes on the recommendation of dogpossum. The sets ended up only being a few songs in all, but here they are:

• Queer Street ['45] - Count Basie - America's #1 Band - 3:05 - 170
• The Back Room Romp - Duke Ellington - The Duke's Men: The Small Groups, Vol. 1 - 2:49 - 150
• Oh I'm Evil - Una Mae Carlisle - Una Mae Carlisle: 1938-1941 - 2:25 - 150
• I'm Coming Virginia - Benny Goodman - The Yale University Archives, Volume 3 - 2:09 - 170
• Chant Of The Groove - Fats Waller - Fats Waller 1941 - 3:05 - 185
• Lazy Lazy River - Leigh Barker & The New Sheiks - The Sales Tax - 5:09 - 120
• All Of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10 - 165
• 'Tain't What You Do - Sy Oliver - Sy Oliver et son orchestre: 1949-1952 - 3:07 - 155
• Five Foot Two - Gordon Webster - Live In Rochester - 4:04 - 210
• Shake That Thing - The Smoking Time Jazz Club - Quarter Note Vol. 1 - 4:25 - 125

First Friday at Big City Swing, 5/4/2012

Still playing catch-up. This set was also off my iPod, also mostly a back-and-forth between me and my co-blogger Bob. Here's the BPM sparkline and histogram (whoa, check out the long tail!), and here's the track listing:

1. Everybody Loves My Baby - Sippie Wallace - Sippie - 3:11 - 145
2. My Blue Heaven - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Songs of New Orleans - 5:21 - 150
3. How Big Can You Get? - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway - 4:05 - 160
4. Savoy Blues - Duke Heitger - Duke Heitger's "Krazy Kapers" - 4:11 - 200
5. All I Know - The Countdown Quartet - Sadlack's Stomp - 2:56 - 125
6. 8, 9 And 10 - Slim Gaillard - The Very Best Of - 2:43 - 175
7. Free Eats - Count Basie And His Orchestra - 1946-1947 - 2:56 - 155
8. Somebody Stole My Gal - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:26 - 172
9. Swingin' On Nothin' - Midnight Serenaders - Hot Lovin' - 3:50 - 200
10. Satchel Mouth Baby - Catherine Russell - Strictly Romancin' - 3:19 - 130
11. Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 2:47 - 135
12. Blues In Hoss' Flat - George Gee - Swingin - 5:15 - 148
13. Mack The Knife - Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Knife: The Complete Ella In Berlin (Live) - 4:39 - 140
14. Killin' Jive - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:50 - 180
15. All The Cats Join In - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 4:23 - 178
16. Take The A Train - Delta Rhythm Boys - The Best Of 1940-50 - 3:06 - 150
17. All Of Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 4:08 - 110
18. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate - Clarence Williams - Quadromania - 2:39 - 215
19. Six-appeal - Charlie Christian - Six-appeal - 3:20 - 145
20. Sunday In New York - Bobby Darin - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 2:31 - 145
21. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06 - 160
22. Four Or Five Times - Jimmy Noone - Jimmy Noone - 3:08 - 160
23. Fiddle Dee Dee - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:39 - 195
24. Everybody Loves My Baby (cut) - Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band - Vol. 2 - 2:43 - 220
25. Just A Closer Walk With Thee - The Smoking Time Jazz Club - Quarter Note Vol. 1 - 6:06 - 75
26. Milenberg Joys - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 3:45 - 190
27. Swingin’ The Blues - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:47 - 225
28. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - tLaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 143
29. Blue Drag - Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi - 4:21 - 110

Fizz 4/30/2012

I'm way behind posting setlists, so I'll be short and sweet. This set from two weeks ago was entirely off my iPod, because my laptop was out of commission due to spilled tea--call it death by Darjeeling. For a large part of this set, I was trading 3's with my friend John (thanks John!). That made it way easier to spin from an iPod, since I didn't have to set up a bunch of songs in a row. I'll post the usual BPM sparkline and histogram, even though the sparkline won't make much sense because my tracks weren't all consecutive.

• Joshua - Ben Webster - Big Ben 3: 52nd Street - 3:03 - 170
• Pousse-Café - Al Casey - Jumpin' With Al - 3:51 - 165
• Blue Minor - Chick Webb - Stomping At The Savoy - 2:50 - 180
• Reefer Man - Don Redman - Doin' the New Low Down - 3:33 - 220
• I found a million dollar baby - Benny Goodman - COLUMBIA 36136 - 2:57 - 200
• Parc On Summit - Glenn Crytzer And His Sycopators - Harlem Mad - 3:11 - 180
• Hey Sweet Potato - Buddy Johnson - The Best of Buddy's - 2:43 - 130
• Shipyard Ramble - Erskine Hawkins - Riff Time (The Essence Of Swing) - 3:31 - 190
• A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30 - 140
• Twenty-Four Robbers - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:11 - 140
• Small Fry - Casey MacGill's Blue 4 Trio - Barrelhouse - 3:39 - 95
• You’ve Been A Good Ole Wagon - Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights - Black Coffee - 2:45 - 115
• All the Cats Join in - Catherine Russell - Inside This Heart of Mine - 3:38 - 115
• All I Know - The Countdown Quartet - Sadlack's Stomp - 2:56 - 125
• Jump Session - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1939 - 2:35 - 160
• Yacht Club Swing - Echoes of Swing - Harlem Joys - 3:19 - 160
• How Come You Do Me? - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 2:51 - 110
• Knock Me a Kiss - Davina & The Vagabonds - Live @ the Times - 3:25 - 120
• My Blue Heaven - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Songs of New Orleans - 5:21 - 150
• Milenberg Joys - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 3:45 - 190
• Shake That Thing - The Smoking Time Jazz Club - Quarter Note Vol. 1 - 4:25 - 125
• Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain't No Swing? - Catherine Russell - Strictly Romancin' - 3:26 - 120
• Let Me Off Uptown - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz - 3:24 - 130
• Southern sunset - Swing Parade South - Hommage a Sidney Bechet - 3:32 - 105
• We've Got The Blues - The Spirits Of Rhythm - Spirits of Rhythm 1932-1941 - 3:16 - 110
• 'Tain't What You Do - Sy Oliver - Sy Oliver et son orchestre: 1949-1952 - 3:07 - 155
• Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41 - 195
• Mr. Rhythm - Glenn Crytzer And His Sycopators - Harlem Mad - 4:08 - 130
• Chant Of The Groove - Fats Waller - Fats Waller 1941 - 3:05 - 185
• Undecided - Ella Fitzgerald - Live At The Savoy - 1939-40 - 3:06 - 210
• Fat and Greasy - Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin - 3:09 - 160
• The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin' The Town - Lionel Hampton - All Star Sessions, Volume 2 - 2:46 - 135
• Junk Man - Midnight Serenaders - Hot Lovin' - 4:39 - 110