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

Fat Tuesday at Black Rock Tavern, 2/21/2012

I had a blast last night spinning tunes at Black Rock Pub, in celebration of Mardi Gras. This is the second year I've been invited to DJ. Last year, I played almost exclusively artists from or associated with New Orleans. This year, I wasn't so strict--I pretty much played what seemed appropriate in the moment, though that certainly involved a fair amount of New Orleans-flavored music.

The crowd was steady from around 9:15 or 9:30 all the way through 11:30ish. They were there to dance, for reals. I played more fast music than I could possibly ever have gotten away with at Fizz. Check out the BPM sparkline and histogram. And the setlist:

1. Swing Brother Swing - Miss Sophie Lee - Tallulah Moon - 3:55 - 165
2. Sugar - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:57 - 182
3. It's Been So Long - Duke Heitger - Rhythm Is Our Business - 3:34 - 155
4. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It - Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band - Vol. 2 - 4:22 - 120
5. I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me - Sidney Bechet - Jazz in Paris - 2:40 - 145
6. Ochi Chornya - Wingy Manone - 1940-1944 - 2:54 - 165
7. A Viper's Moan - Willie Bryant And His Orchestra - 1935-1936 - 3:25 - 150
8. Honeysuckle Rose - Adrian Rollini - 1934-1938 - 2:38 - 160
9. What a Pretty Little Miss - Fats Waller - 038212  BLUEBIRD -10437 - 2:32 - 190 (The first line never fails to crack me up: "Where have I been hiding all your life?")
10. Chicago - Muggsy Spanier - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 2:36 - 185
11. Clementine - Marty Grosz And His Hot Combination - Hooray For Bix! - 4:03 - 164 (The sound quality on this track was poor)
12. Perdido Street Blues - Louis Armstrong - The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949 - 3:08 - 145
13. Ya Gotta See Baby Tonight - Louis Prima - Louis Prima et son orchestre : 1945 - 2:24 - 145
14. Ain't Got No Room for the Blues - Banu Gibson - Vintage Banu - 2:46 - 125
15. How Come You Do Me Like You Do - Kid Ory - This Kid's The Greatest! - 3:23 - 120
16. Do For Myself - Meschiya Lake And The Little Big Horns - Lucky Devil - 3:24 - 180
17. I'm Alone Because I Love You - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Live @ D.B.A. - 3:29 - 150
18. Black Coffee - The Careless Lovers - Black Coffee - Single - 2:39 - 195
19. Short Dressed Gal - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1 - 2:38 - 160
20. If You're A Viper - Kermit Ruffins - The Big Butter & Egg Man - 3:08 - 170
21. Lady Be Good - Svend Asmussen - Musical Miracle Vol. 1: 1935-40 - 2:56 - 180 (Violin + vibes)
22. Fiddle Dee Dee - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:39 - 195 (More violin + vibes...can I tell you like this combo?)
23. There's Rhythm In Harlem - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - 1933-1936 - 3:11 - 205
24. Georgia Cake Walk - Eddie Condon - We Called It Music - 3:06 - 165
25. Lawd, Lawd - Cecil Scott & His Bright Boys - Harlem Big Bands - 3:13 - 215
26. Minor Drag - Tuba Skinny - Garbage Man - 3:23 - 240 (240 BPM didn't seem to phase people!)
27. Heebie Jeebies - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - The Hurricane Sessions - 1:55 - 180
28. Shake That Thing - The Smoking Time Jazz Club - Quarter Note Vol. 1 - 4:25 - 125
29. Somebody Changed The Lock - Dr. John - Dr. John's Gumbo - 2:45 - 95
30. Muddy Water - Davina & The Vagabonds - Live @ the Times - 2:29 - 123
31. Banana Split for My Baby - Louis Prima - The Wildest! - 2:31 - 137
32. Comes Love - Duke Heitger - Duke Heitger's "Krazy Kapers" - 4:34 - 150
33. Tuxedo Junction - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Ain't No School Like the Old School - 3:14 - 155 (Shim-sham)
34. Milenberg Joys - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 3:45 - 190
35. Smoke House Rhythm - Benny Goodman - VICTOR 26107 - 2:53 - 205
36. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Dixieland's Kings - 2:50 - 160
37. Rosetta - The Baby Soda Jazz Band - Cures Everything But The Blues - 4:34 - 165
38. All of Me - Benoit Viellefon & His Orchestra - Swing à La Mode - 3:21 - 190
39. King Porter Stomp - Kansas City All-Stars - KC After Dark - 4:38 - 170
40. Bennie's Bugle - 4Beat6 - The band that plays the music of Benny Goodman - 3:01 - 195
41. Yeah Man - Four Vagabonds - Vol. 2 (1942-1943) - 2:15 - 135
42. Who Walks In When I Walk Out? - Louis Armstrong - The Wonderful Duets - 2:21 - 135
43. Georgia Grind - Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings - 2:34 - 140 (I was thinking that this would be the more modern version, the duet with Velma Middleton on Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography. Ooops.)
44. Get It Southern Style - Duke Ellington - The Duke's Men: The Small Groups, Vol. 1 - 2:43 - 120
45. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - James Booker - New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live! - 3:42 - 125
46. All I Know - The Countdown Quartet - Sadlack's Stomp - 2:56 - 125
47. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 143
48. Twenty-Four Robbers - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:10 - 140
49. Back In Your Own Backyard - Billie Holiday - A Musical Romance - 2:42 - 155 (First of a Billie Holiday two-fer.)
50. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180
51. Nappin' John - Roy Eldridge & His Gramercy Five - Little Jazz Giant - 3:04 - 190
52. King Porter Stomp - Wynton Marsalis - Mr. Jelly Lord - Standard Time Vol. 6 - 3:09 - 180 (Mardi Gras=excuse to play KPS twice.)
53. Fat and Greasy - Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin - 3:09 - 160
54. Georgia On My Mind - Louis Armstrong - When You're Smiling - 3:25 - 105
55. Prince Nez - Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot - 2:53 - 180 (tempo doubles to 300+ BPM at the end, just to make sure people leave.)

Fat Tuesday set from the Black Rock Tavern

I was invited to DJ on March 8th, Fat Tuesday, for the swing night at Black Rock Tavern. I'm just now getting around to posting the setlist...

I play a lot of New Orleans-flavored music during most of my sets (which was why I was invited, I think), and that night I went even further. In the spirit of Mardi Gras excess, I played almost exclusively music by New Orleans artists. It wasn't that hard, considering so much music from throughout jazz history came and continues to come from there. Here's my set (along with the usual BPM sparkline and frequency distribution):

1. Indian Sagua - George Lewis Band - Jimmy Yancey / Jazz At Preservation Hall / Pure Blues - 2:20 - 220
2. My Blue Heaven - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Songs of New Orleans - 5:21 - 148
3. Flat Foot Floogie - Louis Armstrong - Swinging With The Mills Brothers - 3:02 - 185
4. Four Or Five Times - Jimmy Noone - Jimmy Noone - 3:08 - 160
5. If You're A Viper - Kermit Ruffins - The Big Butter & Egg Man - 3:08 - 170
6. Going Back to New Orleans - Joe Liggins And The Honeydrippers - Joe Liggins And The Honeydrippers - 2:52 - 175
7. Last Night On The Backporch - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Ol' New Orleans Home - 4:10 - 150
8. Fat and Greasy - Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin - 3:09 - 160
9. All Of Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 4:08 - 110
10. You Can Have My Husband - Tuba Skinny - Six Feet Down - 3:48 - 140
11. Just A Gigolo - Duke Heitger - Duke Heitger's "Krazy Kapers" - 3:41 - 85
12. Ballin' The Jack - Kid Ory - This Kid's The Greatest! - 3:15 - 145
13. Wrap Your Trouble In Dreams - Preservation Hall Hot 4 with Duke Jean - Putumayo Presents: New Orleans - 4:49 - 110
14. Sugar Blues - Clarence Williams - Boogie Woogie Blues - 3:40 - 135
15. Drop That Sack - Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings - 2:49 - 180
16. That's Where the South Begins - Louis Prima - Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings of Louis Prima and Wingy Manone (1924-1937) - 3:25 - 138
17. Rhythm On The Radio - Louis Prima - Complete Brunswick & Vocalion Recordings of Louis Prima and Wingy Manone (1924-1937) - 2:33 - 210
18. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me - Sidney Bechet - The Fabulous Sidney Bechet - 5:43 - 145
19. Joseph! Joseph! - Meschiya Lake And The Little Big Horns - Lucky Devil - 3:03 - 185
20. Gimme A Pigfoot - Meschiya Lake And The Little Big Horns - Lucky Devil - 3:17 - 100
21. Heebie Jeebies - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - The Hurricane Sessions - 1:55 - 180
22. Short Dressed Gal - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1 - 2:38 - 160
23. Bucket Got a Hole In It - Kid Ory - In the Forties - 2:30 - 144
24. Shake That Thing - The Smoking Time Jazz Club - Quarter Note Vol. 1 - 4:25 - 125
25. Sunny Side Of The Street (Live) - James Booker - A Taste Of Honey Vol. 1 - 2:43 - 125
26. Hip Shaken' Mama - Irma Thomas - Soul Queen Of New Orleans - 3:13 - 73
27. St. James Infirmary - Hot Lips Page - CO38291 HARMONY-Ha1069 - 4:33 - 95
28. Yes Sir, That's My Baby - Earl Hines - A Monday Date - 3:00 - 140
29. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me - Evan Christopher, Spanky - The Sidney Bechet Society Jam Session Concert - 4:05 - 80
30. Milenberg Joys - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 3:45 - 190
31. Joshua Fit the Battle - Gordon Webster - Live In Philadelphia - 3:57 - 180
32. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans - Bill Coleman - Bill Coleman In Paris 1936-1938 - 3:17 - 175
33. All That Meat And No Potatoes - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 5:16 - 107
34. Ain't Misbehavin' - Bobby Charles - Walking To New Orleans - 2:10 - 75
35. Comes Love - Meschiya Lake And The Little Big Horns - Lucky Devil - 3:15 - 170
36. New Orleans Bump - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Ain't No School Like the Old School - 3:35 - 119
37. Some of These Days - Billie & DeDe Pierce - Gulf Coast Blues - 2:38 - 150
38. Moan You Moaners - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Live @ D.B.A. - 4:46 - 130
39. New Orleans - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 4:40 - 105
40. Crazy People - Boswell Sisters - Greatest Hits Of The 1930s - 2:41 - 210
41. Swing Pan Alley - Duke Heitger - Swing Around The World - 2:27 - 219
42. Georgia Grind - Louis Armstrong - Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography Disc 1 - 3:19 - 115
43. Muddy Water - Aretha Franklin - Aretha Sings The Blues - 2:31 - 120
44. Sure Hope You Mean It - Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It - 3:40 - 100
45. 5-10-15 Hours - Ruth Brown - Rockin' In Rhythm - Best Of - 3:13 - 120
46. Heart Of Steel - Galactic - Ya-Ka-May - 3:27 - 90

Fat Babies

I'm at a bit of a loss for words, other than cusses. Last night was the best night of music I've heard in months...maybe even in a year. I went to the Black Rock Tavern, not far from my house, where Nicolle Wood (of the Galaxie) was hosting a dance with a live band called the Fat Babies. The line-up was as follows:

Andy Schumm--cornet

John Otto--clarinet

Dave Bock--trombone

Joel Paterson--guitar

Beau Sample--bass

Alex Hall--drums

They were brilliant. Masterful, energetic, and joyous. They played a lot of familiar trad. jazz tunes, in a style that was pitch-perfect for dancing. And the crowd there was appreciative, hooting and hollering after solos, applauding and screaming until they gave an encore, which makes it even more fun. Several times during the night folks stopped dancing during a song just to listen and clap along--I know that's become common in many places but it is a rare happening in Chicago.

There was one particular moment in the middle of the second set. In the middle of the tune, the rhythm section dropped out entirely, leaving just the horns and clarinet to play a sort of instrumental "a capella." I've heard bands do this before, though I'm not sure what it's called. It was such a striking change that I just stopped dancing to listen, along with several other couples around me. This sort of collective improvisation is really striking for its intricacy, the way they keeps the rhythm going just by implication, the tension that builds because you worry that they're going to end the number by trailing out. Then of course when the full band came back in it bowls you over like your big brother in a backyard wrestle-fest: ferocious but in a loving way. Knocked-off socks were strewn everywhere after that one.

What a night. I can't wait to hear more from this group.