Setlist from First Free Church 11/7/2009

Last Saturday I split the DJing duties with my friend Chris, which was fun. Chris went ULHS in New Orleans, and while he was there he went on a buying spree, picking up albums from a bunch of local musicians. He brought me an album by the Palmetto Bug Stompers that I'm enjoying as I write this.

We went back and forth pretty casually--it ended up being about half-hour chunks. Chris was kind enough to send me his setlist, so see below for the complete setlist. However, this sparkline and frequency distribution only report the BPMs from my tracks, not all of them.

I kicked things off with:

1. My Baby's Sweet - Stompy Jones - The Swing Session - 3:08 - 155
2. You Talk a Little Trash - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:55 - 170
3. Five Feet Two, Eyes Of Blue - Creole Jazz Band - Jazz Del Bueno Para Bailar - 2:57 - 180
4. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05 - 155
5. Papa's In Bed With His Britches On - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:32 - 167
6. Let's Misbehave - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - You Do Something To Me - 2:52 - 188
7. Georgia Swing - Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters - 2:40 - 205
8. Ain't Misbehavin' - Kermit Ruffins - Putumayo Presents: Kermit Ruffins - 4:36 - 140
9. Cole Slaw - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:44 - 135
10. Rock A Beatin' Boogie - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:34 - 170

Then Chris added:

1. The Two Little Squirrels (Nuts to You) - Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five - Let the Good Times Roll: The Anthology 1938-1953
   
2. Down in New Orleans - Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band - Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band
3. Rhythm Itch - Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five - Moppin' and Boppin'
4. How Come You Do Me Like You Do - Palm Court Jazz All Stars - Palm Court Jazz All Stars, Vol. 4
5. Sent for You Yesterday - Count Basie - Jazz Archive Masterpieces, Vol. 8
6. Chant of the Groove - Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin'
7. Jump Session - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1939
8. Dunkin' a Doughnut - Andy Kirk - The 12 Clouds of Joy
9. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho - Sidney Bechet - Petite Fleur
10. Sugar Foot Stomp - Franz Jackson and the Original Jass All Stars - No Saints
    

Then I took over with:

1. Bucket Got a Hole In It - Kid Ory - In the Forties - 2:30 - 144
2. Didn't He Ramble - Kermit Ruffins - Livin' A Tremé Life - 5:51 - 180
3. Flat Foot Floogie - Louis Armstrong, The Mills Brothers - Swinging With The Mills Brothers - 3:02 - 185
4. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:45 - 135
5. What Goes Up Must Come Down - Kay Starr - The Best of The Standard Transcriptions - 2:35 - 140
6. Calloway Boogie - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway - 4:02 - 175
7. When You're Smiling - The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn - Forty Days and Forty Nights - 3:51 - 215
8. He Ain't Got Rhythm - Jennie Löbel & Swing Kings - Hep Cat's Best Of Modern Swing - 2:52 - 178
9. Artillerie Lourde - Django Reinhardt - Django In Rome, 1949 / 1950 (Disc D) - 3:45 - 150
10. Lady Be Good - Svend Asmussen - Musical Miracle Vol. 1: 1935-40 - 2:56 - 180

Chris followed up with:

1. Lady Bug Picnic - The Palmetto Bug Stompers - Live @ D.B.A.
2. Doin' the New Low Down - Palm Court Jazz All Stars - Palm Court Jazz All Stars, Vol. 4
3. Sing You Sinners - Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra - Big Ben, Disc. 1
4. Southside - Franz Jackson and the Original Jass All Stars - No Saints
5. Jeep Jockey Jump - Glenn Miller - 3049505
6. Shoo Fly Pie - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Jammin' the Blues
7. Taking a Chance on Love - Palm Court Jazz All Stars - Palm Court Jazz All Stars, Vol. 4
8. A-Tisket A-Tasket - Ella Fitzgerald - Ken Burns' Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald
9. T'ain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Lunceford Special 1938-40
10. All Right Okay You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport
11. Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Lionel Hampton - Jukebox Hits 1943-1950
    

I finished out the night with:

1. Till Tom special - Charlie Christian - Six-appeal - 3:01 - 175
2. Oh I'm Evil (Walker) - Una Mae Carlisle - Una Mae Carlisle: 1938-1941 - 2:25 - 150
3. Twenty Four Robbers - Gordon Webster - Happy When I'm With You - 2:39 - 205
4. South - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 3:17 - 182
5. Something Got A Hold On Me - Carrie Smith - Gospel time - 3:09 - 137
6. Trickeration - Cab Calloway - The Early Years 1930-1934 - 2:57 - 260

Upcoming events

Here's your heads-up/advance warning...

Next weekend I'm DJing all over the place, practically all weekend long.

• Friday night (11/6) I'll be at Big City Swing for their First Friday Dance, which is back to TWO floors this month! My friend Jason and I will be upstairs, Nathan will be downstairs. Beginner lesson at 8:00 p.m., dancing 8:45-12:00. $10.
  
• Saturday night (11/7) I'll be at the First Free Church dance, trading tunes with my friend Chris (a.k.a., "The Man with the Middles"). Beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m., dancing 7:30-10:00 or later. Free.
• Monday night (11/9) I'll be at Fizz for the late shift. Chris has the early set--hopefully we won't be sick of each other by then. Special beginner lesson at 8:00 p.m., dancing 9:00-1:00. $6.
  

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

Set list - First free dance at First Free Church

Phil Malinak and his wife organized a dance at their church last night--First Free Evangelical Church in Andersonville. I volunteered to DJ. The night was an interesting mix of folks there from the church, learning east coast for the first time, and some of the usual suspects from the scene. Actually, come to think of it the mix of scene people was pretty interesting too.

Anyways, having total beginners there with long-time veterans, it was tricky to strike a balance of music. At the start of the night, just after the six count lesson finished up, I tried to dig out as much beginner-friendly music as I could (yes, including In the Mood), which was more of a challenge than I anticipated. I've been pretty much focused on DJing at Fizz, which I think of as someplace that you can play more interesting, unusual, or challenging music and the dancers will appreciate it. So I tried to keep the tempos between 140 and 180, so that folks could do relaxed east coast. I think I leaned too heavily on 40's big band (actually, I think that's true throughout the night). After about an hour or hour and a half, most of the church folks had taken off, and I was left with the scene suspects, so I tried to branch out and throw more variety at people.

1. Gotta Be This Or That - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman '45 & '47 - 3:10
2. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:24
3. In The Mood - Glenn Miller - Ken Burns Jazz - 3:36
4. Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong) - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:50
5. All Of Me - Della Reese - Cocktail Classics - 2:01
6. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51
7. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28
8. Dunkin' A Doughnut - Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 2:51
9. Solid As A Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00
10. Hop, Skip And Jump - Engelbert Wröbel's Swing Society - Sophisticated Swing - 3:47
11. Hoodle-Addle - Ray McKinley Orchestra - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis - 3:21
12. Come On Over To My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' The Blues - 2:52
13. Take A Swing With Me - B.B. King - The Early "Blues Boy" Years - 2:35
14. Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Carrie Smith - When You're Down and Out - 3:35
15. San Francisco Bay Blues - Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - Blues Over Bodega - 3:41
16. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit (Disc 1) - 3:37
17. Teardrops From My Eyes - Ruth Brown - Rockin' In Rhythm - Best Of - 2:59
18. All Right, Okay, You Win - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 2:45
19. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:41
20. It's You Who Taught It To Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42
21. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:27
22. We Cats Will Swing For You - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:42
23. Meet Me in Uptown - The Mighty Blue Kings - Meet Me In Uptown - 2:59
24. Rock A Beatin' Boogie - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:34
25. Jump, Jive, An' Wail - Louis Prima - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 3:31
26. Papa What Are You Trying To Do To Me I've Been Doing It For - Randy Sandke - The Re-Discovered Louis & Bix - 3:49
27. When I Grow Too Old To Dream - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:47
28. My Blue Heaven - Stuff Smith Quartet - Swingin' Stuff - 3:46
29. In a Mellow Tone - Count Basie - Blues In Orbit - 2:40
30. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing - Cootie Williams - Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me - 3:45
31. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16
32. Every Day I Have the Blues / Goin' to Chicago Blues - The Four Tops - Lost and Found: Four Tops "Breaking Through" (1963-1964) - 3:50
33. Sugar Blues - Clarence Williams - Boogie Woogie Blues - 3:39
34. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42
35. Home To Mississippi - Otis Spann - Otis Spann: Best Of The Vanguard Years - 3:29
36. I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues - Duke Ellington - The Complete RCA Victor Mid-Forties Recordings (1944-1946) - 2:39
37. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and The Kings Of Dixieland - 2:52
38. Jambalaya Strut - Dr. Michael White - Dancing In The Sky - 3:46
39. Jive At Five - Count Basie - The Complete Decca Recordings - 2:51
40. Sugarfoot Rag - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Story Vol. 2 - 3:06
41. Six-appeal - Charlie Christian - Six-appeal - 3:20
42. Rockin In Rhythm - Duke Ellington - An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 - 3:01
43. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water - Lou Rawls - Stormy Monday - 3:55