EMusic bargain on Benny Goodman

Holy Cow! You can get Benny Goodman: 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert Plus 1944-47 Small Group And Big Band Masterpieces, which contains over 3 1/2 hours of music (65 tracks), for 12 credits. This works out to about $7.00 total or $0.11 per track (though costs may differ depending on your EMusic plan). The sound quality isn't ideal, but I'd say that most of the tracks are still playable, especially the small group recordings.

If you're looking for some nice jazz to play in the background...

(See my introduction to this series of posts.)

"Jazz to play in the background" sounds vaguely derogatory, though I don't mean it to be. I really mean "jazz that's meant to be enjoyed while sitting and listening." Practically speaking though, that often ends up being while I'm doing the dishes or putzing. Frankly, most of my knowledge about jazz runs dry after about 1950, but I still like listening to music from later periods. Here are some of my personal favorites, with little rhyme or reason behind their mention.


...and are looking for some very accessible jazz albums, just to stick a toe in the water...

• Do you have a copy of the top-selling jazz record of all time (and probably forever to come)? If not, stop reading this and go purchase a copy of the Miles Davis masterpiece Kind of Blue immediately. Listen to it several times and then we can talk some more.
• Do you have a copy of Ella and Louis? What about Ella and Louis Again? The two most recognizable, most loved voices in jazz history (suck it, Sinatra!) sing some of the best popular songs ever written. Many of the songs are actually danceable too, but I mention these albums here because the music is so captivating, it is worth listening to them without any distractions. Plus, the voices are backed by the Oscar Peterson trio, a masterful group in their own right, and amazing in their supporting role here.

...and want some great female vocals...

• It's not a cliche. Billie Holiday is not just for sensitive, wine-drinking romantics. Get yourself some of her music and see why Billie is for everybody. One good starting point is the disc A Musical Romance, which highlights the special musical rapport she shared with saxophonist Lester Young.
  
• Sarah, for Sarah Vaughan, is often the third name mentioned in the same breath as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Sarah's style differs from the others because she is a bit younger than Ella and Billie, and never sang with the classic big bands of the 1930's. She came up with a different generation of musicians who were busy inventing bebop, the challenging, sophisticated style of jazz that would really take hold after World War II. The timbre of Sarah's voice (the slight shadings and coloring of the notes she sings) is amazing and unique. Try the album Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown, which has many ballads that really highlight her strengths.
  
• For a completely different sort of vocal, check out Carmen McRae. Like Sarah Vaughan, her style is more related to bebop and later styles than to big band jazz. She is fascinating to listen to because she has a totally original, very personal interpretation of the songs she sings. She breaks the rules and sings just what she wants, even if it is dissonant or intentionally painful or even ugly-sounding. I recommend her albums Sings Lover Man and Other Billie Holiday Classics and Carmen Sings Monk. The latter is interesting because she sings lyrics to many (originally instrumental) tunes by Thelonius Monk, one of the giant figures of modern jazz.
  
• I also love Anita O'Day, who is a complete original yet again. At a dance, you may have heard her singing "Let Me Off Uptown" with Roy Eldridge and the Gene Krupa Orchestra, but much of her interesting material is less pop and more in-your-face jazz. Her voice, style, and interpretation are like Carmen McRae's in a way, in that they are totally unique and her own--she doesn't actually sound anything like Carmen. I don't have a great album recommendation for Anita O'Day, but you might try a compilation or best-of album like Anita O'Day's Finest Hour. (And if you fall in love with Anita like I did, check out Anita O'Day - The Life Of A Jazz Singer, a documentary about her life. I posted about it here.)
  

...and want some great male vocals...

• Joe Williams, the main vocalist with the New Testament Count Basie big band, had a warm, dignified, and charming voice. On his album Nothin' But the Blues, he stretches out with a small jazz combo, giving him a chance to show off his mastery of jazz and scat.
  
• Jack Teagarden was a trombone player and band leader during the big band era. He also happened to have a great baritone voice, with a Texas drawl and a world-weary quality that complemented the voice of his friend Louis Armstrong very well (the two sang together in their later years). His album Mis'ry and the Blues, recorded late in his career, is an intimate and melancholy session. Teagarden's instrumental solos are stunning in their virtuosity, and his vocals are steeped in blues.
  
• Kevin Mahogany is a contemporary jazz vocalist with an amazingly deep voice, like the Barry White of jazz. I recommend his album Another Time Another Place, and especially the slow, after-hours ballad "Goodbye Porkpie Hat," a tribute to Lester Young. Like the Carmen McRae album I mentioned above, the tune comes from an instrumental modern jazz recording (by Charles Mingus), but with lyrics added to it. Same thing is true of "Parker's Mood," which is from a Charlie Parker record.

...looking for some ivory-ticklers...

• Pianist Junior Mance began his career in the early 1950's, and is still going strong today. He has even played at several lindy hop events in New York City. His album Sweet and Lovely features tunes ranging from blues, to classics from the swing era (including Main Stem and Swingmatism), to bebop standards.
  
• Ray Bryant is another favorite pianist among lindy hoppers. His most famous tune might be "The Madison Time" (yes, the one that goes with the line dance). I really like his album Alone with the Blues--it's a recording of him alone at the piano, playing a variety of tunes that all have a blues feeling to them.
  
• Duke Ellington's reputation is largely due to his work as a composer and band leader; serious people who are mostly interested in classical "art" music have nonetheless called him the greatest American composer of the 20th century. But he could also play the piano a bit. The album Live at the Whitney finds Duke without his big band, backed only by bass and drums, playing his own compositions--some well known, some obscure. The album also captures some of his banter with the crowd, giving you a glimpse of his impeccable manners, wit, charm, and aristocratic demeanor.
  
• Sticklers and snobs would probably classify Dr. John under rhythm and blues, not Jazz, but I don't care. He's an incredible piano player, who knows how to play music that moves and rolls. He plays and sings traditional blues songs, gospel, and rock-and-roll on Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack: The Legendary Sessions, Vol. 2. (The title of the album is a joke--Dr. John's real name is Mac Rebennack.)
  

Note: Dancers, DJs, and folks searching for music, let me know what you think of these recommendations, and please don't be shy about posting a comment to suggest some of your favorites too.

...if Blues is your middle name...

(See my introduction to this series of posts.)

I love blues, but I'm no expert on the music and I've never actually DJed for blues dances. Since I'm not any sort of authority, I asked someone who knows what she's talkin' 'bout to help me pick some good starter albums for blues dancing. My friend Sara Cherny is a fabulous blues dancer, instructor, and organizer on the Chicago scene. (In fact, she's giving a dance workshop called Blues for One coming up this Sunday, Sept. 27th--details here.) We put our heads together and came up with a few recommendations:


...if you like it Chicago-style, with plenty of guitar...

• Sara explains: to me, Chicago-style blues means a solid, driving beat and a full, amplified sound. Everything is electric: most importantly, the lead and bass guitars, but also sometimes keys, horns, and harmonica.
• Muddy Waters is the father of Chicago blues. Like many of his contemporaries, he actually grew up in the South, soaking in the sounds of the Mississippi delta before moving north. The amplified, aggressive sound that he developed became the signature style of Chicago. His band included some of the most talented names of all time: Otis Spann, Little Walter, and Willie Dixon. His repertoire included dozens of songs that became blues standards, and many that also became big hits for rock & rollers like the Rolling Stones. If you just want one album from Muddy, try His Best: 1956 to 1964. For the definitive box set, go for The Chess Box.
  
• The next generation of Chicago blues musicians included Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, both of whom played with Muddy at one point or another. Their 1970 album South Side Blues Jam captures an incredible session, full of languid, lusty music.
  
• Blues wasn't exclusively a male domain. For a female vocalist who could stand up to any man out there, check out Big Mama Thornton. Her album With the Muddy Waters Blues Band 1966 will blow you away.
• If you like Big Mama, Koko Taylor will also be right up your alley. Try her classic sides from What It Takes: The Chess Years or one of her live sets on South Side Lady (Live in Netherlands 1973).
  

...if you like it jazzy...

• James explains: Ever since there has been such a thing as jazz, its purveyors have drawn on the sound and feeling of the Blues--so much so that it's a pretty pointless exercise to argue about whether a track is one or the other. They're not exclusive categories, they're more like fraternal twins. Sara adds: As far as music for blues dancing goes, jazzy tunes will be more likely to have instruments like clarinet, trumpet, and trombone, and the rhythms are more likely to have a swing feeling.
  
• Dinah Washington was a star vocalist in the 1950's who spanned Jazz, R&B, and Blues. (That's how the record companies would categorize it, at least. Like we said, they aren't actually different things.) On her album Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith, she pays tribute to one of the most famous and influential blues singers of the 1920's. The supporting players on the album include some big names from the jazz world: Max Roach on drums, Clark Terry on trumpet, Wynton Kelly on piano--and the tracks have lots of great little instrumental fills and flourishes. And Dinah's singing is electrifying.
  
• Take a listen to Allen Toussaint's album The Bright Mississippi. Toussaint is a diverse and talented musician who embraces the roots of New Orleans jazz and blues, but also dips in to soul, boogie-woogie, rock.
• You might enjoy the album Cat by Catherine Russell, a contemporary New York singer. The album has a number of good blues numbers, plus a couple songs that are good for lindy hop. All of the blues tunes are "jazzy"--for an example of what I mean, listen to "My Old Daddy's Got a Brand New Way to Love," sung by Catherine with only a piano accompaniment. Other tracks on the album feature mandolin and accordion, not instruments that your average Joe usually associates with blues music (even though mandolin actually does have a rich tradition in blues).
  

...if you like it with a lot of rock-and-roll energy...

• James explains: Rock-and-Roll music embraced blues music from the start (and quite lustily!). And I do mean the entire genre--practically every artist from Elvis to the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix to Jack White (though the verdict is still out on Coldplay). Gradually, some rock influences began to seep into blues music too, with some younger blues musicians becoming known for their heroic guitar solos. In general, rock-influenced blues music tends to have big, amped up guitar solos and a heavy back beat from the drums.
  
• Eric Clapton is one rock superstar who has continually gone back to traditional blues music for inspiration. His album From the Cradle contains nothing but classic blues tunes by bluesmen such as Leroy Carr, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Willie Dixon. James recalls that it was one of the first albums that sparked his interest in blues music. Sara also recommends Clapton's album The Blues. She appreciates it because he respects the true origin of a song, but then riffs it up with his own personality and creativity.
  
• Stevie Ray Vaughan, tied with Lyle Lovett for the funniest-looking famous person from Texas, is worshiped by many as an electric guitar god. While Sara and James would both agree that he's really a rock musician with a bit of blues influence, his music is still a rollicking good time. Get his classic album Texas Flood.
  

...if you're still looking for your favorite style...

• There are a bunch of different styles and feelings that are collectively known as blues, and there's no way we could cover them all here. Honestly, we haven't even begun to do them justice. Maybe in some future posts... In the mean time, here are a few more album recommendations, from all different styles, that don't fall into any of the categories above.
  
• ...if you want a sparse, gritty sound, with acoustic guitar and male vocals, then your roots are in the delta, where the blues was born. Try the legendary Robert Johnson's The Complete Recordings.
• ...if you like it country-style, with lots of whoopin' and hollerin', then check out Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. They've got a bunch of good albums, but you might start with An Introduction to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. It amazes us that a combo as simple as guitar, harmonica, and two dudes singing can sound so full and really make you want to get up and dance.
• ...if you like it soulful, polished yet heartfelt, then get Ray Charles: The Genius Sings the Blues. You can't go wrong with Ray Charles. There's a reason they call him The Genius.
  

Note: Dancers, DJs, and folks searching for music, let me know what you think of these recommendations, and please don't be shy about posting a comment to suggest some of your favorites too.

If you're discovering the world of Balboa...

(See my introduction to this series of posts.)

...and need music to practice your basics...

• Pretty much any music that you have for East Coast Swing or Lindy hop will do. In general, I would say that "Balboa music" encompasses an even broader array of music than does "Lindy Hop music." The dance was born to music from the Big Bands of the 1930's, so that is a great place to start searching.
  
• Kyle Smith, a well known DJ and the music coordinator for the annual All-Balboa Weekend in Cleveland, posted a list of his "Top 20 Balboa Songs of All Time" on his blog. It's a great run-down. Try typing any of these titles into your music service of choice and you'll get a bunch of hits that are probably good balboa music.
  
• As far as specific recommendations, I recommend the album B.G. in Hi-Fi, by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra (even though it was recorded much later than the 1930s). Every track is danceable, they're all classic big band music, and the tempos range from 125 beats per minute all the way up to 230+, so you'll find tracks that are very easy to dance to and some that are very challenging.

...and like dancing to guitar-and-violin combos...

• ...then you probably already know about Django Reinhardt. Minor Swing is probably his most well-known and popular track (at least among dancers). From what I can tell, some dancers love Django's style of "gypsy jazz" for balboa, while others don't care for it at all. If you want to decide for yourself, you might start with a basic compilation like The Best Of Django Reinhardt or the double disc set Swing from Paris.
  
• For dancing, I also highly recommend the album The Swing Sessions, Vol. 1. It's a bit different than most of the Django you may have heard, because most of the tracks feature larger bands, with horns, reeds, and drums instead of just the usual fiddle and bass. The music is still as exotic and interesting as you expect from Django, but the style is closer to what you'd hear from other big bands around that time.
  
• For modern recordings of Django-style music, you can't beat the Twin Cities Hot Club, led by guitarist Robert Bell. Their self-titled album has lots of interesting, danceable tunes. You also really should try to catch these guys live. Last time I heard them, Gary Schulte, the group's violinist, had everyone in the room completely hypnotized. This group (and Robert in particular) has a special gift for reading and responding to dancers, adapting their music to what they see and pushing dancers to listen closer and try to respond in turn.
  

...and want some old-time music but without all the scratch and hiss...

• If you're looking for very authentic 1930's-style big band, but want a modern recording, look no further than Mora's Modern Rhythmists, a very talented and polished group from Los Angeles dedicated to playing music from the 1920's and 1930's. You can buy their albums and even download individual tracks on their website. Mr. Rhythmist Goes to Town is a good album to start with for balboa tunes. But heck why not just take advantage of their special offer of 4 albums for only $40. Can't beat a deal like that.
• I guess it makes sense that bands that play good music for Balboa should come from California, since that's where the dance was invented. Another good current band, this one from the San Francisco area, is the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. Their music has that solid beat that's perfect for shuffle-shufflin'. Try their album Radio Rhythm.
  

Note: Dancers, DJs, and folks searching for music, let me know what you think of these recommendations, and please don't be shy about posting a comment to suggest some of your favorites too.

Billie Holiday - Life Begins When You're in Love

Available on Amazon, EMusic, and iTunes.

This is basically just another Billie Holiday record, with backing from Teddy Wilson & his orchestra.

Which is to say, it's great, charming, everything that I love about old jazz. I mention it because I played it at the end of the night a few weeks ago, and thought it was a nice note to end on. I usually DJ the early set at Fizz, passing things off to another DJ at 11:00 p.m. who keeps things rolling, so I seldom have to pick out a song to end the night on. Back when I lived in Boston, the DJ at one of the regular dances ALWAYS played Lou Rawls as the last song of the night. Like clockwork. When I do have to pick a closer, I usually like to go with something a little upbeat and/or catchy to put a spring in people's step when they leave (and just in case anyone isn't totally worn out at the end of the night). I'd be curious to hear from other DJ's--do you do anything particular? Or just keep rolling as you would normally, until the clock runs out?

I like this particular track for the end of the night because of the mood it leaves you with. I also like that it opens with instrumentals: we get a nice trumpet solo from Chris Griffin (from the Benny Goodman big band) and brief saxophone response before the vocal comes in, nearly a minute into the song. The beginning is all janky, and then Billie's vocal comes in very stretched out and languid, creating a nice contrast. Then after the verse, we get longer statements from the tenor sax (Teddy McRae), piano (Teddy Wilson), and clarinet (Rudy Powell), and the whole thing resolves quickly. And that's it for tonight.

Hat-tip to Alex Protopopescu on SwingDJs for the personnel information. In addition to the soloists mentioned above, the track has John Trueheart on guitar, Grachan Moncur on bass, and Cozy Cole on the drums.

If you're crazy about Charleston...

(See my introduction to this series of posts.)

...and find yourself dancing on subway platforms, in elevators, or while preparing dinner...

• Be cautious if listening to the Cats and the Fiddle's album We Cats Will Swing for You. The Cats are a guitar-driven group featuring male vocal harmonies and lots of janky, catchy tunes. If you put them on your iPod, you may end up embarrassing yourself in public, or chopping off your finger at the knuckle if you're not careful.
• Even though I mentioned this one in an earlier post, I still recommend Firecracker Jazz Band: Firecracker Jazz Band Explodes. High-energy, off-the-wall music from a group that includes some former Squirrel Nut Zippers. Lots of hot tempos. You won't be able to sit still.
• I also already mentioned the Boilermakers, but not their albums Give Me Your Telephone Number or You Do Something To Me. Both have a number of tunes that are Charleston friendly. I think it's something about the banjo in the rhythm section.
  

...and really wish it were the Roaring 20's again...

• Start with some early Louis Armstrong, like The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings. These are some of the most influential recordings in the history of Jazz, and are endlessly fascinating to listen to.
• For more hot 20's trumpet blowin', there's also Jabbo Smith: 1929 - The Complete Set. The recording of "Jazz Battle" is awesome.
• The compilation album Harlem Big Bands features recordings from 1925 through 1931, and provides a great sampling of dance bands from that era. I particularly like Cecil Scott & his Bright Boys.
  
• Or for modern recordings of tunes from the late 1920's, try Celebrating Bix! from the Bix Centennial All Stars. The group includes Randy Sandke, Dan Barrett, and Vince Giordano, top-flight musicians who all share a love for playing jazz styles from the 1920's, 30's, and 40's. Giordano leads a group called the Nighthawks, who specialize in the music of the 1920'. To get a taste of what they can do, check out this track: Shake That Thing. Unfortunately their albums are not widely available, but you can order them by mail or get them in person at their concerts. (I did the latter, picking up a copy of their album "Quality Shout" and got Vince's autograph to boot.) Details on the Nighthawks MySpace site.
  
• Another modern group, hailing from Britain and called simply Harlem, plays a lot of music from Duke Ellington's earliest groups. Check out their album Harlemania.
  

Note: Dancers, DJs, and folks searching for music, let me know what you think of these recommendations, and please don't be shy about posting a comment to suggest some of your favorites too.

Hey Mr. Jesse podcast

I just finished listening to the latest episode of one of my favorite podcasts, "Hey Mr. Jesse!" and thought I should mention it because this month was another great show. The podcast is hosted by Jesse Miner and Manu Smith, (both San Francisco-based lindy hoppers and DJs), and features news, reviews, and interviews all focused on swing music and jazz for dancing. This month's show features an interview with pianist and band leader Gordon Webster, a feature about a Twin Cities big band called the Americana Jazz Orchestra, a run-down of new music that's great for dancing, and plenty of song recommendations, quips and banter.

To me, the musician interviews that Jesse lands are the best part of the show--it's SO interesting hearing the musicians' perspective about their work, their stories, and even just how their voices sound. Over the past 45 shows (45 shows! They've been podcasting since January of 2006!) they've talked with Ernestine Anderson, Barbara Morrison, Paul Tillotson, George Gee, Jonathan Stout, Dawn Hampton, Bernard Berkhout, Daniel Glass (the drummer from the Royal Crown Revue),...the list goes on...and even includes the legendary saxophonist Frank Foster (who played with the Count Basie Orchestra).

If you're not familiar with the podcast, I highly recommend checking it out. See their website or the podcast listing on iTunes.