Isham Jones

Abe writes in:

One band I've come across that doesn't seem to get nearly the attention it should from the swing world is the Isham Jones Orchestra, the band that after 20 or so years, became the Woody Herman band. "King of Dance Bands" I believe was their claim to fame. While recordings of the "better" Jones tunes are available on CD, I'd recommend grabbing them off the free Red Hot Jazz Archive (here's a link, though it can be a bit of a pain to get working as it requires the realplayer2.0 codec). Some of the songs more "in-tune" to dancing include

• Black Magic,
• Blue Room,
• Dallas Blues,
• Doin' the Uptown Lowdown,
• Don't Let Your Love Go Wrong,
• Got the Jitters,
• I Hate Myself (For Being so Mean to You),
• Out of Space,
• Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia, and
• Sweet Georgia Brown.

Many of these might not be ideal lindy songs, but would provide excellent choreography opportunities.

I'm a little bit familiar with Isham Jones--I like his recording of Doin' the Uptown Lowdown quite a lot. To my ear, Isham's orchestra sits on the border between "society" dance music and "hot" music, with their later recordings (esp. the ones Abe recommends) moving more towards hot. I've got a soft spot for this style of music (for instance, see here), though I do see why it isn't mainstream--a lot of lindyhoppers don't really appreciate dances like foxtrot, peabody, and "society" styles of charleston, which is the sort of movement that this music inspires.

It's great to get tips from y'all, so keep them coming!

Milwaukee Lindy Hop Summit

My wife and I spent this past weekend at the Milwaukee Lindyhop Summit, teaching and dancing. The weekend featured several sets of instructors, all friends of mine, and it was a lot of fun to rotate in their classes and observe their teaching. The classes were all PACKED and full of very enthusiastic dancers, which made it easy and enjoyable to teach.

Here's the short set I played Friday night:

1. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - Duke Heitger And His Swing Band - Rhythm Is Our Business - 3:48 - 105
2. Solid As A Rock - Count Basie - Count Basie Et Son Orchestre 1950-1951 - 3:03 - 135
3. Gettin' In The Groove - Panama Francis & his Savoy Sultans - Gettin' in the groove (Paris 1971) - 3:06 - 130
4. Jump Through The Window - Roy Eldridge - Little Jazz Giant - 2:44 - 145
5. Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11 - 150
6. It Takes Two To Tango - Lester Young - Lester Young: 1951-1952 - 3:14 - 100
7. Honeysuckle Rose - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 2:56 - 170
8. Tain't What You Do - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:06 - 160
9. Easy Does It - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 - 130
10. Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41 - 195

Fizz 2-15-2010

For Fizz last night, I decided to do a New Orleans set since it's Mardi Gras (screw Valentine's Day!). Unfortunately I didn't get to prep until the last minute, so I wasn't really well-armed for my set. I think it came off pretty scatter-brained, and I ended up spending too much time scrambling for tunes rather than watching the floor. My friend John had the late set, and a few minutes before 11 p.m., we started trading off single songs (I play one, John plays one, I play one, John plays one). Here's what came out, along with a BPM sparkline and frequency distribution.

1. Eeny, Meeny, Miney Mo - Sid Phillips - Ridin' High - 3:08 - 200
2. Daphne - Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt 3: Minor Swing - 3:03 - 210
3. Lito's Place - Alfonso Ponticelli - Alfonso Ponticelli And Swing Gitan - 4:27 - 195
4. Shorty George - The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - Live at the Legion - 2:49 - 212 (People started coming in during this song, and danced to the next one.)
5. Deep River - Sy Oliver - Sy Oliver et son orchestre: 1949-1952 - 3:00 - 145
6. Sweet Georgia Brown - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman: Very Best of Benny Goodman - 3:07 - 175
7. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Miss Smith To You! - 4:21 - 125
8. I Want a Tall Skinny Pappa - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of the Blues - 2:52 - 140
9. My Blue Heaven - Django Reinhardt - Django In Rome, 1949 /1950 - 3:32 - 185
10. Buckin' The Dice - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 3:29 - 160
11. Gettin' In The Groove - Panama Francis & his Savoy Sultans - Gettin' in the groove - 3:06 - 130
12. Ain't Misbehavin' - Sidney Bechet - Perdido Street Blues - 2:52 - 145
13. Some of These Days - Billie & DeDe Pierce - Gulf Coast Blues - 2:38 - 150
14. Savoy Blues - Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen - Trad Jazz Masters - 3:53 - 135
15. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues - Doc Cheatham / Nicholas Payton - Putumayo Presents: New Orleans - 3:20 - 120
16. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A letter - Jay McShann - For Dancers Only! - 3:55 - 146
17. Solid As A Rock - Count Basie - Count Basie Et Son Orchestre 1950-1951 - 3:03 - 135
18. Down south camp meeting - Svend Asmussen - Still Fiddling - 3:41 - 145
19. Bli-Blip - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Day Dream: Best Of The Duke Ellington Songbook - 3:04 - 131 (Sound problem led to 2 Ella songs in a row...such a horrible predicament!)
20. Old Mother Hubbard - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:44 - 145
21. Going Back To New Orleans - Deacon John - Putumayo Presents: New Orleans - 2:45 - 185
22. Wake Up Neesie - Kermit Ruffins - Big Easy - 5:50 - 130 (By request)
23. Short Dressed Gal - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1 - 2:38 - 160
24. Jump Steady - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 20th Century Closet - 2:39 - 170
25. Viper mad - Swing Parade South - Hommage à Sidney Bechet - 4:30 - 175
26. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:41 - 160
27. A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30 - 140
28. When The Sun Sets Down South - Sidney Bechet - Classic Sides 1937-1939 - 3:13 - 115
29. Four Or Five Times - Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band - This Kid's The Greatest! - 3:14 - 142
30. Everybody Eats When They Come To My House - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:46 - 155 (Again by request)
31. The Right Idea - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:13 - 185
32. Lindyhopper's Delight - Chick Webb - Strictly Jive - 2:45 - 195
33. Afternoon Of A Moax - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:24 - 130
    (John's pick)
34. T Bone Shuffle - Amadeu Casas Strollin' Band - Amadeu Casas Strollin' Band - 3:51 - 120
    (John's pick)
35. Easy Does It - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 - 130
    (John's pick)
36. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 143

First Friday at Big City Swing 2/5/2010

It was a PACKED house at Big City last night--two beginner lessons going (both featuring everyone's favorite: the mini-dip), a couple out-of-towners in for the blues workshops the next day, and an enthusiastic crowd throughout the evening made for a fun night. I was back and forth between the first and second floors for the first part of the evening, and I thought both DJs (Bob downstairs and Nathan upstairs) did an exemplary job, hitting the perfect vibe for the night. I took over downstairs around 10:30. See my set notes below (along with BPM sparkline and frequency distribution). I started out trying to stick to mini-sets all in a particular style of music, but didn't exactly keep that up all night.

1. Ballin' The Jack - Earl Hines - Live Broadcasts From The Hangover Club - 4:00 - 145 (This one and the following two are what I would call Chicago-style small groups.)
2. The Dark Town Strutter's Ball - Sid Phillips - Ridin' High - 3:04 - 195 (Bigs liked this one.)
3. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180
4. Afternoon Of A Moax - Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra - Swing Street Strut - 3:24 - 130 (moving into big band here and the next two)
5. Good Evenin' Good Lookin' (Helen Forrest, Vocals) - Benny Goodman - Benny Goodman - 3:10 - 150
6. Troubled - Glenn Miller with Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra - The Glenn Miller Story Vol. 1-2 - 2:45 - 185 (This song has an intense, dark mood to it, so for the next one I thought I'd better loosen things up.)
7. Jump Session - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1939 - 2:35 - 160
8. Public Jitterbug No.1 - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:54 - 205
9. Gettin' In The Groove - Panama Francis & his Savoy Sultans - Gettin' in the groove - 3:06 - 130 (Next couple are more modern-sounding.)
10. Don't You Miss Your Baby - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55 - 140
11. Bei Mir Bist Du Schane - Janis Siegel - Swing Kids - 4:11 - 150 (Bei Mir ends with a big burst of energy, and the floor seemed to be feeling it, so I bumped the tempo and energy WAY up.)
12. Harlem Jump - Jack Teagarden - Casey Jones - 2:35 - 230 (It cleared the floor a little bit, but lots of folks seemed to take it in stride.)
13. Jumpin' Punkins - Duke Ellington - The Blanton-Webster Band - 3:42 - 130 (Next couple are relaxed, classic-sounding recordings.)
14. Small Fry - Adrian Rollini - Tap Room Swing - 2:49 - 120
15. There'll Be Some Changes Made - Una Mae Carlisle - Una Mae Carlisle: 1938-1941 - 2:45 - 110
16. Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford - 2:44 - 140
17. Ja-Da - The Famous Castle Jazz Band - The Five Pennies - 3:07 - 150 (Moving into Dixie/New Orleans stuff here, as I often do...)
18. Short Dressed Gal - Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1 - 2:38 - 160 (..but I move onto something else with the next one.)
19. Yacht Club Swing - Fats Waller - Yacht Club Swing 1938 - 3:51 - 162
20. Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29 - 135
21. Blooz ... First Thaingh 'Dis Moanin' - Wycliffe Gordon - Originals Only - 5:23 - 85 (There's a blues weekend with out-of-town instructors this weekend, so I thought I'd throw this one in. People didn't seem as enthusiastic about it as I expect they would be, so I move on a bit.)
22. Tears Of Joy - Janiva Magness Band - My Bad Luck Soul - 3:08 - 110
23. Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho - Sidney Bechet - Sidney Bechet: 1949 - 3:20 - 175 (This one elicited a couple of audible "Yay!"'s and "Yes!"'s)
24. Minor Swing - Django Reinhardt - Django Reinhardt 3: Minor Swing - 3:16 - 200
25. St. Louis Blues - Benny Goodman - Don't Be That Way - 3:49 - 130 (Chilling out for the end of the night.)
26. They Can't Take That Away From Me - Sarah Vaughan - Ken Burns Jazz - 2:43 - 125
27. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42 - 125
28. Sugar In My Bowl - Miss Tess - When Tomorrow Comes - 3:15 - 105
29. That Chick's Too Young To Fry - The Prisonaires - Just Walkin' In The Rain - 1:45 - 190

Fizz setlist 1-18-2010

My first Fizz of 2010 started off on the slow side. The beginner lesson was dancing to Peggy Lee's "Fever" when I came in, so I figured I should start off on the slowish/groovy-ish side in comparison to what I'd usually play for beginners. That didn't last long, as I figured out that they seemed to respond to big band more than groovy stuff. By about 9:45, more people showed up and the room got really energetic, to the point that the crowd would take whatever I threw at them. That makes a fun night for a DJ. Here's what I played (and BPM sparkline and frequency distribution).

1. L.O.V.E. - Nat King Cole - Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 5: Wild Cool & Swingin - 2:34 - 150
2. Ja-Da - Stuff Smith - Stuff Smith/ Dizzy Gillespie/ Oscar Peterson - 4:04 - 152
3. Someday You'll Want Me To Want You - Catherine Russell - Cat - 3:13 - 145
4. Ain't Nothing To It (Waller-Kirkeby) - Fats Waller - Fats Waller 1941 - 3:12 - 135 (This song is FILTHY.)
5. Old Mother Hubbard - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 2:44 - 145
6. Cabaret - Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong - 3:59 - 155 (Still quiet during Cabaret. People finally hit the floor on the next one.)
7. Now Or Never - Katharine Whalen - Jazz Squad - 2:13 - 165
8. Jump Session - Slim Gaillard - 1938-1939 - 2:35 - 160
9. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A letter - Jay McShann - For Dancers Only! - 3:55 - 146
10. Jersey Bounce - Ella Fitzgerald - Claps Hands, Here Comes Charlie! - 3:35 - 132
11. Soul Swinga Nova (Soul Bossa Nova) - Paul Tillotson the Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:54 - 135
12. Flat Foot Floogee - Ray Bryant - Swing Dance Special - 2:42 - 160
13. Killin' Jive - Cats & The Fiddle - We Cats Will Swing For You - 2:50 - 180
14. Oh! Babe - Lucky Millinder - Apollo Jump - 2:56 - 170 (This song went over really well, and the crowd started being very responsive.)
15. What's Buzzin' Cousin - Cab Calloway - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:42 - 190
16. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 3:15 - 180
17. Jeep Jockey Jump - Glenn Miller - Inspirational Swing! - 2:13 - 200
18. Smack Dab In The Middle - George Gee - Swingin - 3:00 - 142
19. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Benny Goodman - B.G. In Hi-Fi - 3:05 - 155
20. Cavernism - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Mr. Rhythmist Goes To Town - 3:24 - 185 (This song went over way better than I expected. Note for future reference.)
21. Minor Swing - The Boilermaker Jazz Band - Give Me Your Telephone Number - 3:41 - 195 (This one was by request. I therefore felt entitled to play the next one.)
22. Roll 'Em Pete - Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport - 3:00 - 215
23. On Revival Day - Lavern Baker - Precious Memories / LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 143
24. Sweet Mama Tree Top Tall - The Deep River Boys - London Harmony - 2:28 - 158 (Out on a limb a bit here, but it seemed to go over well.)
25. Georgia Grind - Louis Armstrong - Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography Disc 1 - 3:19 - 115 (Time to go to New Orleans on this one and the next three.)
26. Ballin' The Jack - Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band - This Kid's The Greatest! - 3:15 - 145
27. At Georgia Camp Meeting - Bunk Johnson/Lu Watters - Bunk and Lu - 3:28 - 175
28. Wake Up Neesie - Kermit Ruffins - Big Easy - 5:50 - 130 (I knew I should move into a blues-ier sound here. The next couple fit that bill, while still being very high energy.)
29. Let The Good Times Roll - Linda Hopkins - Wild Women Blues - 3:26 - 140
30. My Bad Luck Soul - Janiva Magness Band - My Bad Luck Soul - 2:10 - 160
31. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby - Louis Jordan - Louis Jordan And His Tympani Five, Volume 1 - 2:45 - 135 (Next couple tracks feature guitars. I don't really know why I went here.)
32. Honeysuckle Rose - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:47 - 140
33. Four Or Five Times - Jimmy Noone - Jimmy Noone - 3:08 - 160
34. Life Begins When You're In Love - Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Master Takes And Singles - 3:02 - 180
35. Tippin' In - Erskine Hawkins And His Orchestra - Jukebox Hits 1940-1950 - 3:20 - 150
36. Sermonette - Earl Grant - Singin' & Swingin': The Best Of Earl Grant - 2:42 - 125 (Finishing slow, since my tempo was pretty high most of the night.)
37. Southern sunset - Swing Parade South - Hommage a Sidney Bechet - 3:32 - 105
38. Sugar In My Bowl - Miss Tess - When Tomorrow Comes - 3:15 - 105

3rd Fizziversary: Top Hits 2007-2009

Continuing my look back at 3 years worth of sets at Fizz, here is the list you've all been waiting for: most-played single tracks over the past three years. These tracks aren't necessarily the best music I've ever played, but they are all reliable, fun dance tunes. I think the list gives a certain sense of what music has really worked for me at Fizz. Some of these songs have been consistent favorites, while others were tunes that I played the hell out of for a year, then laid off. Here's the top ten (well, #1 is definitely #1, #2 and #3 are tied, and #4 through #10 are tied):

1. It's You Who Taught It to Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42 - 160 (12 plays)
   
2. Keepin' Outta Mishif Now - The Carling Family - 20th Jubilee - 3:32 - 120 (10 plays)
3. All of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10 - 165 (10 plays)
4. Solid as a Rock - Ella Fitzgerald - Swingin' Ella - 3:00 - 145 (9 plays)
5. Come On Over to My House - Jay McShann - Jumpin' the Blues - 2:52 - 145 (9 plays)
6. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28 - 160 (9 plays)
7. On Revival Day - LaVern Baker - LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 140 (9 plays)
8. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and the Kings of Dixieland - 2:52 - 160 (9 plays)
9. Don't You Miss Your Baby -Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55 - 140 (9 plays)
   
10. Fibre de Verre - Paris Combo - Attraction - 3:39 - 135 (9 plays)

And here's the top songs by year. The length varies because I list all songs that have at least 5 plays in a given year.

2007

1. For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford - Jimmie Lunceford After Dark - 2:41 - 150 (5 plays)
   
2. On Revival Day - LaVern Baker - LaVern Sings Bessie Smith - 3:16 - 140 (5 plays)
3. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby - Louis Armstrong - Satch Plays Fats - 4:28 - 160 (5 plays)
4. Shine On Harvest Moon - Pete Fountain - Pete Fountain and the Kings of Dixieland - 2:52 - 160 (5 plays)
5. Boogie Woogie - Tommy Dorsey - The Fabulous Swing Collection - 3:07 - 145 (5 plays)

2008

1. It's You Who Taught It to Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42 - 160 (7 plays)
2. I Don't Care Who Knows - Catherine Russell - Sentimental Streak - 3:18 - 125 (5 plays)
3. All of Me - Twin Cities Hot Club - Twin Cities Hot Club - 4:10 - 165 (5 plays)

2009

1. Don't You Miss Your Baby - Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon & Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans - 3:55 - 140 (7 plays)
2. My Bucket's Got a Hole in It - Papa Bues Viking Jazz Band - Live in Copenhagen - 3:36 - 135 (6 plays)
3. Moten Swing - Barney Kessel - To Swing or Not to Swing - 3:57 - 160 (5 plays)
4. Stay Cool - Count Basie - Blues By Basie/One O'Clock Jump - 3:12 - 155 (5 plays)
5. It's You Who Taught It to Me - Fats Waller - The Unique Mr. Waller - 2:42 - 160 (5 plays)
6. Easy Does It - The Paul Tillotson Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:57 - 130 (5 plays)
7. Shotgun Boogie - The Paul Tillotson Love Trio - Lindy Hop Blues - 2:55 - 165 (5 plays)
8. Somebody Loves Me - Stuff Smith - Cat on a Hot Fiddle - 3:42 - 150 (5 plays)
9. Down South Camp Meeting - Svend Asmussen - Still Fiddling - 3:41 - 145 (5 plays)

3rd Fizziversary: Top Tunes

Continuing my look back at 3 years worth of sets from Fizz (1,375 tracks over 40 nights of mouse-jockeying), I thought I'd take a look at the most popular tunes I played, regardless of the artist. When I get hooked on a song, I often go searching for other renditions of the same tune. Playing versions of a song other than the one that folks are most accustomed to can help keep things fresh and interesting, even though the song may be a standard. So, over the past three years, my favorite tunes have been:

1. All of Me (20 plays, versions by Della Reese, Dick Hyman, Helen O'Connell, Louis Armstrong, Twin Cities Hot Club)
2. Ain't Misbehavin' (16 plays, versions by Benny Goodman, Kermit Ruffins, Fats Waller, Sidney Bechet))
3. Honeysuckle Rose (15 plays, versions by Anita O'Day, Twin Cities Hot Club, Django Reinhardt, Katherine Davis, Louis Armstrong)
4. Sent for You Yesterday (14 plays, versions by Benny Goodman, Count Basie)
5. For Dancers Only (12 plays, versions by The Solomon Douglas Swingtet, Junior Mance, The American Jazz Orchestra, Jimmie Lunceford)
6. It's You Who Taught It to Me (12 plays, all from Fats Waller)
7. Flying Home (11 plays, versions by Charlie Barnet, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman)
8. Moten Swing (11 plays, versions by Barnie Kessel, Oscar Peterson)

I think this is a pretty interesting list. The number 1 song happens to be the tune that my wife and I used for our first dance at our wedding. It's disappointing that other versions of Moten Swing didn't make the list, like the Count Basie or Jay McShann recordings.