Believe It x2

November 3, 2010 at 12:44 am (Jazz, Music Review)

It’s not too often that you get to hear the same band with the same personnel play the same song on the same recording date and give it two entirely different feels.

The band I’m referring to is basically a one time deal called “The Chocolate Dandies.” This particular aggregation recorded for Commodore Records in New York City over 60 years ago on May 25, 1940.  They made six recordings that day including two versions of “I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me.”

The first version was brought to my attention twice by two separate people.  Skye Humphries first mentioned it to me last summer, and then I later heard Naomi Uyama play it while DJ’ing at The Jam Cellar one evening.

This is actually called “I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me #2,” but I heard this one first. Shoot me.

It’s pretty slow at about 127 beats per minute, just barely skimming the line between being able to swingout to it and straight up ballad.  The thing that helps blur that line is the playing of the front men who will all speed up as often as they slow it down during their solo’s without changing the overall tempo.  This is a master class on how to swing.  The effect at this tempo gives the song a nice dynamic that keeps listeners and dancers on their toes without confusing them.  I think it’s just a gorgeous song to dance to.  Not pretty or cute.  I’m talking about the definition of beauty for the ears.

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Billie Holiday Inspiration

October 28, 2010 at 12:11 am (DJing, Music Review)

Social networking.  It works bitches.  Especially when you’re friends with people who really know their stuff.

Case in point, Rob Moreland, a Lindy DJ from North Carolina, posted one of my favorite Billie Holiday songs, “No Regrets” on his Facebook profile.  Rob said he heard it from Michael Gamble, a fellow southern DJ.  I first heard it played by Mike Marcotte here at a dance in DC.

I just think it’s a lovely, bittersweet tune which if you know anything about her life, seems to be Billie’s emotional default.

Rayned Wiles then inspired a few other fellow DJ’s to post their favorite Billie songs by offering this lovely gem, “Stars Fell on Alabama.”

I don’t think Billie Holiday really got that much play when I started dancing.  I’m not sure why that’s so because there is quite a bit out there that can be played at a dance.   It’s easy to overlook the earliest parts of her career especially compared to the quality and volume of everything that followed.  even the author of linear notes in the first CD I ever picked up of her debut work was not shy in his derision of this period.  But as you can hear, there’s a reason why she got noticed.

After Rayned posted his response, I took this as a challenge to post my favorite Billie song. It reminded of the times I used to DJ with Rayned, Mike, and others at the old K2 Dance Studios.  We would rotate in and out, sometimes alternating sets that lasted between an hour and sometimes as little as two songs.

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Album Review: Sam Cooke Live at The Harlem Square Club

July 6, 2010 at 12:40 am (Music Review)

I’ve been on a live soul music kick lately and I finally picked up “Sam Cooke Live at The Harlem Square Club” after I heard Peter Strom spin “Having a Party” from this it at ILHC last year.  I had such a great dance to that song that it’s part of my personal Lindy highlights from last year.

I don’t know why it took me so long to get it since it’s honestly one of the best albums I’ve ever heard.  From any music genre. It’s that good.

From start to finish, Sam Cooke bleeds out energy and passion into the microphone. If you didn’t already believe that this smooth crooner was the man who created Soul music, then there’s no way to deny it after hearing these recordings. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Year’s Worth of Wandering & Pondering in One Post

June 24, 2010 at 1:20 am (balboa, Blues, Dance, History, Intercultural, Jazz, Lindy Hop, Links, Music Review, Personal, Review, Solo Jazz Dance, Washington, DC)

When I started my blog I read all kinds of nifty tips to make it awesome and get lots of people to read it.  Oddly enough, all of them fail to advise you to post something actually interesting.

This may sound a bit conceited, but I think most of the stuff I post here is pretty interesting to read.  Maybe not all of it.  Just 98%, give or take a couple percentage points.  I should know—I read it all the time, and I never get tired of me.

One fun tip talked about summarizing your blog’s content every once in awhile, so for all of you new readers here who keep searching for Skye’s non existent website or information on a certain convicted lindy hopper’s sentence*, here’s a handy dandy guide to all the other stuff you’re missing.  Or if you’ve already read them, here’s your opportunity to go back and relive the pain and/or the glory. Read the rest of this entry »

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Solomon Douglas and The US Army Blues in DC Dec. 5 & 6

December 7, 2009 at 12:05 am (Jazz, Lindy Hop, Music Review)
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Another fine weekend of live swing music here in DC is in the books.

On Saturday, The Washington Swing Dance Committee hosted The Solomon Douglas Swingtet at Glen Echo Park.

The knock on Solomon over the years has been that his bands could be very inconsistent.  This was usually due to having an inconsistent line up of musicians from gig to gig.  He would typically travel alone and recruit local musicians from each city.  Often times first meeting, rehearsing and playing with them all in one day.

The upside to this process is that he has been able identify, assemble, and tour with a solid line up of musicians that  can handle the diverse array of music that he wants to play for Lindy Hoppers around the country.  Tunes that can range from the 1929 Jelly Roll Morton “New Orleans Bump”  to Sonny Rollins’ “Alfie’s Theme” from 1966.

Here’s a clip of the band playing Jive at Five from earlier in their tour.

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BMJB & TCO in DC

September 28, 2009 at 12:40 am (balboa, Dance, Jazz, Lindy Hop, Music Review)

I like dancing.  I like it even more with great live music.  This was a fun weekend for that here in DC.  Actually, more like Glen Echo Park in Maryland.  The Boilermaker Jazz Band played the Bumper Car Pavilion on Friday night while The Tom Cunningham Orchestra held its monthly dance in the Spanish Ballroom on Saturday evening. Read the rest of this entry »

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Joint Service Jazz, August 16, 2009

August 18, 2009 at 1:19 am (Jazz, Music Review)

This past Sunday evening, I met some friends to hear free concert at The Carter Barron Amitheatre.

Opened in 1950 and named after one of its primary sponsors, the ampitheatre has hosted a variety of musical and theatrical events over the years including Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Ethel Merman, Henry Mancini, Harry Belafonte, Andy Williams, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, B.B. King, the O’Jays, Smokey Robinson, and the Four Tops.

Sunday evening it featured a program called “Joint Service Jazz” with performances by the big bands of the US Navy, Army, and Air Force. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Boilermaker Jazz Band at The Jam Cellar 7/7/09 and an Appreciation

July 8, 2009 at 11:05 pm (Jazz, Lindy Hop, Music Review, video)
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The Boilermaker Jazz Band came back to The Jam Cellar last night, this time fielding a smaller group of Paul Cosentino on clarinet and saxophone, Mark Kotision on piano, and Rich Strong on drums.  Betsy Kipperman also made a brief appearance with the band singing “Me, Myself, and I” and “I Can’t Give You Anything, but Love.”

One of these days I’m going to do a larger feature about the Boilermakers, but today I just want to talk about drummer, Rich Strong. Read the rest of this entry »

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JazzWax: Interview with Brooks Tegler & corrections

June 29, 2009 at 7:04 pm (Jazz, Music Review)
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As a follow up to my review of his big band last Saturday night, here’s an interesting interview with Brooks Tegler on Jazzwax.com.

Also a correction from yesterday’s post.  Scott Silbert was the tenor saxaphonist on Saturday night, not Silver as I misheard and wrote.  You can read about him by following this link.

Also, Don Lerman was on sax, not sex as I mistyped.  Baritone with the big band and alto, I think, with the small group.

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Review: The Brooks Telger Big Band and Combo at Glen Echo, June 27, 2009

June 28, 2009 at 9:07 pm (Jazz, Music Review, Review)
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So I guess I’ll start off my blog with a review of a dance I attended last night, hosted by The Jam Cellar in the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park last night with The Brooks Tegler Big Band.

(Disclaimer: I am an occasional contributor to the Jam Cellar blog and their general shenanigans)

DC is blessed to have two big bands dedicated to the authentic sounds of the Swing Era.  Most bands that play for dancers tend to the more modern New Testament Basie sound or play mostly Rat Pack covers.

But DC’s two main big bands, the other being The Tom Cunningham Orchestra, specialize in music from the Swing Era played in the way it was meant to be played with a solid driving 4/4 rhythm.  Brooks Tegler himself is an ardent disciple of Gene Krupa. Read the rest of this entry »

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