The Swing Dance DJ. Click
here for some
info about the Swing Dance DJ.
Playlists.
Click
here for info
on the Playlists developed for Hepcats swing dance
events.
Info on Music For Swing Dancing
Big Band - 1930's & 40's.
The Great Big Bands: Jimmie Lunceford,
Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb,
Artie Shaw, etc.
(This also includes contemporary Big Bands.)
Jump
Blues - 1940's & 50's.
Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris, Bullmoose Jackson, etc. ......
The exact definition of "Swing" is tough to define because of its
subjective nature. (For this web page, a broad definition
of swing music is used.) Swing is best described as the particular way a piece
of music is played that gives it a certain vitality and energy.
Without getting too technical, in Swing music the musicians play (or sing) some
of the notes late, and then catch up in the next beat or two. This was referred
to as "swinging the beat", and hence the name was probably born. Swing
also has a rhythm-driven quality that emphasizes subdivisions of the beat, which
often adds a horizontal feel and type of "pulse" to the music.
For the classic era of Swing (about 1935-1949),
the music was a form of jazz that normally used arrangements and was rehearsed,
but still allowed room for interpretation and improvisation. Of course, it
was the Big Bands of the "Swing Era" that made swing music famous and
popular all over the world. But smaller type combos, such as the smaller
jump blues bands of the late 1940's and 50's, also had a big part in the overall
contribution of what is considered swing music.
Other than learning to actually swing dance, the cornerstone of swing dancing is
the music. A key ingredient to this enjoyment of swing music is dancing to
the phrases (and breaks) in the music. There will never be, nor should there
ever be, total agreement on what is "good" swing dancing music.
One can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that most swing dancers like
music from a variety of styles and eras (i.e. Big Band, Jump Blues,
etc.) and at a variety of tempos, normally ranging from slower tempos of around
120 beats per minute
(BPM) to as fast as 250+ BPM. As someone once said, variety is the
spice of life!
Normally (and hopefully!), there is a variety of swing music played at swing
dances, but the music played will depend on a number of factors. For
example, a Lindy Hop event will normally have much different music than a dance
for west coast swing dancers. And also note that the music played at swing
dances evolves over time.
Just as the swing dance community has evolved
since the beginning of the so called "swing movement" of the mid 1990's, so has
the music one hears at swing dances. In the mid 1990's, the trend was
towards swing music from the newer or retro swing bands (i.e. Big Bad Voodoo
Daddy, Royal Crown Revue, etc), and a lot of that music was songs of a fast or
very fast tempo.
As swing dancers learned more about different
types of swing music and began to appreciate the experiences of dancing to
different styles and tempos of swing music, a greater variety of music began to be played at swing
dances, and certain trends developed. For a time, there was a trend toward
the slower, more "bluesy/groove" types of music, perhaps as a
"correction" to the faster retro swing music. Recently, there
has been a definite and certainly welcomed trend towards going back to the
"roots" of swing dancing, i.e. music from the 1930's and 1940's in a
variety of tempos. Generally speaking, swing music from the
1930's and 40's, i.e. the classic Big Band and jump blues music,
should be better represented and played more at swing dance venues.
A note of caution.
As previously noted on this web site, improvisation, creativity and
innovation are the hallmarks of American dancing. Much like swing
dancing, it is possible to adapt and develop swing dancing in light of the
genres of more recent musical influences. But at some point, if the music
played at swing dances is not really swing music, then the dance itself no
longer is true to the style or spirit of Lindy Hop or Balboa. There is a lot of music "out there" in 4/4 time that you can
swing dance to; but that doesn't make it swing music.
In other words,
always remember your roots, but note that it's fun
to try out new music!
Absolutely! Dancing to good, live music is a much different
experience than dancing to DJ music. Although finding a venue that plays
good, live swing music is challenging, it is a worthwhile endeavor!
Where can you find venues with good, live swing music? First and foremost,
there are the
Hepcats
Big Band Swing Dance
collaborations with the
Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra/UK School of Music at the UK Student Center Grand Ballroom,
which feature the best live music for swing dancing in the Lexington/central KY
area! The Hepcats also sponsor other live music events, such as Swingin'
on Main, Lexington's annual street dance. Check out the
Hepcats
web site for the latest info live music events.
Also check out the
Calendar
page of the Hepcats web site for info on other live music events in the
area.
Finding good, danceable swing CDs can be difficult. Here are a few places
to look. On-line
retailers offer search options and normally a huge selection. At local
retailers the selection may not be as great but they do offer one the chance to actually look
at and "feel" the CD (which
is important to some people). In music stores, "Swing" CDs are
often scattered among the oldies, jazz, rock and easy listening sections.
An often overlooked source is your local library.
For another source of information, ask fellow swing dancers what music they like. Note what songs you
like at swing dance venues you attend and then use an on-line retailer search engine to
find the song or the CD. Note that a lot of different bands will cover the
same song, so ensure you get the right group. For example, "Shake,
Rattle & Roll" was originally recorded by Big Joe Turner and was
later covered by Bill Haley & the Comets (among others). If you
searched for the song "Shake, Rattle & Roll" at an on-line
retailer search engine, you would probably get a number of different versions
available for that song.
Keep in mind that it is almost impossible to obtain depth in your music
collection if your primary source of music is "free" or shareware downloads from
the internet. If you want to obtain a depth in your music, then you're
going to have to spend some bucks and purchase good music. The vast majority of really good swing dance music cannot be
obtained for free on the internet (for a variety of reasons).
One last note for this area. I'm fully aware that a lot of people
download music from the web from various sources (free and commercial). Nothing wrong
with that, I do that on occasion (although if you download music you are
probably aware there may be some restrictions on how many times you can copy
that particular song). For those that like to "collect" music, and
especially for those that think they might want to be a swing dance
DJ
at some point in the future, I still think it's a good idea to get the
CD, if possible. Personally, I like to read the liner notes!
Specific CDs and songs recommended below are intended only as a
guide. Obviously, there is no guarantee that all recommendations will be a
"hit" with everyone. Of course, even in the swing dance
community there are different musical tastes. What kind of music a person
prefers may depend on what style of swing they dance and their level of
proficiency. The CDs listed below are high quality recordings, of which
many of the tracks are generally considered to be swing dance favorites. For anyone wishing to
begin their own swing music collection, these recommendations should be
considered a starting point, and not the finish line.
Most people have heard of the big band sound, a music
style primarily from the 1930's and 1940's. Unfortunately, many people (to
include some swing dancers) associate
the Big Band sound exclusively with the commercially oriented music of Glenn
Miller, the "champagne" music of Lawrence Welk and the
New Year's Eve broadcasts of Guy Lombardo.
Big Band is a style of jazz music that
normally refers to a group of about 10 or more musicians. Although the number
may vary, a traditional Big Band orchestra consists of about 15
musicians: 4 saxophones, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, and a 3 piece rhythm
section (normally consisting of piano, drums, and an upright bass).
This is in addition to the band leader, who also normally plays an instrument,
i.e. the clarinet (Benny Goodman), the piano (Duke
Ellington, Count Basie), the trumpet (Harry James), etc., and any
vocalists.
Musically, Big Band was the fusion of American jazz, ragtime
and Charleston styles of music (similar in development to swing dancing). Big Band is usually
identified in jazz history to the 1930's and 1940's classic era of swing. During that time, most of the jazz groups were Big Bands and they played a robust, invigorating style of swing.
Swing was dance music, yet it offered individual musicians a chance to improvise musically fresh, technically complex solos.
It may be technically incorrect to call all Big Bands "swing", just like all "swing" isn't performed by Big Bands.
But the big bands led by Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Duke Ellington,
Erskine Hawkins, Earl Hines, Harry James, Lucky Millinder, Count Basie,
Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Glen Gray, etc. were extraordinarily popular in the 1930's and
40's and the terms have become interchangeable in the public eye. The two are forever tied together,
given that they matured simultaneously.
It is important to keep in mind that there were definite distinctions between Big Bands in the
1930's and 40's. Some bands displayed hard-driving rhythmic qualities and
solo improvisations, while other bands conveyed a less pronounced swing
feeling. The former bands were often called "swing bands" or
"hot bands" (e.g. Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny
Goodman, Chick Webb); while the latter were called "sweet bands" (e.g. Glenn
Miller, Guy Lombardo).
It should also not be overlooked the many disadvantages that African-American
big bands had as compared to white bands, especially in the 1930's
and 40's, because of racism. African-American bands were unable to
obtain lucrative bookings at big hotels for long residencies or regular appearances on
radio shows. They normally toured constantly, in a series of one night stands.
African-American bands were often not as commercially marketed nationally by
record producers and radio stations, as were lesser performing white bands.
White bands would often cover songs by African-American
bands and achieve greater commercial record sales and exposure, i.e. Glenn Miller's cover
of Edgar Hayes' "In the Mood" and Erskine Hawkins' "Tuxedo Junction".
(To be fair, it should be noted that almost all bands in the big band era covered each
other's songs to some degree.)
The golden age of the Big Band era, from about 1935-1949, was unique in that it
was the music listened to by all generations in the 1930's and 40's, young and
old alike. Big Band swing was the popular and dominate music of the era,
not only for radio, but the movies, in nightclubs, at high school and college
dances and parties, and at the local ballroom. In the early 1940's, it is
estimated that there were over 400 bands (some where known as "regional" or
"territory" bands), criss-crossing
the country, playing night after night of one night stands, looking for that
elusive "break".
It was the hundreds of ballrooms that
stretched from coast to coast that gave the big bands their most consistent and
hospitable venues. Unfortunately, many of these ballrooms were torn down
(especially in the 1960's as a result of the decline in partner dancing and the
beginning of urban renewal) to make room for retail
and housing developments. Many ballrooms with historical significance have
survived, such as the Surf Ballroom in
Clear Lake, Iowa, famous as the last concert location for Buddy Holly, Richie
Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) before dying in a plane crash on
February 3, 1959.
Many ballrooms in and near the bigger cities could accommodate
thousands of dancers. These included ballrooms such as the Savoy
and Roseland Ballrooms in New York City; Glen Island Casino Ballroom, New Rochelle, NJ;
the Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom in
Bethesda, MD; the Palladium
and Palomar
Ballrooms in Los Angeles, CA; the
Rendezvous Ballroom in Orange County, CA; and the Casino
Ballroom on Catalina Island, CA.
More common were the many ballrooms and dance halls found in medium and smaller
cities and towns that might occasionally host one of the "famous" big
bands but normally booked one of the hundreds of less famous regional or
territory bands. For
the central Kentucky and surrounding areas, such establishments included the Joyland Ballroom in Lexington, KY; Casa Madrid Ballroom, Louisville, KY; High
Bridge Park Pavilion, Wilmore, KY; the Music Hall
Ballroom and Moonlight Gardens at Coney
Island in Cincinnati, OH (note that the present Moonlight Gardens was once
the walled ballroom, with the front facade much in its original condition; and
that Moonlight Pavilion, where Big Band dances now take place, was once part of
food service buildings); and the Indiana
Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis, IN; to mention just a few.
Generally speaking, the Big Bands were dance bands and catered to dancers.
A typical night of music with a big band would include not only
their "hot" and popular numbers (songs many band members called
"killer dillers"), but also some ballads and even an occasional waltz.
There are a number of Big Bands that perform today. Locally, the Kentucky
Jazz Repertory Orchestra (KJRO), co-directed by University of Kentucky
School of Music professors Dick Domek and Miles Osland, is
one of the most highly skilled big band orchestras in the
United States today when it comes to recreating authentic big band, swing-era arrangements.
Before
we look at some specific Big
Band CD recommendations, a quick note.
Beware!There are numerous Big Band recordings on the market,
including low cost or budget "Big Band" collections. However, a great many of these recordings
are out-of-copyright versions, released by lesser known labels that buy up
rights to various songs that have an inferior sound quality due to
the recording technology (mono) of the 1930's and 1940's; even such recordings
digitally re-mastered leave a lot to be desired.
However, there
are some very good alternatives for those wanting high quality Big Band music.
Some labels have released some very good digital re-mastered versions of 1930's
and 40's big band music. With the advent of stereophonic Hi-Fi technology
in the 1950's and 60's, many Big Bands re-recorded some of their standard numbers,
primarily with Capital Records.
Although some "jazz purists" may object to these recordings as not
being true to the originals, these recordings provide some great music for
dancing and listening! In addition, there are some modern recordings of
the Big Band sound that are very good.
The Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra. The Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra was
one of the top bands of the Big Band era. Lunceford's Orchestra
was very popular and entertaining, but in many
respects,
it is vastly under appreciated today. Lunceford had a formal background in music and was also a fine
athlete and
coach early in his career. His combined musical talents, discipline and
drive led to the creation of a band that contemporary observers rated near the top
with Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Although Lunceford's band could not
boast of a top soloist, the individual band members and ensembles were top notch
and always well rehearsed. In addition, Lunceford used great musical
arrangements, particularly those written by the famous Sy Oliver (who was
eventually hired away by Tommy Dorsey) and Eddie Durham (who went on to arrange
for the Count Basie Orchestra).
Lunceford's orchestra was a "show" band and they unabashedly played music that was
designed to please
swing dancers (as well as listeners). The band used the visual as
well as the music to entertain, playing while the
saxophones swayed from side to
side, the trombones sliding in an opposite direction and the trumpets tossed in
the air, caught just in time to start a riff.
Lunceford's band was widely known during the swing era and it's showmanship and
appearance was often imitated. A good example of this imitation is Glenn
Miller Orchestra's performance in the movie "Orchestra Wives" (see photo right).
Lunceford died
unexpectedly in 1947 while the band was touring in the northwest United States and
the orchestra broke up permanently in 1949. Lunceford's early death,
and because the band's superb showmanship is lost on record,
has meant that a lot of people don't realize that the Jimmie
Lunceford Orchestra belongs in the pantheon of
swing with Basie and Ellington.
An interesting side note. Some jazz music critics of the day lambasted Lunceford's orchestra as too "entertaining", foreshadowing the day
when many
jazz musicians looked at "entertaining" the audience or playing for dancers as
unworthy of their profession (i.e. "if you're dancing, your not paying attention
to me and my music"). Perhaps this is part of the reason why jazz music
went from over 90% of music sales in the 1940's to about 3% today and why modern
jazz is sometimes viewed as a music form enjoyed only by elitists and academic
types.
There are lots of CDs on the market with Lunceford's music. Selected digitally re-mastered CD's
are the best source for Lunceford's music. A couple of suggestions.
Lunceford Special: 1939-1940, Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra.
A great CD, with overall good sound quality considering the technology of
the time. "Lunceford Special" is just one of many great songs from
this CD.
There are a few excellent re-creations
of Lunceford's recordings in the
Time-Life "Swing Era" collection (noted below), most of them recorded with past
members of Lunceford's band. The Time-Life "Swing Era"
collection is worth acquiring for those recordings alone! In addition, Oscillatin' Rhythm: Great Swing Hits in
Hi-Fi, highlights a couple of Lunceford's greatest tunes, "For
Dancers Only" and "'T'aint What You Cha Do, It's the Way That Cha Do
It".
Chick Webb. Chick Webb was one of the greatest
and most influential jazz drummers of all time. He led the Chick
Webb Orchestra from 1926 to 1939 during the height of the swing era and his
mighty "Battle of the Bands" at the Savoy Ballroom in the Harlem district of New
York City were famous, epic encounters.
Chick Webb was born in 1909 in Baltimore,
Maryland. At a young age he contracted spinal tuberculosis, leaving him with a
hunchback and limited use of his legs. At the age of three, doctors prescribed
drumming as a remedy for Chick’s stiff joints. Webb readily obliged, banging on
pots, pans, and oil drums around the house. By selling newspapers,
Webb was able to save enough money to buy his own drum set. He quickly
landed jobs with local bands and eventually found work in New York City in 1924. Once in
New York, Chick played with Johnny Hodges, Tony Hardwick, Benny Carter and Duke
Ellington. Still only 17, Ellington got Webb several gigs at the Black Bottom
Club and the Paddock Club in New York.
In 1927, Webb took his band to the Savoy Ballroom and they quickly won over crowds with their flashy,
flamboyant, and energetic style.
Although he could not read sheet music,
Webb memorized every piece and led the band from a raised platform in the center
of the stage, cueing sections with his drumming. By 1931, Webb's
Orchestra was the Savoy Ballroom "house band". During his time at the Savoy
Ballroom, the Chick Webb Orchestra challenged and defeated bands led by the
likes of Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington
during the famous "Battle of the Bands".
In
1935 Savoy Ballroom manager Charlie Buchanan asked Webb to find a younger,
hipper vocalist. Bardu Ali, a
member of Webb’s band, had noticed a young singer named Ella Fitzgerald at the Apollo Theater and snuck her
into Webb’s dressing room for an audition. Ella appeared with the band
that night and was an instant success; she
and the band formed a powerful partnership that would go on to record 60 songs
featuring Fitzgerald over the next three years.
By 1938, Webb’s health began to fail him. Despite his health problems,
Webb continued to book the band and travel extensively, saying "I’ve gotta keep
my boys working." Early in 1939, Webb was admitted into Johns Hopkins
Hospital. In June of 1939, Chick
Webb became extremely frail and died with his mother and wife at his bedside on the
16th. His funeral in Baltimore contained 80 cars in the procession and more
mourners than could fit into the church.
After
Webb's death, Fitzgerald fronted the band until it finally broke up in 1942.
Much like the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, the Chick Webb Orchestra is vastly
underappreciated today. There are several good CD's on the
market
for Chick Webb recordings (although the
relative
primitive recording techniques of the time could not adequately capture Webb's
spectacular technique and wide dynamic range on the drums).
A good CD for Webb's music is Chick Webb, Stompin' at the Savoy (distributed by ASV/Living
Era).
Erskine Hawkins.
Erskine Hawkins was a very talented trumpeter and bandleader, nicknamed
the "the 20th Century Gabriel". He was born in Birmingham, Alabama
in 1914, the son of a U.S. solider who lost his life in action in World
War I. He began playing drums at the age of 7, tried the trombone
for a while, them decided at the age of 13 to concentrate on the
trumpet. While attending Alabama State Teachers College, he became
the leader of the 'Bama Sate Collegians. The band gained regional
prominence during the depression, often using monies earned to assist
Alabama State College during the hard times. The band went to New York
in 1934, became the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and by 1938, had developed
a strong following, especially in the Savoy Ballroom. He
was able to keep the big band together until 1953, although some of his
later music was more R&B-oriented. Hawkins led a smaller unit
during his last few decades and the trumpeter kept on working into the
1980s.
Hawkins' biggest hits were "Tuxedo Junction" and
"Tippin In"; other songs such as "Swingin' in Harlem" and "Riff Time"
also really swing.
Fletcher
Henderson. Fletcher Henderson is acknowledged as the leader of the first
Big Band Orchestra. He was born in 1897 in Cuthbert, Georgia. His
father was a principal and his mother taught piano. He graduated from
college in 1920 and moved to New York to attend Columbia University for graduate
work in chemistry. Unable to find a job in the chemistry field (due
primarily to racism), he found ample work in music. His first band, formed
in 1922, quickly became known as the best African-American band in New York.
Throughout the 1920's and early 1930's, Henderson's bands featured some of the
best talent of the swing era, to include Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Coleman
Hawkins and Benny Carter. Although very popular, Henderson's indifference
to the business aspects of managing a band contributed to it's lack of financial
and recording success and eventual breakup.
In 1934, Benny Goodman's Orchestra was selected as a house band for the
"Let's Dance" radio program. Goodman needed new charts every week for the
show and purchased several arrangements from Henderson. Henderson
eventually joined Goodman's band as a pianist and arranger. Ironically, as
Goodman's band achieved national prominence at the height of the swing era using
many of Henderson's arrangements, Fletcher Henderson's name and band was not
known to the general public.
Henderson reformed bands of his own several times in the
1940's but these bands were never able to experience any great success. He
suffered a stroke in 1950 and died in 1952 in New York City.
There are numerous Fletcher Henderson CD's on the market. A good source
for Henderson's music is the 3 CD box set "The Fletcher Henderson Story",
which also has very informative liner notes.
Count
Basie. William "Count" Basie was born in 1904 in Red Bank, New
Jersey. He learned piano at an early age from his mother. He toured the
vaudeville circuit starting in
1924 and in 1928 joined Walter Page's Blue Devils; he then became
the pianist with the Benie Moten band based in
Kansas City. After Moten died in 1935, Basie became leader and started referring to
himself as "Count Basie". At the end of
1936. He moved his band to
New York City where it remained
until 1950. With the exception of a brief period in
the early '50s, he led a big band until his death in 1984. Basie's orchestra was characterized
by a light, swinging rhythm section that he led from the piano, lively
ensemble work, and generous soloing. His band also showcased some of the best singers of the era:
Billie Holliday, Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams. Basie was not a composer like Duke Ellington or an accomplished
soloist like Benny Goodman. His instrument
was his band, which was considered one of the best in the business and became
broadly influential on jazz.
Jumpin' at the Woodside, Swingin' the Blues and One O'Clock
Jump and some of Basie's classic songs. There are lots of CD's on the market for Basie's music.
Duke Ellington. Edward
Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in 1899 in Washington, D.C. He
began piano lessons at age 7 and developed a passion for music in his
early teens. He dropped out of high school to begin a career in
music. In 1917 he formed his first band and in 1923 moved to New
York. His band played a number of Club's in New York, to include
the Cotton Club. At the Cotton Club, the band was broadcast live
across the nation and their popularity began to spread.
Ellington and his band went on to play everywhere from New York to New
Delhi, Chicago to Cairo, and Los Angeles to London, and entertained
everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to President Nixon. Before
passing away in 1974, Duke Ellington wrote and recorded hundreds of
musical compositions. Ellington used his band as a musical
laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically
to showcase the talents of his band members, many of whom remained with
him for long periods.
Some of Ellington’s works include "Rockin’ in Rhythm," "Satin Doll,"
"Take the 'A' Train," "Ring Dem Bells", "Drop Me Off in Harlem", to
mention just a few. Of course, there are countless CD's of Ellington's music on the market
for you to enjoy.
Benny
Goodman. Benny Goodman was a very celebrated and popular bandleader
during the swing era. He was an accomplished clarinetist whose
distinctive playing gave an identity both to his big band and to the smaller
units he led. Goodman was born in 1909, the son of Russian immigrants and
began taking clarinet lessons at age 10 at a local synagogue. He quickly
developed his musical skills and dropped out of school at age 14 to become a
professional musician. In 1929, he moved to New York, working as a free
lance musician, made several recordings under his own name and with pickup
bands, and organized his first professional orchestra in 1934. He was
signed for the Saturday night Let's Dance program on NBC radio, playing
the last hour of the three-hour show. The program's budget included funds
for new arrangements, which were provided by Fletcher Henderson.
Henderson's arrangements of traditional jazz instrumental numbers, for example,
Jelly Roll Morton's King Porter Stomp and such popular songs as
Sometimes I'm Happy, established the band's musical character. Under
Goodman's exacting direction, the members' playing was a model of ensemble
discipline. With his own impeccable musicianship, he set a high standard for his
sidemen, from whom he demanded accurate intonation, matched vibrato, phrasing,
and a careful balancing of parts, performance standards rare in the bands of
that time. It was during these broadcasts that Gene Krupa joined Goodman.
After the conclusion of the Let's Dance series in May 1935,
Goodman's band embarked on a national tour. It was not
particularly successful until the
band
reached the West Coast, where his
segment of Let's Dance had
been heard three hours earlier than on the East Coast. The band's
performance at the Palomar Ballroom near Los Angeles on August 21, 1935, was a
spectacular success, broadcast nationwide to great critical and popular acclaim,
and is often noted as the date on which the Swing Era began. On January
16, 1938, Goodman brought a new level of recognition to Big Band swing with a
concert in Carnegie Hall, presenting Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Jess Stacy,
Hampton, Krupa, and Teddy Wilson from his own entourage, as well as guest
soloists from the bands of Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
Goodman enjoyed a productive career until his death in 1986.
Their are lots of CD's out there for Goodman's music.
Ridin' High; and the 4 CD set The Essential Benny Goodman
are good places to start.
Also check out
B.G. in Hi-Fi. This 1954 recording is
considered to be the best of Goodman's post World War II Hi-Fi recordings.
The album contains 12 selections of his classic big band numbers and
another 8 with smaller combos. Note: according to the liner notes of this CD, Benny Goodman was a
dancer himself, loved to play for dancers and considered his Big Band music as
primarily for that purpose.
Edgar Hayes.
Edgar Hayes is worth mentioning for at least two reasons. First, he was born in
Lexington, KY in 1904! And secondly, he recorded the original version of "In the Mood"
in February 1938, eighteen months before Glenn Miller's cover version was
released (c. August 1939). Hayes' version of "In the Mood"
swings a lot harder than Glenn Miller's more commercially oriented version.
It is a shame that Hayes' version of "In the Mood" is seldom
ever heard at swing dances (except at Hepcats events!).
For a CD of Hayes' music, check out the Edgar Hayes Classics Chronological
Series CD.
Lucky Millinder.
Lucius "Lucky" Millinder was born in 1900 in Alabama but was raised in Chicago.
He got his start in music as an emcee (he didn't play an instrument and
supposedly
couldn't even read music) and was essentially a frontman and an occasional
singer as he conducted several impressive big bands throughout his career. In 1934 Millinder took
over the directorship of the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, one of the early black
swing bands in the 1930's. Millinder worked with Bill Doggett's band in
1938 after the Blue Rhythm Band dissolved, and then formed the Lucky Millinder
Orchestra in 1940. The Orchestra became one of the most rhythmically exciting
bands on the Big band touring circuit. The Millinder band was especially
popular in Harlem as it gradually shifted away from swing and more toward early
rhythm & blues. Among the orchestra's many noted members were Dizzy Gillespie,
Sister Rosetta Sharpe, Benjamin "Bullmoose" Jackson and Wynonie Harris. Millinder's
orchestra recorded with Decca from 1942 to 1945 and landed four records at the
top of the charts. Millinder fronted bands until 1955. The later
recordings tended to be more rhythm & blues oriented as Millinder's Orchestra
provided a vital link between big band swing and R&B. Lucky Millinder
spent his later years as a liquor salesman and a disc jockey.
The 2 CD Set "Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra: Apollo Jump"
contains most of Millinder's hits, to include "Clap Your Hands";
"Little John Special"; "Mason Flyer"; and "Apollo Jump".
Mills Blue Rhythm Band.
Another example of a great big band almost forgotten today. The
Mills Blue Rhythm Band was originally formed by drummer Willie Lynch as
the Blue Rhythm Band in 1930. In 1931, Irving Mills became their
manager and the group was renamed the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. In
1934 Lucky Millinder took over the duties of fronting the band and the
band reached it's prime. Although the band was never commercially
successful, it recorded frequently during 1931-1937 and could hold it's
own with the top big bands of the swing era, as evidenced by their many
fine recordings. When the group broke up in 1938, Millinder formed
his own big band.
Among the many recordings of the band: "There's Rhythm in Harlem"
(which has elements of the then-unwritten "In the Mood"; arranged by Joe
Garland, originally recorded by Edgar Hayes; see the entry on Hayes
above); "Ride Red Ride"; "Back Beats"; "Harlem Heat";and "Yes! Yes!".
Harlem Heat, from the ASV Living Era CD series, contains most of the
band's best recording.
Cab Calloway.
Cab Calloway
was a master showman and a great singer. Born in 1907 in
Rochester, NY, he grew up in Baltimore, attended law school but dropped
out to give singing and dancing a try. He quickly hit the big time
as a big band leader personality and film star. He appeared in the
early 1980's movie "The Blues Brothers". Many of the words and
phrases from the lyrics of his songs worked their way not only into
musical language but into everyday usage. It's often overlooked
that the bands he assembled were first-rate. He died in 1994.
Are You Hep To The Jive?
This classic album, with 22 tracks of
great lyrics and music, covers Calloway's hits from the 1940's for the Okeh, Columbia, and Vocalion
recording labels. It contains most of Calloway's famous songs, to include "Everybody
Eats When They Come to My House", "Are You Alreet?" and "Are You
Hep to the Jive?".
Click
here
for a video (from YouTube) of Cab Calloway & His Orchestra performing
Hep! Hep! The Jumpin' Jive, with the famous Nicholas Brothers.
For another clip of the fabulous Nicholas Brothers, check out this
clip (what great slides!).
Lionel Hampton.
Born in Louisville, KY in 1908, Lionel Hampton is famous as the first jazz
vibraphonist. His music career began in the Chicago area, where he
played with various bands, most often on drums. He established his
own big band in the early 1930's, but he also began to play with the Benny
Goodman Orchestra in 1936.
In 1942, Hampton's orchestra's released Flying Home, which
was a big hit and provided the band instant success.
Throughout the rest of his life,
Hampton was not only an accomplished orchestra leader and musician, but a
distinguished jazz music educator. In 1987, the University of Idaho
school of music was renamed for Hampton.
Harlan
Leonard.Harlan
Leonard led a fine big band orchestra in the 1930’s and early 40’s,
primarily based out of the Kansas City
area. The band never got the big break that would have catapulted them to
national recognition. Leonard's band recorded only xx tracks in
their one recording session in New York City; those recordings exhibit the
maturity and hard-swinging abilities of the Leonard orchestra.
The
band's output is available on the Chronological series on one CD,
although that CD can be hard to come by. The best way to sample
Leonard's music is with the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra's (KJRO) CD
Flying Home.
This CD has three of Leonard's best songs: Too Much, Skee, and
Hairy Joe Jump.
Artie
Shaw. Artie Shaw
was one of jazz's finest clarinetists and led several successful bands
throughout his career. Born in May 1910 in New York, NY, he grew up
in New Haven, CT. By his early twenties, he was playing in bands,
jam sessions as a studio musician in New York City. He put together
a big band orchestra in 1937 and the surprise
success
of his 1938 recording of Begin the Beguine made him a superstar and the
band one of the most popular of the swing era. Shaw found the
business and fan pressure of leading a big band difficult and disbanded in 1939. He continue to form other bands, most often
with success. After Pearl Harbor, Shaw enlisted and led a Navy
band until 1944. He left the music business in 1955. He was
also well known for his eight marriages, including to actresses Lana
Turner and Ava Gardner. He remained outspoken until his death in
December 2005 in Thousand Oaks, CA.
There are lots of CD's available with Shaw's music. Some of his
classic tunes (besides Begin the Beguine) include Traffic Jam,
Non Stop Flight, Man From Mars, The Yam, and Carioca.
Willie
Bryant. With the success of Cab Calloway, other singers and
dancers tried the same formula of leading a big band. The band led
by William Steven "Willie" Bryant was one of the few that was
successful, albeit for a short period of time.
Born in New Orleans in 1908, Bryant grew up in Chicago
and began his show business career in vaudeville as a dancer. He
organized his big band in late 1934 and was often featured at the Savoy
Ballroom in New York City and other Harlem venues. His bands' best
recordings are from this time period. He later became well known as
the regular emcee at the Apollo Theatre in the 1950's. He also
worked as a disc jockey in Los Angeles where in died in 1964.
Willie Bryant and His Orchestra, 1935-1936 (Classics
Chronological Series) has several great songs from Bryant's big band
orchestra, to include "Viper's Moan","Rigamarole", and
"Long Gone From Bowling Green".
Buddy
Johnson. Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra was very popular in the
1940's and often appeared at the famous Savoy Ballroom in New York City.
Johnson developed a style and tempo in his music for those that weren't
"expert dancers" and could not always handle dancing to the faster
tempos. A lot of his songs on the two CDs noted below have a blues
kind of feeling, but most of the songs really swing and are great for
dancing.
A couple of CDs for Johnson: Walk 'Em, and Rockin' and Rollin'.
The Territory Bands 1935-1937, various artists.
As
previously mentioned, it's been estimated that there were over 400 bands
in the early 1940's criss-crossing
the country, playing night after night of one night stands, looking for that
elusive "break". Some of these bands were known as "territory"
bands (note that the term "territory" is loosely defined). These
bands were often based in the mid-west, including Nebraska, Kansas,
Oklahoma and Texas (although every region of the country had their share
of "regional" bands). They regularly played in cities such as
Memphis, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Oklahoma City, and
some cities as far west as California. Many of the sidemen that
went on to play with the more famous nationally famous big band
orchestras got their start in these territory bands. The vast
majority of these bands were never recorded and little is documented
about them. The Territory Bands 1935-1937 CD has some
really swinging songs (especially for Balboa dancers!) and helps
illustrates just how many great bands were in existence during the swing
era.
Spurred on by the 1919 visit of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band to the
London Hippodrome, American style music had become firmly established in
Europe by the mid-1920's. American jazz music was the stronghold
of this new music, and had a strong influence on Britain. Three examples.
Ken
Johnson and The West Indian Band. Kenrick Reginald Huymans
Johnson was born in British Guiana in 1914. The Johnson family was part
of the upper class of the British colony, and his father was a prominent
doctor in the community. He attended Queens College in Guiana, and at
the age of 15 attended college in England. His parents favored a
medical career for their son, but Johnson, exposed to the music and dance of the West
Indies, showed a definite talent in those areas.
In 1934 Johnson visited New York. While he in New York, he got
some film work and starred in cabaret in Hollywood. During a trip to Harlem, he
heard the Cab Calloway and Fletcher Henderson Orchestras and become
inspired to start his own big band orchestra in England.
In 1936, Johnson formed his band, called Ken Johnson and His Rhythm Swingers.
Many of the sidemen were from the West Indies. By 1940 they were regarded as one of the top
Big Bands in Great Britain. A year later, Ken Johnson and The West Indian Orchestra became the resident
band at The Cafe de Paris in London's West End.
On Saturday March 8th, 1941, Ken Johnson and The West Indian Orchestra
were entertaining London’s swing set at the Cafe De Paris as usual. That
night, the area between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square was being
strafed with bombs. One of them found its way down an airshaft into the
club where it exploded. Over 30 people died and a further 60 or more
were injured by the blast. Tragically, Ken Johnson was not one of
the survivors. An eyewitness recalls how he was found lying dead, but
unmarked by any outward signs of injury, a flower still in his lapel. He
was 26 years old.
Most of Johnson's recorded
output may be found on Black British Swing. A couple of good songs on that CD are a more
up tempo version of "Tuxedo Junction" and "Snakehips Swing".
Jack Hylton.
Born in 1892, Hylton was one of Great Britain's greatest big band
leaders. He took piano lessons at a young age and often performed
in his father's pub. He achieved early success in the theater
business, but joined the British Army at the outbreak of WW I.
After the war, he organized a highly successful dance band. He
enjoyed great success, booking different versions of his band at
competitive venues. He often acted as an booking agent and set up
tours for other bands, to include setting up a tour of Britain and
Europe for Duke Ellington's Big Band in the 1930's. His big band
career ended in the early 1940's as more and more of his musicians were
drafted into the British military for WW II. He stayed active and
highly productive in the music, theater and television industry until
his death in 1965.
Hot Hylton, 1926-1930, provides a good example of Hylton big band
recordings.
Nat Gonella and His Georgians.
Born in 1908, Gonella was inspired by Louis Armstrong, yet developed his own
unique trumpet style and led Nat Gonella and His Georgians from
1932-1942.
He was active in music in Great Britain until his death in
1998.
Georgia on My Mind is a nice CD of Gonella's Big Band music.
Glenn
Miller. Miller was born in Clarinda,
Iowa in 1904. He lived in various locations in the Midwest while
growing up. He attended the University of Colorado in 1923, but left
college after a year to start a career in music. He worked as a
session musician and arranger for several bands and organized his first
touring band in 1937. This band got it's big break in the summer of
1939 with an engagement at Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, NY, a
popular venue with regular radio broadcasts, giving the band extensive
exposure. Miller's band quickly became a recording and financial
success. From the spring of 1939 to the fall of 1942, the band was
the most commercially successful of all the big bands, experiencing
enormous record sales, radio exposure and even appearing in movies.
In 1942, after months of negotiation, Miller received a commission in the
army air force and organized a service band, performing at military camps,
war-bond rallies and hosting a weekly radio series. He took the band
to Great Britain in June 1944 to perform for the troops and do radio
broadcasts. In December 1944, the plane on which he was traveling to
Paris disappeared over the English Channel and he was presumed dead at age
40.
For serious Lindy Hop and Balboa swing dancers, most of Miller's music is
seriously lacking. Very little of his music is played at swing
dances for the simple reason that there is much better music available
that swings a lot harder, and by big bands that were considered much
better in the big band era. While Miller's music may be
distinctive to some, his approach was highly disciplined and rigorously
rehearsed to the point of being rigid and uptight; his music often lacks
any real improvisation.
It's really unfortunate that so many people today associate the big band
sound of the 1930's and 40's exclusively with Glenn Miller. Miller
made no secret of his admiration for the African-American bands of the
swing era, and he actively encouraged his own musicians to catch the
likes of Jimmie Lunceford, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Count Basie
whenever possible.
String of Pearls is probably Miller's best song for swing
dancing. Conversely, Miller's version of In the Mood (released
in Aug. 1939) is relatively bland when compared with the original
version of the song released (in Feb. 1938) by the Edgar Hayes
Orchestra.
Oscillatin' Rhythm: Great Swing Hits in Hi-Fi, various artists. This CD contains 19 classic tunes,
excellent for dancing
(and listening) from the vaults of Capital Records' 1950's Hi-Fi Big Bands
re-recordings. This is a very good CD!
Big Bands in Hi-Fi, Volume 1: Let's Dance, various artists; Volume 2:
In
the Mood, various artists. Capital Records signed a number of Big
Bands in the late 1940's and 1950's to re-record their original numbers in Hi-Fi,
to include Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, to mention
a few. These two volume releases (each volume with two CDs) include a lot
of the standard big band numbers. A good collection of music, both for dancing and listening,
although the collection emphasizes songs that were commercially
successful during the big band era.
In many ways, this collection of music was a missed
opportunity. Absent in this collection are lots of songs by some great big bands,
mostly African-African bands, that were not
necessarily commercially successful. Most notably absent are
songs by Jimmie Lunceford (i.e. Lunceford Special), Chick Webb (i.e.
Lindyhoppers Delight), Erskine Hawkins (i.e. Swingin' in Harlem),
Willie Bryant (i.e. Rigamarole); and lots of other "hot", hard swinging bands of the era.
Note that in these releases Glen Gray provides authentic re-recordings of many
Glenn Miller (Miller was killed in December 1944 during WWII) and Tommy Dorsey
(Dorsey was under contract with another company during this period) songs.
Anthology of Big Band Swing, 1930-1955, various artists. This
is an excellent sampler CD that features both well known and lesser known big
bands. This CD collection once again illustrates how many high
quality bands were in existence during the big band swing era.
Time-Life's "The Swing Era Collection", 14 Volumes, 2 CDs each
volume. This is a nice collection of Big Band
music, very true to the original versions and containing some Big Band numbers only previously available in poor
quality mono recordings. In the late 1960's Capital Records and Time Life
put together an all-star band of swing veterans to re-record the big band
classics in stereo Hi-Fi. Billy May, former trumpeter and arranger with the
Charlie Barnet, Glenn Miller and Les Brown Orchestras, as well as a conductor
and arranger for many of Frank Sinatra's songs, spent months researching and transcribing the music note for note from old Big Band records and
tapes. Most of the re-recordings in this series were conducted by Billy May.
A few of the songs in this collections are Glen Gray's version, using his Hi-Fi
re-recordings from his 1950's work with Capital Records. This CD series may be purchased at the Time-Life
web site.
There are some good stereo Hi-Fi versions of some classic Big Band numbers in
this series, including Christopher Columbus (Fletcher Henderson version), Swingtime in the
Rockies (Benny Goodman version), Well Git It! (Tommy Dorsey version), String of
Pearls (Glenn Miller version), Rhythm Is Our Business, Four or Five
Times and Ain't She Sweet, For Dancers Only (Jimmie Lunceford versions);
to name just a few.
Much like the Big Band in Hi-Fi series noted above, this
collection is notable for missed opportunities. Also absent in this collection are
lots of songs by some great big bands, mostly African-African bands,
that were not
necessarily commercially successful during the big band era.
Note: this series was first issued in the
early 1970's as a 15 set "Time-Life Swing Era Collection" on stereo LPs
(each set contained three LP albums) and
was a huge hit. Each of the 15 sets also contains an accompanying book with
good pictures and write ups about the swing era and various Big Band personalities.
Swingin' at Capital, various artists. This is another CD in the Capital Records 1950's Hi-Fi Big Band re-recording series. It contains
13 tracks.
Great Swing Classics in Hi-Fi, various artists. This is another
fine CD from Capital Records' 1950's Big Band Hi-Fi recording series (similar to Oscillatin'
Rhythm). It contains 14 tracks.
Trumpet Blues: The Best of Harry James.
A nice collection of 16 Harry
James Hi-Fi recordings at Capital Records between 1955 and 1958.
Swinging Sounds of the Great Bands, Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra. Glen Gray was signed by Capital Records in 1955 to record authentic
re-creations in stereo Hi-Fi of the Big Band classics. This CD contains
20 outstanding tracks.
Note: the
Casa Loma Orchestra was formed by Glen Gray in 1929 and was hugely popular from
1931-1935, playing a swing-oriented "drill" type of jazz music (before the term "swing"
really came into general usage). With the success of Benny Goodman
starting in the mid 1930's (and the numerous other swing bands and orchestras
that were performing), the Casa Loma Orchestra was surpassed in popularity but
remained a solid contributor to the Big Band swing era.
Gray retired from touring with the Casa Loma Orchestra in 1950. He was at
the forefront in the 1950's of the effort to re-record the Big Band classics at
Capital Records in immensely improved hi-fi stereo recording
methods.
More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands, Glen Gray and the Casa Loma
Orchestra. This CD contains an additional 22 very accurate, stereo hi-fi
re-creations of some big band classics.
Jumpin' with the Big Swing Bands, various artists. This is a nice
sampler CD
that features some very good, but lesser known songs. The restoration and
digital mastering is pretty good for most of the songs on the
CD.
Kentucky Jazz Repertory
Orchestra (KJRO), Lexington, KY.
Kentucky Jazz Repertory
Orchestra (KJRO). KJRO
consists of the finest and most
talented faculty, alumni and musicians from Kentucky area
colleges and universities.
KJRO is certainly one of the
best big band orchestras in
the United States that
accurately re-creates the
original arrangements of the big
band swing-era. KJRO has
released two CDs to date.
Flying Home,
released in 2009.
KJRO has produced a CD that
should make Lindy Hop and Balboa
swing dancers, jazz music
enthusiasts and those that enjoy
authentic music of the big band
swing-era jump for joy. This CD
is a truly outstanding
achievement, accomplishing two
difficult tasks: the songs are
played true to the original
version; and KJRO adds fresh
energy, depth and clarity to the
recordings. And on top of all
that, the sound recording
quality is superb. This CD
should certainly be a staple of
swing dancers and swing dance
DJ’s everywhere.
Of the 24 tracks on this CD, 18
are by bands considered among
the greatest of the swing-era:
Duke Ellington (7), Benny
Goodman (3), Count Basie (3) and
Jimmie Lunceford (2). Also
represented are three charts by
Harlan Leonard and single
arrangements by Lionel Hampton,
Artie Shaw, Harry James, Nelson
Riddle, Benny Carter and Glenn
Miller.
Ellington
Celebration,
a 1999 release, is a
retrospective of Ellington’s
music from the 1920’s through
1970. The CD contains several
noteworthy tracks, to include
Stevedore Stomp,Ring Dem
Bells, Rockin’ in Rhythm,
Drop Me Off in Harlem,
Merry-Go-Round and
Daybreak Express. You can get
Ellington Celebration
at CD Universe at this
link.
Swingin' the Century, The Bill Elliott Swing
Orchestra.
Bill Elliott is a talented bandleader and also writes and arranges much of the
band's music. The Orchestra has an authentic, big band sound. This
is the third CD released by the Orchestra and it's their best, especially for
swing dancers. All their CD's are worth checking out.
Mr. Rhythmist Goes to Town; The Call of the
Freaks;Globin Market,Mora's Modern Rhythmists.
These three CDs are from a great modern swing band that features music from the
early Swing
era, i.e. music from about 1927-1937. The music really swings.
Some of the songs have a Dixieland, staccato kind of sound. Lots of the songs on
these CDs are good for Balboa.
Big Band Music Recommendations:
Specific Songs
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
240
Lunceford Special
Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra
From Lunceford Special, 1930-40 CD. A great
song!
150
Everybody Eats When They Come to
My House
Cab Calloway
A great song!
165
Opus One
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
A classic! From Oscillatin' Rhythm.
(Conducted by Glenn Gray.)
236
Clap Your Hands
Lucky Millinder Orch.
This song really swings hard!
196
Tuxedo Junction
Ken Johnson
A faster, swingin' version of the Erskine Hawkins original.
154
String of Pearls
Glenn Miller Orchestra
From Swinging Sounds of the Great Bands, probably
Miller's best song.
139
Begin the Beguine
Artie Shaw Orch.
From Big Bands in Hi-Fi.
196
In the Mood
Edgar Hayes
This original version swings a
lot better than Glen Miller's version.
152
For Dancers Only
Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra
From Oscillatin' Rhythm. A classic! (Conducted
by Billy May, with members of the Jimmie Lunceford Orch.)
151
For Dancers Only
Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra (KJRO)
KJRO really nails this Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra classic. From KJRO's
CD Flying Home.
246
Doggin' Around
Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra (KJRO)
KJRO swings hard on this Count Basie
classic. From KJRO's CD Flying Home.
214
Christopher Columbus
Fletcher Henderson
From the Swing Era Collection.
A classic!
230
Sing, Sing, Sing
Benny Goodman Orchestra
Lots of versions of this song are
out there.
198
Lindyhopper's Delight
Chick Webb Orch.
A great song.
200
Shorty George
Count Basie Orchestra
From Oscillatin' Rhythm.
183
Two O' Clock Jump
Harry James Orchestra
From the Swing Era Collection.
166
Take the "A" Train
Duke Ellington
A classic! From Big Bands in
Hi-Fi.
223
Rhythm Is Our Business
Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra
From the Swing Era Collection.
A classic! (Conducted
by Billy May, with members of the Jimmie Lunceford Orch.)
188
One O' Clock Jump
Count Basie/Benny Goodman Orchs.
Both the Count Basie and Benny
Goodman versions are great.
264
Swingtime in the Rockies
Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra (KJRO)
KJRO plays the 1938 version from
Goodman's concert at Carnegie Hall. From KJRO's CD Flying Home.
223
Swingin' the Blues
Count Basie Orchestra
From Oscillatin' Rhythm.
143
Four or Five Times
Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra
From the Swing Era Collection. A classic! (Conducted
by Billy May, with members of the Jimmie Lunceford Orch.)
217
Big John's Special
Horace Henderson Orch.
Mora's Modern Rhythmist version.
168
Mr. Ghost to Town
Mitchell Parish
Mora's Modern Rhythmist version.
167
'Tain't What
You Do
Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra
From Oscillatin' Rhythm.
(Conducted by Billy May, with members of the Jimmie Lunceford Orch.)
*BPM=Beats Per Minute.
This is an approximation only.
Jump blues was the bridge between the older styles of
rhythm and blues,
primarily those in a small band context, and the big band swing and jazz sound of the
1940's.
Jump Blues refers to an up tempo, jazz-tinged style of blues that first came to prominence in the mid-to late
1940's.
Usually featuring a vocalist in front of a large, horn-driven orchestra or medium sized combo with multiple horns, the style is earmarked by a driving rhythm, intensely shouted vocals, and honking tenor saxophone solos,
all of those very elements a precursor to rock & roll.
The lyrics are almost always celebratory in nature, full of braggadocio and swagger.
Jump Blues Music Recommendations: CDs
For the Jump Blues genre,
start out with these great artists: Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris
and Benjamin "Bullmoose" Jackson.
Louis
Jordan. If you go to a Swing Dance and you
don't hear at least one song by Louis
Jordan & His Tympany Five, then you should ask for your money back!Louis Jordan has been rightly called the father
of Rhythm & Blues and he profoundly influenced it's development and the
subsequent development of rock & roll. Jordan himself summarized the
influence of rhythm & blues on the development of rock & roll: "Rock
'n roll was not a marriage of rhythm and blues and country and western. That's
white publicity. Rock 'n roll was just a white imitation, a white adaption of
African-American rhythm and blues."
Jordan
was a prolific songwriter and artist, and a masterful and unrivaled entertainer
and musician. During the
most successful 8 year run of his career from 1942-1950, he had an amazing 57
R&B chart hits, 18 of which hit #1, totaling 113 weeks in the #1 slot.
Jordan paid his band members very well, but was a
perfectionist and one of the strictest leaders in the business, demanding punctuality and long
rehearsals. Originally from Brinkley, Arkansas, Jordan
played
in Chick Webb's band at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City in the 1930s, then
formed his own outfit, the Tympani Five. Especially popular during WW II, Jordan
recorded numerous songs for the Armed Forces Radio Service and the V-Disc program.
His style of music featured
swinging, danceable rhythms and clever lyrics that were
popular not only with
the Rhythm & Blues market but also with the
emerging pop music audience, traits that did not pass unnoticed by a young artist
in St. Louis, MO named Chuck Berry. In fact, artists such as Chuck Berry,
Ray Charles, B.B. King and Bill Haley have noted the great influence Louis
Jordan had on their music (Berry was quoted
as saying "I Identify myself with Louis Jordan more than any other artist").
Bands continue to cover Jordan's songs to this day.
Some of Jordan's classic songs include "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie" ("You
reach your destination but alas and alac, you need some compensation to get back
in the black .....); "Knock Me A Kiss" (..."I'll cut out cake just
for your sake, Baby, C'mon, and Knock Me A Kiss"... a great song for dancing to the breaks
in the music!); "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens"
("We got worms to dig and ground to scratch, It takes a lot of work a
gettin' chicks to hatch ...); among many others.
To summarize, Jordan's music and lyrics are just plain
awesome. I never tire of listening or dancing to Jordan's music!
There are lots of CD's
with Jordan's music, including a lot of compilation CD's. A good start for
Jordan's music is this CD: Louis Jordan, 20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection
Big Joe Turner was a product of the swinging, wide-open Kansas City music scene,
where he was born in 1911. He is best known as one of the great "blues shouter" of his time. His music effortlessly spanned boogie-woogie, jump blues and the first wave of
rock & roll, enjoying great success in each genre. Much like Louis Jordan,
Big Joe Turner was a big influence on other Jump Blues artists and the early rock and rollers. Bands
cover
many of Turner's classic numbers, although few, if any, singers can match
his booming vocals. Turner died on November 24, 1985 after a long
recording career.
Some of Turner's great songs
include "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (Bill Haley & the Comets "cleaned
up" the lyrics and had a hit with this song); "Flip, Flop & Fly";
"Hide and Seek"; "Boogie Woogie Country Girl"; among many others.
For Turner's music, The Very Best of Big Joe Turner is a good
start.
Wynonie Harris.
Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Wynonie Harris was a fine swing
dancer before turning to music. One of his main influences was Big Joe
Turner. Harris made his own mark on the music world with his trademark raspy and boisterous voice over some of the jumpingest
horn-powered combos of the postwar era.
Many of his hit records in the late
1940's/early 1950's were
recorded at Cincinnati, Ohio's King Records label. Many of his songs have suggestive lyrics;
his music is a
lot of
fun for listening and dancing. Some of his classic songs include
"Who Threw the Whiskey in the Well" (Harris' first big hit, recorded with the Lucky Millinder Orchestra); "Shake
That Thing"; "Don't Take My Whiskey Away From Me";
"All She Wants to
do is Rock"; "Good Rockin' Tonight" (one of the classics of the
Jump Blues genre); "Bloodshot Eyes"; "Wasn't That Good"; to
name only a few.
Bloodshot Eyes: The Best of Wynonie Harris. This is
a fine CD from one of the great "blues shouters" of the Jump Blues
era.
Benjamin
"Bullmoose" Jackson. Benjamin Jackson
was born in 1919 in Cleveland, OH. He was a fine saxophone player and had a distinctive voice.
He formed his first band, The Harlem Hotshots, while in High School. In
1943, Jackson joined the Lucky Millinder Orchestra, one of the swingin'est bands
in the big band era. Some of his fellow musicians felt that "Ben Jackson"
was not a colorful enough name, so they began calling him "Bullmoose"
and the name stuck.
After Wynonie Harris left the Millinder Orchestra, Jackson took over as vocalist,
and a star was born!
In 1945, Jackson formed his own musical group, Bullmoose Jackson and the Buffalo
Bearcats, and they had a number of R&B hits in the 1940's & 50's. Many of the songs contained
double-entendre type lyrics, although it should be noted that Jackson was
also a fine ballad singer.
His most famous song is "Big Ten Inch Record", a classic of the jump
blues genre.
For Jackson's music, The Very Best of Bull Moose Jackson:
Big Ten-Inch Record
is a good start.
In 1984, Jackson was coaxed back into the music business by the
first-rate
Pittsburg, PA band The Flashcats. Jackson quickly became a cult figure in
the Pittsburgh area. His
ability to sing and captivate an
audience led to numerous sold-out performances with the Flashcats. Jackson
was grateful for the opportunity to perform again and was quoted as saying "I'm
elated that I can still perform, and I'm very proud that people still remember.
They've resurrected an old man. I had one foot in the grave and the other
on a banana peel. They dug me out and here I am."
Jackson and the Flashcats toured
extensively in the U.S., to include Jackson's first appearance at New York's
Carnegie Hall in 1985. Jackson continued to perform regularly (to include
a tour in Europe) until 1987 when his health began to fail. Benjamin
Jackson passed away in Cleveland, OH on July 29, 1989.
Bullmoose Jackson and the Flashcats
recorded one LP (Moosemania!) which is now available as a CD from
Bogus Records: "Bullmoose
Jackson and The Flashcats - The Final Recordings". This CD has
several excellent songs from one of the great performers and legends of Jump
Blues music, to include "Get Off the Table, Mable (the two dollars is for the
beer)" and "Shiny Diamonds".
Back to Top
Compilation CDs:
for the Jump Blues genre in general, these three CDs give a good overall feel for the music:
Risqué Rhythms, Nasty 50's R&B, by various artists. This CD is a
compilation of early 1950's songs with suggestive lyrics and
double-entendres, to include such classics as "Big Ten Inch Record" by
Bullmoose Jackson; "It Ain't the Meat, It's the Motion", by the Swallows;
and "Sixty Minute Man", by the Dominoes. All of the lyrics seem tame compared to what one hears
today in the media, although in the 1950's some of these songs caused quite a
stir! This is an overall fun CD for listening and dancing.
Blues Masters, Vol. 5: Jump Blues Classics, various artists. Blues Masters, Vol. 14: More Jump Blues Classics, various artists. Back to Top
Jump Blues Music Recommendations: Specific Songs
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
170
Choo Choo Ch'
Boogie
Louis Jordan
150
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Louis Jordan
153
I Ain't Drunk
Jimmy Liggins
116
Knock Me A Kiss
Louis Jordan
168
Caldonia
Louis Jordan
156
Shake, Rattle & Roll
Big Joe Turner
165
Flip, Flop, & Fly
Big Joe Turner
162
Hide and Seek
Big Joe Turner
180
Boogie Woogie Country Girl
Big Joe Turner
137
Shake that Thing
Wynonie Harris
132
Hey Bartender
Floyd Dixon
134
Banana Split For My Baby
Louis Prima
162
Walkin' Blues
Jessie Powell
144
Good Rockin' Tonight
Wynonie Harris
171
Big Ten Inch Record
Bullmoose Jackson
147
It Ain't the Meat
The Swallows
168
Safronia B
Calvin Booze
130
Sixty Minute Man
The Dominoes
168
'Till The Well Runs Dry
Wynona Carr
*BPM=Beats Per Minute.
This is an approximation only.
Many of the greatest jazz vocalists and
crooners came from the big band era, to include Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday,
Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Anita O'Day, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, among
others. Almost all of them toured with big bands and many went on to have
major success during the post-war era, when the style really bloomed.
Though it isn't easy separating jazz vocalists and crooners from traditional pop
singers, those in the jazz vocalist/crooner arena delivered sophisticated and
innovative variations of the material, both in performance and in
recordings. They often declined to record the generic pop hits of the day
and preferred to work with talented arrangers, such as Nelson Riddle and Billy
May.
Jazz Vocalists/Crooners Music
Recommendations: CDs
There are lots of CDs on the market for these artists.
Jazz Vocalists/Crooners Music Recommendations: Specific Songs
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
128
Learnin' the Blues
Frank Sinatra
126
Why Don't You Do Right
Peggy Lee
139
Alright, Okay, You Win
Peggy Lee
120
Same Old Saturday Night
Frank Sinatra
126
A Fine Romance
Ella Fitzgerald
132
Ain't That a Kick in the Head
Dean Martin
138
I'm Beginning to See the
Light
Bobby Darin
138
Love You Madly
Ella Fitzgerald & Duke
Ellington
126
You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves
You
Dean Martin
*BPM=Beats Per
Minute. This is an approximation only.
This was a transitional era,
bridging the big band sound with popular music before the tidal wave of rock and
roll. In some ways, this era was bland, simplistic and void of real
artistic merit. The explosion of Rock & Roll
mercifully ended this era, but many of the artists adapted and continued successful careers
not only in music but in television and the movies. The music in this era encompasses a wide range of genres, but may be divided into three
broad areas.
Easy listening ballads during this era were typically a
very lyrical and/or melodic piece, normally at a slow tempo. Artists
particularly liked popular American composers such as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George
Gershwin, and Cole Porter. Artists identified with ballads from this era include Nat King
Cole and Johnny
Mercer (also a gifted songwriter). Often
these ballads are nice to listen to but are not
particularly suitable for swing dancing.
Novelty songs, probably the most easily identifiable songs
from this era, required little improvisation but skillful
timing from the vocalist. Artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Kay Starr,
Pattie Page, Vic Damone and Tony Bennett were particularly successful in this
area. A few songs of this type are suitable for swing
dancing.
And lastly, some artists attempted to adapt to the early rumblings of rock & roll. There
are some songs from this area that are interesting to listen to and are suitable
for swing dancing.
1940's/Early 50's Pop Vocalists Music Recommendations: CDs
There are lots of CD's on the
market for this era of music. In addition, check your local library for
music for this era. Back to Top
1940's/Early 50's Pop
Vocalists Music Recommendations: Specific Songs.
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
132
Whatca' Know Joe?
Jo Stafford
177
Juke Box Baby
Perry Como
171
Dungaree Doll
Eddie Fisher
126
Shoo Fly Pie
June Christy
132
Personality
Johnny Mercer
150
Glow Worm
Mills Brothers
150
Steam Heat
Patti Page
156
Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
Andrews Sisters
168
Seventeen
Fontaine Sisters
132
My Kind of Girl
Matt Munro
171
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Andrews Sisters
114
Baby It's Cold Outside
Johnny Mercer & Margaret
Whiting
129
Daddy
Sammy Kaye Orch.
*BPM=Beats Per Minute. This
is an approximation only.
Evolving out of jump blues in the late 1940's, R&B laid the groundwork for
rock & roll. R&B kept the tempo and the drive of jump blues, but
its instrumentation was sparer and the emphasis was on the song, not
improvisation. During the 1950's, R&B was dominated by vocalists like
Ray Charles and Ruth Brown, as well as vocal groups like the Drifters and the
Coasters. Eventually, R&B metamorphosed into soul, which was funkier
and looser than the pile-driving rhythms of R&B.
For historical information on the origins of R&B, check out the
Hoy Hoy web site.
1940's/50's/60's R&B Music
Recommendations: CDs
There are lots of CD's on the
market for this era of music, both for individual artists and
compilation CDs. In addition, check your local library for music for
this era.
Sam Cooke-Greatest Hits.Sam Cooke
was one of the most influential soul singers of the late 1950's/early
60's. Early in his career he was a very successful gospel singer. He
entered popular music with the song "You Send Me". This song was
a huge success, melding the elements of R&B, gospel and pop music into a
then new and still developing sound that eventually became soul
music.
Many of Cook's recordings are great for listening and "slow"
dancing. For swing dancers, "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On"
and "Twistin' the Night Away" are excellent.
The Legendary Low Rawls. This is a nice anthology CD. The
songs were recorded from 1960 to 1992; his singing is really
smooth! Rawls is a very versatile
performer. As a singer, he is at home with gospel, early R&B, soul,
jazz, blues and contemporary pop music. He has several television and
movie roles to his credit and even served as an Army paratrooper in the
1950's! Back to Top
1940's/50's/60's
R&B Music Recommendations: Specific Songs
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
126
Respect
Aretha Franklin
132
Saturday Night at the Movies
The Drifters
122
The Way You Do the Things You Do
Temptations
119
All Around the World
Lou Rawls
126
Chain of Fools
Aretha Franklin
122
That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On
Sam Cooke
128
Roll With My Baby
Ray Charles
132
Little Bitty Pretty One
Thurston Harris
168
I'm Walkin'
Fats Domino
126
It's the Same Old Song
Four Tops
155
Whadyawant
Coasters
133
Money's Gettin' Cheaper
Jimmy Witherspoon
147
Shake It Up and Go
B.B. King
*BPM=Beats Per
Minute. This is an approximation only.
The 1950's in music (or 50's) often refers to the early but definite beginnings of Rock & Roll
music. Early Rock & Roll drew from a variety of sources,
to include blues and Jump Blues, Rhythm & Blues (R&B), country, gospel,
traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these influences combined in a simple, blues-based song structure
that was catchy and generally danceable. The first wave of rock
& rollers -- Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis,
Buddy Holly, Bo Didley, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins -- set the
standard for those that followed.
There is a variety of 1950's Rock
& Roll music that is good for dancing, to include R&B (which eventually
metamorphosed into soul) and Rockabilly (an amalgamation of blues, bluegrass,
R&B, and swing, often played with a piano or guitar boogie beat).
Note that this category also includes music from the "Rockabilly Revival".
The "Rockabilly Revival" refers to bands of the 1980's and post
1980's, dedicated to replicating the style and sound of the classic 1950's rock
and roll. Though there have always
been bands that played rockabilly, the Rockabilly Revival didn't hit its stride
until the post-punk era, when a number of new bands picked up the sounds of
rockabilly. The first rockabilly revival culminated with the success of
Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats in the early 1980's, first in Europe and then in
the U.S. Following the success of the Stray Cats, a number of rockabilly
bands and artists have experienced success, at the regional and national level in the
U.S.
and in Europe. These groups include the Cigar
Store
Indians and Rosie Flores (the rockabilly filly), among many others. Back to Top
1950's R&R Music
Recommendations: CDs
Chuck
Berry. For the 1950's Rock & Roll (R&R)
genre, the most important artist is Chuck Berry. Indeed,
Chuck Berry is considered by many to be not only the father of R&R, but its
greatest songwriter and one of its greatest
guitarists
and performers. Many artists, to include the Beatles, Elvis, the Beach
Boys, the Rolling Stones, among many others, have noted the huge influence of
Chuck Berry on their music. Without Chuck Berry, there would be no R&R
music as it developed and exists today.
What made Chuck Berry so unique? It was a combination of factors.
His songs had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of fresh, new lyrics that spoke
to a generation tired of the bland and boring songs of the late 1940's and early
1950's pop music genre. Berry's music had a sound that appealed to a cross
section of society in the 1950's, both black and white. His music
also had
a distinct sound that was not easily copied and covered by other pop singers
(i.e. the way Pat Boone copied and covered songs by Fats Domino, Little Richard,
etc.).
So many of Berry's songs are considered classic R&R: "Roll Over
Beethoven", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", "Sweet Little
Sixteen", "Johnny B. Goode", "You
Never Can Tell", "No Particular Place to Go", and the song that in many ways
defines the R&R genre of music: "Rock and Roll Music". (For
more info on Chuck Berry and the lyrics to some of his songs, click
here.)
There are numerous CDs on the market for Chuck
Berry. A good start is Berry's 20th Century Masters, The Millennium
Collection.
Bill Haley & the Comets. Although Chuck Berry is rightly
considered the father of rock & roll, Billy Haley is a close second. Bill Haley & the Comets was one of
the first groups to successfully combine Rhythm & Blues (R&B) and
western swing with a bit of country boogie and jump blues into a rock & roll
sound that is now generally known as rockabilly. Haley wrote much of his
own material.
The group's classic numbers include "R.O.C.K.", "See You Later, Alligator"
and "Rock Around the
Clock".
For a CD, check out Bill
Halley & the Comets, the 20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection.
Jivin' Jamboree,
by various artists. This compilation CD
contains 25 tracks of early Rock & Rock/Jump Blues songs, most recorded in
the 1950's. This CD was compiled by a swing dance instructor in London,
England and he did a really nice job. "Rockin' Robin", by Bobby
Day, "Hey Girl, Hey Boy" by Oscar McLollie & Jeanette Baker and "Opus One" by the Mills Brothers are songs worth noting.
Jivin' Jamboree 2 & 3, by various artists. Follow ups to
the original Jivin' Jamboree, these two CD's provide some more good songs from
the 1950's.
Back to Top
Rockabilly and Rockabilly Revival Music Recommendations: CDs
Early Rockabilly Recordings.
There are a number of Sun Label recordings on the
market that capture the 1950's rockabilly style for artists such as Elvis
Presley, Carl
Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, among
others. In addition, Buddy Holly's musical career, although tragically cut
short, provides some fine recordings. Blair Carman &
the Belleview Boys.
A really good band from the
Cincinnati, OH area that plays some great rockabilly and 50's rock "n" roll.
They have played for several Hepcats events.
Cigar Store Indians. This group, a swell bunch of boys from Crab Apple, Georgia, is a great
rockabilly band (although they no longer perform as a group). They wrote most of their own lyrics and music
and when they did perform live, they put on a great show. Their songs "This Town Ain't
Cool", "Big Girl Blouse", "Get on the Throttle", "Call Me Sometime" and
"Dirty Belly Button" are great songs for listening and dancing.
All their CDs are first-rate. For swing dancers, their second CD, El Baile de la Cobra, is particularly
noteworthy. This group played for a Swing Dance in Lexington on
February 28th, 2003 at the UK Student Center Ballroom and at
Lexington's "Swingin' on
Main" outdoor dance event in June 2004 and 2005.
Stray Cats. Led by Brian Setzer, the Stray Cats were one of
the groups at the forefront of the rockabilly revival in the 1980's. For a
CD, check out Runaway Boys: A Retrospective '81-'92.
Back to Top
Other 1950's or "Oldies" Music Recommendations
There are lots (and lots!) of CDs on the market for other 1950's or
"Oldies" music, both for individual artists and
compilation CDs.
1950's R&R Music
Recommendations: Specific Songs.
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
168
Sweet Little Sixteen
Chuck Berry
158
See You Later Alligator
Bill Haley & the Comets
162
Blue Suede Shoes
Carl Perkins
132
Stuck on You
Elvis Presley
156
This Town Ain't Cool
Cigar Store Indians
174
Shotgun Boogie
Tennessee Ernie Ford
171
Little Ramona
BR5-49
132
Come Go With Me
Dell Vikings
186
At the Hop
Danny and the Juniors
168
Great Balls of Fire
Jerry Lee Lewis
192
Long Tall Sally
Little Richard
177
R.O.C.K.
Bill Haley & the Comets
132
Personality
Lloyd Mitchell
132
Stray Cat Strut
Stray Cats
126
That'll Be the Day
Buddy Holly
120
Sh' Boom
Crew Cuts
192
That's What Daddy Wants
Wayne Hancock
156
You Never Can Tell
Chuck Berry
162
Summertime Blues
Eddie Cochran
180
Dance to the Bop
Gene Vincent
152
Jive After Five
Carl Perkins
144
Call Me Sometime
Cigar Store Indians
175
Rockin' Robin
Bobby Day
*BPM=Beats Per Minute.
This is an approximation only.
Back to Top Early 60's R&R
In addition to 1950's Rock & Roll (R&R), R&R has seen many
styles, most of them not danceable. These styles included the British Invasion, folk-rock,
psychedelic, hard rock, heavy metal and punk. For each style, some artists replicated the sound of the first
rockers, while some expanded that definition and others explored new areas of the
genre. From these original permutations, traditional rock & roll faded away from
the pop charts, yet there were always artists that kept elements of the
original genre alive. Some, like the Rolling Stones
adhered to the basic rules of traditional R&R but played the music fast and loose.
Others, like punk rockers, use the basic song structure, but played it with more menace. Other artists became
R&R traditionalists, writing and recording music that never wavered from the
sound of the '50s and early '60s. Although the term "rock & roll"
may refer to a number of
different music styles in the decades following its inception, the essential form of the music
has basically remained unchanged.
Early 60's R&R Music Recommendations: CDs
Similar to the early 1950's or
"Oldies" era, there are lots of CDs on the market for the early 60's R&R era. Some specific CDs worth noting: Back to Top
1950's, 60's
R&B/Early 60's R &R Music Recommendations: Specific Songs
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
156
Runaround Sue
Dion
126
Doo Wha Diddy Diddy
Mannfred Mann
138
Queen of the Hop
Bobby Darin
138
My Boyfriend's Back
The Angels
132
Mother-in-Law
Ernie K-Doe
*BPM=Beats Per
Minute. This is an approximation only.
The 1990's saw a revival of swing music and dancing in
the United States. But how did it get to the point that a swing dance
"revival" was needed?
Chubby Checkers' song "The Twist" generally killed off partner dancing
in the early 1960's.
In fairness, swing was not the only dance that
suffered a decline. Much of the music of the 1960's and 70's was geared
toward sitting and listening, not tapping your toe and getting up and
dancing. This was also a period of "do your own thing", an attitude not
conducive to partnered social dancing.
Throughout the 1960's and 70's, swing music was kept alive by members of
the original "Big Band" generation.However, swing music itself was often marginalized in late night record
offers and commercials.To many members
of the baby-boom and later generations, swing music was often equated with the
stale music of a Guy Lombardo New Year's eve celebration, or even the
"champagne" music of Lawrence Welk.
Ugh!
Swing dancing was taught at ballroom
dance studios in the 1960's and 70's, but much like swing music in the mass media, it was often a
marginalized, watered-down version of the original Lindy Hop and Jitterbug.Depending on the particular region of the country, the ballroom version
of swing was called East Coast or West Coast Swing, with emphasis on the proper
patterns and steps and little or no emphasis on improvisation, innovation or
dancing to the music.
The Hustle or Disco movement of the 1970's was a big factor in bringing the
concept of partner dancing back to the general public, with a resulting rise and
interest in partner dancing in general. (Disco and Hustle have had a major
influence on the development of West Coast Swing to the point that this style of
swing dance has lost most of it's Lindy Hop flavor and styling.)
The 1980's witnessed a number of singers, to include Harry Connick, Jr., Linda
Rondstadt and Bette Midler recording several Big Band era classic
songs. The 80's also witnessed a renewed interest in
learning partnered dances by young adults who were seeking something new and
different.Many of these youths
were increasingly disenchanted with hard rock music and its emphasis on the
heavy metal, grunge musical movement and the formless, nihilistic, booty-shaking
dancing that left each partner in their own, lonely bubble.
As previously
noted, there was a "Rockabilly Revival" in the
1980's, as a number of bands dedicated to replicating the style and sound of the classic 1950's rock
and roll emerged. As some of these bands (and some punk rock bands)
further explored the roots of rockabilly and 1950's music, they learned
about Jump Blues and Big Band music and began to form the so-called neo-swing bands, as witnessed
by Royal Crown Revue, probably the pioneer band of the
swing revival, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1989. It should also be noted that a number of
Europeans had a big part in keeping swing "alive" throughout the 1980's and early 1990's.
Their contribution are sometimes overlooked.
Now back to the swing revival in America in the 1990's. At first, the emerging swing scene was concentrated in
California, primarily San Francisco and then Los Angeles. But a
series of events, to include the 1993 film Swing Kids, the 1994 film The
Mask, the 1996 film Swingers and the 1998
"Khakis Swing" GAP TV
commercial (shown in the highly rated finales of "ER" and "Seinfield")
that featured Louis Prima's song "Jump, Jive 'n' Wail"
brought the swing revival into the mainstream.
In addition to a renewed interest in traditional swing
music (i.e. Big Band, Jump Blues), the 1990's witnessed a number of neo/retro
swing bands that came to prominence and began appearing on CD labels, although
some of these bands had been performing before the 1990's "swing revival".
There are generally two types of neo/retro swing bands: those closer to the
rock
genre and those that have a more classic jazz or blues sound.
The neo/retro swing bands closer to the rock genre were formed in the 1990's
by band
members of alternative rock who found they favored swing and dance to dope and
grunge. This type of swing music is generally played somewhat fast, but is
nevertheless designed for dancing and fun. These type bands include Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin' Daddies,
the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and Royal
Crown Revue, among others.
There are a number of neo/retro swing bands whose sound is closer to the classic
big band, jazz, blues, or jump blues genre. These groups are the ones that
are more popular with most swing dancers. These groups include Indigo Swing,
Roomful
of Blues, Swing Session, Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Casey
MacGill and the Spirits of Rhythm, the Mighty Blue Kings, among others.
All Aboard, Indigo Swing. This CD, their 2nd, (along with their other two releases, Indigo
Swing and Red Light) was one of the best for swing bands that formed
during the 1990's swing revival. This CD has excellent music and lyrics for
dancing.
Everybody's Talking 'Bout Miss Thing, Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet
Lickers. An excellent CD with several danceable tunes. Lavay Smith has a wonderful voice and the band is also first-rate.
Jump, Casey MacGill and the Spirits of Rhythm. An nice CD with
good vocals and a tight band.
A lot of compilation CDs were released for neo/retro
swing music of the 1990's. Most of these compilations are so-so (at best); they may
have 2 or 3 (4 or 5 if you are lucky) songs on them that are danceable.
It's better if you can get those type CDs used. "Pre" 1990's Swing Revival Music
Yes, before the swing "revival" hit in the 1990's, there were
some bands putting out some good swing music in the 1980's (and early
1990's). It's interesting to listen to this music today and admire the
artists' sense of history and dedication. A couple of CD's come to mind.
Jumpin' Jive, Joe Jackson. Jackson covers tunes by Louis
Jordan and Cab Calloway on this CD, that must have sounded really fresh and
inspiring when it was released in 1981.
Buster Poindexter, self titled debut
album. Although a little campy, there is some good music on this 1987
release, including a nice version of Jimmie Lunceford's "I'm Nuts About
Screwy Music" and the Coasters "Whadaya Want?". (The most
recognizable song on this CD is probably "Hot, Hot, Hot".)
Neo/Retro Swing Music
Recommendations: Specific Songs
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
120
Swing Lover
Indigo Swing
136
You're Just Enough
Acme Swing Company
174
Demon Rum
Eight to the Bar
188
Good Morning Judge
Blues Jumpers
158
Safronia B
Love Dogs
132
Regular Joe
Indigo Swing
158
Whadyawant?
Casey MacGill
162
Oo Poppa Do
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot
Skillet Lickers
192
Pick Up the Phone
Swingerhead
176
Crazy 'Bout a
Saxophone
Johnny Ferreira
124
Big Time Operator
Big Time Operator
126
Beyond the Sea
Royal Crown Revue
177
Blue Suit Boogie
Indigo Swing
126
Big Fine Daddy
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot
Skillet Lickers
180
Where's My Gravy?
Steve Lucky & the Rumba Bums
185
Solid Gold Cadillac
Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s
193
Breakin' Up the House
Colin James
186
Jumpin' Jive
Joe Jackson
168
Givin' Up Givin' Up
Ray Gelato
195
Rhythm
Casey MacGill
*BPM=Beats Per Minute.
This is an approximation only.
This is a category for music that does not easily fit in
one of the previous categories. The songs in this category, although eclectic
in nature, are good for swing dancing.
CDs Recommendations for this Category:
Sophisticated Swing, Vol. 1, various artists. This is a nice CD
that has a variety of good songs at slower tempos (although I'm not sure what
makes this CD "sophisticated"). The BPM range is from about 110-130.
Specific Song Recommendations:
*BPM
TITLE
GROUP/ARTIST
REMARKS
114
Wade in the Water
Eva Cassidy
128
Blue Blue World
Roomful of Blues
149
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Jim Croce
A nice song from the 1970's.
122
King of the Road
Roger Miller
155
Crazy Little Think Called Love
Queen
A nice song from the 1980's.
*BPM=Beats Per
Minute. This is an approximation only.
For questions or information about
Hepcats activities,
contact Mike Richardson,
Email,
info@Luv2SwingDance.com; or 859-420-2426.