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The trad jazz movement - or 'moldy figs' pushing for the preservation of an 'authentic' jazz from New Orleans - effectively pushes Armstrong to continue as Uncle Tom - unthreatening black man clowning for white audiences. A narrative history of jazz which emphasises a beginning in New Orleans and a consistent, clearly defined lineage of musicians and styles also, more subtly, relies on an idea of the black musician as powerless or unthreatening. DeVeaux makes the point that positioning jazz (and jazz musicians) as artistic loners who do not 'sell out' with commercial success:
Billie Holiday becomes a particularly attractive representation for this idea of the 'jazz musician': poor, black, addled by drugs and alcohol, a history of prostitution, yet nonetheless, a creative genius pouring out, untainted in recording sessions (and I'm reminded of the 'one take' stories) and tragically cut short.
You can see a clip from Paris Blues here.
Armstrong's performance is more than simply its surface. As with any clown, the meanings are more complex than a little light entertainment. Gabbard continues his point:
For women, cultural and social context was absolutely clear and absolutely present in everything they did. While jazz historians can imagine a Sidney Bechet leaving New Orleans and gadding off to Chicago, New York, Paris, a free agent following his art, it is a little more difficult for them to write the stories of women who played and sang music from the home or the family or their (less romantic) place of work. There are many stories of the 'whore house pianists' but far fewer stories of the whores, who were occasionally musicians in their own rights.
That point, of course, leads us to a discussion of black women blues singers in the 20s. But I don't have the time now, and I haven't read the books I have here. But I was very interested in this link between 'jazz history' and race and class and gender. I need more information, though.
The text is borrowed from the 'New Grove Dictionary of Jazz', so perhaps they're to blame.
And Haydn replied:
trev
I like 'onety-one' - the first year. It makes me giggle.
Basically, I wanted something with that 'building up' feeling, to work on the existing energy, but not a crazy all-out speeding lindy hop track. It was too hot, and I didn't want the dancers spent on a track just before the end of my set - I wanted them all hot and ready and worked up.
June 21, 2009
thinking about djing tactics and set structures
Thinking about DJing. Again.
Things I've noticed:
The less I dance, the poorer my DJing. I lose touch with what music 'works' for dancing. You can watch dancers and you can listen to music, but to really, truly know whether a song will work for dancing, you have to dance to it. I am at an obvious disadvantage here.
The less I dance, the more out of touch with tempos I become. This has manifested itself primarily in a) my determination to 'lift' tempos (which is getting a bit evangelical, I must admit), and b) my failure to properly work 'the wave', tempo-wise. I have instead been tending to sit between 150 and 170bpm, with sporadic trips up to 180 and 200 and >200 bpm. I need to remind myself that changing the average tempo a scene dances to cannot be achieved overnight or even over a few months; it can be achieved slowly, over a year and a large number of sets. It often requires parallel increases in tempos by teachers in classes. To assume that you will, single handedly 'change' a scene is also insufferably arrogant. Get over yourself.
Sitting/standing there DJing, watching the crowd, I forget that though they might actually be capable of 160bpm and higher, a room of dancers is a) mixed in experience, fitness, musical and dancing interests and energy, and b) only human. Working the wave - moving up and down tempos - is important for a number of reasons. It allows dancers to dance through or choose from a range of tempos. The fitter, younger types can dance every single song and relish the faster ones. The newer and less fit dancers can pick and choose, dropping in every second song yet still moving up and down the tempos (or even staying on the same tempos). Most importantly, this moving between tempos allows the DJ to really work the energy in the room. Though you can play an entire set on 155bpm, it will eventually feel a bit flat. The dancers mightn't pick the fact that every song's the same tempo (unless they're a DJ!), but their bodies and the general energy in the room will be affected.
The next set I do, then, I resolve to work the wave properly. I will begin at my 'floor' tempo (about 140bpm) and then move up and down - 140, 150, 160, 180, 200, 160, 140 etc. I will make the occasional abrupt change in order to work the energy in the room (eg 140, a high energy 150, 190, 160, 140, etc). I will also trust the dancers to get back up to 160; I won't be afraid to drop the tempos down, to get a low trough and then, more importantly, work our way way back up to higher tempos.
I think I also need to be careful of overplaying my new music. Just because you gots the new stuffs, don't mean you should play it all in one set. Right now I'm working on some stuff for a blooz set tonight. It's a very short set (45 minutes rather than 1.5 hours - reduced), so I have to be tactical. I can't really take a long, slow run up. I'll need to work the crowd properly from the get-go. I'm second DJ, so I do have a degree of leeway there: I'll be starting with a warm crowd. But I will have to work from where the previous DJ ends. Which I don't mind - I like having a starting place. I also like getting from something completely un-me to something typically me.
What I think I'll do (which I used to do), is get a few 'goal' songs - new or particularly interesting, or a specific style - and then put my set together (as I go of course - no pre-planned setlists here!) so as to reach these individual 'goal' songs, with each song moving smoothly between styles (or within a style) and moods. As opposed to trying to pack a set with 100% new and exciting songs. I have a feeling I'm becoming a bit of a stunt DJ, packing a set with 'riskier' songs, and not paying enough attention to my older faves or to crowd faves. This is actually a great departure from my earlier DJing, where I tended to overplay stuff to death. I am still overplaying things, but I tend to mix overplayed with brand-new-stunt songs, and, frankly, that smacks of the amateur.
I'll see how it goes and whether it's worth reporting back about.
"thinking about djing tactics and set structures" was posted by dogpossum on June 21, 2009 6:21 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
June 20, 2009
i love una mae carlisle
and I always have. One of my very first 'jazz' albums was a crappy compilation of 'blues singers' and it featured a version of Blitzkrieg Baby by Una Mae Carlisle. I like her attitude. I like her voice. I like it that in her duet with Fats on 'I can't Give You Anything But Love' she gives as good as she gets from him. Checking out my emusic Chron Classics purchases in the discographies, I realised that she was playing with some seriously badass musicians, and that's no doubt why her recording seriously rock.
For those of you who've also bought stuff from emusic and don't have details (liner notes! want!), I've added what I have below. Musicians to look out for: Fats (of course), Zutty Singleton, John Kirby, Lester Young, Buster Bailey, Charlie Shavers, Ray Nance... and more! No wonder these recordings rock the kasbah!
Don't Try Your Jive On Me (05-20-38) Una Mae Carlisle with Dave Wilkins, Bertie King, Alan Ferguson, Len Harrison, Hymie Schneider 1938 2:52 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
I Would Do Anything For You (05-20-38) Una Mae Carlisle with Dave Wilkins, Bertie King, Alan Ferguson, Len Harrison, Hymie Schneider 1938 2:57 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Hangover Blues (05-20-38) Una Mae Carlisle with Dave Wilkins, Bertie King, Alan Ferguson, Len Harrison, Hymie Schneider 1938 2:52 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Love Walked In (05-20-38) Una Mae Carlisle with Dave Wilkins, Bertie King, Alan Ferguson, Len Harrison, Hymie Schneider 1938 2:38 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Mean To Me (05-20-38) Una Mae Carlisle with Dave Wilkins, Bertie King, Alan Ferguson, Len Harrison, Hymie Schneider 1938 2:40 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby (05-20-38) Una Mae Carlisle with Dave Wilkins, Bertie King, Alan Ferguson, Len Harrison, Hymie Schneider 1938 2:41 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby (11-03-39) Fats Waller and his Rhythm with Una Mae Carlisle 1939 2:57 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Now I Lay Me Down To Dream (08-02-40) Una Mae Carlisle with John Hamilton, Albert Casey, Cedric Wallace, Slick Jones 1940 3:05 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Papa's In Bed With His Britches On (08-02-40) Una Mae Carlisle with John Hamilton, Albert Casey, Cedric Wallace, Slick Jones 1940 2:42 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
If I Had You (08-02-40) Una Mae Carlisle with John Hamilton, Albert Casey, Cedric Wallace, Slick Jones 1940 3:27 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
You Made Me Love You (08-02-40) Una Mae Carlisle with John Hamilton, Albert Casey, Cedric Wallace, Slick Jones 1940 2:55 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Walkin' By The River (11-03-40) Una Mae Carlisle with Benny Carter, Everett Barksdale, Slam Stewart, Zutty Singleton 1940 3:05 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
I Met You Then, I Know You Now (11-03-40) Una Mae Carlisle with Benny Carter, Everett Barksdale, Slam Stewart, Zutty Singleton 1940 2:53 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Blitzkrieg Baby (03-10-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Shad Collins, Lester Young, Clyde Hart, John Collins, Nick Fenton, Hal West 1941 3:22 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Beautiful Eyes (03-10-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Shad Collins, Lester Young, Clyde Hart, John Collins, Nick Fenton, Hal West 1941 3:04 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
They'll Be Some Changes Made (03-10-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Shad Collins, Lester Young, Clyde Hart, John Collins, Nick Fenton, Hal West 1941 2:45 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
It's Sad But True (03-10-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Shad Collins, Lester Young, Clyde Hart, John Collins, Nick Fenton, Hal West 1941 3:31 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
I See A Million People (05-01-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, John Kirby, O'Neil Spencer 1941 3:04 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Oh I'm Evil (05-01-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, John Kirby, O'Neil Spencer 1941 2:25 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
You Mean So Much To Me (05-01-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, John Kirby, O'Neil Spencer 1941 2:51 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
The Booglie Wooglie Piggy (05-01-41) Una Mae Carlisle with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, John Kirby, O'Neil Spencer 1941 2:42 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941
Don't Tetch It! (02-13-42) Una Mae Carlisle with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, John Kirby, O'Neil Spencer 1942 2:21 Complete Jazz Series 1941 - 1944
So Long, Shorty (02-13-42) Una Mae Carlisle with Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Russell Procope, Billy Kyle, John Kirby, O'Neil Spencer 1942 2:30 Complete Jazz Series 1941 - 1944
Tain't Yours (05-23-44) Una Mae Carlisle with Ray Nance, Budd Johnson, Snags Allen, Bass Robinson, Shadow Wilson 1944 2:53 Complete Jazz Series 1941 - 1944
I'm A Good, Good, Woman (05-23-44) Una Mae Carlisle with Ray Nance, Budd Johnson, Snags Allen, Bass Robinson, Shadow Wilson 1944 2:50 Complete Jazz Series 1941 - 1944
I Like It, 'Cause I Love You (05-23-44) Una Mae Carlisle with Ray Nance, Budd Johnson, Snags Allen, Bass Robinson, Shadow Wilson 1944 3:06 Complete Jazz Series 1941 - 1944
"i love una mae carlisle" was posted by dogpossum on June 20, 2009 8:04 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
even more recent emusic adventures
Here, Trev - this is what I've been downloading from emusic lately.
Btw everyone else, if you're at all interested, then you can find me on emusic as dogpossum and check out exactly what I've been downloading.
Someone recommended Duke Heitger's Krazy Kapers on HeyMrJesse recently, and while I'll definitely pick that up at some point (you really should try JBM if you haven't - fabulous (really fabulous) range of music, delivered old-school, by snailmail), I went straight to emusic to see if I could get some instant satisfaction.
I found Rhythm Is Our Business by Duke Heitger And His Swing Band . Isn't that a scary here-comes-some-second-rate-neo! cover? But the album is actually quite good. I downloaded just one song - 'Murder he says' - because it's a strangely addictive version. I plan on DJing that tonight.
Here's the Betty Hutton version:
There is a Tori Amos version (from that crappy film 'Mona Lisa Smiles') but I wouldn't recommend it. In fact, it's the sort of shit you hear the odd DJ play at swing events. For which they will go to DJing hell.
At any rate, I'm into Duke Heitger, and will chase up more of his stuff. Basically, he's a badass trumpeter who's doing recreationist swing. That album is really quite good. As good (if not better) than people like the Campus Five.
He also has another album on emusic, The Rosehill Concerts. I prefer this one - the energy's a little hotter, and it's a live recording, which always lends itself to funner, higher energy... well, nearly always. I've downloaded a few good songs for blues dancing and a really nice version of 'Christopher Columbus', but I'm going to see how the 12-song deal on emusic goes. This album does rock, but many of the songs are quite long, which can be a bit of a challenge for DJing, especially when the tempos are higher.
So, Duke Heitger = good find. Thanks that guy on HeyMrJesse (I think it was Marcello, but I'm not sure).
I've also downloaded about a million versions of 'On Revival Day', because it's a truly fabulous song. Searching for these, I came across a bloke called Bob Howard. I picked a few songs from his 1937-1947 Chronological Classic. He sounds a bit like Fats Waller, but a little straighter and not quite as good.
The best version is the Bessie Smith one. She is the freakin' shizzle.
But I have a Jimmie Noone version I quite like from The Complete Recordings vol2 disc 3. This isn't the most amazing music in the world, but I really like Noone - I love his playing style. This one is 279bpm and a little too rough for DJing too often. The Bob Howard is a bit slower and a bit better.
Another version I picked up is by Carrie Smith from When You're Down and Out (a Definitive Black and Blue). This is a little closer to the overplayed Lavern Baker version (from the Bessie Smith tribute album), but it's a bit faster. I like Carrie Smith - she has a big, shouting voice. This version has the irresistible handclaps that make you want to dance like a fool. I also downloaded 'Nobody wants you when you're down and out' from that album for blues dancing. It's nice. Smith has a lovely voice and a really nice style. Reminds me a bit of Alberta Hunter, but her voice isn't as damaged and she doesn't mug quite as much (which is a bit of a relief - Hunter can get a bit much sometimes).
What was with my interest in 'Revival Day'? Well, I've taken to playing it after 'Lavender Coffin' sometimes when I'm DJing. It's not the best stylistic transition, but I like the whole 'jeeeeezus!' vibe. I usually play the Lavern Baker one, but it's a bit annoying and overplayed. I will move to the Carrie Smith one. Or the Bessie Smith, depending on the crowd and the vibe. Bessie Smith's is really the very best - she has the biggest, baddest badass voice.
And, finally, I got a bunch of stuffs from The Sidney Bechet Society Jam Session Concert album. Mostly things for blues dancing, though. This was another one I found via HeyMrJesse.
The wonderful thing about the latest HeyMrJesse show (June 2009) was that it featured bands from the recent Frankie95 weekend. Are we drooling, much? YES! Jesse is (as per usual) a bit heavy on the groovier, shufflier sound, but then, that's his cup of tea. There is some really lovely action in there, though, so have a peek. A trumpet solo on the version of 'Basin Street Blues' on the Bechet Society album just moved The Squeeze to a sort of frenzied loungeroom thrash-dance, so it has to be good.
EDIT: I have to add this one other album I discovered. I'd heard early Louis Prima was quite hot and good, but this was the first I'd actually sampled:
Louis Prima volume 1. I only grabbed a couple of songs, but I did get a sweet, uptempo vocal version of 'Chasing Shadows'. I also grabbed 'Swing Me With a Rhythm', but I might go back for more, because it's nice. Not the best music in the world, but fun.
"even more recent emusic adventures" was posted by dogpossum on June 20, 2009 6:35 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
June 16, 2009
swine flu and jazz
The weather is fairly shit (it's cold and rainy) and I've been ill with a craptastic cold since Friday, so spirits are low here at chateau de snot.
Today I finally felt a bit more normal and had managed to get a better night's sleep last night. This cold did impede my research, but it didn't stop me sewing yesterday. Not sewing terribly well I discovered today, but yesterday I took a lot of care and time to make a skirt that's kind of mutant and a collared shirt that's... well, let's just say interesting. I am trying to get better at making collared shirts with set-in sleeves. I haven't sewn anything in about six months, so it's all a bit challenging. But sewing's not really all that complicated, and it's difficult to forget how to do it. I have made one white collared shirt so far, and it's a bit bung. The problem really is the colour. I look really, really bad in white, and this style really doesn't suit me - too much white fabric and too much shoulder-structure-action. Ah, well. I'll have another bash tomorrow.
Being ill in our noisy house has finally convinced me that we probably should move somewhere quieter and on a quieter street. The Squeeze is agreed: quieter house would be good. But our house is large and has a garden and is renovated. So it'll be a smaller (and probably crapper) quieter flat. The thought of moving is anxiety-inducing, of course, but it'll be worth it for the chance at better nights' sleep, uninterrupted by loud trucks. So I'll start looking into that this week. Sigh.
We're off to Tasmania for Devil City Swing on Monday, going a bit earlier so we can have a bit of a non-dance related holiday. I'm looking forward to just being away. There's some dancing involved, but no major sets (one band breaks night - blurgh - and one late night - the first of the night, so not a terribly great spot). I'm sucking it up, though, as it means I'll be able to go home earlier on the early night and the band breaks set is the DJ version of community service, I've decided. I'm still packing injury, having overdone it a bit with the cranky poo last week, so no - or very, very little - dancing for me over the weekend. Good thing the DCS exchange is not a hard-dancing event - there'll be lots of people to talk to. And, if I play my cards right, plenty of little bubbies to squeeze (Hobart dancers tend to bring their bubs to dances - can I get an amen?!).
On other, DJ related fronts, I have a lindy set on Saturday night at the Roxbury, which I'm hoping will be as fun as the previous weekend, which was a big night. It was the Friday of a long weekend, though, so I can't really expect the same size crowd. And I did have a bit of a crappy technical experience (wtf's new about that? I have decided I suck with technical stuff - must get my learn on IMMEDIATELY to rectify this). But I am looking forward to it. I'm also down for a blues night on Sunday, which'll be good as there're blues workshops on that weekend. This week is also balboa week at the Bald Face Stag (urkiest venue ever), but I haven't heard back about that. I'm up for the challenge though: one day I will be a badass balboa DJ.
I am, as a consequence, trying to get on top of my music so I can play some decent sets in the coming week. There'll be at least four of them, possibly five, in all the major dance styles, I'm going to need to have mad skillz and a clue about my entire collection. I do have some lovely new things from emusic, though, which is always exciting. I've also sorted out my technical problems (knock on wood), so things should be a bit smoother. A visit to Hobart does mean, however, a trip to the best music shop in the country:
Music Without Frontiers
147 Collins St, Hobart, TAS 7000
p: (03) 6231 5411
It does not have a website. It's also very tiny. And it has the best range of jazz I've ever seen in a real, live shop. And its divided into 'nostalgia', 'classic' and 'bop', then with a separate section for blues (subdivided into jump blues and trad blues). Then that side of the shop moves into soul and funk. It's an absolutely fabulous collection. I've been there a million times, but I've never quite gotten to the other 3 racks of CDs. It carries _everything_: opera, country, alt., pop, etc. EVERYTHING. And the guy knows everything about each CD. He's also a bit loopy, but then, you'd have to be. And he's just had to deal with the opening of a JB HiFi, which sucks arses. He needs a website. He always cuts me a deal on my CDs, and is very occasionally patient when I want to preview stuff. I spend a few hundred bucks there each visit, and I see him about two times a year. And every CD I've bought from him has been really amazingly great. More expensive than the internets, but then I'm buying from a real person, the only person in a small city who bothers to bring quality music to the people, regardless of label or fad.
On a slightly related front, emusic has decided to fucking FAIL me just as I was getting seriously addicted. Those of you who have accounts will know that they've decided to carry Sony products. This means that they're increasing prices (by a really big amount) and also limiting access only to people who are in the US or Europe. Unless you already have an account with them. This means that my 50 songs per month account, which cost me about $14.99 will now only get me 35 songs per month for the same price. There will also be - apparently - '<12 song album deals', where you can download an entire album for the price of 12 songs. But only on select albums. This is actually a super bargain for me, as most jazz albums (especially the older ones) are around 20 songs. But let's just wait and see which albums will be marked for the deal. I wish I'd downloaded all the Chron Classics I'd had my eye on; now they'll be far more expensive and less awesome a find. It's all a big shit, really. I've been expanding my musical purchases with emusic, particularly in terms of shopping outside jazz and blues, and in buying music from indy labels. I'll wait and see how the 12song deal goes, but I think I might ditch my emusic subscription for buying CDs from amazon or downloads and CDs from places like CDbaby.
There are far more interesting and coherent posts about the emusic changes over at flopearedmule here and here.
And I'm finally going to get my arse over to a Sydney Jazz Club gig to see some live music. Watching George Washingmachine at the recent Darling Harbour Jazz Fest (which wasn't terribly great - stage FAIL) I was reminded of the awesome musicians in this town. None of whom we see at lindy hop gigs. But I'm going to get it together and go check out some of the hot shit in this town:
The Bechet Night: Bridge City Jazz Band - David Ridyard, Frank Watts & Nesta Davies
Friday 19th June 7:30pm
Club Ashfield - 9798 6344
Note the glorious venue: Club Ashfield. The worst freakin' part of Sydney is the RSL/club/gambling culture. Pubs here SUCK ARSE, in part because they are so dependent on pokies and gambling for revenue. Liquour licenses are expensive, and it's not really possible for little pubs to get by without pokies. There's not the same community pub culture in Sydney as in Melbourne. This is a very great shame.
But I'm interested in the music. So I'll go check it out. Anyone in the neighbourhood is welcome to join The Squeeze and I. We will not be dining in, but instead getting our noodle on in the main drag of Ashfield, which is a gastronomic universe away from the Ashfield Club. Possibly not a universe we should be occupying. Or even visiting (Gotgastro.com offers a disturbing amount of evidence).
I'm also planning on going to see the Ozcats (legends of Australian jazz) on July 31 at the Drummoyne RSL.
I have to pause at this point and say:
GET A FREAKIN WEBSITE.
And, please, not one with comic sans. Man, jazznicks are crap at internet. I feel like hiring myself out to them, if only to save myself the pain of reading their websites or having to try and find a paper jazz newsletter so I can learn about them. These guys are _so_ into social media, but the sort of social media that involve paper and nannas talking hardcore at the bar.
I am also considering a trip to the Newcastle Jazz Festival (28th-30th August). The names on the program are pretty good, but mostly, I'm thinking about a fabulous hostel I stayed at in Newcastle years ago. It's an old, converted mansion on the beach and was just about the most fabulous hostel I've ever stayed in (this one, I think).
I am a big fat jazz nerd. But at least my shirts are interesting.
"swine flu and jazz" was posted by dogpossum on June 16, 2009 6:09 PM in the category djing and domesticity and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (3)
May 23, 2009
last night
Last night I danced a few dances. About four in total, with a (poorly executed) big apple. I'm not sure today!
Noticed:
- dancing is freakin' hardcore exercise.
- I have no dance fitness.
- my dance muscles (including all of the ones in my thighs) are not ready for hardcore dancing just yet.
- dancing is the best.
I also livetweeted my DJing. Meh.
"last night" was posted by dogpossum on May 23, 2009 3:32 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances | Comments (0)
May 22, 2009
djing for balboa... again, and not terribly well
Last night I DJed for balboa dancers again. That makes three times, ever. I'm not sure I'm much good at it. I can't quite figure out what they like and whether they're really into the stuff I'm playing. They're very kind and thank me for my DJing, but I'm not quite sure I'm cutting it. There are a few challenges: I don't dance balboa very often and I've never attended a hardcore all-bal weekend or event. I don't lead bal very often at all, and I don't really understand the way balboa dancers use space or the music, so I'm not so good at reading the floor - it all looks small and tight and lowenergy to me. Because I don't go to balboa dancers, I have no idea which songs are 'popular' or favourites, so I have no careful 'safety song' list.
So far I've noticed they like: 'Jive at Five' - Basie (1939). Ellington's 'Rockin' In Rhythm' (1931) went down well last night, as did some Katharine Whalen (Just You Just Me). Mora's Modern Rhythmists' 'Tar Paper Stomp' has gone down well in the past, so I tested them with Wingy Manone's 'Jumpy Nerves' (1939). I've talked about all the songs that use the 'In The Mood' riff before, and 'Jumpy Nerves' is just one of them. It's a nice little song - it doesn't feel rough and fast or aggressive. It's about 177bpm, but it feels mellow. The familiar riff often makes people feel a bit more comfortable as well.
I also did a little shark jumping, playing some Bob Wills. I love 'Stay A Little Longer', but I'm fairly sure it won't work for lindy hop. It's solid western swing, and the the rhythms don't quite work for 8 count lindy. I was wondering if balboa dancers could do something with it. Well, people really liked the song (once they got over mocking me for the hardcore western-ness of it), but they did find it tricky to dance to. I don't know if I'll play it again.
I think part of my problem with DJing for bal dancers is that I've not seen lots of very experienced bal dancers social dancing. I'm thinking of the international doods who dance bal hardcore. I've not sat and watched a crowd of them dancing all weekend. Nor have I listened to a weekend's worth of music. So I have no clue about the 'elite' bal scene (ie, I have no idea of what to aim for). I don't know much about the history of the dance, either.
Look, here's a clip of two very famous olden days balboa dancers, Hal and Betty Takier. The 'balboa' bits are usually recognised as the stuff in closed. But bal isn't necessarily all in closed position unless it's (to use the nomenclature but not to imply any 'rules') 'pure bal':
I have done a bit of research and asked a lot of questions, but all I really 'know' is that bal developed during the 30s and continued. As with lindy hoppers, there was a preference for big bands (which I suspect was a consequence of local culture - big ballrooms (where most people danced) hired big bands to fill big spaces, and because big bands were mega popular). Swing was super popular in the 30s and early to mid 40s, and the 'dixie' sound of 20s New Orleans was considered a bit naff - sort of 'old news' - though it was popular withe NO revivalists. By the 40s bebop was developing and live music culture was changing a bit. All this means is that there were lots of things going on in the 30s and 40s, musically. And we can infer that this meant some of it was popular with some people. I suspect then, as now, there were different patterns of taste and influence, depending on the age, interests, location, class and so on of individual dancers and small pockets of dancers.
What do balboa camps or events in the US look like?
Asking people overseas, watching clips of famous bal dancers and hassling visiting dancers or well-traveled dancers isn't all that helpful either, really. While such and such might be very popular in LA at the moment, each local scene has different musical tastes. These are shaped by a range of factors a) the music teachers play in class, b) what teachers say about music in class, c) what local DJs are playing, d) dancers' exposure to different tempos and styles - what they hear in all these spaces - and whether they've danced to these different songs. The usual ideas apply to tempos - more experienced dancers are better equipped for dealing with (and enjoying) a wider range of tempos and musical complexity. New dancers are often happy to dance to anything, but they can feel too intimidated to try something fast if they're not dancing with someone they feel comfortable with.
So while I might be thinking 'I'll play X, because my friends overseas love it, I've seen it in dance clips from comps, so I'm assuming locals have also watched these clips and are into it too,' it's more likely that a small class group will only have heard music from their classes. The strongest influences on local music tastes are still teachers, particularly for dancers who spend most of their dancing time during the week at classes. This is particularly true of students with the local McDonalds dance school - I've noticed it in Melbourne, and here in Sydney, that their musical tastes are largely homogenous, mostly because their teachers tend also to look within their school for musical tastes and dancing influences. Which isn't really surprising - we do tend to keep to our peer groups and to the opinions and examples of people we admire and have contact with. Thing is, my knowledge of balboa and music for dancing to balboa is so limited that I don't even know what's 'cool' with this small group of local dancers.
I don't want to slag off the local bal teachers, mind you. I've always found bal dancers and teachers to be particularly welcoming people, and to be very supportive of my DJing (far more than lindy hoppers) and also to be most prepared to experiment with new music and new dancing ideas. Part of me, though, suspects that the small, specialist/fanatics pond which encourages such a nice, friendly and supportive culture also inhibits a broader overview of music and dancing styles. But I also suspect that idea is bullshit: often the most hardcore fans have the most hardcore knowledge of the object of their fanaticism. And balboa - as with blues to some degree - is pretty specialist in Sydney and Australia. These dancers are also disproportionately well-traveled; many of them travel overseas to balboa festivals.
Of course, the easiest solution to my balboa DJing quandary is to get out there and dance some freakin' balboa. But there are a couple of impediments here: my injured foot is in no way ready for hardcore balboa learning and dancing, and I'm just not that into dancing bal. If I had to choose between bal and lindy, I'd choose lindy every time. And because my dancing is so limited (as in non-existent) these days, I can't imagine 'wasting' a dancing opportunity on bal. In fact, if I had to choose between lindy, bal or jazz these days, I'd be 100% jazz; I just find it most interesting and challenging.
All this just goes to show that to be an excellent DJ for dancers you have to:
a) dance the dance they're into, and dance it frequently;
b) travel a lot - as a dancer and DJ - and pay attention to the music and dancing you see going on around you;
c) learn a lot - watch video clips, read about music and dance, eavesdrop on discussion boards and take classes;
d) keep your finger on the local community pulse; just cause it's cool in the US, doesn't mean it'll fly in Sydney;
e) make changes slowly and gradually, don't assume you can just drop in and change dancers' worlds;
f) be prepared to be wrong most of the time. Keep your eyes and ears open, and be prepared to change your opinions and ideas about DJing as you DJ;
g) accept that though there's some underlying logic and some consistencies in how people respond to music and how you can manipulate the responses of a crowd, at the end of the day, you have to stop thinking and just go with your instincts and feel what's going down. Just like dancing.
I'm enjoying learning how to DJ for balboa dancers because it is so challenging. It's making me rethink everything I've assumed about musical tastes and dancer/DJ responses.
Right now I'm working with these assumptions:
a) Bal dancers in Sydney are more comfortable with a range of tempos than local lindy hoppers are: bal doods are happy in the 160-250bpm range, and will happily have a bash at anything faster. Lindy hoppers in Sydney are most comfortable in the 120-160bpm range, though they will stretch if you're sneaky and take care to not overwork their energy/fitness (hopefully we'll see an increase in tempos, but only if teachers in class get the tempos above 115!!).
b) Bal dancers can work with lowenergy/high tempo combinations, but lindy hoppers have more trouble (I find experienced dancers are ok, but newer dancers need to be fired up with higher energy to work with higher tempos... but that could just be how I work as a DJ; the theory needs wider testing).
c) Bal dancers are more interested in the type of music I currently love - early 30s stuff. They like a variety (as most rooms full of diverse people do), but they're interested in exploring this earlier stuff. Most of this earlier stuff is a bit faster, so they're happy with the stuff play.
d) Some stuff just screams 'lindy hop!' But I'm not quite sure where the line is - when something stops being bal and screams lindy hop. I suspect it's entirely subjective. But I'm also fairly sure it has something to do with the rhythms and the horizontal feel of the music. I can't really explain that further beyond a feeling that bal feels more like early swing and hot jazz than like later swing that's super swingy. I could be wrong there, but I just don't have the experience to judge that yet.
Anyways, here's the set I played last night. It was a small crowd, with only about six leads to about twelve follows. It was a small, after class gig (and people've been dancing and learning intensely for a couple of hours already), so the emphasis was on 'practicing', low-stress dancing, socialising and touching base with people. After-class gigs also have a stronger focus on the teachers and a group of people who know each other quite well, so the social dynamic is a bit different to a general en masse social dance. It's a pub venue, so people are also buying drinks and drinking. The sound system is decent, the floor is small.
(title artist bpm album length)
I've Got To Think It Over Willie 'The Lion' Smith and his Cubs 164 Willie 'The Lion' Smith And His Cubs 2:37
Call Me A Taxi Four Of The Bob Cats 175 1938 All Star Jazz Quartets (disc 2) 3:13
The Wedding Samba Bob Crosby and the Bobcats 187 1950 Bob Crosby and the Bobcats: The Complete Standard Transcript 2:30
Flying Home Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian 167 1940 Charlie Christian: The Genius of The Electric Guitar (disc 1) 3:16
You'll Wind Up On Top Bus Moten and his Men 182 1949 Kansas City - Jumping The Blues From 6 To 6 2:47
We're Muggin' Lightly Leo Mathisen's Orkester 227 1942 Leo Mathiesen 1942-43 Terrific Rhythm 3:03
Jive At Five Count Basie and his Orchestra 174 1939 The Complete Decca Recordings (disc 03) 2:51
Jumpy Nerves Wingy Manone and his Orchestra with Chu Berry 177 1939 Classic Chu Berry Columbia And Victor Sessions (Disc 5) 2:53
The Mayor Of Alabam' Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Jack Teagarden 206 1936 King Of The Blues Trombone - 2 3:14
Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, Part 1 Benny Goodman Quartet with Martha Tilton 176 1937 RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (Disc 2) 3:27
Just You, Just Me Katharine Whalen 181 1999 Jazz Squad 3:22
Stay A Little Longer Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys 232 The Tiffany Transcriptions (vol 2) 3:07
Let's Misbehave Boilermaker Jazz Band 196 2006 You Do Something To Me 2:52
Zonky New Orleans Jazz Vipers 203 2006 Hope You're Comin' Back 5:06
Minor Swing Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five 202 2003 Jammin' the Blues 3:24
My Blue Heaven Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 170 1935 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 3:16
Rockin' In Rhythm - Take 2 The Jungle Band with Duke Ellington 190 1931 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 05) 2:53
Twenty Four Robbers Fats Waller and his Rhythm 196 1941 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2) 2:43
Charlie the Chulo - Take 2 Duke Ellington 225 1940 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10) 3:10
Stomp It Off Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 190 1934 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 3:09
Honeysuckle Rose Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys 180 The Tiffany Transcriptions (vol 7) 2:12
As you can see, I have - once again - some music without dates. Back to the discographies. I find I'm having to go in there regularly to update my collection. I could just pay for a subscription, but I quite like visiting the library - free student shows in the cafeteria or in the concert hall, books, vinyl collections to raid, human beings to meet, and it's right near the FREAKIN' OPERA HOUSE in circular quay. Win!
I am currently obsessed with Willie the Lion Smith. He didn't head up too many bands, but he was an important pianist in lots of other people's bands. I'm also coming out of a Bob Crosby fad. More NO revival stuff, but it's sweet. I need to see the Australian Bob Crosby 'tribute band' the Ozcats real soon, so I can compare. Those two Crosby songs are quite different in sound and style, so they don't sound too 'samey'.
That Benny Goodman small group stuff is very popular with balboa dancers, I've noticed. The teachers played some in class, and I've heard other Australian bal DJs/teachers talking about it. I'm suspecting it's perhaps a fad; I love it and think it's marvelously complex, but it can be a bit lower energy. I prefer Willie The Lion Smith for that sort of feel, partly because he's higher energy. At any rate, that particular song is a V-Disc recording. Or so Benny Goodman says in the intro. But the wikipedia entry says that VDiscs weren't started until 1941, so either the date on that recording is wrong (which is from a large, fancy Charlie Christian boxset who's accuracy I hesitate to question) or the wikipedia entry is wrong. Whatever. I like the live intro. This song was played in class and drew people onto the floor immediately.
I love Bus Moten. I play a few of his slower songs for lindy hoppers a lot. This song has a lovely, cheery feel and feels nice and bouncy. Bus' vocal style is mellow and laid back, and he has quite a nice, light voice. The lyrics are way dirty, but you can just pretend he's singing about ... well, something else. People liked the song. I haven't played this for dancers before.
I love that Mathisen song. I haven't played it for dancers before. Mathisen is a Danish pianist who sounds like Fats Waller. This song starts out sounding a bit like Goodman - kind of tinkly and 'chamber jazz', but it has a bit of an edge and is a little hotter. A minute in the vocals begin, and the tone changes completely - it feels hot and more like Fats Waller with lots of silly chuntering vocals that actually feel wonderfully rhythmic rather than obscuring or impeding the beat. Some of the lower sax parts remind me of MBRB and that brand of New York early 30s hotness. Though Mathisen is a pianist, the song doesn't focus on his playing the way Fats' recordings tend to.
I don't know if this worked for balboa dancers. I think I'll test it on lindy hoppers. I know I'd love to lindy hop to it.
'Jive At Five' is a safety song, and filled the floor again after that last, faster song. It also feels laid back. It's an old favourite with most lindy hoppers who've been around a while. It makes me think of Frankie Manning.
'Jumpy Nerves' I've discussed above. It was a nice transition from the mellow JaF, and kept the mellower vibe that's quite important for smaller after-class gigs I've noticed.
I freakin' LOVE 'Mayor Of Alabam''. It's the combo of Teagarden vocals (he's my MAN), the bouncy, sprightly rhythm and melody. Another example of vocals working with the rhythms rather than drowning out or obscuring the beat.
'Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen' is an old bal fave from Melbourne. I love this version for Martha Tilton's vocals and the laid back, slightly minor treatment by the rest of the band. It builds and builds energy but doesn't quite explode. It's a good builder to follow with a high energy song. Also, it's a good version of a song which is overplayed in a poorer, horrible version.
The Katharine Whalen song was a strange choice for me. I'd listened to it in the afternoon and thought it might work for bal, whereas it's not so great for lindy. This is, essentially, the Squirrel Nut Zippers (some of whom are in the Asylum Street Spankers and the Firecracker Jazz Band). I chose it for the good, hi-fi quality, the chunky beat and Whalen's vocals to follow on from Tilton's (Whalen's a bit like Madeline Peryoux, but BETTER). I wanted to pump up the energy, and hi-fi is a good way to go. I was priming the room for the Bob Wills song, which is high energy, but perhaps too tricky for bal.
Then the Boilermakers as a 'recovery' song - they're popular in Sydney and the sort of music people've been dancing to bal to in Melbourne... not sure it works for this crowd, though.
'Zonky' was perhaps a mistake. I was flogging a dead horse - too much of the same, hi-fi, hot stuff. It's too long a song, too. But I love it and didn't think people could hack the McKinney's Cotton Pickers' version. Also, I was talking and not 100% focussed.
'Minor Swing' is a bal fave and was a calculated floor filler.
'My Blue Heaven' because people were getting tired, but still wanted to dance. This is a good song, but the vocals aren't properly mixed - the rest of the band goes really quiet, which sucks. Otherwise, it's quite mellow and nice, and people know the melody.
'Rockin' in Rhythm' is the fushiz. I love this sort of Ellington stuff. It went down ok, but people were kind of over hardcore dancing by then, and the leads were buggered.
The Fats song is quite well known, and someone requested some Waller. Which wasn't hard to accommodate.
'Charlie The Chulo' is my passion. I keep coming back to it. I don't think it's so great for lindy hop (though I've seen some great dancing to it). I thought I'd test it on the bal dancers. But perhaps it was too full on for too late in the night. Some people liked it.
The last two were really just fillers til we ended the night. An early night at 10.20pm, but an hour's worth of DJing was really all I was up for. I love 'Stomp It Off' and it always goes down well with dancers. People liked that version of 'Honeysuckle Rose' as well. It's a dancers' fave, but I never play it, ever, mostly because I HATE that late Ella version with all the scatting. This Wills one is nicer. Though I did get more ribbing for the western guitar.
Then I rode home. I love riding to and from DJing in Leichardt - it's a quick, 15minute ride on a safe route, and it gets me warmed up for DJing and then lets me work out my post-DJing excitement on the way home. I managed to dodge the rain last night and had a lovely ride home in the cool, quiet evening. Sydney rainy season rocks: it's not bitterly cold and windy as it would be in Melbourne on these sorts of days.
Generally, it's a set of music I really like, but I think there's a bit too much experimentation in there. I really DJ bal like a complete bub DJ who's a new dancer - I just don't know what's 'familiar' and 'safe', I try too many 'new' songs that I love and which don't necessarily work for dancing. But they ask me back for DJing, so I mustn't suck that much.
If you're interested, here are a couple of bal clips I quite like:
AnneHelene and Bernard 2006 Bal Rendezvous. I like this couple's dancing. They're French, and very nice people. I really like his relaxed, fluid upper body. A lot of bal leads (who happen to be men) tend to carry way too much tension in their upper body, so they look stiff and uncomfortable to dance with. I don't know how to just the quality of this couple's dancing, but I like his relaxed, flowing style. It makes me want to dance balboa.
Marcus and Barbl in 2003. An oldie but a goody. They stuff up a few times, but I don't mind. No one can strut like a camp German man with a moustache.
"djing for balboa... again, and not terribly well" was posted by dogpossum on May 22, 2009 1:52 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
May 10, 2009
every day is blog amnesty day for me
...because I feel no shame, and publish every entry I begin. For which I apologise.
I was just thinking: why do I alway recognise an Ellington song? Is it the arrangements or the soloists? Ellington's band carefully showcased each soloist with personally tailored and arranged solos/parts for specific people. So I guess it's a combination: parts and whole.
Then I was thinking about my obsession with various jazz pianists. I thought I might do a post with little bios and pics of each one. Then I got distracted. But here are some I love:
Willie 'the Lion' Smith. Wasn't a big band leader, but did a zillion songs with a zillion bands. One of my favourites is a song called '4,5, and 9' with Leadbelly in 1946 from a CD my mum bought me at the Smithsonian in Washington. It's (the song, not the Smithsonian) fairly sparse - piano, guitar, harmonica, male vocals. It has a rolling, rollicking rhythm that makes me want to roll and rolllick around the house. You can't lindy hop to it. You can only roll or rollick.
Fats Waller Duh. Was a band leader. Died younger than we'd like, but not surprising considering his lifestyle. His band was famously loyal and stayed with him for a very long time. He began his career with bands like the McKinney Cotton Pickers in New York. I love his light, tinkly playing, his chunky left hand rhythms and his lovely lyrics. I love the combination of light-hearted humour and melancholy.
Mary Lou Williams You tend to find women in jazz bands at the piano or behind the microphone, mostly because they were considered 'ladylike' musical pursuits. No tubas here. Williams was in Andy Kirk's band, and was important not only because she could play like a demon, but also because she was a badass arranger. She didn't sing (that I know).
There are plenty more, but these are the ones I'm currently interested in.
I was going to write something else about something else, but I've forgotten what it was.
Oh, that's right. I've been playing Flight Control on The Squeeze's ipod touch. I've been getting quite high scores. I don't like any of the other games. I don't play computer games at all, usually.
I was hardcore into sourdough recently, but my interest has waned. I am now interested in ... well, nothing much else, food-wise.
On other fronts, I've been doing an awful lot of reading about jazz, jazz history and jazz studies. Soon my brain will blow up. I think I'm procrastinating about another book I have to read and review for a journal. I'd better get onto that one quick-smart. But I just can't be arsed - I know how it'll end, it's not hugely well written, and while the content is very interesting, I just can't stick with it.
My foot has been much, much better. But yesterday and today it was a bit sore. Podiatrist in about a week for an update, and a verdict on whether or not there'll be dancing again in my future, ever. Let's cross our fingers, shall we?
There is a cafe on the main drag of Newtown called Funky which made me a freaking wonderful prawn raviolli the other night. It was home made pasta, in large sheets, folded around some perfectly prepared prawns, in a light, fresh tomato, tiny-bit-of-cream and smidge-of-butter sauce. It was simple and perfect. I was amazed. The manager is a lovey and always seats me carefully when I come in on my own every other Friday evening for a quick before-DJing dinner. It is a delight to eat there. Especially as the cafes on that strip can suck bums. But it's really too nice to be called a cafe. And on the last few Fridays they've had a small, very excellent latin combo playing in their tiny restaurant. They had a double bass, guitar, bongos, vocals and ... something else last Friday. They were so good I wished I could dance salsa. I didn't even feel I needed to read my book, they were so nice to watch and listen to. And I do like a quiet sit-and-read on my own over a nice meal in a restaurant. I know it's not cool, but it's one of my greatest pleasures - eating alone in a restaurant.
That's all I've got for now, I'm afraid.
"every day is blog amnesty day for me" was posted by dogpossum on May 10, 2009 2:09 PM in the category djing and dogpossum and fewd and lindy hop & other dances and music and research | Comments (0)
May 4, 2009
the trouble with linear jazz narratives + more
In the earliest parts of my researching into jazz history, I tried to set up a sort of 'time line' or map* of musicians and cities and bands. Who played with which band in what city at what time? Then where did they go? This approach was partly based on the idea that particularly influential musicians (like Armstrong) would spread influence, from New Orleans to New York and beyond.
But drawing these time lines out on pieces of paper, I found it wasn't possible to draw a nice, clear line from New Orleans to New York, passing through particular bands. Musicians left New Orleans, went to New York, then back to New Orleans, then off to France, then back again to New York. The discographies revealed the fact that a band recorded in different cities during the year - they were in constant motion, all over America. Furthermore, musicians didn't stick with one band, they moved between bands, they regularly used pseudonyms and even the term 'band' is problematic. The Mills Blue Rhythm Band, with its dozens and dozens of names, was in fact a shifting, changing association of musicians, and did not even have a fixed 'core' set of players. Perhaps this is why the MBRB is so important: many people played with them, and they were a band(s) which moved and changed shape, a loose network of musicians who really only existed as 'a band' when they were caught, in one moment, on a recording. Or perhaps on a stage (though that's far more problematic). I wonder if that's why it's so hard to find a photo of them? Perhaps the 'Mills Blue Rhythm Band', as a discrete entity didn't really exist?
The more I read about jazz and 'jazz' history, the more convinced I am by the idea of 'jazz' as a shifting series of relationships. I think about cities not as fixed locations, but as points on a sort of 'trade route' or even as a complicated web or network of relationships between individual musicians (which is, incidentally, how I think about international swing dance culture - the physical place is important, but it's not binding).
Right now I've followed some references backwards to an article by Scott DeVeaux called Constructing the Jazz Tradition, which is really interesting. It not only outlines some of the political effects of a coherent 'narrative' history of jazz, but also the economic and social effects of positioning jazz as a 'black music', with interesting references to consequences of the 'jazz musician as artist' for black musicians. Read in concert with David Ake's discussion of creole identity and ethnicity in New Orleans as far more complicated than 'black' and 'white', this makes for some pretty powerful thinking.
I'm very interested in the idea of a 'jazz canon' and of the role of people like Wynton Marsalis, the Ken Burns Jazz discography, jazz clubs and magazines developing during the 30s and 40s devoted to New Orleans recreationism and the whole 'moldy figs' discussion. The tensions surrounding the Newport jazz festival also feed into this: the Gennari article (which I discuss in reference to its descriptions of white, middle class men rioting at Newport here) pointed out the significance of a festival program loaded with 'trad' jazz - for black musicians and for the popularising of jazz generally. I've also been reading about the effects of this emphasis on trad jazz for superstar musicians like Louis Armstrong.
O'Meally and Gabbard have written about the way Armstrong's public, visual persona is marked by ethnicity.
Armstrong was known for his visual 'mugging', or playing the 'Uncle Tom' for white audiences, particularly on stage. Eschen writes
...as the struggle for equality accelerated, Armstrong was widely criticized as an Uncle Tom and, for many, compared unfavourably with a younger, more militant group of jazz musicians (193)This, as Eschen continues, despite the fact that Armstrong was actually an active campaigner for civil rights in America, and overseas.
The trad jazz movement - or 'moldy figs' pushing for the preservation of an 'authentic' jazz from New Orleans - effectively pushes Armstrong to continue as Uncle Tom - unthreatening black man clowning for white audiences. A narrative history of jazz which emphasises a beginning in New Orleans and a consistent, clearly defined lineage of musicians and styles also, more subtly, relies on an idea of the black musician as powerless or unthreatening. DeVeaux makes the point that positioning jazz (and jazz musicians) as artistic loners who do not 'sell out' with commercial success:
Issues of ethnicity and economics define jazz as an oppositional discourse: the music of an oppressed minority culture, tainted by its association with commercial entertainment in a society that reserves its greatest respect for art that is carefully removed from daily life (530)In this world, the 'true' jazz musician is 'black' (in a truly singular, homogenous sense of the world), he is poor and he is mugging for white audiences.
Billie Holiday becomes a particularly attractive representation for this idea of the 'jazz musician': poor, black, addled by drugs and alcohol, a history of prostitution, yet nonetheless, a creative genius pouring out, untainted in recording sessions (and I'm reminded of the 'one take' stories) and tragically cut short.
All of this is quite disturbing for someone who really, really likes jazz from the 20s, 30s and 40s. Am I buying into this disturbing jazz mythology? It's even more disturbing for someone who found similar themes in contemporary swing dancers' development of 'narratives' and geneologies of jazz dance history. As DeVeaux writes (about jazz, not dance), though, this is
The struggle is over possession of that history, and the legitimacy that it confers. More precisely, the struggle is over the act of definition that is presumed to lie at the history’s core (528)I wonder if I should suspect my own critique of capitalist impulses in contemporary swing dance discourse?
I don't think it's that simple. Gabbard discusses Armstrong's work with Duke Ellington, including the filming of Paris Blues (in which Armstrong starred, and for which Ellington contributed the score) and the recording of the 'Summit' sessions:
…at those moments in the film when he seems most eager to please with his vocal performances, his mugging is sufficiently exaggerated to suggest and ulterior motive. Lester Bowie has suggested that Armstrong is essentially “slipping a little poison into the coffee” of those who think they are watching a harmless darkie….Throughout his career in films, Armstrong continued to subvert received notions of African American identity, signifying on the camera while creating a style of trumpet performance that was virile, erotic, dramatic, and playful. No other black entertainer of Armstrong’s generation – with the possible exception of Ellington – brought so much intensity and charisma to his performances. But because Armstrong did not change his masculine presentation after the 1920s, many of his gestures became obsolete and lost their revolutionary edge. For many black and white Americans in the 1950s and 1960s, he was an embarrassment. In the early days of the twenty-first century, when Armstrong is regularly cast as a heroicized figure in the increasingly heroicising narrative of jazz history, we should remember that he was regularly asked to play the buffoon when he appeared on films and television (Gabbard 298)
You can see a clip from Paris Blues here.
Armstrong's performance gains meaning from its context, from the point of view of the observer, from his own actions as a 'real' person (Armstrong was in fact openly, assertively critical of Jim Crowism and quite politically active) and from its position within a broader 'body' of Armstrong's work as a public performer. Pinning it down is difficult - it's slippery.
The idea of layers of meaning is not only interesting, it's essential. This physical performance of identity, tied to the physicality of playing an instrument reminds me of the layers of meaning in black dance. And of course, of hot and cool in dance, and the layers of meaning in blues dance and music. Put simply, what you see at first glance, is not all that you are getting. Layers of meaning are available to the experienced, inquiring eye. Hiding 'true' meanings (or more subversive subtexts) is important when the body under inspection is singing or dancing from the margins. Tommy DeFrantz discusses meaning and masculinity in black dance during slavery:
serious dancing went underground, and dances which carried significant aesthetic information became disguised or hidden from public view. For white audiences, the black man’s dancing body came to carry only the information on its surface (DeFrantz 107).
Armstrong's performance is more than simply its surface. As with any clown, the meanings are more complex than a little light entertainment. Gabbard continues his point:
In short, Ellington plays the dignified leader and Armstrong plays the trickster. Armstrong’s tricksterisms were an essential part of his performance persona. On one level, Armstrong’s grinning, mugging, and exaggerated body language made him a much more congenial presence, especially to racist audiences who might otherwise have found so confident a performer to be disturbing, to say the least. When Armstrong put his trumpet to his lips, however, he was all business. The servile gestures disappeared as he held his trumpet erect and flaunted his virtuosity, power, and imagination (Gabbard 298).
This, of course, reminds me of that solo in High Society that I mentioned in a previous post. There's some literature discussing the physicality of jazz musician's performances, but I haven't gotten to that yet (though you know I'm busting for it). I have read some bits and pieces about gender and performance on stage (especially in reference to Lester Young), and there're some interesting bits and pieces about trumpets and their semiotic weight, but I haven't gotten to that yet, either.
Sorry to end this so abruptly: these are really just ideas in process. :D
To sum all that up:
- The idea of a jazz musician as 'isolated artist' is problematic, especially in the context of ethnicity and class. Basically, the 'true jazz musician who doesn't sell out by making money' is bad news for black musicians: it perpetuates marginalisation, not only economically, but also discursively, by devaluing the contributions of black musicians who are interested in making a living from their music. Jazz musicians are also members of communities.
- Linear histories of jazz are problematic: they deny the diversity of jazz today, and its past. Linear histories with their roots in New Orleans, insisting that this is 'black music' overlook the ethnic diversity of New Orleans in that moment: two categories of 'black' and 'white' do not recognise the diversity of Creole musicality, of the wide range of migrant musicians, of the diversity within a 'white' culture (which is also Italian and English and American and French and....), of economic and class relations in the city, and so on.
- 'linear histories' + 'musician as artist' neglect the complexities of everyday life within communities, and the role that music plays therein. These myths also overlook the fact that music is not divorced from everyday life; it is part of a continuum of creative production (to paraphrase LeeEllen Friedland and to refer to discussions about Ralph Ellison - which I will talk about later on).
- Music and dance have a lot in common. They carry layers of meaning, and aren't simply discrete canvases revealing one, singular meaning to each reader. They are weighted down by, buoyed up by a plethora of ideas and themes and creative industrial practices and sparks.
DeFrantz, Thomas. "The Black Male Body in Concert Dance." Moving Words: Re- Writing Dance. Ed. Gay Morris. London and New York: Routledge, 1996. 107 - 20.
DeVeaux, Scott, “Constructing the Jazz Tradition: Jazz Historiography” Black American Literature Forum 25.3 (1991): 525-560.
Eschen, Penny M. “the real ambassadors”. Uptown Conversation: the new Jazz studies, ed. Robert O’Meally, Brent Hayes Edwards, Farah Jasmin Griffin. Columbia U Press, NY: 2004. 189-203.
Friedland, LeeEllen. "Social Commentary in African-American Movement Performance."
Human Action Signs in Cultural Context: The Visible and the Invisible in
Movement and Dance. Ed. Brenda Farnell. London: Scarecrow Press, 1995. 136 -
57.
Gabbard, Krin. “Paris Blues: Ellington, Armstrong, and Saying It with Music”. Uptown Conversation: the new Jazz studies, ed. Robert O’Meally, Brent Hayes Edwards, Farah Jasmin Griffin. Columbia U Press, NY: 2004. 297-311.
Gennari, John. “Hipsters, Bluebloods, Rebels, and Hooligans: the Cultural Politics of the Newport Jazz Festival.” Uptown Conversation: the new Jazz studies, ed. Robert O’Meally, Brent Hayes Edwards, Farah Jasmin Griffin. Columbia U Press, NY: 2004. 126-149.
Lipsitz, George. “Songs of the Unsung: The Darby Hicks History of Jazz,” Uptown Conversation: the new Jazz studies, ed. Robert O’Meally, Brent Hayes Edwards, Farah Jasmin Griffin. Columbia U Press, NY: 2004: 9-26.
O’Meally, Robert G. “Checking our Balances: Louis Armstrong, Ralph Ellison and Betty Boop”. Uptown Conversation: the new Jazz studies, ed. Robert O’Meally, Brent Hayes Edwards, Farah Jasmin Griffin. Columbia U Press, NY: 2004. 276-296. (You can see the animated Betty Boop/Armstrong film O'Meally references here.
*The jazz map was found via jazz.com, but they don't list the url for the map in context.
There's something seriously addictive about historic 'jazz maps'. I think it's because they're imaginary places. My latest find: New Orleans 'jazz neighbourhoods'.
"the trouble with linear jazz narratives + more" was posted by dogpossum on May 4, 2009 6:33 PM in the category academia and djing and lindy hop & other dances and maps and music and research and thesis | Comments (1)
Marty Grosz and his Honoris Causa Jazz Band, Hooray for Bix!
Marty Grosz and his Honoris Causa Jazz Band, Hooray for Bix! Despite the scary album cover (this was released in 1957), there's some nice stuff on this album. I'm getting a bit tired of New Orleans revival bands (especially the ones from the 50s and later), but Marty Grosz is a guitarist, and this is reflected in the music - there's a little less emphasis on the brass. Well, comparatively speaking. I'm still not liking the shuffle rhythm from the drummer on some tracks (it's just NOT RIGHT for NO stuff), but there are a couple of songs I really quite like and will play for dancers. In an ideal world I'd stick to the originals, but some of those originals are really scratchy.
In an interesting turn of events, emusic is now releasing the Chronological Classics albums as well as the 'Complete Jazz Series' albums, though they seem to be the same albums. I'm not sure whether there's a sound quality difference, but even CC wasn't perfect sound quality - it's more for people who're looking to collect everything from an artist during a particular year. Which you can do with these series.
"Marty Grosz and his Honoris Causa Jazz Band, Hooray for Bix!" was posted by dogpossum on May 4, 2009 1:09 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
May 3, 2009
recent emusic adventures
My emusic account ticks over on the 19th, and I've managed to hang onto some of my downloads til today... and there are still some left! It's too easy to use them up, though, especially when you're an ob-con tempted with the option of 'going complete' with an achievable artist... such as Jimmie Noone or the McKinney's Cotton Pickers. But I find I really can't absorb much more than my download limit per month. Well, not if I also want to keep listening to my existing collection and knowing it well enough to DJ with any sort of competence.
But this is what I've downloaded recently:
Lavern Baker Sings Bessie Smith. Just a few songs. I had a couple of tracks from this already from compilations, but I noticed it'd been added to emusic lately (that 'music you might like' thingy is very convincing) and figured I'd download a few things. Namely 'Gimme a Pigfoot'. I've just come across a really slinky Billie Holiday version and thought I'd like the Baker one. And I do. She's no Bessie Smith, but she don't suck. There are moments, though, when I wish Baker'd follow through on her big, arse-kicking intros; she tends to back off a bit a few bars in. Bessie wouldn't.
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra 1941: The Complete Standard Transcriptions. Just a couple from here, but versions I didn't have. I've really enjoyed a few tracks from the Bob Crosby album in this series, and thought I'd give these a punt. Nice. No surprises, but slightly better quality than some versions of these I already have, and 'John Hardy' is a bit quicker (and snappier) than the one I had. Transcripts are interesting because they were recorded for the radio, some of them live. Digging through the discographies has made me realise just how important broadcast radio was to jazz and to music in the early days. Live broadcasts were de rigeur, and important to musicians' careers.
Jimmie Noone, Wingy Manone, Doc Cook and His 14 Doctors Of Syncopation, Andy Kirk and other scratchies. Mostly obsessing over these doods.
But I can never go past a little hifi or good quality saucy blues.
Big Mama Thornton's 'Ball n Chain'. Just the song 'Gimme a Penny'. Because that's all you need, really. Well, that and 'Hound Dog', because some skinny-arse white boy ain't got nothin' on this sister.
The Bluesville Years Volume 11: Blues Is A Heart's Sorrow (you don't need a photo for this one). I've downloaded various bits and pieces in this series. The quality is fab. The artists are amazing. The songs are super, excellently saucy. Not at all G-rated.
There are lots more, but this is the sort of thing I'm enjoying at the moment. Gotta go eat pizza now. :D
"recent emusic adventures" was posted by dogpossum on May 3, 2009 8:41 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (2)
some things about djing that other DJs've taught me
Here are the most useful things I've learnt about DJing, from other DJs:
1. Begin as you mean to go on. Russell from Canberra used that line, and it's useful. If I don't want the tempos to be too low during the set, I try to make my first song the slowest I'll go during that set. No lower. From there, the only way is up.
2. Come in loud and proud - get that party started. Andy from Melbourne taught me the most useful tip for DJing blues I've ever learnt. He plays a loud, spankin' blues set - no quiet kissing and cuddling. I once heard him start a set in the back room at a late night at MLX by yelling "let's get this party started!" and playing some loud, chunky hippity hop. Only Andy could get away with that shit - his energy and enthusiasm is infectious.
3. Be really into the music you're playing.
Trev from Perth is a big, fat music nerd. He loves the music he plays. Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated with DJing for dancers because I'm not happy with the music I'm playing. I feel like I'm playing stuff I don't really like as a way of compromising between what I do like and what I think they like. But Trev doesn't seem to compromise - he plays what he likes. What he loves. I find that I do a better set and have a much better time DJing when I play music I love, and when I (consequently) really get into the feel of dancing. I figure, if it's good music, people will dance despite themselves. And as DJs, we're really doing this as a community service (as well as as a chance to show off), so why not buy and play music we like?
"some things about djing that other DJs've taught me" was posted by dogpossum on May 3, 2009 3:12 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
May 2, 2009
djing report
Last night I did one of the funnest sets ever. It was the first night of the balboa weekend (there are a couple of big name bal couples in town) and I was given a 'lindy/bal' brief. I figured I'd play hot jazz that makes for spankin' lindy hop, with some more 'complicated' ones in there for bal. I have only ever DJed for bal dancers once before, but I've been asking people and looking up the sorts of things that bal people like to dance to. From what I can gather, they like hot jazz that makes for spankin' lindy hop. There used to be an emphasis on New Orleans revival stuff, but I think that's shifted a bit.
2nd set, 9-10pm Fri 1 May, Roxbury, Sydney Balboa Festival 2009
(title artist bpm year album last played)
Rag Mop Bob Crosby and the Bobcats 164 1950 Bob Crosby and the Bobcats: The Complete Standard Transcript 1/05/09 9:10 PM
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 160 1946 Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 1/05/09 9:13 PM
Whoa Babe Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra with Lionel Hampton, vocal 201 1937 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 1) 1/05/09 9:16 PM
A Viper's Moan Willie Bryant and his Orchestra with Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole 153 1935 Willie Bryant 1935-1936 1/05/09 9:20 PM
Truckin' Henry 'Red' Allen and His Orchestra 171 1935 Henry Red Allen ‘Swing Out' 1/05/09 9:23 PM
The Back Room Romp Rex Stewart and his 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 1/05/09 9:25 PM
Solid as a Rock Count Basie and his Orchestra with The Deep River Boys 140 1950 Count Basie and His Orchestra 1950-1951 1/05/09 9:28 PM
Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra 135 1945 Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings 1/05/09 9:32 PM
St. Louis Blues Ella Fitzgerald 183 Ella Fitzgerald In The Groove 1/05/09 9:37 PM
Call Me A Taxi Four Of The Bob Cats 175 1938 All Star Jazz Quartets (disc 2) 1/05/09 9:40 PM
Bearcat Shuffle Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy with Mary Lou Williams 160 1936 The Lady Who Swings the Band - Mary Lou Williams with Any Kirk and his Clouds of Joy 1/05/09 9:43 PM
Jive At Five Count Basie and his Orchestra 174 1939 The Complete Decca Recordings (disc 03) 1/05/09 9:46 PM
Shortnin' Bread Fats Waller and his Rhythm 195 1941 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2) 1/05/09 9:48 PM
Algiers Stomp Mills Blue Rhythm Band with Henry 'Red' Allen, J.C. Higgenbotham, George Washington, Edgar Hayes, Lucky Millinder 219 1936 Mills Blue Rhythm Band: Harlem Heat 1/05/09 9:51 PM
Mr. Ghost Goes To Town Mills Blue Rhythm Band 192 1936 Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 1/05/09 9:55 PM
Seven Come Eleven Benny Goodman Sextet 234 1939 Charlie Christian: The Genius of The Electric Guitar (disc 1) 1/05/09 9:58 PM
Stomp It Off Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 190 1934 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 1/05/09 10:01 PM
Peckin' (-3) Duke Ellington and his Orchestra with Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams 164 1937 Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions (Disc 2) 1/05/09 6:09 PM
(that's the Mills Blue Rhythm Band there (well, part of), stolen from the internet)
I started with some NO revival stuff to follow up from Sharon's set (she'd just played some Boilermakers and something else in the same vein). I'm also a bit nuts about that Bob Crosby album atm, especially that great 'Rag Mop' song. I've never played that version of Jericho so early in a set before - it was interesting to see how it went down. I've found that this NO revival stuff doesn't work at the Roxbury, ever. But Sharon had warmed the room and the bal nuts (including a lot of out of towners) were up for it. Yay.
Then I played 'Whoa Babe', which I freakin' love: it makes me feel like dancing like a crazy, manic fool. Kind of dodgy transition from Bechet, but I wanted to ditch the NO stuff and get back to the Savoy. Then 'Viper's Moan' to drop the tempos a little, but get us towards the sort of sound I'm really into atm (that song isn't as overplayed here as elsewhere). Plus, Willie Bryant = A1. I love 'Truckin'' and Henry Red Allen. I love the lyrics. This was sort of my homage to all that truckin' business that's been getting about in the US at gigs like ULHS, etc. Plus, I was half planning to play 'Peckin' next, for the comedic value. 'Truckin' is actually a bit mellower, and feels more laid back, which I think the crowd needed as they were getting a bit frenetic and the non-hardcore-bal doods were looking a bit forlorn. That mellower feel tricks people into thinking the song is slower than it is, and I didn't want to let the tempos get below 160 if I could help it.
But then I played 'Back Room Romp'. It sounds and feels higher energy, even though it's slower. Again, I wanted to get the people on the sidelines up with something a bit slower. I'd also noticed the people dancing every song were looking a bit shagged. 'Solid As A Rock' and 'Hey Ba-Ba-Re-Bop' were crowd-pleasing favourites. I wanted a 'newer' sound (funny how 1950 and 1945 are 'new' in this context) with the 'smoother', hardcore swinging sound of that later classic swing period. Lower tempos to revive people, higher energy to get them up and dancing.
'St Louis Blues' is still my fave from that Ella album. I'm not sure what's happened to the date on that one - gotta chase it up now I'm home. It's mid-30s, though, or perhaps '38, '39, after Webb had died and Ella was leading his band. It's a fucking great song: high energy, live at the Savoy, absolutely A1. I keep meaning to play other stuff from that album, but I'm not sick of this one yet. And I rarely get to play faster stuff. It got people pumped.
'Call Me A Taxi': my 2nd Crosby song of the night, and perhaps a mijudgment. People were still dancing, but I'm not sure it did what I wanted. I should have stayed mega highenergy. But this is a great song for bal as well as lindy and it has lots of rinkytink piano, which I love, and which I wanted to use to get to Mary L Williams and Fats. 'Bearcat Shuffle' is lighter and feels kind of friendly - it's not a big wall of sound. It has a lovely piano line that makes me want to shorty george. It also screams 'swing out, bitch!' This was a resting tempo song.
'Jive at Five' because I was thinking of Frankie. This is a nice song - lighter and friendly, and while it's a bit quicker than 'Bearcat Shuffle', it actually feels a bit slower. It went down with bal doods really well last time I played it, so I gave it another whirl. Also, I love it. And: more piano-centred stuff.
Fats and my overplayed version of 'Shortnin' Bread'. Which I still freakin' love. It starts mellower and tinklier (like the last few songs), but it ends with a nice, fat, full shouting chorus that makes people crazy.
'Algier's Stomp' is so great. I'm not sick of it yet. Lighter, but chunkier than the previous songs. Less with the piano, more with the chunky rhythm section (yeah! great dancing!) and the brass, incl best baritone sax solo ever (well, after Zonky). Why, hello there Mr Henry Red Allen, it's good to see you again. This is something I know bal doods have liked in the past, plus it screams 'lindy HOP MOTHERFUCKERS!' to me.
Then 'Mr Ghost Goes To Town' by the MBRB again. Russ was hanging shit on me for thinking about playing a 2nd song by Fats earlier, so I was all 'HA! I mock your DJing rules!' The hi-fi Mora's Modern Rhythmist version of this song gets played a lot (esp up here), so I played this original, chunkier, aweseomer, faster version. It was familiar for the crowd (so they got up to dance if they hadn't been), it feels a bit slower, but it's actually chunky and driving. I have some reservations about the bunch of solos in the middle, but the sax solo redeems it.
Energy was way up in the room by then, so I went hardcore with the Benny Goodman sextet and 'Seven Come Eleven'. I love this song more than anything. It's a bit too complicated for lindy hop, and doesn't really have that badass, driving energy that makes you swingout. But I figured it's just right for balboa. It went down well. At this point Dave said to me "Hammy! In their face!" because it was so quick. It's not _that_ quick, for baldoods, but it's complicated so it feels like hard work.
Then I played 'Stomp It Off' because I wanted some Lunceford. This is another lighter sounding song, but it's still quite quick, so it doesn't drag. This is one I've played a lot, and tend to play after something very fast because it sounds slower and allows me to keep the tempos up but also keep people dancing. Bal doods like it.
Then I closed with 'Peckin' because it's GREAT and in honour of Ellington's birthday this week. I didn't get to play it directly after 'Truckin', but still, it rocks ("well you talk about the truckin' when the peckin' is (ill?)!" At this point Russ and I were heckling the crowd and demanding pecking. They failed, so we obliged ourselves.
Ah, DJ humour. How sophisticated it is.
This was a really, really fun set to play. I love the bal doods: they eat up the tempos. I get to play the more complicated stuff I tend to leave off for lindy hoppers. They're also interested in the early 30s stuff I really love. This is where my musical passions lie atm. It was a crowded room with lots of crazy dancing. I had an absolute ball.
I did worry that I was playing too much fast stuff, but people told me I wasn't. And reviewing the set, I did vary the tempos more than I thought I did. I think it was lots of fun to DJ because I was actually in the set properly. I worked the tempos in the wave, but I also worked the energy levels in the songs, and this is something I haven't had the brain to do lately. I felt like I did a much better job last night than I have in ages. It was a bit tricky to see the crowd, though (the lights were on over our heads in the DJ booth, but the floor was dark) and sometimes I felt I couldn't quite work the people who were sitting down.
Seeing as how it was MayDay, I was thinking 'fight the power' and 'for the workers!' but I'm not sure how well that came through. But I figure 2 tracks by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band - the hardest working gigging band of the 30s - were a pretty good flag-flyer for that.
And while I didn't get to play 'Shiny Stockings' for Frankie (Russ handled that - phew), I figured he'd have dug a hardcore Savoy set like that. Also, I saw some knickers when the follows were twirling, and I _know_ he'd have liked that.
Then Russ played a fun set that worked a different vibe, which was really nice - I think he did a lot of stuff I didn't in my set, so between us we managed to cover a wide range of styles. Also, I danced TWO SONGS and then danced some solo stuff a bit. I'm paying for it today, but man - those endorphines!
BTW, this is a useful site for info about early jazz. Thing is, it's about the worst, most terribly un-userfriendly site in the universe. This is the problem with a lot of jazznick sites: crappy layout. But if you do manage to navigate it, you'll find some fab pics, info and even sound.
"djing report" was posted by dogpossum on May 2, 2009 1:31 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
April 25, 2009
billie and louis again
In the spirit of my last post, have a listen to this lovely version of 'My Sweet Hunk O'Trash'. It's Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong singing together a couple of years after that film New Orleans was released.
Recording details:
Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday with Sy Oliver's Orchestra: Bernie Privin (trumpet) Louis Armstrong (vcl) Sid Cooper, Johnny Mince (alto sax) Art Drellinger (tenor sax) Pa Nizza (tenor sax, Baritone sax) Billy Kyle (piano) Everett Barksdale (guitar) Joe Benjamin (bass) James Crawford (drums) Billie Holiday (vocal) Sy Oliver (arranger, conductor)
New York, September 30 1949
7543 My sweet hunk o'trash De 24785, DL8701, Br (E)05074, De (F)MU60363, AoH AH64, Br (G)10159LPBM
It's a lovely example of two musicians playing with timing and phrasing. It's a nice song, but it's their delivery, their to-and-fro that makes it nice. The rest of the band isn't terribly interesting; this is a song showcasing the vocals.
I probably wouldn't play this song for dancers. The emphasis on the vocals means that you really have to listen properly to what they're saying and how they're saying it, and that's not really something you can do when you're dancing. It's also really slow, not juicy enough for blues dancing, far too slow for lindy hop. The vocal showcasing means that the rest of the instrumentation is understated. There's not much going on behind Louis and Billie. This can make for fairly dull dancing; when you're dancing, you look for a range of rhythmic and melodic layers. The more aural interest, the more interesting the dancing. Sometimes it's nice to dance simply, but when the tempos are this slow, you're really looking for something more.
Having said that, there are worse songs you could play for dancers.
Btw, if you're as concerned about the racial subtexts at work in New Orleans as I am, check out this article, which goes a little way towards addressing those issues (let's not talk about my desire for 'owning' jazz just yet. This white girl knows she's got some work to do).
I am currently reading my way (very, very slowly) through David Ake's book Jazz Cultures. There's a refreshingly sophisticated approach to race and ethnicity in this book, and though I'm only in the first chapter (I keep stopping to chase and note references), he's already upsetting black/white dichotomies with a discussion of Creole music and culture in New Orleans and complicating issues of whiteness and blackness which are going a long way to reassuring me about jazz studies literature. I don't have much to write about that yet, but I will eventually.
"billie and louis again" was posted by dogpossum on April 25, 2009 7:08 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and research | Comments (2)
April 24, 2009
billie holiday and louis armstrong
This is a nice clip of Louis Armstrong (and amazing band) playing 'Dixie Music Man' from the 1947 film New Orleans.
The woman with the flowers in her hair is Billie Holiday. The band features Kid Ory, Bunny Berigan and Zutty Singleton (with others) - musicians I've been following through a range of bands lately.
This clip was posted by Rayned on faceplant, and it's timely because I'm obsessed by Armstrong and Holiday at the moment. Yesterday I photocopied all the bits of the Discography referring to Holiday. I'm not going to even try that with Armstrong - there's an entire, huge book devoted to his recordings alone.
It's fascinating to follow these guys through different bands. Both were really amazing musicians with a sense of swing that's really incomparable. You can pick Armstrong's trumpet in any recording, no matter how crappy and crackly. and Billie... her later stuff is really tricky to dance to because she's so clever with phrasing and timing. Sometimes she's so way, way back there behind the beat you're sure she's just about to be out of time completely. I like listening to the way she shapes a band when she's singing with them - with live recordings. She can work around a straight, uptight band and make them sound like they're actually hot. Same goes for Louis - these guys have a sense of timing that's impeccable. Like really good comedians.
('Fireworks', Louis Armstrong & His Hot 5 with Earl Hines, Zutty Singleton 1928)
For my money, Armstrong was really rocking with this small groups in the late 20s. This was a collection of great New Orleans jazz musicians, many of whom began with King Oliver, and most of whom moved on to Chicago and then New York (and further afield). I'm a massive fan of Kid Ory, but I'm also digging Zutty Singleton. I'm a bit of a nut for rhythm sections generally (I think it's because I listen to this stuff as a dancer), and Singleton just keeps popping up in the bands I like.
(That pic of the Armstrong Hot Five is from the Louisiana State Museum site, which is just fascinating.)
I was a little sceptical of the claims made about Armstrong's Hot fives and sevens until I actually sat down and listened to them in chronological order - after the stuff he did supporting singers like Bessie Smith (! powerhouse combo, much? An example: St Louis Blues 1925)), after his work with King Oliver. But before his Orchestra stuff of the 1930s (some of which is a bit dodgy, I've found). I'm not really interested in his stuff after the 50s (though I bet I'll change my mind on that too), and I really don't like 'Hello Dolly' and all that vocal rot. I quite like him doing nice, silky groovy duets with Ella Fitzgerald (many of which included Oscar Peterson), but my real interest in his music is in his late 20s and early 30s stuff when you really hear his approach to timing and nuance signaling musical change: the swing era's coming. But nobody else is really there yet.
(That pic of the Hot five to the right is from this interesting blog)
These Hot Five and Seven bands were really one of the the first real opportunities for Armstrong to experiment with music and musicians on his own terms in his own bands. I think the smaller group allows the sort of group or ensemble improvisation that you just can't keep under control with a big band. The best example of this sort of improvisation usually comes in the final chorus when it sounds as though everyone's doing their own thing (because they are), but are still working together, playing within a particular framework. That's the sort of thing I LOVE as a dancer and DJ because it reminds me of lindy hop - improvisation within structure. I love playing this sort of stuff for dancers because the energy suddenly leaps in that final chorus, and you can end a song (or a set) on a high energy point. I especially love Fats Waller for this. He might begin with a quieter song whose clever lyrics make you listen up carefully, but he ends with a loud, raucous shouting chorus that makes you bust out like a fool on the dance floor.
In a smaller group, Armstrong lets the musicians play in their own ways, but still works as the lynchpin in a fairly complicated musical machine. The ensemble improvisation allows each musician to shine with improvisation, but still maintains a sense of group or collaborative wholeness; it's not just random noise. The musicians were all amazing, including Louis Armstrong on trumpet, Lil Hardin (who became Lil Hardin Armstrong) on piano, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Kid Ory on trombone and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo. The band's membership changed a little, and the group also recorded as the Hot Seven (there are a range of other names for similar groupings, including a special Savoy small band). Additional musicians included Kid Ory (cornet), Lonnie johnson (guitar), Earl Hines (piano), Zutty Singleton (drums) and a few different vocalists (May Alix is one who catches my eye because she also did work with Jimmie Noone, who I love). The Hot Fives and Sevens recorded between 1925 and 1928 (you can read more about the Hot 5 here on redhotjazz.com).
Just in case you're wondering where the Billie Holiday talk is...
I really like this recording of 'Fine and Mellow'. The musicians are, of course, amazing. It's from 1957, when Billie was already more than a little trashed by drugs and alcohol. But she really was a phenomenal singer. Even as her voice became more and more ragged, her technique and sense of music were indefatigable. The Decca collection liner notes mention that she was the sort of musician (or artist is the term I think they use) who used one or two takes to record songs. She could simply get it right the first time. As the liner notes say, she had an idea of how she was going to do the song, and then she did it. Holiday didn't have the length of career that Armstrong did (he was recording from 1923 (at least) til 1971), she had only a couple of decades), but her music spread from that hot, swinging jazz moment in the 30s and the pop/ballad/jazz feel of the 50s and 60s.
And of course, I've just written a post which presents the history of 'jazz' in terms of two 'artists'. But I think it's important to note that Armstrong's Hot Five were just that - five (or seven, or six) musicians working together. The collective improvisation is really important, this isn't the showcasing of solos of the swing era. This is a group of people working and listening together to make something together. Holiday's work as a vocalist was primarily as a response to the bands and musicians she was working with. Her close friendship with Lester Young is perhaps the best example. There's plenty of anecdotal (and evidence based) discussion of their musical collaboration as a process of listening to and learning from each other. Young is often quoted as being most inspired by vocalist's technique. Holiday is often referred to as emulating Young's saxophone technique. Their musical relationship was indubitably one of collaboration and mutual inspiration. After all, it's very difficult to be a jazz musician all on your own.
"billie holiday and louis armstrong" was posted by dogpossum on April 24, 2009 10:31 AM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and research | Comments (0)
April 22, 2009
mills blue rhythm band madness
Here is an experiment with embedding media players. The trouble is, very few of these have the music I'm after. But here's a Mills Blue Rhythm Band song, in honour of 'going complete' and posters on SwingDJs' obsession with the band.
E-36992-A Savage Rhythm (Br 6229, 10303, CJM 23, TOM 57, GAPS (Du) 130, Decca GRD2-69 [CD]
Recorded by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band in New York on the 31st July 1931. Musicians included: Buster Bailey (clarinet), Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Henry Red Allen (trumpet), George Washington (trombone, arranger), JC Higginbotham (trombone), Gene Mikell (sop, as, bar, clarinet), Joe Garland (ts, bar, clarinet), Edgar Hayes (piano), Lawrence Lucie (guitar), Elmer James (bass), O'Neil Spencer (drums), George Morton (vocal), Benny Carter (arranger), Lucky Millinder (dir).
Note: Date used here as given in Storyville #108 (Rust listed date as July 30, 1931).
Brunswick 6119, 6229 as 'Mills Blue Rhythm Boys'.
Decca GRD2-629 [CD] titled 'An Anthology of big band swing, 1930-1955'; rest of this 2 CD set by others.
Title also on Hep (E)1015, CD1008 [CD].
Title also on Classics 676 [CD] titled 'Mills Blue Rhythm Band 1931-1932'.
NB: below are some very preliminary thoughts I've had after very little research.
I've been spending an awful lot of time in the library lately. It began with the Con's copy of the Tom Lord Jazz Discography. That's twenty-odd volumes of dry and boring nerdery. According to The Squeeze. For a jazz nerd, that's twenty-odd volumes of orsum. I have spent hours in there already. Days. Doing what? Going through my music, adding in dates, full band names, band personnel, recording locations. Extra, extra nerdy. But also quite interesting.
(that's the Wolverines in the Gennett Records studio from this interesting site)
I've gotten much better at identifying when a song was recorded, and I'm getting to know how a band changed or an artist changed over time. And I'm recognising not-so-big-name band members now, which is fascinating. I'm also beginning to be curious about things like travel. A band might have recorded a song on one day in one city, but another song in another city on the next day. This information alone gives you and idea of just how hard these guys worked - travel, travel, record, record, live show, live show. But when you consider the fact that they usually didn't use planes (in the early days especially) and that segregation meant that these musicians were traveling in pretty shitty conditions...
I'm also interested in the way songs were often recorded only once in a session (or ever) in the early days. No time (or money) for second takes. This makes me think about the mad skills these guys had. Or the cost or difficulty of recording. And all one track as well - everyone just playing along all at once, just recording then and there as the technician heard it.
I've just come across a quite from Mary Lou Williams (from a book called The Jazz Scene: an Informal History From New Orleans to 1990 by W. Royal Stokes, 1991) where she talks about just how poor Andy Kirk's band was in Kansas during the depression. The band simply wasn't getting paid for gigs, so the musicians went days without eating. All that, and they're still producing truly amazing, inspired music. Or perhaps because of that?
Though the discography is just awesome (and I will continue to make return trips as my need for detail increases - at first dates were enough. Now I need everything), I have moved on. I want to know who was where in what years. Why did people leave a city at a certain time? What was the relationship between the northern migration, Jim Crow laws and the development of jazz in Chicago, New York and Kansas? What was New Orleans like, exactly?
(that image above is of Canal St, New Orleans in the 1920s from wikipedia. If you're a big map nerd like me, you'll love this collection of historic maps)
So I've been up the university library looking at books. Now, though, I'm thinking more critical questions. How come all the jazz book are written by men? Even the later ones? And what's the significance of jazz scholarship having its roots in jazz criticism? What role did jazz music clubs (clubs for listeners not musicians) play in the New Orleans 'revival' (I'm wary of that term - my thesis has made me suspect a 'revival' is really another word for white middle class folk appropriating black culture)? What are the effects of researching a music using only recordings? Where ARE all the women in these stories?
I'm also wondering about jazz scholarship itself, in bigger ways. Where is the critical reflection? What are the effects of research so focussed on autobiography? The emphasis on auto- and biography is interesting; it suggests that some musicians were simply so great, so awesome, so influential, they created in a cultural and social vacuum, simply churning out greatness for the rest of the world to admire. But that simply isn't the case, of any art; art is created in cultural and social context. So to divorce a musician from the rest of his life (and it is 'his' - there are no women here) suggests that the rest of this life was unimportant. As I've read recently (and I can't find the ref, sorry), this lack invites an immediate investigation.
One of the things that comes up time and again in the oral histories of the period is that, for musicians, listening to other musicians is as important as playing. Young musicians (no matter how 'gifted') would seek out experienced teachers to learn from. Musicians would spend as much time listening to other bands as playing themselves. There's this great bit in one book (the one I ref'd above) where the musician describes listening to a band at the Savoy: there were as many musicians as dancers there, drooling over the amazing band (Savoy Sultans? I can't remember).
And of course, every great musician needed a band. These early jazz recordings are about the relationships between musicians in the band. They don't - cannot - work alone. In fact, no matter how great one musician, they cannot lift an ordinary arrangement or recording to greatness if the rest of the band isn't there, or if they aren't working with the band. At the end of the day, the goal is to produce a great song, a great bit of music. That is the point of a lot of this stuff: it's about collective improvisation in earlier jazz (where everyone mustwork together - order out of chaos) and about collectivism in the more tightly orchestrated big band swing of the 30s and 40s (where musicians must play together, perfectly, must step in at just the right moment for their solo).
This is of course, all besides the point that being a musician was about earning money to buy food or pay rent. This point makes me think about gender and travel. Linda Dahl (in Stormy Weather: The Music and Lives of a Century of Jazzwomen) makes the point that travel, while so central to the live of post-emancipation black men (who's right to travel had been so viciously curtailed under slavery) was impossible for many black women. Women, as the carers of children and the aged could not uproot and travel with a band or to become a musician:
It was in the years of elation, confusion and turmoil following the Civil War that jazz began to take shape. The war brought an end to slavery and to the isolation it imposed, which had prevented among blacks the free exchange of ideas that fertilizes art. With abolition came mobility, if not equality. Many black men wandered, looking for work or luck or new vistas, and music traveled with them. But black women, history tells us, were more likely to stay put and hunker down for new roots. These were women who, as slaves, had carried double, even triple burdens. Not only did they work in the 'big house' or in the fields - as cottonpickers, eve as logrollers and lumberjacks, - but they of course did their own housework, bore their children and cared for their men. After abolition they were hungry for stable family environments, and it was easier for them to find work as cooks, laundresses or maids than for black men to find employment. Although circumstances dictated that they were often the breadwinners, they deferred to their men, especially in matters political. Above all else they devoted themselves to the hope of better lives for their children. Great were the physical and emotional demands upon them, and most found few opportunities and little time or energy for goals beyond survival (Dahl 1992:4).
For women, cultural and social context was absolutely clear and absolutely present in everything they did. While jazz historians can imagine a Sidney Bechet leaving New Orleans and gadding off to Chicago, New York, Paris, a free agent following his art, it is a little more difficult for them to write the stories of women who played and sang music from the home or the family or their (less romantic) place of work. There are many stories of the 'whore house pianists' but far fewer stories of the whores, who were occasionally musicians in their own rights.
Dahl also makes an interesting point about 'anonymous' music:
And black women certainly contriuted their share to the development of this music [jazz]. During slavery they made up songs that both drew upon and became part of everyday experience. 'Anonymous' was often a slave woman who crooned lullabies to the babies she birthed and the babies she reared, who made up ditties at quilting and husking bees or while she planted in the fields and tended her garden, who created music in her capacity as midwife and healer, at funerals and dances and in church, who developed distinctive vendor calls as she sold her wares. 'Anonymous' invented music to meet the occcasion out of a communal pool of musical-religious traditions. Women and men stripped of their names passed on standards and tribel memory to those who came after (Dahl 1992:4).
That point, of course, leads us to a discussion of black women blues singers in the 20s. But I don't have the time now, and I haven't read the books I have here. But I was very interested in this link between 'jazz history' and race and class and gender. I need more information, though.
This anonymity was the product of domesticity and 'everydayness'; simply made invisible through its very ordinariness and ubiquity. It was not framed or positioned as 'art', and so it was invisible. This reminds me of discussions about vernacular dance. It's only when it takes to the stage (and away from its mutability and use-value in everyday life) that it becomes visible to mainstream or elite audiences. This is perhaps the greatest problem with reading white histories of black music: these observers could only 'see' jazz or black music when it was on a stage, or in a recording, stripped of its everydayness. And these spaces were not accessible for many black women.
Reading jazz as a history made up of one great 'artist' after another is, then, highly problematic. I'm also wondering about the other, dominant approach: reading jazz as a history of a series of cities (New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas, New York). What about the 'territories' of the midwest, a series of smaller towns and cities strung together on the route of itinerant bands which played only to these towns and rarely (if ever) recorded? Perhaps, as the territories suggest, it's more useful to think about these cities as sites in a network of 'jazz place/space'. I want to follow up the idea of travel in early jazz - from the northern migration to individual bands and musicians migrating between cities and countries.
(There are some nice pics in this neat little article about territory bands).
Note: I've just found this interesting interview with Tim Brooks, author of Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1890 - 1919. This book is on my list of 'things to find'. And of course, if you're interested in the early days of the American recording industry, the David Suisman article 'Co-workers in the kingdom of culture: Black Swan Records and the political economy of African American music' is a great resource.
"mills blue rhythm band madness" was posted by dogpossum on April 22, 2009 1:33 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and research | Comments (0)
April 20, 2009
kids' SF films and badass women in jazz
1. ' Journey to the Centre of the Earth' with Brendan Fraser is crap. Despite Fraser trying and trying with a truly crap script.
2. 'City of Ember' was awesome. Really good kids' SF. Avoids the more disturbing subtexts of postapocalyptic stories. Mum gave me the book so I'll read it and see how it compares.
3. It's far too long til 'Night at the Smithsonian' comes out. I was really surprised that I liked the first one, but I think it really snagged my museum curiousity.
4. 'Monsters v Aliens' actually isn't too bad. Not only does it pass the Bechdel Test (JTTCOTE and NATM failed), but it also [SPOILER] presents a woman who decides she doesn't want to be a boring trophy wife. She wants to be a MONSTER! The best bit is where she kicks alien arse without superpowers or size. The next best bit is where Dr Cockroach beats an alien using his PHD IN DANCE. I knew there was a good reason for doing a PhD in dance, and preventing alien invasions is obviously it. [/]
6. Another reason to despise the Ken Burns 'Jazz' doco (or at least the PBS site:
Williams was long regarded as the only significant female musician in jazz, both as an instrumentalist and as a composer, but her achievement is remarkable by any standards.I'm hoping that's a mistype, as, while Williams rocks the kasbah, she certainly WAS NOT the 'only significant female musician in jazz'. In terms of vocalists alone, Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald were really, majorly important as musicians (as well as other things)... heck, I could go on and on and on. And that's even considering the fact that there weren't anywhere near as many women as men in big name bands.
The text is borrowed from the 'New Grove Dictionary of Jazz', so perhaps they're to blame.
7. Why are all the jazz historians blokes? I want to read New Orleans Style and the Writing of American Jazz History might have some tips. I'm interested in the New Orleans 'revival' - the interest in New Orleans jazz (from the 1920s) in (predominantly white) audiences (c 1940s). While the blurb for that book suggests there were male and female writers, I've yet to come across them. I'd be surprised - absolutely stunned - if the authors' gender break down was 50/50 male/female. This of course makes me think about reading the little jazz publications that were flying about in the 20s, 30s and 40s. I'm also thinking about the white appropriation of black music, here. Or at the least, the effects of mainstream media/white culture's interest in African American music in this period. I'm afraid to start on the Australian stuff.
8. Record fairs are interesting. Mostly blokes. And the blokes into the stuff I'm into (if you can find any of that stuff) are freaky. There aren't as many female as male swing DJs (duh - what's new), and I'm guessing the sisters aren't getting into hardcore vinyl either. But I'd love to be wrong.
9. Let's just revisit ae fully sick female pianist: Mary Lou Williams. She was, fully, awesomely sick. Pianist, arranger, badass.
"kids' SF films and badass women in jazz" was posted by dogpossum on April 20, 2009 3:58 PM in the category djing and fillums and music | Comments (2)
April 9, 2009
walking bass lines are reassuring
Listening to HCCT the other night I was struck by a particular song. Or, rather, part of one song. It had people clapping.
It's the walking bass line. People like it. Dancers like it. I've heard hardcore DJs refer to the walking bass line as something for beginner dancers. But I think we all like a walking bass line. Sometimes we just like the simple, bomp-bomp-bomp of a walking bass line telling us exactly where the beat is. Sometimes it's just reassuring to have the rhythm pointed out to us. And sometimes it's a clever point of reference for a more complicated melody. And if you're feeling a bit tired, you can ignore the fancy stuff going on around it, and just step with that walking bass. Walk with it.
The most-used example of a walking bass line is from Nina Simone's version of My Baby Just Cares For Me:
"walking bass lines are reassuring" was posted by dogpossum on April 9, 2009 1:55 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
March 26, 2009
i like pie
Here's a little round up:
Western Swing is ME.
I am currently in love with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. This is in preparation for the Hot Club of Cowtown tour next month. I saw them in the UK (at the Marlborough Jazz Fest) in 2004, and they were freakin' GREAT. The next week I saw Casey McGill's band at a dance camp and they told me that their bass player had absconded for the HCCT. I'm not sure whether that's a tragedy or an awesomey.
Bad foot is still ME.
My foot is still bung. I have been to see a podiatrist to strapped me up. That helped the first time, but not the second time. I am also doing exercises to strengthen the muscles in my calves/shin to help out my plantar fascia (ie so it's not overloaded). I am down to get orthotics next week, but they mightn't work. Basically, these fibroids in my foot are never going to go away and they can't be cut out. So I'm looking at pain management and impact reduction. I danced two half dances on the last weekend and it HURT. The problem is not so much the impact (which hurts and hurts normally), but the fact that there's pivoting and my foot actually twists when we do lots of turns and things. That's where the pain is at. It sucked to find out how much it still hurt, but at least I know where I'm at. Though I think I'd have preferred to continue in blissful (and hopeful) ignorance. If I can't dance again, I'm really not sure what I'm going to do. If it's not lindy hop, it could have been something else - I come from a long line of dancing, lumbering folk, and I can't fight my DNA. Perhaps I'll learn an instrument. Any suggestions? Maybe the drums? Bass? I did a lot of singing at school, but that was a long time ago.
Allergies are GO.
I am having trouble breathing and my ear is all glued up. Again. Still, I've had much less trouble with my health since I moved to Sydney, so I'm certainly not complaining. It is melaluca flowering season, and there goddamn paper barks all over every street in every inner city suburb in Australia, so I need to deal. Won't be long now, though, and I can come off the antihistamines.
Library is MINE.
I have been back to the Con's library this week. It is a joyful place. Though it is full of students, now, and that sucks. They're almost uniformly middle or upper class, supernerds and 70% male. Guess that's what a career in hardcore arty music requires. The jazz section was all dusty when I first got in there. Now it has at least some use. The refec near the library is SHITHOUSE. The actual room is quite nice - it has a lovely little stage (with nice piano), and would be perfect for a dance gig. The acoustics are magical. But the food is inedible. I was reduced to pre-made sandwiches. Most of the students in this (actually quite nice) mini-refec were eating packed lunches. There you go.
emusic is not all mine. Yet.
I am blowing through my emusic downloads ridiculously quickly. Even when I ration them. There're simply not enough.
Quickflix is suspended.
Since we moved to Sydney the DVDs have been slower to arrive, have almost always been terribly scratched, and we never get anything in the top 50 of our list. I have suspended our account until we've decided what to do. We're still on one of their unlimited DVD accounts, but I'm not sure it's worth it, as we only get about 3 a week, which isn't much better than getting 12 a month max, is it? The video shop here is pretty good, so we might just go old school. Though using a video shop means I have no natural limit on my DVD viewing.
Dr Who and Farscape rule my world.
Screw BSG with its upsetting gender politics and ridiculously FAILED science. I am all about rebooted Dr Who and Farscape. I didn't dig either the first time I saw them, and never really got past the first couple of episodes. Now I love them. Farscape passes the Bechdel Test. Dr Who does not. Rose + her mum. Talking about the Doctor. Though every now and then Rose gets to discuss a drama with another female character, there's not much woman-to-woman action. I think it's partly to do with the newer format - story arcs only last an episode, rather than a week's worth of episodes. There's not as much character development. And a bit too much kissing. I like Eccleston, but I'm not struck on Tennant. His bottom jaw sticks out too far. I liked Eccleston's big nose and ears a whole lot. And was the Doctor always this manic? I'll have to rewatch some old ones (I liked brown, curly haired, long-scarf, jelly baby Doctor best).
I am a crocheting demon.
I should post some pictures to prove it. But I love complicated afghan patterns, and have been compulsively crocheting as I watch my way through the Commonwealth's greatest contributions to popular culture. We went to Spotlight in Bondi Junction the other weekend so I could stock up on yarn. That joint was totally trashed on Saturday afternoon. I need another supplier; perhaps I could order online in bulk? The poor Squeeze is buried in gorgeously three dimensional flowers, in various combinations, so perhaps it's time to stop.
...
No.
I am bike YAY!
Yesterday we rode down the Cook's River after work for a quick ride. It was overcast, humid and coming up a storm. It was great. The sun set over the river, we saw wildlife, we dodged nonnas out walking and talking and planned a longer down-stream walk for a future date. This river goes to Botany Bay, you know.
I am still dealing with the fact that we live in Sydney.
I'm surprised by the historical weight I'm carrying in Sydney. It's like all these suburbs and places are full of all the post-Invasion history of this country. Every bit of history I remember has something to do with Sydney. And most of it is narrated by songs from the Peter Coomb's song book which delighted so many good little Australians in the 1980s.
Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-attidy,
Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-ay,
Singing too-ra-li-oo-ra-li-attidy,
And we're bound for Botany Bay.
I'm sure that that song has celtic roots as well. One of the strangest moments of my post-MA European travel was being shut in at a Cornish pub where a heap of drunken ... Corns? Cornishpeople? sang one of those sorts of 'traditional Australian songs'. But with celtic names. My Irish grandfather used to sing The Wild Colonial Boy. So even though I'm caught up in all this Australian music, it's just as Irish as the American folk music I dig.
I did arrive in Australia in 1982, straight into rural Wagga Wagga, so moving to New South Wales is far more familiar than moving to Melbourne did in 2001. The humidity is lovely. It's not as heinous as Brisbane's, but it's nicer and wetter than Melbourne. And my skin loves it. The Squeeze declared last night, as we rode up the hill towards the lightning and iron-grey sky: "Moving here was the best thing we've done!" He's delighted by the tropical storms. So am I - I've missed them. There's something wonderful about a good, heavy-like-a-hot-shower rainstorm, complete with lighting and crashing thunder. Far, far better than drizzly, wingey bastard Melbourne weather. Even if it didn't rain, it'd be cloudy and overcast forever. I don't miss that shit. Though I'm thinking the Victorians are.
Dollhouse sucks arse, Pushing Daisies is delightful.
That's it in a nutshell, really. I'm not impressed by DH.
1. The FBI/BSG guy is a crap actor. He's so crap I can hardly watch him on screen. That scene in the last episode where he and the 'dead wife' DH client chatted in the kitchen? It was so, so, so bad. I groaned. I gnashed my teeth.
2. The opening credits are incredibly, crappily bullshit.
3. I'm still not entirely sure about the gender stuff. There's an awful lot of talk about the women 'dolls' as sexualised bodies. And though there're references to their missions which don't involve sex, we spend a lot of time looking at them having sex or wearing very high heels or tight, booby shirts, or generally packing a whole lot of very conventional, bullshit femininity. It's a bit too Alias for me, but with less self-determination on their part. I had hoped there'd be a clever twist to undo some of this, but I'm beginning to lose hope. Joss Whedon is hyped, but, really, Buffy was his pinacle. I didn't mind Serenity (look, I'm losing the italics, ok?), but it wasn't great. The film wasn't great cinema. The series wasn't that good - a little too heavy on the patriarchal family structure for my liking. Yes, I get the whole male captain/father parallel, and that Mal might perhaps have been overcompensating for his wartime mistakes with other people's lives, but still... Actually, it takes Buffy an awful long time to lose her patriarch. I've rewatched a bit of season 5 lately, and she's STILL got Giles there, Watchering. So perhaps Buffy isn't so great either... God, if this is the best we can do, this string of compromises.
Anyways, I'm not impressed by DH
4. Did I mention the terrible acting by FBI guy?
Pushing Daisies, though, is wonderful.
It's charming. It's clever. It's lovely to look at. Its visual style has a lot in common with Tim Burton's brighter, more colourful stuff. It's a bit surreal and hyper-colour, but not dark like Burton. Well, except for the premise of the series: the pie maker protagonist can bring dead things back to life. For a minute. If he touches them within that minute, they go back to being dead. If he doesn't, they stay alive and something has to replace them in the deadness. The point of the series: Emerson Cod (finally, a show with a not-white central character!), a private detective, works with the Pie Maker to solve murders. For profit. Pie Maker brings his childhood sweetheart, Chuck, back to life in one of the earliest eps, so they can't touch. They love each other. The other main character is Olive, who, by the end of season two, is the very best character.
Why do I like this program?
1. The hyper-colour, phantastical mise en scene.
2. Passes Bechdel Test.
3. Olive. With her pet pig Pigby.
4. The male protagonist is a pie maker. There's a lot of talk about food and baking pies and comfort food. It's very lush. Here, have a look.
5. The singing scenes. Olive sings a couple of songs. One of which is 'Eternal Flame'. Yes, a Bangles singing scene. The other is 'Hopelessly Devoted to You'. It's wonderful.
Also, there's singing.
6. Chuck's spinster aunts (who raised her) are cheese fans and also used to be synchronised swimming super stars: Darling Mermaid Darlings. One has an eye patch.
7. Most of all, I love the dialogue. It's very, very wordy. Lots of fast talking. But it's all puns and onomatapeia (sp?) and all those other lovely wordnerd things. It looks good, it sounds good, and it's funny. It makes me giggle.
8. It's not horrid. There are some pretty gross deaths, but it's not upsetting. Most of the programs I like these days are horribly dark. But Pushing Daisies is not. It's lovely. The Pie Maker and Chuck love each other. Olive is tiny and super tough and awesome. She can bake pies or solve crimes. She's great.
9. I watch it before bed, when I'm tired, and it helps me get to sleep. It's nice.
The only thing I don't like about it is that it was cancelled before the end of its second season. Apparently they're screening the finale in the US in their summer, so at least we'll get that degree of closure. But still. It's really great telly. Here's the first bit to prove it:
"i like pie" was posted by dogpossum on March 26, 2009 10:05 PM in the category bikes and crafty bastard and digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and sydney and television | Comments (0)
March 21, 2009
djing bal for the first time
So I DJed for balboa dancers for the first time on Thursday night. It was really interesting. I really liked the crowd, and I really enjoyed figuring out what might work with bal dancers. I don't dance bal (well, if I'm led, but not by preferences), so it was kind of challenging.
I'm a bit tired now, so I can't say much, but here's the set I played.
Some songs worked (Jive at Five, plus the other bal faves), some didn't. I misjudged a couple of times and played songs that made people want to lindy. Which can't be too bad a thing, huh? ;D
One of the nice things about this set (and preparing for it), was being able to use a wider section of my music collection. The tempos are quite high - 160bpm is the base. I've been playing for lindy hoppers at an average of about 140bpm these days, and I'd like to take that higher. Sydney lindy hoppers seem less interested in higher tempos. Or I could simply be reading them wrong (which is entirely likely). With lindy hop, I often feel that I need to build the energy in the room before I raise the tempos. Most of the events I've been DJing have been smaller or less intense social events, so the energy level doesn't quite get up there to critical mass.
Balboa, though, is a different animal. What does it look like? Well, it looks like this:
(Kelly and Mickey, ABW 1st place 2008)
This clip is interesting for the fact that it really emphasises the style and 'feel' of many balboa dancers, in contrast to lindy. It's a 'tighty whitey' dance (as I've heard it described by bal dancers): white kids dancin' white. The couple spend more time in closed position. It's really amazing stuff - intricate footwork, a real 'dancer's dance'. I like this couple - it's pretty good stuff. I just find them a little... cloying. And straight. Watch them dancing lindy hop here for some contrast. Bal gives you some sweet-as weight commitment, which really helps your lindy.
I like to watch bal, I quite like dancing it, but it doesn't set me on fire the way lindy does. Lindy makes me feel crazy. Bal makes me feel a little... constrained. I also have some trouble with the fact that the follow really has to _follow_, and the trend seems to be for follows to dance a little more passively than in lindy hop. This, of course, is not always the case. But this is what I see most frequently. Probably because I simply don't get to too many bal gigs. Can you see why it's not really my type of dance?
While I'm talkin' gender, I think it's worth checking out Kate Hedin. Notice anything different about her body shape?
I think it's worth pausing here for a little Sylvia Sykes time:
(linky)
Sylvia was one of the earliest revivalist lindy hoppers. She's also one badass follow. She's older than the other flibberyjibbets getting around, she's phenomenal, technically, and she has the sort of confidence and presence that makes you think 'why aren't there more of the sisters getting this sort of recognition?' She is one of the few female teachers who's billed 'with partner' (though, btw, Nick is top shelf (young man) bal lead action).
From watching just those clips, you can see how bal is quite a different dance to lindy hop. It's amazing to watch - like really fast, really sophisticated knitting. I'm just not... all that into it. I definitely prefer to lead it rather than follow it - boooring. Leading is technically challenge, intellectually exciting and physically a lot less demanding than lindy.
This is one last example, for the sake of illustrating the range of styles and approaches to balboa:
(linky)
That's Mia and Todd. Todd is better known for his lindy hop. Mia is badass bal Sistah, who usually dances and teaches with Peter Loggins.
I quite like this clip for the way we see Todd's phenomenal musicality demonstrated. But it's less pleasing as an example of this couple's communication. Todd is very much an 'in control lead' - Mia is _following_. Sometimes he doesn't quite give her time to finish what she's doing - we feel as though he's cutting her off before she finishes her sentence. There are some points, where they're out at maximum extension (holding just one hand in open) that I think 'eeek' - it goes beyond rubber band and out to too-far, too-extended. It takes a badass follow to make that sort of waaay out there extension work. Which is what Mia is. But Todd's bal has an energy that I really like. I like the bounce, I like the flamboyance. But it's probably a little further from hardcore balboa and a little closer to lindy hop.
FYI 'pure bal' is danced all in closed position. Not so much of a spectator sport, unless you're into really hardcore technically precise, close dancing. Which I am. At times.
So you can see what bal's about, a bit, from those clips. The music is high energy, but it feels as though balboa dancers (with their small, precise steps and footwork) have a greater capacity or - or at least interest in and emphasis on - music which is technically precise and 'smaller', more intricate. With bal dancers, I feel as though I don't need to get the energy really high before I get the tempos high. Bal dancers are generally comfortable at at range of tempos, though most bal dancers dance to higher tempos (this is a local trend rather than an historical 'accuracy'). Technically, they do the things lindy hoppers should: small steps, clear weight transfers, traveling less at higher tempos. But they can also add in lots of intricate, time-consuming stuff that most lindy hoppers just don't have the time or skill to do at higher tempos. Also, because the follow isn't traveling as much on her own (as in lindy), there's less pressure on her at higher tempos.
DJing for this crowd last week, a friend made this interesting comment: music for bal is 'less in the pocket' (or 'not as deeply in the pocket' - I can't remember the exact line). This means, basically, that the music doesn't 'swing' as much - it doesn't feel as though the musicians are as far behind the beat. This gives it a great 'uppy downy' feel (now I need Trev to chime in with the bit about forward/horizontal propulsion and vertical propulsion in swing being closer to equal). To me, this screams 'lindy hop!'. But to a crowd brought up dancing to super groove (which tends to be super in the pocket), this isn't the case. Peter mentioned a while back that 'if it feels good to lindy to, it'll feel even better to bal to'. But it's not as simple as just playing stuff that 'makes me feel like lindy hopping.' At least not for this crowd.
There were a couple of songs which didn't work for this crowd (who were relatively flexible) - 'Main Stem' and 'Who Stole the Lock' were two of them (both of which are, coincidentally, songs Todd and Naomi have danced to in quite well-circulated clips). They felt 'too lindy'. 'Jive at Five' went down a treat, but this is a song I think of as _quintessentially_ lindy hop. Same goes for 'Stomp it Off' (though I have played this for both lindy hoppers and balboans and had good responses from both). Fats Waller also went down a treat, and he's my go-to man for lindy hop. That song 'Twenty Four Robbers' is drilled into my brain as 'that Frida and Skye song', so I associate it with skankin'ly badass lindy. In summary, the songs that I think of as 'tinkly' or 'light' or 'cheery' work well for balboa dancers in this town. Goodman and Ellington small group stuff goes down a treat. Olden days early 30s/late 20s works well for them as well, but not all the time.
I'm looking forward to more experimenting on those poor balboa doods. :D
Also, this was the first time I've ridden to a dance gig since moving to Sydney. I have MISSED it!
Rag Mop Bob Crosby and the Bobcats 164 1950 Bob Crosby and the Bobcats: The Complete Standard Transcript 2:15
Call Me A Taxi Four Of The Bob Cats 175 1938 All Star Jazz Quartets (disc 2) 3:13
Mr. Ghost Goes To Town Mills Blue Rhythm Band 192 1936 Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 3:24
Jive At Five Count Basie and his Orchestra 174 1939 The Complete Decca Recordings (disc 03) 2:51
C-Jam Blues Duke Ellington and his Orchestra 180 1942 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 13) 2:39
Tar Paper Stomp Mora's Modern Rhythmists 174 2000 Call Of The Freaks 3:32
Whoa Babe Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra with Lionel Hampton, vocal 201 1937 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 1) 2:53
Stomp It Off Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 190 1934 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 3:09
Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, Part 1 Benny Goodman Quartet with Martha Tilton 176 1937 RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (Disc 2) 3:27
Chris And His Gang The Cairo Club Orchestra 180 2004 Sunday 2:40
Minor Swing Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five 202 2003 Jammin' the Blues 3:24
Jungle Nights In Harlem Charlestown Chasers 213 1995 Pleasure Mad 2:49
Swingin' On That Famous Door Delta Four 190 1935 All Star Jazz Quartets (disc 2) 3:00
Stompin' At The Savoy [take 1] Benny Goodman Quartet 166 1936 RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (Disc 2) 3:19
Twenty Four Robbers Fats Waller and his Rhythm 196 1941 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2) 2:43
Who Stole The Lock (On The Henhouse Door) Jack Bland and his Rhythmakers with Henry 'Red' Allen 243 1932 I Was Born To Swing 2:40
All The Cats Join In Benny Goodman 176 All the Cats Join In 4:23
Main Stem Duke Ellington and his Orchestra 207 1942 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 13) 2:50
Hittin' The Bottle Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 211 1935 Rhythm Is Our Business 2:57
"djing bal for the first time" was posted by dogpossum on March 21, 2009 2:54 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
March 9, 2009
recent djing
I've been doing quite a bit of DJing in Sydney, more than I did in Melbourne. I quite like it - I need the money for CDs (or downloads), I like keeping my hand in, DJing-wise, and DJing gets me out to see dancing people while I'm injured and not dancing.
I can't say the actual DJing has been awesome. This is partly to do with my own less-than-awesomeness, but also to do with my adjustment to a scene which doesn't have the sort of crowded, hard core dancing I'd DJ for in Melbourne. Sydney actually has more social dancing nights than Melbourne, it's just that this greater number of (diverse) gigs means that the dancers are spread across more events, leaving you with fewer people at individual events. There are also the usual issues RE teachers and troupe dancers - they don't go social dancing as much.
I suppose (though it's impossible to generalise) that the usual factors contribute: these guys are already dancing three nights a week and not interested in another social dancing; they value performing and teaching over social dancing; they're involved in tight knit social groups which make them reluctant to explore social events without their homeys. What this means for me as a DJ, is that there are fewer of these more experienced, hard core dancers out social dancing when I'm DJing. Which means that you're left with a crowd who have less dancing stamina, less experience with more complex rhythms and patterns, and less interest in hard core dancing. This isn't an entirely bad thing - I've always liked DJing for new dancers, if only because they haven't developed a rigid set of dance and music preferences - they're just in it for the fun. But it does mean that I have to take more care with the tempos and song selections. But I'm not complaining - I am still enjoying DJing. And there are still quite a few experienced dancers out there on the floor - the types of people who aren't interested in the teaching and performing, but are interested in gettin' jiggy on the dance floor.
I DJ one night at a pub which is heaps of fun. Pub or bar gigs are always good, as there's alcohol involved, and that usually loosens the dancers up a bit. But at this gig there's a larger number of older dancers who don't really have the dance fitness required for hard core lindy hop. When I say older, I'm talking people in their mid to late 40s and higher. I know, it's not actually 'older' at all, but once you get over 20, if you're not actually dance-fit, lindy hop is really challenging, especially at higher tempos. As Frankie Manning says, "Get in shape to do lindy hop, don't do lindy hop to get in shape." I also find that this crowd has more interest in talking and socialising than dancing; they tend to do things like dance two songs in a row then stand on the dance floor talking rather than moving off the floor. This discourages other people from dancing, and means that I'm left with an empty floor for a song. So I have to 'start from scratch' with the next song. They do this regardless of the type of song I'm playing in that third spot. They just want to talk.
As you might expect, this makes this gig the most interesting and welcoming, socially speaking. As new folks in town, we've always preferred this gig, just for hanging out and meeting people. But it's a very difficult crowd to DJ for. There's also a large number of rock and roll dancers there, and these tend to be the older dancers. Who really aren't into old school swinging jazz. And seeing as how that's where my DJing preferences lie - right back there in the 30s, well before the shuffle rhythms and un-swingness of rock and roll. And I've even been easing off the jump blues lately, so I'm not really offering much to this particular crowd.
I have played some really bad gigs at this venue. But I have also done some good sets. Last gig I did there the sound set up was seriously fucked, so I had trouble getting anything to sound ok, let alone being able to concentrate on the combination of songs. But I have, finally, figured out that a combination of tempos and eras works with this crowd: old school for the lindy hoppers, 50s jump blues and later swing for the rock and rollers. I refuse to play rock and roll (mostly because I don't own any and don't really want to buy any), but I will play 50s Basie, Witherspoon, etc, leaning on their later, less-swingy, more-jumpier stuff. It's not ideal, and I really hate seeing what it does to people's lindy hop, but I do breathe a sigh of relief when the floor fills up again.
To make it work at this gig, I need a mix of dancers - I need younger, hard core lindy hoppers. I need the drinking, less-dancing rock and rollers for the social, party vibe. I simply don't have the skills to work this crowd as-is. I find it frustrating. And while I'd usually muddle through for a paid gig, I do this one pro bono for mates, so I'm a little less happy about the deal. It's mostly that I'm frustrated with myself for not being able to make it work. And I'm frustrated because I can't play the sort of music I really love, all the time. I do get to play it, just not in a big, solid block. And I certainly don't get to experiment with even early (ie late 20s) stuff or with things like recretionist New Orleans doods like later Bechet - that stuff goes down like a ton of bricks with this crowd. The problem is really that they simply don't have the musical experience that I need to be able to play a really diverse set. But then, these sets remind me that that stuff (the 20s and NO revivalist) isn't that great for lindy hop - it doesn't quite swing properly, it often doesn't have the right 'feel'. Frankie wouldn't like it.
So I don't think of this gig as a 'crap gig'. I think of it as the most challenging gig on the calendar, and I'm stretched to make it a successful one. I'm not quite there, yet.
Beyond this one, I also play a blues night. It's once a month, and the only blues night on the calendar. It's pretty well attended, but the venue is a little big for blues dancing, so you don't get the right vibe in the room. Blues really needs a crowded, smaller room that feels like a crowded bar. Well, that's what I like for blues - I like to play a rollicking, rolling blues room where people are shouting and sweating and partying hard. Lots of energy and fun. I'm not interested in playing cuddle-blues gigs at all. Boooooring. But this set isn't too bad a gig. The dancers are new and enthusiastic, and blues is simple enough (because it's slower and it's taught in a simpler format), easier than lindy hop, so dancers feel more confident. I don't have a very big collection of music for blues dancing, so I'm not actually all that specialised - I tend to play across styles. Though I avoid soul and funk (because that's not blues, and because there are specialist soul and funk DJs in the broader music community who use original vinyl and make swing/blues DJs look like lame amateurs), I don't lean as heavily on olden days stuff as I do for lindy. This means I have a better chance of pleasing more people. Or rather, I have a better chance of pleasing them with less effort. When you're playing old school, I think you have to work harder to draw people in. With a mixed set, you eventually find something someone likes, even if it's just the right 'style' for their tastes. This is how I started DJing lindy hop. I think it can be the mark of a newer DJ, but I also know experienced, truly top notch DJs who play fabulous mixed sets. It's just that DJs often specialise after a few years as their own musical interests follow particular trails and historical periods or particular artists.
As a dancer, I like both types of DJs. Though I loathe a DJ who changes gears without the clutch: smooth transitions are essential for making this work.
But I like the blues sets. The crowd is enthusiastic and supportive, the set up of the room lets them get physically close enough to talk to me (and let me know whether they like what I'm playing), they like looking over my shoulder from the raised mezzanine behind me to see how I'm DJing (blokes like this especially - they like seeing the technical side of DJing), and like hearing their responses to my music and knowing whether I'm doing what they're interested in. I would like to use a smaller room, but I'm not going to bitch about that when the crowd is so enthusiastic and welcoming. It's also in a bar, and bar + blues = good news for the DJ.
I also play a couple of other lindy gigs. One is a twice-per-month larger event in a church hall, another is a fortnightly, smaller event in a smaller bar venue. The larger one is tricky. The sound set up isn't adequate for the large, echoey, high-ceilinged church hall. It's a large space, and not particularly 'nice'. It's fine once the lighting's fixed, or if there's a large crowd. But otherwise, it's fairly 'church hally'. There's no bar, either, which is bad news at this event, which is already in pretty dire need of some loosening up. One of those two monthly gigs is also explicitly marketed as a 'beginners' night'. This is a mistake, I think. It means that anyone who doesn't think of themselves as 'beginner' doesn't turn up. And of course, with dancers being as status conscious as they are, we see no troupe members or teachers of any type at these 'beginner' nights. Ordinarily, this wouldn't worry me - I quite like a packed room of beginner dancers high on their own endorphines, discovering the headiness of physical contact with strangers. But this gig doesn't pull a large crowd at all, and it'll have to pull a massive crowd to fill that hall. So it ends up kind of quiet and empty. Tricky stuff. I'm not all that good at working smaller crowds (though I am improving), so this night is really challenging for me.
The last social dancing night is fast becoming my favourite. The venue is the same as for the blues night, but it works better for lindy hop. It has a good set up, with the sound desk facing the speakers rather than being behind them (it makes me crazy that lindy hoppers can't seem to grasp the fact that sitting behind the speakers sucks for DJing - I want them on the opposite wall so I can hear what's going down!). The venue is the right size for the crowd. I can get there easily on the bus, or catch a train (rather than only having the train option for the church gig - which requires my walking to the station, which hurts my foot a lot). The sound set up is generally pretty good (not perfect, but the best in this town). There's also a bar! I found this crowd tricky at first as it's a mid-week, mellower gig. But I've gradually figured out that that does not mean that I should only play low-energy music. I need to mix it up and work the energy just as I would with any other gig. But because the crowd is smaller, it requires a little more work.
In general, this town dances to very, very, very low tempos. We're talking between about 110bpm and about 150bpm. That's super, super low. When we get to 155bpm, they switch to balboa. There are a number of reasons for this. 1) the DJs play a lot of groove, which is often lower in energy - the uppy-downy bounce of the big band is smoothed out by super-behind-the-beat smaller bands. 2) the DJs play the same music every set - they don't have large enough collections to really push their DJing, and encourage them to explore new music. 3) the DJs tend to all play the same songs. This could be a result of music sharing or simply sharing similar tastes. 4) the transitions between tempos isn't terribly smooth - there are often blocks of faster music for 'balboa', moving straight back down again to 110. So we hear 110, 120, then suddenly a few at 200, then down again to 110. And of course, everyone sits down at those 'balboa' tempos, unless they do dance balboa. I do like balboa, but it's not as exciting to watch at 200 as badass lindy.
My comfort zone for dancing lindy hop is about 140-200bpm. I am comfortable at 180, start to work at 200, then am challenged above 200. Well, when I'm dance-fit and not injured. But I have been dancing for a while. Though I'm certainly not a badass lindy hopper or competitor extrovert; I'm actually pretty conservative. In the olden days (ie at the Savoy in the 30s), 180 was average. At Herrang the DJs aren't to play under 160bpm. This is quite fast - most contemporary 'disco' music is about 120 bpm.
These higher tempos are very challenging if you're very tight in your upper body, or if you don't do triple steps or simply don't have very solid technique. Smaller steps, stay relaxed, do your triple steps (because followers need them to travel!) - all that helps you lindy at higher tempos. But these are often things that are neglected in class. And many dancers don't hear older music (which tends to be faster) in class, so they're not used to the structures of the music. They want to do their smaller, subtler body movements, when big band 30s action and faster music want you to do larger movements (as in, swing outs rather than body rolls), and to think of musicality in terms of combinations of these larger moves, thinking of the music in terms of phrases, rather than thinking of musicality in terms of responding to each individual note or sound. But if the moves you're taught in class are about smaller, finer movements, you're going to be kind of at a loss when you hit the social dance floor and hear faster, older music.
At any rate, when I started DJing in Sydney, I came in swinging, just as I would have in Melbourne, starting at about 130bpm. There isn't terribly far to go from 130 to 150bpm. I am finding that the dancers are stretching a bit, but things are still pretty slow, generally. I used to play much faster gigs at the mostly-beginner Funpit in Melbourne. But I try to 'begin as I mean to go on' - so if I don't want to sit on 110 all night, I need to start higher. I like 130 as a beginning tempo, though I'd really prefer to start on 140 and not drop below that. I won't start on 120 any more - it's just too freakin' slow. As you can see in the set list below, I started at 140 and was actually doing relatively higher tempos at first. This was in part because the music in the class was higher than usual (they were doing charleston).
The preponderance of balboa is both a blessing and a challenge. On the one hand, balboa lets dancers get used to dancing to faster music (they're really not much beyond 200 for faster music here), but on the other, it means that they default to balboa as soon as they hear slightly higher tempos. And balboa is less physically exhausting than lindy at these higher tempos, so they don't work up that dance fitness that you need for faster music. I'm not disparaging balboa here - it's a craft. It's a challenging dance. It's an awesome dance. But the movements are smaller. Though I do like what balboa has taught a lot of Melbourne dancers - bounce (or pulse as they call it). Smaller steps. Leading 'with the body' - by moving their body to move their follower's body (rather than using their arms to move a follower). A more relaxed upper body, especially at higher tempos. All this is fabulous for lindy too. I also have some frustrations with the type of music Sydney people hear as 'balboa music'. Someone's obviously been teaching a lot with Mora's Modern Rhythmists, Campus Five and Sydney Bechet. They hear revivalist New Orleans as 'balboa music'. This drives me nuts when I'm trying to play this stuff for lindy hoppers; the lindy hoppers sit down, the balboa dancers get up. From what I can learn, balboa dancers in the olden days were into the same types of music as lindy hoppers. So there was a lot of big band action in ballrooms. I can't really see them getting into revivalist New Orleans action... but I could be wrong. Either way, it niggles me to see balboa dancers hear one type of music as 'balboa music', especially within the broader swinging jazz family: that's way to rigid a definition, even for a purist like myself.
But this will change as balboa dancers travel more and get more experience with a wider range of music. It'll also help the lindy hoppers to travel a bit more too.
For me, DJing, I have to take the long term view. I can't just jump in and play with an agenda and expect them to DANCE. I have to gradually add stuff in and move the general vibe of my set in a particular direction. As a new DJ in town, all my music is 'new' to them - they haven't heard me overplaying my favourites for the past few years. So I do have some liberties. But it's also been important to find out exactly what they're dancing to otherwise. Basic research tool? My getting out there and dancing. So you can see how my DJing might have lagged a bit since I've been off the floor. At any rate, because I'm DJing so much, I can start adding in 'new' songs, while also building up a body of music which is 'familiar'. While I type this, part of me is shouting, "Hey! Arrogant, much?" I'm not sure I actually have a solid grasp of what dancers are into in Sydney - I can't see them when they're sitting down behind me. I'm not getting out to social dance and hear and see what they're dancing to in other DJs' sets. And I'm not in class, hearing the teachers' music. So I'm not entirely sure my instincts are tuned in properly. It's all a bit frustrating, and I do worry that the longer I'm out of dancing, the more my DJing will decline. I've seen it in other DJs: if you don't dance, your DJing inevitably declines as you get disconnected from what actually feels good for dancing. It's a struggle if you're generally someone who only dances within one particular style or one particular tempo range, but it's impossible to stay on top of things if you're neveR dancing to anything.
In that vein, I'll be doing my first set for balboa dancers next week. I've tried to score a balboa set in the past in Melbourne, but have been knocked back a few times. This could be because I suck, because I'm not a hardcore balboa dancer, or because I'm just not in the loop. But we'll see how I go. I'm looking forward to it - I think I'm going to learn a lot. I'm putting together a list of 'maybe' songs (as I usually do before a gig), and I'm looking forward to playing a wider range of tempos. I have a lot of faster stuff that I rarely, if ever, get to play for dancers. Thing is, I have absolutely no idea what these guys play at a regular balboa night, so I'm not going to have any idea what their 'normal' music is like. I will make it clear to the dancers on the night that I have no experience, and that I'd like feedback. The organisers also know I haven't done this before, so they're going to be ready with suggestions (hopefully). It's not a paid gig, either, which is good... although it's not, really. I'm going to enjoy it, I think. Once I stop being nervous.
Anyways, here's the set I did last week at the fortnightly gig in the smaller blues/bar venue. It's a 'lindy hop' set. The tempos are higher than I usually hear at that venue. At one point a guy asked "can you play something slower?" This was while I was playing 'Chimes at the Meeting' which is 245bpm, so I was "of course - I was just about to drop the tempos a lot. This next block will be much slower." And it was. I'm kind of working the wave here, but I think that these days I'm focussing a bit too much on the transitions between musical styles, and not enough on the tempos. It's almost as though I've lost touch with how dancing to four songs at 150 in a row can feel (bit boring, mostly). I think this is a consequence of my not dancing these days. But it's also a consequence of my DJing for people who like a wider range of tempos. If you're happy at 180bpm, three songs at 150 are a 'rest'. But if 160 is your max, then three 150 songs is a real stretch. Sigh. These are the little things that I'm worried about, as a DJ. And I do wonder if I'll be able to continue DJing if my foot never recovers (which the specialist says is a real possibility - though I'm going to address that again at our appointment this week). Three months off dancing already, and I'm having trouble with the thought of no more dancing ever.
If you've ever seen any of my other sets or heard me DJ, you can see from the set below that I didn't play terribly much new or challenging stuff. An awful lot of old favourites, stuff I overplay. There are a few new things that I've bought from emusic or on CD lately (mostly emusic, though - hence the incomplete details). That Bob Crosby song 'Rag Mop' is fully sick. I love that MBRB version of 'Mr Ghost Goes To Town' - I will never play the Campus 5/MMR version (which does it?) again. MBR's version just has more pep and zing to it. It's also a little faster (maybe 10 or 20bpm - enough to spice it up a little). The musicianship is certainly far better. There was a birthday/farewell dance at 'Jersey Bounce', hence the sudden style change. After that, I suddenly had the urge to go all groovy and hi-fi. I really like that Ernestine Anderson album atm, even though Gene Harris is involved. That version is way better than the live one we hear a lot. Then I decided I was over this slumpy, low energy groovy stuff (it was also making people sit down rather than jump about like fools). So I played 'Smooth Sailing' because everyone knows it, and because I like to pair it with 'Lemonade'. Note the tempos there - boooringly 110 or so. The dead zone. So we went up a bit with the Jay McShann one. That song 'Blue Monday' is on my overplayed list, but it has lots of shouty energy. From there I did drop down with the Basie, but it's another high energy, live song that's good for building a sleepy room. The inclusion of CJam Blues there should let you know just how badly I was leaning on the overplayed list. That song is overplayed everywhere in the lindy hopping universe. The last two songs were requests. Then I had to RUN for my bus.
While I am leaning on the overplayed stuff, I'm not sure if it is actually overplayed here in Sydney. Many of these songs I know I've played a lot and still do play a lot. I try to avoid them at exchanges, as people are at exchanges to be challenged and to experience something new and exciting. But at a smaller gig like this, familiar stuff is often welcome, and it's hard to resist the way people respond to something they know, especially if they're finding the other stuff a bit challenging or unfamiliar. I do tend to DJ lazy and lean on the familiar, and I will try to fix that up. Thing is, some of these songs I know I'm the only one playing, so I never get to dance to them, so they don't feel overplayed to me - I know them well, but I don't know them well with my body.
Any how, here's the set. name, artist, bpm, year, album, length, last played (the last played will vary - I did the set on the 4th, starting at 9pm, so ignore the last played times/dates on the ones I've listened to since).
Massachusetts Maxine Sullivan 147 1956 A Tribute To Andy Razaf 3:19 4/03/09 8:58 PM
My Baby Just Cares For Me Nina Simone 120 The Great Nina Simone 3:38 4/03/09 9:02 PM
Bli-Blip Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five 140 2007 Moppin' And Boppin' 2:44 4/03/09 9:05 PM
Rag Mop Bob Crosby and the Bobcats 164 1950 Bob Crosby and the Bobcats: The Complete Standard Transcript 2:15 4/03/09 9:07 PM
Savoy Blues Kid Ory 134 1945 Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3 3:01 4/03/09 9:10 PM
Ain't Nothin' To It Fats Waller and his Rhythm 134 1941 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2) 3:10 4/03/09 9:13 PM
Summit Ridge Drive Artie Shaw and his Gramercy Five 128 1940 Self Portrait (Disc 2) 3:21 4/03/09 9:17 PM
A Viper's Moan Willie Bryant and his Orchestra with Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole 153 1935 Willie Bryant 1935-1936 3:26 4/03/09 9:20 PM
Mr. Ghost Goes To Town Mills Blue Rhythm Band 192 1936 Mills Blue Rhythm Band: 1933-1936 3:24 4/03/09 9:23 PM
Solid as a Rock Count Basie and his Orchestra with The Deep River Boys 140 1950 Count Basie and His Orchestra 1950-1951 3:04 4/03/09 9:26 PM
Joog, Joog Duke Ellington and his Orchestra 146 1949 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 3:01 4/03/09 9:29 PM
Oh I'm Evil (05-01-41) Una Mae Carlisle 158 1941 Complete Jazz Series 1938 - 1941 2:25 4/03/09 9:32 PM
Turn It Over Bus Moten and his Men 148 1949 Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) 2:38 4/03/09 9:35 PM
Did You Ever See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball? (06-29-49) Count Basie and his Orchestra 155 1949 Complete Jazz Series 1947 - 1949 2:15 4/03/09 9:37 PM
Cole Slaw Jesse Stone and His Orchestra 145 Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 2:57 4/03/09 9:40 PM
Bearcat Shuffle Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy with Mary Lou Williams 160 1936 The Lady Who Swings the Band - Mary Lou Williams with Any Kirk and his Clouds of Joy 3:01 4/03/09 9:43 PM
The Back Room Romp Rex Stewart and his 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 2:49 4/03/09 9:46 PM
Chimes At The Meeting Willie Bryant and his Orchestra with Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole 245 1935 Willie Bryant 1935-1936 3:01 4/03/09 9:49 PM
Peckin' Johnny Hodges and his Orchestra 165 1937 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 3:10 4/03/09 9:52 PM
Walk 'Em Buddy Johnson and his Orchestra 131 1946 Walk 'Em 2:53 4/03/09 9:55 PM
Hungry Man Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 135 1949 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 6) 3:08 4/03/09 9:58 PM
Four Or Five Times Woody Herman Orchestra 141 The Great Swing Bands (Disc 2) 3:09 4/03/09 10:03 PM
Jersey Bounce Ella Fitzgerald 134 1961 Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! 3:36 26/01/09 9:50 PM
Goin' To Chicago Blues Ernestine Anderson with Ray Brown, Gene Harris, Red Holloway, Gerryck King 135 1984 When the Sun Goes Down 4:53 4/03/09 10:11 PM
Smooth Sailing Ella Fitzgerald 118 Ken Burns Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald 3:07 4/03/09 10:15 PM
Lemonade Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 117 1950 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 6) 3:17 4/03/09 10:18 PM
Blue Monday Jay McShann and his Band with Jimmy Witherspoon 125 1957 Goin' To Kansas City Blues 3:40 9/03/09 8:58 AM
Every Day I Have The Blues Count Basie and his Orchestra 116 1959 Breakfast Dance And Barbecue 3:49 9/03/09 9:01 AM
C-Jam Blues Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 143 1999 Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke 3:34 4/03/09 10:29 PM
Blues In Hoss's Flat Count Basie 144 1958 Chairman Of The Board [Bonus Tracks] 3:13 4/03/09 10:32 PM
All The Cats Join In Benny Goodman 176 All the Cats Join In 4:23 4/03/09 10:37 PM
Shake That Thing Mora's Modern Rhythmists 227 2006 Devil's Serenade 2:58 30/09/08 3:31 PM
"recent djing" was posted by dogpossum on March 9, 2009 10:03 AM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (7)
February 10, 2009
Bud Freeman- Chicago/ Austin High School
... featuring my new love, Jack Teagarden. A little hi-fi 'trad' jazz... (more details here.
"Bud Freeman- Chicago/ Austin High School" was posted by dogpossum on February 10, 2009 5:10 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and objects of desire | Comments (0)
February 1, 2009
bob willis and the texas playboys' Tiffany Transcriptions
Suddenly, I want this Western Swing classic. I know most of the songs, either via jazz or my western swing faves.
Initially recorded for a furniture company to play in their shops (!), this collected set apparently has greater live and vivacity than their other recordings. I don't much care, so long as the band continues to remind me of the Hot Club of Cowtown... though it should be the other way around.
It isn't as hot here in Sydney as in other cities and I have largely recovered from the world's worst stomach virus. Three days of throwing up. Two days in bed. One day partly up and out of bed, mostly sitting or lying on the couch. Today I had a real lunch and kept it in my body. For about two hours. It was pretty cool, though - I had digestion going and everything. My ps are visiting. It's been hard. I have been foul. But then, I am ill. They're acclimated to Hobart and think this is hot. We know it's not in the 40s, so we think it's nice. Apparently it's broken 30 in Hobart this week.
I have recently begun saving water from my showers. The Sydney water restrictions aren't as tight or as well policed and publicised as in Melbourne, so collecting water makes me feel badass and way wicked. Also, it's free water for our new baby plants. I have plans for a rough tomato/basil patch near the compost bin. But the seeds didn't come from Eden Seeds, which is just plain weird. I will chase it up on Monday if I'm up to it.
Bought new songs on emusic yesterday. Suspect it's not so good to buy music when so trashed. But it could shake my collection up a little.
Just finished Alison Bechdel's Essential Dykes to watch out for. It's great, as you'd expect. Have eye on Fun House.
Humidity is high. But that's ok.
"bob willis and the texas playboys' Tiffany Transcriptions" was posted by dogpossum on February 1, 2009 2:31 PM in the category djing and domesticity and greenies and music and objects of desire | Comments (0)
January 19, 2009
mercy dee walton's Pity And A Shame and mildred anderson's No More In Life
Finally, my emusic month rolled over, and there was goodness to be had. Unfortunately 50 songs doesn't go that far when you have a wish list as long as mine. At the moment that list is divided equally between spankin' olden days jazz from the 20s and 30s and saucy hi-fi blues from the 50s and 60s. Well, actually, the list is weighted towards the olden days stuff. Because I just can't get enough of the Chronological Classics - it's a little bit exciting to have them available.
Mercy Dee Walton's Pity and a Shame is making me very happy. Hi-fi 60s blues, piano + harmonica + vocals. Kind of sparse instrumentally, but with a big, fat hi-fi sound. Perfect for blues dancing. Also, fixing my need for saucy blues.
Mildred Anderson's No More In Life
This woman has an amazing voice. I'm also enjoying the superior quality of these recordings: stereo! It's been a long time since I bought something in stereo. It's a bit exciting. And caught be my surprise, the first time something different came out of the second speaker. Both are from the Fantasy/Prestige label on emusic. This is some special stuff.
I'm also thinking of both these with blues dancing in mind. Not mine (as I am still MIA with fuckingshit injury), but other people's.
You know, it's actually a lot easier finding music for blues dancers. The time period is looser - I'm working between the 20s and the current day, though I'm heavier in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. There was just such a wealth of nice, fat blues action recorded. The swinging stuff I need for lindy hop (mostly late 20s, 30s and 40s, with some time in the 50s) is a lot harder to find, and it's also a lot trickier to judge the quality. Quality as in recording quality, but also (and more importantly) quality for actual dancing. Perhaps my standards are just lower for blues dancing. Or perhaps Australian blues dancers just have lower expectations of their DJs. At any rate, with all this lovely blues music available (and relatively easy to find - both online and in music shops), why is it that we have to listen to bullshitty 'blues fusion', trance, etc at blues dances? I know other people are into it, but it just shits me. If I wanted that action, I'd go listen to some decent DJing by hardcore trance/fusion DJs who really knew their shit. And I wouldn't be dancing the naff blues partner dancing to that shiz. No way.
... I guess I'm a little cranky about this stuff at the moment - I can't dance to anything, so it's horrible watching people waste their lucky dancingness on bullshit music.
Sigh.
I am cranky.
"mercy dee walton's Pity And A Shame and mildred anderson's No More In Life" was posted by dogpossum on January 19, 2009 6:05 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
oh goodness me
This is one kickass band of stars. I'm still on my Willie Dixon kick. Watch for his seriously saucy vocals and bass action.
(clicky)
"oh goodness me" was posted by dogpossum on January 19, 2009 11:41 AM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and objects of desire | Comments (0)
January 17, 2009
Introducing the Rhythm Club All Stars
I can't really be bothered writing about this, beyond "want!".
From the site:
Introducing the Rhythm Club All-Stars . . . a brand new, super swingin collective specializing in jazz from the 1920s and '30s. True to its name, the RCAS is an all-star aggregation that features some of the top professionals on the Southern California scene. Led by internationally renowned drummer Daniel Glass (Royal Crown Revue, Bette Midler, Gene Simmons), the RCAS also include guitar wizard and vocalist John Reynolds (Cab Calloway, Janet Klein), bassist John Hatton (Brian Setzer Orchestra), and horn master Corey Gemme (Johnny Crawford, High Sierra Jazz Band) on cornet and trombone.Combining vintage instruments and a classic look with a period-perfect sound that swings like crazy, the Rhythm Club All-Stars offer an authentic, high energy retro experience that has quickly become a favorite among Los Angeles area swing dancers and corporate clients alike.
The band's debut CD features a wide variety of classics, from the familiar ("Honeysuckle Rose," "Blue Skies") to the obscure ("Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug," "Digga Digga Doo"). But it's the band's hard swingin' approach and unique arrangements that bring new life to this material. Check out the moody cadence of "Caravan," the fiery brushwork on "Jeepers Creepers" or the virtuosic banjo playing on "Digga Digga Doo" and you'll find yourself screaming for more. This is one disc not to be missed!
CDbaby pleases me: wonderfully prompt service, great products. Yes.
"Introducing the Rhythm Club All Stars" was posted by dogpossum on January 17, 2009 3:40 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and objects of desire | Comments (0)
December 21, 2008
willie dixon and memphis slim's Willie's Blues
Willie Dixon and Memphis Slim's 'Willie Blues'.
Emusic has me by the throat.
The Deadwood soundtrack* is, once again, fascilitating my unhealthy desires.
Not to mix a metaphor...
*more specifically, the (songs played over the credits of Deadwood)
"willie dixon and memphis slim's Willie's Blues" was posted by dogpossum on December 21, 2008 10:08 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and objects of desire | Comments (3)
December 12, 2008
swingstyrke 7 Right On!
Danish Goodness continued. This Swingstyrke 7 album was recorded live in 2007 and it's great. Still lots of late Basie, but some other action as well, including a version of 'Doodlin'', a song I'm quite partial to. I've put this in the 'groovy swinging lindy hop' category in my collection, which means that it's not for people who only like old scratchy. But if you like a little hi-fi and a little super groove, then it is for you. I like this stuff for the quality, I like the super laid-back swingingness of it, and I like it that it's super groove, which I think of as high powered groove. It doesn't make you sit down and listen, it makes you get up and dance. As with the other Swingstyrke 7 CD, the songs can be a bit long. This is ok when the tempos are lower, but I'll have to watch it when I'm DJing them for dancers.
This CD is good, but the 70s band gave good moustache. European, tight-jeaned flare-legged moustache. And that's sweet.
"swingstyrke 7 Right On!" was posted by dogpossum on December 12, 2008 5:30 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
leo mathisen 1941-42 To Be or Not to Be
More crapped on about before, which Scotti and I have a shared love for, and which I heard a couple of different versions of over the MLX8 weekend. I love the Hamp version, but this Leo Mathisen version is pretty spankin' good.
In fact, this whole CD is pretty awesome. He's kind of like a Danish version of Fats Waller. Which is weird, but to which I couldn't possibly object. I also liked the version of 'My Baby Just Cares for Me' which was written in the 20s, but which I had assumed was a modern one. It was made super-famous by Nina Simone.
Those of us who grew up with Rage remember this clip with fondness:
(linky).
Leo Mathisen doesn't look anything like Nina Simone, and neither of them are anthropomorphised cats. I imagine they also had quite different politics. But this Mathisen CD is a neat contrast to the Swingstyrke 7 one. It's olden days music, it has a chunky base and rhythm, which is just right for dancing phat lindy hop, and it's got that nicely saucy, self-reflexive humour which I adore in my jass.
"leo mathisen 1941-42 To Be or Not to Be" was posted by dogpossum on December 12, 2008 5:12 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
swingstyrke 7 1978-82 Count's Place
Last week I emailed the people at Little Beat Records (meaning, Peder at LBR) and bought a heap of CDs (you can see the catalogue here). Then The Squeeze paid a bunch of money into their paypal account. Then Peder sent me the CDs (6 of them). He very kindly gave me free postage (well, I did buy a bunch of CDs) and sent them without the jewel cases, which meant that the whole lot fit into one package. They arrived today. It's been raining for ages, but they were ok (phew).
Little Beat is pretty special. They're a small operation (as in one or two blokes) and they basically get olden days Danish music and make it sound nice. Then they put it on CDs and sell it to nerds like me.
So far I've listened to some Harlem Kiddies and some Swingstyrke 7. It's all really fabulous. The quality is magical. And the musicianship is amazing.
Swingstyrke 7 really rock my boat (I'm in the mood for some of this). Crudely, I'd typify them as a 1950s Basie tribute band recording in the 1970s and 80s. So they were a small band making Basie music. And it's freakin' great. I will _definitely_ be playing this next time I DJ. I thought the Paul Tillotson stuff was pretty good (and they're doing similar things with a smaller band), but these Danish guys are the fushiz.
It has that laid back, hi-fi, in-the-pocket feel of late testament Basie, but also smells like Europe. It's a little chunkier in the rhythm section (which is nice for dancing) and makes me want to get up on my (still, stupidly sore and injured) foot and dance about like a fool. DJing it will just KILL me.
Anyways, I'm only just onto the second CD, so I'll be a while yet. I'll write about the Harlem Kiddies next.
"swingstyrke 7 1978-82 Count's Place" was posted by dogpossum on December 12, 2008 4:33 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (0)
December 9, 2008
exchanges are great
when you're a DJ.
It was really nice to hear some quality DJing from DJs with extensive collections and mad skills. It really makes a difference.
One of the nice parts of the MLX8 weekends was hearing DJs playing from albums/collections I own, but taking songs I'd never have thought to play.
Trev played a neat song from the Chu Berry Mosaic collection (Chasin' Shadows, with Putney Dandridge and his Orchestra) which I'd missed, and now I'm revisiting the collection. It's so very, very good.
I think, if I were to buy just one Mosaic set, that'd be the one. Actually, I'd probably buy that one and the Lionel Hampton one and the Duke Ellington small group one.
But if I could buy any now, I'd get the Kid Ory one and the (early) Louis Jordan one.
"exchanges are great" was posted by dogpossum on December 9, 2008 3:18 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and objects of desire | Comments (0)
December 7, 2008
always last to the bar
Can't believe I missed CW Stoneking in Melbourne. I'm a dummy.
Old timey blues and low-down action. Just my cup of tea. listen here.
Can be bought via itunes (blurgh) or amazon (double blurgh), or via his label Voodoo Rhythm (check their punkrockingly dodgy site) or here.
And he's Australian, no less.
Also, note the musicians in his 'band' - the sorts of jazznicks you know you can love.
"always last to the bar" was posted by dogpossum on December 7, 2008 3:37 PM in the category djing and music and objects of desire | Comments (0)
November 4, 2008
domestic djs
DJ lounge rooms via Germany.
"domestic djs" was posted by dogpossum on November 4, 2008 6:40 PM in the category clicky and djing
October 30, 2008
teaching, dancing and making place space
Only half way through an article on taste (G. Hawkins ‘TV Rules’ UTS Review 4.1 May 1998, pp 123-139), I'm struck by the discussion of the ways in which 'place becomes space'. How does a room become a 'living room', or a house become a 'home'? Specifically, Hawkins is discussing (in the quote below) the ways in which children living in our homes force us to articulate the 'rules' of living in shared space. Or, in line with the discussion she presents, the ways in which articulating these rules gives us the chance to become reflexive about the way place is made into space by use. This isn't exactly new stuff (this article alone was published ten years ago, and develops Barthes' even earlier discussion of the cinema as place), but it suddenly seems important to me. Here's the section that made me think:
Rules, then, are systems of order - they allow us to project ourselves into the world and project the world back to us. Rules are guides for how to act, how to be in t his space. Rules discipline in a productive sense: they produce meaning, they organise, they are creative, they make inhabitation possible. Rules are embodied in things and actions, they communicate. Rules are also specific, they take place in situ, each room is a unique system of rules and a unique network of power because rules and regulatory practices are provisional, they constitute objects for their own practice. And children elicit rules, for Wood and Beck they are the ultimate barbarians, they have to be domesticated and in the process of prescribing rules, adult values and meanings become manifest. Adult order is constituted and so too is the never ending struggle to establish it as dominant (Hawkins 128).
The thing that struck me, here, is the way in which pedagogy - teaching - makes us articulate and become aware of our assumptions about space/place. Teaching in universities forces me to think about the ways the material I am teaching 'work' in a broader social and cultural context. The most difficult parts of teaching cultural studies (for me) lie in teaching 'class' or 'power' or culture as articulation of/space for the negotiation of identity, class, power, etc etc etc.
The part I have trouble with is teaching this stuff in the context of the old school neo-Marxist cultural studies tradition. In that context, this discussion is, ultimately, geared towards social change. Teaching or study or research is not (and should not, it is implied), be neutral. It should be a part of a broader social project. Or, more plainly, activism. For me, one of the ways I justify what I do is by framing it as activism. Women's studies doesn't make sense, for me, without feminism.
I am excited by the idea of this stuff as having value or usefulness. It's not simply ideas or theory in space - it has a job to do. It is a tool. It's something we can use. Being raised by the sort of people who didn't tolerate cruelty or injustice (social worker, decent person, animal activist...) has made me particularly aware of my responsibilities as a person. Simply, if I'm going to live here, I have to play nice. I have to do what I can to make things better for other people (and for myself as well). More clearly, I have a responsibility to play nice and be useful and helpful. I am sure there's some scary gender stuff in there (isn't that the way little girls are raised? To care, to be useful, to be helpful, to assist? Perhaps I should think more about leading or inspiring caring or begin project which require help?). But I find it makes me feel good to give a shit, and it also gives me purpose; it gives me reason for doing the things I do.
At any rate, teaching cultural studies has been difficult when I've been teaching wealthy kids at big, rich unis. I have found myself articulating this stuff in terms of 'responsibilities'. When I was teaching this stuff to less privileged kids, I found that that approach was just plain bullshit. It became a matter of 'rights'. This is one of the stickiest sticking places for me, teaching this stuff. And teaching - the breaking down and remaking and exploration of ideas - forces me to become aware of and to engage with my ideas and the ideas of authors at hand.
In another, connected point (where ideas must have practical applications), I'm absolutely struck by the way teaching works (in this context) in dance. I wrote quite a bit in my thesis about institutionalised pedagogy as a way of shaping ideology, or making ideology flesh. I placed it in opposition to vernacular dance practice - or learning on the social dance floor through more osmotic modes. Both are ideologically shaped and shaping practices. But I have trouble with pedagogy as capitalist practice - dance classes as product to be sold and bought... well, when it happens within a broader institutional context. Mostly because 'selling dance' on a larger, organised level demands homogeneity, and demands the disavowel of heterogeneity. In other words, it's difficult to teach dance (in this context) without creating right/wrong binaries. The right way is, of course, the product you are buying. Everything else is wrong, and hence undesirable; you wouldn't want to waste your money on it. Brand loyalty thus achieved.
But, continuing with this, I'm interested in the way dancers make 'dance floors' out of ordinary places. Hawkins refers to the role of emodiment (or bodies) in this process, largely via Barthes and his discussion of the bodily experience of the cinema (and at one point there was a reference to Frith** and taste, and there is of course reference to de Certeau). With dancers, this sense of embodiment is explicit.
The whole notion of 'floor craft', for example, where dancers learn (or choose not to demonstrate) the ability to dance 'safely' on the floor, not kicking or bumping into other dancers. Floor craft is a story of sociability and communitas, but it is also a story of social power. Which couples have the greatest liberty to ignore these rules? The most advanced. When is the idea of 'sharing the floor' set aside? In jam circles, where dancers display their abilities and status.
There are countless other examples. Lindy bombing involves groups of dancers descending on a 'non dance space' with music and dancing spontaneously (and often illictly). DJing functions as a way of making a place 'space'. DJs often speak of the 'feel' or 'vibe' or 'energy' in a room - a palpable, physical emotion and sensation - and the ways in which they manipulate that experience. The very act of dancing, therefore, not only creates space, but - far more importantly - creates an emotional, social space as well. Sharing a dance floor is about engaging in a non-verbal social discourse which is all about the body. In fact, without the body, the space collapses back into place. It might carry echoes, but it is, essentially, nothing without the dancers.
I'm suddenly reminded of way I think about DJing the first set of the night: I imagine it as 'warming' the room. Sometimes this is a physical warming, but most of the time it's a social, ideological, emotional, cultural, creative warming. I need to build the vibe or energy before I can manipulate it.
And to bring all this back to rules and articulating rules and teaching... dance classes are one step in the process of socialising dancers and teaching them how to make space out of place. I could argue that formal dance classes are in fact directly contributing to the breaking down of space - busting the vibe - because they insist on hierarchies and formalised, articulated modes of communication, but I'm not sure it's that simple. I do know, though, that the discourse of formal, institutional, commodified pedagogy is an impediment to the process of making dance places spaces. This is because teaching is about verbalising dance and about shifting the way we 'think' dance from the body to the brain and language. And any dancer will tell you that the sweetest, most satisfying moment of dancing comes when you stop thinking or articulating and become thoroughly and completely in your body.
Roland Barthes 1989 “Leaving the Movie Theatre” The Rustle of Language Uni of California Press, Berkeley, pp 345-249.
Michel de Certeau 1984 The practice of everyday life University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. xi-xxiv.
Simon Frith 1996 Performing Rites Oxford UP, London.
Gay Hawkins ‘TV Rules’ UTS Review 4.1 May 1998, pp 123-139
"teaching, dancing and making place space" was posted by dogpossum on October 30, 2008 1:57 PM in the category academia and djing and lindy hop & other dances and teaching | Comments (3)
October 20, 2008
extremely awesome dj
canadian company cocoon created a dj table for drink company red bull. made from wood the table consists of slotted cutouts. the space can be used to store vinyl records and also provides ventilation for the modern dj's laptop.
(from designboom - you can follow links to the designer, coccoon, but they have a skanky flash site, so no direct-linking)
"extremely awesome dj" was posted by dogpossum on October 20, 2008 10:22 AM in the category djing
September 24, 2008
andy kirk, mary lou williams and the clouds of joy
I need more of this man:
and this woman:
and these blokes:
[all photos ripped, shamelessly, from This wonderful site devoted to the African-American Musicians Union. It's fully sick]
"andy kirk, mary lou williams and the clouds of joy" was posted by dogpossum on September 24, 2008 1:27 PM in the category djing and music and objects of desire
September 23, 2008
The Chronological Martha Davis 1946-1951
The Chronological Martha Davis 1946-1951. I have a couple of her songs from a great compilation of Kansas Blues singers and I play them over and over and over. There's not a lot of Davis stuff about, but that's what I want. I play one song, 'Kitchen Blues' an awful lot - she has a lovely, velvety voice.
[edit: marking these essays has apparently done irreparable damage to my language skills]
"The Chronological Martha Davis 1946-1951" was posted by dogpossum on September 23, 2008 11:57 AM in the category djing and music and objects of desire | Comments (4)
September 22, 2008
lovely blooz action
Firstly, I just wrote a decent version of this post then deleted it. Shit.
Ok, so I'll see what I can remember.
Firstly, you have to watch this clip below.
I think a lot of people think that blues dancing is just standing about cuddling to really slow music - sort of frottage on the hoof. But it's not. It's not that boring (and I have to say, there's nothing more boring than DJing that type of blues gig - booooring. Unless you're into voyeurism. But I guess even then you'd lose interest after about 4 hours). It's not. There's lots more fun stuff going on.
I think Blues Shout is on the top of my list of American camps I'd like to go to, right now. There's lots of interesting stuff going on there.
I blogged about this a little while ago with this great clip from 2007.
So what do I like about that latest clip?
1. body shapes. There's a lot more going on there than the muscle and sinew action we've been seeing in lindy hop lately as the tempos get really high. But there's no silly barbie frou-frou rubbish either. I keep thinking 'built for comfort'.
2. sass + sauce. The extreme sensuality, but also the radical parody. The snicker with the shimmy. I like the way you really have to bring it to make this work - you have to commit, physically and emotionally, and really perform to make the tension between humour and sexuality work.
3. hot and cool. The relationship between extremely hot bodies and very cool faces.
Well, with all that in mind, here's the set I did last night. It was quite a long set, which was nice (though a bit scary, as I really don't have that much music for blues dancing - just what I find on my 'lindy' CDs... hahahah... well, really, this is a good argument for buying CDs rather than downloading individual songs - with an album you get the whole emotional spectrum and a selection of songs by an artist, with one song you get ... just one song).
It was a lovely set to do, though I was fanging for a dance. I would have, perhaps, as this crowd is pretty laid back, but I don't feel confident enough to line up a few songs and then dance, with blues. I'm just not experienced enough to be sure it'll work. I ran through a whole range of styles, partly because my tastes are quite varied, but also because I think it's a better idea with a group of dancers who are newer to a style - give people a general taster. Also, I'm not sure I have enough music to do a solid speciality set. People really seemed to like it... I think. There's a lot more socialising and drinking here in Sydney than at Melbourne dance events, and that makes it harder to judge the crowd. Also, there were about six zillion chicks there last night, so there'd always be a lot of people sitting and watching.
A couple of notes about the music:
I've been exploring Taj Mahal lately. He's not my number one favourite, but you have to respect a legend. I've downloaded a couple of songs from his greatest hits albums from itunes, but I'm not sure I really need entire albums just yet. I'll think about it though, especially if I see them cheap at a shop.
I came in loud and proud, partly because I wanted to get the energy up and fun, rather than coming in all quiet and kissy. Most useful thing I've ever learnt about DJing blues was from Andy: keep it loud, like a party. Loud as in high energy. I also favour a little humour and sass in my blues, so I'm not much good with the overly earnest artists (though I do like a little Nina Simone).
There was a birthday dance, for which I chose 'Miss Celie's Blues'. I had a feeling the birthday girl would be into that Sistah action, and she was very happy with the choice.
People seemed to like 'New Orleans Bump'. I mean, I've played it before, but the reaction of dancers last night was more interesting than in the past. They were warmed up, which helped. They were feeling 'up', which helped. They'd had a couple of drinks, which helped. The class before hand (which was really quite interesting) was all about dancing to the music, and how to combine moves and types of movements to illustrate the music, and the dancers were all trying out the ideas all night. It made DJing a whole lot more interesting. But anyhow, people were experimenting with stuff in the percussion intro, and then they really seemed to dig the tango rhythms, and then were totally digging the 'drama' of the song - there were many campy dips and uber-emoting. Which is just perfect for Jelly Roll, who's all about making shit up and showing off.
I still don't feel that I'm a terribly good blues DJ. I feel as though I ignore tempos too much, and tend to ram songs together based on style, rather than working for a longer-range emotional wave. But there's a much smaller tempo range to work with (about 45-120bpm as opposed to 120-300 bpm for lindy) and you can't apply the usual rules about giving dancers a break 'cause they're tired. It's all slow, so you can just dance every single song, forever. I think I jump about, 'mood' wise, and that's not so cool. But I guess I just need more practice.
I don't much like Molly Johnson, but I do like it that she sounds like Masie Grey (sp?). She's really not as good as the old school chicks. But she doesn't suck. I bought a few of her songs from itunes after listening my way through most of her albums on amazon.
Every time I play Dinah Washington a woman asks me who that artist was. She goes down well with ladies. Because she rocks. I own a lot of Washington, but I still want this Mosaic set. Because.
Carol Ralph also always goes down well. People can't believe she's local. But she is. And that album is really very good - the musicians are top shelf. Not many Australians can pull off the sass/humour of those old school blues queens. But she can.
[title, artist, bpm, year, length, album, last played - NB there are some inaccurate dates as I just can't keep up with that data - I can't keep up with making sure all the dates are actually the recording dates and not the album release date. This is especially tricky because sometimes CDs' liner notes don't include recording details, especially if they're a cheap CD (like that Aretha greatist hits).]
Sleep in Late Molly Johnson 86 2002 2:47 Another Day 21/09/08 9:55 PM
Built for Comfort Taj Mahal 98 1998 4:46 In Progress & In Motion (1965-1998) 21/09/08 10:00 PM
Blues Stay Away George Smith 82 1955 3:10 Kansas City - Jumping The Blues From 6 To 6 21/09/08 10:03 PM
Confessin' The Blues Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 92 1957 4:16 Goin' To Kansas City Blues 21/09/08 10:08 PM
Bargain Day Dinah Washington 89 1956 2:55 The Swingin' Miss "D" 21/09/08 10:11 PM
Jealous Hearted Blues Carol Ralph 80 2005 3:48 Swinging Jazz Portrait 21/09/08 10:14 PM
Reckless Blues Velma Middleton with Louis Armstrong and the All Stars 88 2:30 The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (disc 06) 21/09/08 10:17 PM
Rosetta Blues Rosetta Howard with the Harlem Hamfats 103 1937 3:00 History of the Blues - disc2 21/09/08 10:20 PM
Kitchen Blues Martha Davis 80 1947 3:05 BluesWomen Girls Play And Sing The Blues 21/09/08 10:23 PM
I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl Nina Simone 65 1967 2:33 Released 21/09/08 10:26 PM
Rangoon Cootie Williams 63 2:12 In Hi-Fi 21/09/08 10:28 PM
Goin' To Chicago Count Basie and His Orchestra with Jimmy Rushing 79 1952 3:22 Complete Clef/Verve Count Basie Fifties Studio Recordings (Disc 2) 21/09/08 10:31 PM
Incoherent Blues Clark Terry, Ed Thigpen, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown 64 1964 2:41 Oscar Peterson Trio + One: Clark Terry 21/09/08 10:34 PM
My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More Alberta Hunter 76 1978 3:49 Amtrak Blues 21/09/08 10:38 PM
I Feel Like Layin In Another Woman's Husband's Arms Blu Lu Barker 89 1946 2:57 Don't You Feel My Leg: Apollo's Lady Blues Singers 21/09/08 10:41 PM
I Ain't No Ice Man Cow Cow Davenport 89 1938 2:51 History of the Blues - disc2 21/09/08 10:43 PM
Tin Roof Blues Wingy Manone and the New Orleans Rhythm Kings 92 1934 2:58 The Wingy Manone Collection Vol. 2 21/09/08 10:46 PM
New Orleans Bump Wynton Marsalis 128 1999 4:36 Mr. Jelly Lord - Standard Time, Vol. 6 21/09/08 10:51 PM
St. James Infirmary Henry "Red" Allen 98 1991 3:45 World on a String - Legendary 1957 Sessions 21/09/08 10:55 PM
Wild Man Blues Louis Armstrong and the All Stars 75 3:58 The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (disc 05) 21/09/08 10:59 PM
Do I Move You? (Second Version) (Bonus Track) Nina Simone 70 2006 2:20 Nina Simone Sings the Blues 21/09/08 11:01 PM
Shave 'em Dry Asylum Street Spankers 131 1997 4:21 Nasty Novelties 21/09/08 11:05 PM
Son Of A Preacher Man Aretha Franklin 77 3:16 Greatest Hits - Disc 1 21/09/08 11:09 PM
Soul of a Man Irma Thomas 121 2006 3:02 After the Rain 21/09/08 11:12 PM
Telephone Blues George Smith 68 1955 3:03 Kansas City - Jumping The Blues From 6 To 6 21/09/08 11:15 PM
Miss Celie's Blues Molly Johnson 97 2002 3:46 Another Day 21/09/08 11:19 PM
Back Water Blues Dinah Washington with Belford Hendricks' Orchestra 71 1957 4:58 Ultimate Dinah Washington 21/09/08 11:24 PM
Wee Baby Blues Count Basie with Mahalia Jackson 64 1968 3:14 Live In Antibes 1968 21/09/08 11:27 PM
Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You Count Basie and His Orchestra with Joe Williams 68 1957 2:32 The Count Basie Story (Disc 2) 21/09/08 11:30 PM
When The Lights Go Out Jimmy Witherspoon 100 1998 3:01 Jazz Me Blues: the Best of Jimmy Witherspoon 21/09/08 11:33 PM
The Mooche Michael McQuaid's Red Hot Rhythmakers 117 2006 3:41 Rhythm Of The Day 21/09/08 11:36 PM
Blue Leaf Clover Firecracker Jazz Band 111 2005 4:59 The Firecracker Jazz Band 21/09/08 11:41 PM
Sweet Home Chicago Taj Mahal 93 1998 3:15 In Progress & In Motion (1965-1998) 21/09/08 11:45 PM
Young Woman's Blues Loose Marbles 102 4:22 21/09/08 11:49 PM
"lovely blooz action" was posted by dogpossum on September 22, 2008 3:34 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
September 12, 2008
see that? that's me, djing
That's me DJing at... hm... not sure where. MLX? Probably - looks like a set list there next to me, and I'd've been doing band breaks.
A good friend, Scott (big, not scribbler) took that photo. See my hand - it's tappa-tapping. I'm actually DJing, right there, in that photo.
See my generous bum, hips and legs? That's professional DJing gear, that - for when you do 4-hour late-night sets. I could stand, but that'd suck after a while.
See those headphones? They're sennheisers. And the best bit about them is that they reduce sound, so I can put them on if I'm finding it all a bit noisy. But don't tell anyone - they think I'm previewing. In that photo, I think I am previewing, because you can see DJ1800, which I use to preview.
See that microphone, there? I don't use them. I'm afraid of them. Also, you can see my imic - a tiny little external sound card. It's round and white. You can also almost see my green and red alligator necklace - that's the most important accessory in this photo.
I wish I was sitting up properly in this photo. Right now I have a sore right arm from DJing at a table that was too high for me. I look at this photo and think about how great the sound set up is at MLX - the bestest ever, of any of the places I've ever DJed. Brian yells at you if you touch the set up. And justifiably so, I guess. Some people need a good yelling at - some DJs in particular. Especially the ones with alligator necklaces. But that's mostly because they a) have work-place related industrial deafness, or b) have forgotten to take their ear plugs out.
Another thing about that photo - I remember doing that set in something of a rush-and-panic. You can't DJ on a weekend you're running, even if you're not running that night. Well, I can't - there's always something that needs fixing, or someone who needs your help. The best was that same exchange, when I was DJing in one room, the DJ from the other room came in and was all, "hey, who's DJing after me?" about 10 minutes (3 songs) before their set ended. I was all "woah, shit. How will I fix this?" I reassured the other DJ I'd fix it, if he wouldn't mind doing an extra 10 mins or so if it took a while, set up a song, then ran to find out who was rostered on to DJ next. Then I went back, set up another song, checked the sound, etc, and ran to find the missing DJ. He was asleep on a beanbag. Then I woke him up, scolded him, and sent him to DJ. I assume it worked out ok - he was in there DJing when I finished my set. It was about 3am, so he shouldn't have been asleep - he should have been dancing!
But that's the thing about DJing - you know where the music comes from, so there's no more mystery. And it is possible to drink and DJ. I once saw a DJ drink a rum and coke, a beer, a scotch and dry and then another beer in 15 minutes, while he was DJing. Then he ran a competition, then he had another beer. I was all 'woah, he's brave. I wouldn't leave an open drink near my laptop like that." But then, I guess he didn't let them sit there long enough to risk a spill.
The most important thing I've learnt about DJing? Go to the little DJs' room before you start a set.
"see that? that's me, djing" was posted by dogpossum on September 12, 2008 8:03 PM in the category djing
sometimes
when other people are DJing, I feel like this:
Sometimes, when I am DJing and trying to talk to a friend, I do turn the music down. Because there are Priorities, aren't there?
"sometimes" was posted by dogpossum on September 12, 2008 7:51 PM in the category djing
it could just be that nerds - no matter their flavour - love to talk to other nerds about stuff they love
I've been crapping on about DJing on the SwingDJs board. I started a thread called mad skillz: mentoring, encouraging and skilling up (new) DJs. As with all threads I've begun with long, expository posts that don't really make much sense and which tend to be far to theoretical, the thread has been languishing. Kind of like my tutorials when I ask a long question which is really a bit of exposition or otherwise impossible to answer.
But someone asked a question which caught my interest, so I'm going to answer it here, at length.
I made this comment (in a post that was far too long):
One thing I've noticed - if a scene values social dancing and has quite a tight community vibe, there's a strong emphasis on skilling up new DJs. But the local culture dictates how this skilling up is achieved.(Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 20:40, first page of the thread at URL above)
And Haydn replied:
Can I ask you - in practice, how does this 'tight community vibe' translate into DJs helping each other?
I'm going to answer this at length here, rather than cluttering up that discussion board with my own opinions/rambles.
I have to reiterate: I'm working largely from an Australian perspective, with only a bit of international experience. I'm sure things are vary in different places.
'A tight community vibe' needn't actually translate into DJs helping each other. I don't see it very often, but I'm sure there've been times when a DJ has made it difficult for a new DJ or experienced DJ to 'break into' a scene - to preserve their own status, to preserve their own profits, etc.
Also, definitions of 'community' (and who's actually considered part of that community) are ideologically and politically loaded. Do you count west coast swing dancers as part of your 'swing' community? Rock and rollers? People from other dance schools/studios? Musicians? People you don't know?
When I say a 'tight community vibe', I'm thinking about scenes where people articulate some sense of 'communitas' or identify themselves as part of a scene or community with some sort of pride, protectiveness, etc.
But how might that translate to DJs helping each other?
Well, if a local scene has an active social club or organisation who also run social events, then that club might have an incentive to manage DJs quite carefully - so new DJs will get a bit of mentoring or coaching. I've noticed that gigs run by a smaller more coherent group - or by one person, or coordinated by someone who really cares about the DJing/social dancing - often manage the DJs more carefully. If the night is only one of many, is managed by an inexperienced dancer (or DJ) or isn't actually 'valued' terribly highly, the DJing might be less strictly managed. Also, interestingly, if an event (or club) has a particularly fervent revivalist bent (ie they're really really really into historical 'accuracy'), they're also pretty anal about music and about 'teaching' their DJs to like the 'right' music. But people might 'manage' DJs for other reasons - nepotism, interpersonal rivalries, failed romances, burning desires, professional networking, etc - all might affect who hires whom for which gigs.
I've noticed that these trends increase as a scene develops - in a newer scene, for example, where there are fewer DJs, there's less 'regulation' of DJing: people are just happy to have someone play some music. As DJing becomes increasingly 'professionalised' or formalised in a scene (eg introducing pay rates, introducing a DJ roster, introducing preferences for particular types of music), then it becomes more 'regulated'. It can also become less accessible. I've wondered if this is as a scene or community grows it also develops increasingly complex modes of cultural production and management (whether we're talking DJing, dancing, dress making, event management, website design, whatever). Also, people figure out that formalised ways of working together can be useful on large projects - a camp has 'rules' for teachers (whether unspoken or not), an exchange is run by a group who become a nonprofit organisation to deal with tax and insurance, a social night has formal (or informally enforced) 'no aerials' rules for public safety.
What I've noticed (and I guess I'm talking about Australian examples, and only very vaguely in reference to the US, etc) is that if a local scene has quite a close community - ie people volunteering their time for events, events run by committees with a 'community development' agenda and ethos rather than (or in addition to) a profit motive, etc - then there's a greater interest in 'skilling up' DJs - for the community's benefit. More experienced DJs are more likely to volunteer to mentor new DJs in that context out of a spirit of 'communitas' or 'doing good stuff for the community'.
There are other reasons for managing new DJs, though - profit motive is a good one, especially if you're in a scene where dancers really value or care about the quality of DJing. Or plain old competition for cultural capital - a DJ might feel it's in their interests to discourage new DJs or to not open their night to new DJs (ie they want to keep their status and ward off competitors). If a particular event has a specific musical focus (eg it might want to showcase a particular musical style or moment in history), then there'd also be reason to manage the DJs - if you were (for example), interested in running a 'neo revival' night, you might favour DJs who play BBVD, etc, and not hire DJs who play old school exclusively. I've even played gigs where what I've looked like - on stage - has been important: wearing vintage gear was specifically requested... which leads to interesting questions about the 'performance' of DJing. And how we might 'perform' the role of 'vintage music fan' or 'swing dancer = vintage costume fan' for an audience of non-dancers, for example. [That last bit is interesting in the light of things like the Facebook group 'Embracing my embarrassing swing adolescence' which seems largely to be about aesthetics and protocols of swing dance fashion - ie what not to wear]
There's also another interesting aspect to all this. Throughout much of the academic literature dealing with online communities, authors note the importance of 'answering questions', especially in an established and well-moderated online 'community'. People might answer questions for a number of reasons: to help out; to demonstrate their own knowledge (and status); to test their own knowledge; to enter into the discussion (and hence participate in the community - basically, answering simply as a way of getting into the conversation and enjoying the process of answering and discussing questions); etc etc etc.
I've always been interested in noticing what type of people answer what types of questions in swing dance discussion boards. In the years I was gathering data for my doctoral thesis (and before), I was really surprised by some of my findings. Sure, the data suggested all this stuff, but I was really hoping to find that how we play online wasn't so tightly bound to gender. But I found that female posters tend to be quicker to offer assistance (eg hosting, info, etc), but that they mightn't do so publicly (they're almost always over-represented in offering condolences, giving positive feedback, compliments and proffering kind words generally). Men are more likely to post 'information' or 'facts', and to disagree. There are exceptions, but on the whole these tropes are consistent, and they also correlate with the way we talk in groups face to face. I'm also interested in the way the threaded discussion echoes 'formal turn taking' in a meeting - which is something all-male groups tend to favour (whereas women tend to favour a more casual, more interrupting/cooperative meaning-making approach). There are also ethnic issues at work here - I was at a fascinating book launch the other day for indigenous literacy day: the speeches and discussion was very very different to the usual middle class 'literati' book launch: a room full of koori ladies don't really do formal turn taking :D.
This is partly to do with how we're socialised (which of course will result in regional variations), but also to do with the social/cultural context of online communication, especially on something like a discussion board. I've been wondering how Facebook changes all that, especially as it's far more accessible than something like a discussion board.
All this might mean, in the context of DJs helping each other, that women are more likely to answer questions via private message or to ask for help via private message, and less likely to post publicly on the board generally. It also suggests that people post answers and 'help each other' for a range of reasons.
SwingDJs is a tricky case study as DJing generally is so male-dominated: there are more men posting regularly here than women, for example (which could be a result of the culture of online communication rather than directly correlating to the number of women DJs IRL).
Something I've noticed: experienced DJs, no matter what their gender, are generally very helpful and welcoming to new DJs. They mightn't be very good at actually helping or communicating their welcome, but they certainly want to be helpful and care about this stuff. This might be a trickle-on effect from the revivalist impulses of contemporary swing dance generally - there's this impetus towards 'recruiting' new dancers, so as to 'preserve' historic dance forms.
Or it could just be that nerds - no matter their flavour - love to talk to other nerds about stuff they love.
" it could just be that nerds - no matter their flavour - love to talk to other nerds about stuff they love" was posted by dogpossum on September 12, 2008 6:15 PM in the category djing and ideas and lindy hop & other dances and music
September 3, 2008
oh goodness me: the new orleans jazz vipers
But I do like the New Orleans Jazz Vipers.
They play olden days music with a nasty olden days energy that gets me all excited. I can't wait to DJ this stuff.
I couldn't help but buy all their CDs from www.cdbaby.com. And I love shopping at CDbaby - they got these kids to me in about 10 days from the States, they send nice thank you emails, and they pimp indy music. There're quite a few artists I like DJing who sell their gear through CDbaby - Gordon Webster, who's a really great pianist and also a nice guy and a lindy hopper. I've had my eye on that CD for a while - that's some sweet action for blues dancing. His other half (oh, how they'd hate me describing them that way), Solomon Douglas is also sold through CDbaby... I can't think of any others just now, but I've bought a few CDs through them.
And I love love love these Vipers CDs. I also have my eye on a Tshirt.
"oh goodness me: the new orleans jazz vipers" was posted by dogpossum on September 3, 2008 12:25 AM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
August 15, 2008
round up
Enough of the random posts. Just join them all together and make one long stream of consciousness post.
Right now my stomach is feeling unsure. It began feeling unsure yesterday after I had chicken salad from the joint in Summer Hill. I wouldn't have eaten there if it hadn't been 4pm and I hadn't forgotten to have lunch. I'd also walked to the hardware store (again - I freakin' love that place) and then round the long way to the shops, mostly so I could look at the flour mill that's up for redevelopment. I am fascinated by the fact that there's a giant flour mill just down the street, and that it's joined to another flour mill in Dulwich Hill by a special-duty train line. That one's been made into flats, though. But I'm still really interested in it. It seems I'm not the only one into flour mills. There's always someone leaning over the railing on the bridge over the railway, staring at the giant white flour mill (the one in Summer Hill). It's a pretty good view - a long view, from a height. And it's so freakin' big. And you just know that the people having a stare are thinking about what they'd do with the site if they owned it. I don't know why they're bothering - it belongs to a gang of crows who've been terrorising the pigeons in that neck of the woods, and they're not likely to cede it to a bunch of no-winged two-leggers who'd like a little light industrial inner-city living.
So yeah, my stomach feels a bit odd. I can't decide if it's dodgy chicken salad or anxiety. It could quite possibly be low level anxiety. This is the first day I've had to myself in the new house with no real jobs to do. I guess I need to go up to Ashfield to get groceries (we have none). I'd really like to get into the city to a) go to see some Art, and (more importantly), b) find that tapestry speciality place. But I'm apparently crippled by... that thing that makes it difficult to leave the house. I think I might chalk all this up to hormones, as I've actually been feeling quite wonderful ever since we got here. I really like traveling and I love being in a new city. I like all the walking. Plus Sydney's fabulous weather is making me feel so good. I hadn't realised just how draining Melbourne's grey skies and nasty cold were until we left. I am remembering how nice it is to live in a warmer climate. But I'm not so struck on the increased humidity - I am also remembering its effects on my allergies.
It's not so much that I've been shouting at innocent blokes, but more that I've been trying to rub my nose off my face and had trouble concentrating. It could be PMS, but I actually am pretty sure it's allergies screwing with my mood. I'm trying not to take antihistamines as I seem to be on them every single day, but it's not really making me feel nice.
I'm also at home because I'm waiting for tradesmen #62 000. Actually, it's more like tradesman #9. Really. I am liking living in a house where the owner actually fixes things. The things we've needed fixed have been fairly inconsequential... well, except for the River of Effluent... but they've been fixed immediately.
1. windows painted shut? fixed (Charlie, from Greece - my favourite)
2. fence built? done (whatsit from Malta - initially my least favourite, but later one of my top 5)
3. forgotten bathtub spout? done (young fulla who's name I can't remember. ok)
4. garage door doesn't close? not quite fixed, but at least a couple of blokes came to look at it (one of whom was Mal, whose parents were from Italy).
5. garage door still not closing? still not fixed (another bloke who failed to return and give me his life story, though he did provide a few interesting tips on the tensile strength of various metals).
6. sound proofing? quotes done (including.... can't remember his name either. But he was Greek by descent and he lives in the outer suburbs but works in Marrickville. He recommends the cakes in Leichardt)
7 and 8. River of Effluent? dammed. ("Maria! Send tradesmen, please! The garden is full of effluent!" 2 young fullas of skip descent, up to their knees in human waste, giving our drains a good routing. White neighbour-cat carefully discouraged from helping)
9. Today it's another sound proofing guy. Apparently the owner is going ahead with it (which is wonderful). He was supposed to be here between 9.30 and 10, but it's 10.39 now. He and the garage door guy have failed to return.
Part of me is worried about all this tradesman action. I don't want to use up all my credit now when I'll certainly need it in the future... or will I? We have obviously moved up a rental bracket, to that wondrous place where wiring isn't illegal and life-endangering (we have a trip switch! No plug points have caught fire! We have had electricity for at least three weeks!) and where plumbing is generally sound, barring the usual hiccups of a house that's over 100 and recently had new pipes installed. No water mains have burst, filling our veggie patches with boiling water. No windows have broken, letting in arctic winds. And the stove works wonderfully. There are no mice (knock on wood), but I have seen one large cockroach in the house. I remembered why I actually wear thongs. After I dealt with it The Squeeze proceeded to sing 'la cocka roacha!, la cocka roacha!' around the house for about five minutes in a Tom Waits voice. It was entertaining, but perhaps too entertaining so close to bed time - it was difficult to sleep with the thought of Tom Waits serenading me in a Mexican cantina.
So I'm wondering if we're tempting fate with all this tradesmen action.
This hasn't stopped me asking if it's ok to dig up the garden and plant zillions of herbs. Ordinarily I'd just do it, but the landlord seems pretty house-proud, so the rules are different. Our back neighbour (who lives in the back part of this federation home) is a chef, so he's also quite keen on a herb garden/veggie patch. He is now My Friend, partly because I am still in post-move aggressive friendliness mode and will not allow otherwise. He is also the owner of aforementioned friendly white cat (Alby).
Alby is convinced he actually lives in our part of the house as well, and follows me around all day. He divides his time between sleeping in front of the front door in the sun, trying to climb into my laundry basket, romancing me with quite lovely accapella and playing in Rivers of Effluent. I am mightily allergic to cats, so there's no physical contact, a lot of "No! Don't go in there! Get out of there!" This has, of course, made me both the most interesting and the most appealing part of our neighbourhood.
The other day Alby was joined by Fluffy Tailed Black Cat from round the corner, and they both proceeded to play in the mulch and attempt domestic incursions. Alby failed (I think he's a bit dumb - he's very pretty, being white with pale blue eyes and a pink nose - but he's not so smart. He's also quite young), but FTBC had a little more luck. I was making the bed when a pair of large black ears was followed by a goofy black face over the other side of the bed. As I picked him up (physical contact! Aaaargh!) he let out a sort of 'mrprrft' purr-burp and kept up the chainsaw action as I clamped him under the armpits and hefted him outside.
I have also seen a giant orange and white tom with a mangled up face. Both Alby and I gave him a deal of distance as he marked out the new trees as his territory. We were both willing to concede him sovereignty.
On other fronts, I am working at Gleebooks doing functions (thanks Glen!). I like it a LOT. I was too late for sessional teaching this semester, but have lined up some contacts for next year. I have already DJed one set here in Sydney and am set for a blues set this Sunday. It seems there aren't too many DJs here, which is a shame. But I'm really enjoying dancing, so I'm not sure I'm ready to DJ a whole lot. I will set limits.
Last weekend we went to Canberra for Canberrang, the Canberra lindy exchange. I bought a Tshirt and DJed one set. We stayed with an old school friend of mine and only attended two night's worth. I think I prefer shorter events - Fri, Sat, Sun nights max. Any more is kind of too much. We went on the bus and it wasn't too bad. It was also very cheap. On the way back it snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed. It was like Europe. With eucalypts and kangaroos. We had a good time, over all.
We have quite a few friends here in Sydney, and have already had interstate visitors. Next week we get more. And the next week The Squeeze's matriarch arrives, so we will get our tourist on, big time. Which I'm looking forward to. I feel like the OPERA HOUSE is out there doing fun things without me every day. Then we have people coming up for SLX in September. Then my mother in October (perhaps). Then we're down in November for MLX. Then it's christmas, which we may spend in Melbourne, but we aren't sure. So it's all systems go. Sydney is apparently one of those cities people really like to visit. Partly because it rocks - there's just so much to do. And also because the weather is nice. Which is where it pwns Melbourne.
I like Sydney, but I am a bit sad that there are so few fabric shops. I have seen two in Marrickville, and I have been given the sweet lowdown by a dress making Hollywood lindy hopper, and will get on into the city (Haymarket) to find more. Then there's Cabramatta, but that's miles away. At any rate, none are a short bike ride away, so it seems I will have to find new hobbies. Or rediscover old ones. I have also found a yoga studio quite near by, but it is some sort of arty made up bullshit yoga, and not straight out iyengar. I need to get on that ASAP as I miss yoga already. Also, I haven't ridden my bike once. This means that I'm getting more exercise, but I am missing my bike. Poor blacky, stuck in the shed all day, bored and lonely. The Squeeze has been riding to work in the city and comes home with stories about having his arse kicked by the hills and making friends with other bike riders. This city is disturbingly friendly. Everyone seems so delighted that we've left Melbourne for Sydney - there're lots of "How do you like it?"s and chats with strangers about cake. There are fewer conversations about the weather, but I suppose that's because it's so nice here there's really nothing to say beyond "pwoar - another freakin' beautiful day, hey?"
Alright, that's enough blathering. I have to go.... well, not do anything, really, but I might as well think about doing something other than making internet. You know the rules: get out of bed, change out of your pajamas (or pa-yamas! if you're Tom Waits a la cantina), leave the internet alone after a couple of hours. It is, unsurprisingly, a beautiful day, and there're fabric shops to stalk.
"round up" was posted by dogpossum on August 15, 2008 12:24 PM in the category bikes and djing and domesticity and greenies and lindy hop & other dances and old sew & sew and sydney and yoga | Comments (1)
because...
...it's that time of year, I'm thinking about DJing hardware. I think I want to upgrade from the imic
to something serious. Well, to be honest, right now I use the imic as the output for my headphones and go straight from the laptop headphones jack to the sound gear. Which isn't ideal. But somehow I got into the habit when I was first using my headphones - I couldn't get DJ1800 to work with the headphones while itunes played through the imic. I think it's a DJ1800 issue. DJ1800 is not very excellent - perhaps I need to fix my software solution...
...look, well, I'll have a go with the imic talking to the sound gear with itunes, and DJ1800 playing through the headphones jack to the headphones. Maybe that will help with some skanky sound problems I've been having lately...
"because..." was posted by dogpossum on August 15, 2008 12:42 AM in the category djing
August 6, 2008
trev got pwnd
But this image pwns all.
"trev got pwnd" was posted by dogpossum on August 6, 2008 4:36 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
| Comments (5)
June 6, 2008
Mora's Modern Rhythmists
In a fit of frivolity the other week I picked up this bundle of four Mora's Modern Rhythmists/Swingtet CDs:
These guys are from the US and specialise in creating 'authentic' recreations of 20s, 30s and 40s dance music (mostly 20s and 30s, really). I'm a big fan. I already had Call of the Freaks and 20th Century Closet, but this 4-pack was too good to pass up (and I've already found someone who wants the doubled up copy of 20th Century Closet, which is (in my opinion), the best). As I said, I really like this group - they're recreating music I really like, which means I have nice quality versions of good songs for playing to crowds who aren't really comfortable with serious scratch. These better quality versions are also a nice way of changing the vibe or lifting the energy in a set without moving away from this nice musical period.
Their latest CD Devil's Serenade reminds me of the Melbourne band The Red Hot Rhythmakers (which we've featured at MLX a few years in a row now) - earlier dance band stuff. Hot and seriously fun.
The Rhythmakers are a good example of the music that's quite cool with some of the younger American dancers atm, especially in places like Seattle. It tends to the super fast and is really quite freakin' good fun. The Rhythmakers have just realised their new CD, actually (the launch was this past Monday). Though I couldn't make the launch, friends have managed to secure copies of the CD for me, which is also very neat. I really like their first one and am looking forward to this one.
Any how, I'm very happy with these Mora CDs - it was a bargain and this stuff is very useful for DJing, even if though I tend to prefer the 'originals' for home listening. These guys are also useful for performances - good quality but also 'authentic' and not bullshit neo rubbish.
"Mora's Modern Rhythmists" was posted by dogpossum on June 6, 2008 4:04 PM in the category digging and djing and music | Comments (1)
maybe i should stick to dancing
Goodness me, I've gotten up late this morning. I played a very ordinary set last night that went down very ordinarily. Here it is:
Froggy Bottom Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 155 1957 2:37 5/06/08 10:06 PM Goin' To Kansas City Blues
Blues In Hoss's Flat Count Basie 144 1958 3:13 5/06/08 10:09 PM Chairman Of The Board [Bonus Tracks]
Jump Through The Window Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra 154 1943 2:42 5/06/08 10:12 PM After You've Gone
Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 135 1945 3:21 5/06/08 10:15 PM Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings
Hungry Man Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 135 1949 3:08 5/06/08 10:18 PM Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 6)
The Back Room Romp Rex Stewart and His 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 2:49 5/06/08 10:21 PM The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2)
Peckin' Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra 165 1937 3:10 5/06/08 10:24 PM The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2)
A Viper's Moan Willie Bryant And His Orchestra 153 1936 3:26 5/06/08 10:28 PM Willie Bryant 1935-1936
Stompy Jones Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 200 1934 3:03 5/06/08 10:31 PM The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 07)
Jive At Five Count Basie 174 1939 2:51 5/06/08 10:34 PM The Complete Decca Recordings (disc 03)
Good Queen Bess Duke Ellington 160 1940 3:00 5/06/08 10:37 PM The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10)
The Basement Blues Nobel Sissle with Sidney Bechet 153 2000 3:16 5/06/08 10:40 PM Ken Burns Jazz Collection: Sidney Bechet
Krum Elbow Blues Mora's Modern Swingtet 162 2004 2:46 5/06/08 10:43 PM 20th Century Closet
Effervescent Blues Mora's Modern Swingtet 122 2004 3:07 5/06/08 10:46 PM 20th Century Closet
New Orleans Bump Wynton Marsalis 128 1999 4:36 5/06/08 10:50 PM Mr. Jelly Lord - Standard Time, Vol. 6
Charlie's Prelude Mora's Modern Swingtet 128 2004 2:49 19/04/08 7:19 PM 20th Century Closet
Digadoo Firecracker Jazz Band 247 2005 5:20 5/06/08 10:56 PM The Firecracker Jazz Band
All the blues dancers were in town and they were afraid of a) tempos over 120 and b) old music. I think I might actually suck as a DJ, mostly because I just didn't want to play any new groovy rubbish. I just don't have any interest in that stuff any more. Thing is, most of the stuff I really am interested in just goes down like a lead balloon. Sigh. I have to stop playing that 'Froggy Bottom' - it's not good lindy hop.
I'm doing that other set on Sunday - blues - so I hope that goes ok. We'll have to see about that. I've been asked to play 'old school' blues because not many other people will be, but that's not really all that great an idea - after a weekend of groove and soul, old scratchy stuff that's actually higher tempos won't go down well.
I'd like to play some Harlem Hamfats, some early Ellington with Bessie Smith (!!!), some more Bessie Smith, some skanky Kansas doods (Walter Brown with Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner, Juliea Lee, etc), some odd people like Cow Cow Davenport, some dirty chicks like Blu Lu Barker, some rowdy neworleans people like Jelly Roll Morton, some Jimmie Noone (of course!), some Bix Beiderbeck, some Sam Price, Bechet, Wingy Manone, etc etc etc... heck, lots of stuff. Really, just the stuff I'd like to play for lindy hoppers, but slower.
But I find people can't hack the sound quality (especially after a weekend of lovely hi-fi supergroove)...
I like this stuff because it screams 'DANCE BY YOURSELF! DO THOSE JAZZ STEPS, YOU BABY!!!' and it has an edge - it's not so serious, it's dark and quite scary, but it's also winking at you, inviting a bit of black humour...
Well, we'll just have to see. I might end up playing emergency Aretha Franklin and late testament Basie as a compromise.
But I'm not feeling hugely confident in my abilities right now. Maybe I should stick to dancing.
"maybe i should stick to dancing" was posted by dogpossum on June 6, 2008 1:45 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
June 5, 2008
low level anxiety
I have to write some lectures RIGHT NOW. Stop procrastinating, you! Stop thinking about pop ups!
I have to DJ tonight, but haven't even thought about my music in the two weeks since I last DJed. I'm also doing a blues set on Sunday night, and I certainly haven't thought enough about that lately. So I have to spend some time with my laptop, listening to music.
I have to go to the library to (hopefully, fingers crossed) find a nice reading on advertising, from a cultural studies or media studies perspective, which involves or at least refers to semiotics and 'ideology', as a sort of follow-on from the previous two weeks ('intro textual analysis/semiotics' and 'ideology'). There's a full sick chapter by Johnathon Bignall from Media Semiotics, but I'm using him elsewhere (week on news values, to be precise). Goddamn copryight, goddamn it.
I have a short list of other stuff, but the library is kind of bare this time of year, particularly in Melbourne, where the libraries are full of computers and stoods facebooking on them and decidedly bare of books. Ordinarily, that's fine by me - bring on the ebooks (Goddess bless them). But some of the Olden Days books (as in, the ones from before the 90s) aren't on the internet. So I need the paper ones.
I had to trek all over the universe last week (three universities, 4 libraries) looking for a copy of Thwaites, Davis, et al's Tools for Cultural Studies (in whichever editorial incarnation). I'm not a dumbarse, so I'm pretty sure I didn't stuff up the whole 'using the catalogue' thing, but I'm pretty sure one copy's not enough for a giant university. I ended up buying the latest edition (to replace my collection of photocopies from a very early edition) and it cost me FAR TOO FREAKIN' MUCH. But I know it will be useful, as I've managed to use it nearly every year since I first did my undergraduate degree with messirs Thwaites, Davis et al.
--a short, impassioned digression---
But I did manage to find a copy of Cohen and Young's The Manufacture of News: social problems, deviance and the mass media, which was an absolute nostalgia-thon. Oh, news values, how I love you. How I loved Stuart Hall when we first met. It was love at first skim-read. How I adored that book. I miss those days. When I was all about newspapers and developed mad microfilm skills. When Galtung and Ruge were fully sick and cultural studies was first listed in my wicked kewl book. Sigh. Then they made the internet and it all changed. Goodbye microfilm reader headaches, hello monitor headaches.
---
I have to buy some groceries. Milk. Bread.
I have to catch up with about half a dozen people I haven't seen lately.
I HAVE TO MAKE POPS! Last night I had pop up dreams. It's just like when I was going through a lol-making frenzy. Disturbed sleep. Decline in existing communication skills, incline in new 'skills'...
Yoga still rocks. I am half moon queen. Not so much with the down dog. I just don't think my arms will ever be straight. I think it's congenital, and no amount of moving my shoulders up my back body and broadening and flattening of my collar bone will work.
And I have a few DVDs out that I need to watch.
So I have a little low level anxiety, and am dealing with it through the time honoured and much maligned process of procrastination. And there is no better source for that than blogging.
"low level anxiety" was posted by dogpossum on June 5, 2008 1:37 PM in the category djing and teaching
May 5, 2008
extreme DJing nerdery
I've had a busy DJing fortnight... well, month, really. I've done 6 sets this month, including a blues set. The week before last I did a double on Thursday, then a set on Friday, and then last week I did a set Wednesday and one Thursday. I'm about done with this. Remind me to talk about my sore ears, ok?
Any how, here're the sets I played that are kind of interesting.
This next set is the double from Thursday 24th April. It was a last minute double set, and for once the gig (CBD) actually had some people. It was the night before a public holiday, so there was an almost full room. Not the biggest ever, but much bigger than other weeks. And a mixed crowd, so I could play a mixed set. But I'd had a pretty horrible day, and wasn't feeling terribly inspired or great. So I played the most ordinary set of overplayed favourites ever. But people really liked it. They were dancing like fools, over-energised, over-adrenalined. Which was nice. I started at 8.30 and finished at 11. Here's the set:
Moten Swing Count Basie 135 1958 25/04/08 12:07 PM 4:50 Chairman Of The Board [Bonus Tracks]
Jump Ditty! Joe Carroll and The Ray Bryant Quintet 134 25/04/08 9:49 PM 2:54 Joe Carroll Sings
I Diddle Dinah Washington 153 1/05/08 10:15 PM 3:05
Tain't Me Roy Milton and his Solid Senders 158 1992 1/05/08 10:17 PM 2:34 Vol. 2: Groovy Blues
Fine Brown Frame Nellie Lutcher 123 2006 25/04/08 12:18 PM 2:54 Fine Brown Frame
Big Fat Mama Lucky Millinder 135 25/04/08 12:21 PM 3:09 Apollo Jump
Be Careful (If You Can't Be Good) Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra 121 1951 1/05/08 10:12 PM 3:09 Walk 'Em
My Baby Just Cares For Me Nina Simone 120 25/04/08 10:49 PM 3:38 The Great Nina Simone
Massachusetts Maxine Sullivan 147 1956 25/04/08 12:32 PM 3:19 A Tribute To Andy Razaf
C-Jam Blues Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 143 1999 25/04/08 10:23 PM 3:34 Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke
For Dancers Only Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 148 1937 25/04/08 9:59 PM 2:41 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford
Pan Pan Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 152 1941 1/05/08 10:20 PM 2:54 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 2)
Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker 134 1949 25/04/08 9:56 PM 3:24 Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings
Solid as a Rock Count Basie and His Orchestra with The Deep River Boys 140 30/04/08 11:20 PM 3:04 Count Basie and His Orchestra 1950-1951
Joog, Joog Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 146 1949 30/04/08 11:17 PM 3:01 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950
Pound Cake Count Basie and His Orchestra with Lester Young 186 1939 24/04/08 9:23 PM 2:46 Classic Columbia, Okeh And Vocalion Lester Young With Count Basie (1936-1940) (Disc 2)
Good Queen Bess Duke Ellington 160 1940 1/05/08 10:39 PM 3:00 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10)
Six Appeal (My Daddy Rocks Me) Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian 150 1940 1/05/08 10:36 PM 3:13 Charlie Christian: The Genius of The Electric Guitar (disc 2)
Bli-Blip Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 140 2007 1/05/08 10:29 PM 2:44 Moppin' And Boppin'
Jersey Bounce Ella Fitzgerald 134 1961 24/04/08 9:36 PM 3:36 Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!
Blue Monday Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 125 1957 1/05/08 10:05 PM 3:40 Goin' To Kansas City Blues
Hallelujah, I Love Her So Count Basie 145 1959 24/04/08 9:42 PM 2:36 Breakfast Dance And Barbecue
Tickle Toe Count Basie and His Orchestra 234 1960 24/04/08 9:45 PM 2:36 The Count Basie Story (Disc 2)
Hop Skip and Jump Mora's Modern Swingtet 191 2004 24/04/08 9:47 PM 2:44 20th Century Closet
The Back Room Romp Rex Stewart and His 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 1/05/08 2:17 PM 2:49 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2)
A Viper's Moan Willie Bryant And His Orchestra 153 24/04/08 9:54 PM 3:26 Willie Bryant 1935-1936
Apollo Jump Lucky Millinder 143 30/04/08 11:08 PM 3:27 Apollo Jump
Jump Through The Window Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra 154 1943 24/04/08 10:00 PM 2:42 After You've Gone
The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin' The Town (Alt Tk) Red Allen & Lionel Hampton, vocal, & His Orchestra 141 1939 24/04/08 10:02 PM 2:44 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 3)
Walk 'Em Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra 131 1946 25/04/08 10:04 PM 2:53 Walk 'Em
Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 136 1945 24/04/08 10:09 PM 3:22 Lionel Hampton Story 3: Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
Savoy Blues Kid Ory 134 24/04/08 10:12 PM 3:01 Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band 160 1946 1/05/08 2:42 PM 3:13 Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46
Shake That Thing Vince Giordano 230 2004 24/04/08 10:18 PM 2:59 The Aviator
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Sidney Bechet 140 1951 30/04/08 10:49 PM 5:44 The Blue Note Years
Tishomingo Blues Carrol Ralph 128 2005 1/05/08 2:27 PM 4:15 Swinging Jazz Portrait
Going To Chicago Barbara Morrison 126 2002 24/04/08 10:33 PM 5:35 Live At The 9:20 Special
Every Day I Have The Blues Clark Terry Quintet and Carrie Smith 122 2001 24/04/08 10:38 PM 5:12 The Clark Terry Quintet: Live On QE2
Mumbles Oscar Peterson 188 1964 24/04/08 10:40 PM 2:02 Ultimate Oscar Peterson As Selected By Ray Brown
Froggy Bottom Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 155 1957 25/04/08 10:13 PM 2:37 Goin' To Kansas City Blues
Sent For You Yesterday Count Basie and His Orchestra with Joe Williams 163 1960 25/04/08 10:16 PM 3:10 The Count Basie Story (Disc 2)
Blues In Hoss's Flat Count Basie 144 1958 1/05/08 10:08 PM 3:13 Chairman Of The Board [Bonus Tracks]
Lavender Coffin Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James 134 1949 25/04/08 10:07 PM 2:47 Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings
On Revival Day Lavern Baker 144 25/04/08 10:10 PM 3:16 Lavern Sings Bessie Smith
As I said, it's very ordinary. Nothing new except a Carole Ralph track and a Jimmy Witherspoon, neither of which are actually new.
Any how, the next night I played the Funpit gig. The room was absolutely solid. You couldn't push your way into the room, let alone the dance floor. It was all beginners, too - people who'd only had a lesson or two. Plus a few other people with more experience. But no one who'd been dancing more than a year or two besides me, the teachers and one or two other people. In a room that was the crowdedest gig I've ever played in Melbourne. It was heaps of fun to play. But I was coming down with a cold, so when I got up to dance after my set I was too tired to dance more than a song. I spent the weekend being very ill, but I still had fun that night.
Here's the set (Friday 25th April, 9.30-10.45pm, Funpit):
Splanky Count Basie 125 1957 3:36 Complete Atomic Basie, the 25/04/08 9:47 PM
Jump Ditty! Joe Carroll and The Ray Bryant Quintet 134 2:54 Joe Carroll Sings 25/04/08 9:49 PM
Hungry Man Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 135 1949 3:08 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 6) 1/05/08 2:11 PM
Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker 134 1949 3:24 Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings 25/04/08 9:56 PM
For Dancers Only Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 148 1937 2:41 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 25/04/08 9:59 PM
Are You Hep To The Jive? Cab Calloway 160 1994 2:50 Are You Hep To The Jive? 25/04/08 10:01 PM
Walk 'Em Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra 131 1946 2:53 Walk 'Em 25/04/08 10:04 PM
Lavender Coffin Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James 134 1949 2:47 Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings 25/04/08 10:07 PM
On Revival Day Lavern Baker 144 3:16 Lavern Sings Bessie Smith 25/04/08 10:10 PM
Froggy Bottom Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 155 1957 2:37 Goin' To Kansas City Blues 25/04/08 10:13 PM
Sent For You Yesterday Count Basie and His Orchestra with Joe Williams 163 1960 3:10 The Count Basie Story (Disc 2) 25/04/08 10:16 PM
Blues In Hoss's Flat Count Basie 144 1958 3:13 Chairman Of The Board [Bonus Tracks] 1/05/08 10:08 PM
C-Jam Blues Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 143 1999 3:34 Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke 25/04/08 10:23 PM
Be Careful (If You Can't Be Good) Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra 121 1951 3:09 Walk 'Em 1/05/08 10:12 PM
Pan Pan Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 152 1941 2:54 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 2) 1/05/08 10:20 PM
Ain't Nothin' To It Fats Waller & His Rhythm 134 1941 3:10 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2) 1/05/08 10:27 PM
Laughing In Rhythm Slim Gaillard and his Peruvians 142 1951 2:56 Laughing In Rhythm: The Best Of The Verve Years 25/04/08 10:35 PM
Bli-Blip Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 140 2007 2:44 Moppin' And Boppin' 1/05/08 10:29 PM
A Viper's Moan Mora's Modern Rhythmists 143 2000 3:30 Call Of The Freaks 1/05/08 10:33 PM
Squatty Roo Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 173 2003 3:43 Jammin' the Blues 25/04/08 10:45 PM
My Baby Just Cares For Me Nina Simone 120 3:38 The Great Nina Simone 25/04/08 10:49 PM
Again, nothing new or exciting. I'm really quite a boring DJ these days. Partly because most of the stuff I'm buying (helloooooooo Jelly Roll Morton!) is completely inappropriate for lindy hop. Not so bad for blues dancing, though.
Then this week just passed I did my first set at Madame Dynamite's. This is what I played:
Blue Monday Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 125 1957 3:40 Goin' To Kansas City Blues 1/05/08 10:05 PM
Hungry Man Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 135 1949 3:08 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 6) 1/05/08 2:11 PM
Give Me Some Skin Lionel Hampton and His Sextet 138 1941 3:16 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 5) 5/05/08 12:06 PM
The Back Room Romp Rex Stewart and His 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 2:49 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 1/05/08 2:17 PM
Just Kiddin' Around Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 159 1941 3:21 Self Portrait (Disc 3) 1/05/08 2:20 PM
Bli-Blip Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 140 2007 2:44 Moppin' And Boppin' 1/05/08 10:29 PM
Tishomingo Blues Carrol Ralph 128 2005 4:15 Swinging Jazz Portrait 1/05/08 2:27 PM
The Blues B Artie Shaw And His New Music 122 1937 2:59 Self Portrait (Disc 1) 1/05/08 2:30 PM
Deep Trouble Jimmie Noone 161 1930 2:49 The Jimmie Noone Collection 5/05/08 12:09 PM
The Basement Blues Nobel Sissle with Sidney Bechet 153 2000 3:16 Ken Burns Jazz Collection: Sidney Bechet 1/05/08 2:36 PM
Ballin' The Jack Bunk Johnson's V-Disc Veterans 156 1944 2:45 Bunk And The New Orleans Revival 1942-1945 1/05/08 2:39 PM
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Sidney Bechet 140 1951 5:44 The Blue Note Years 30/04/08 10:49 PM
Stuffy Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 153 2003 3:46 Jammin' the Blues 30/04/08 10:53 PM
The Grabtown Grapple Artie Shaw and His Gramercy 5 178 1945 2:57 Self Portrait (Disc 3) 30/04/08 10:56 PM
Peckin' Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra 165 1937 3:10 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 30/04/08 10:59 PM
The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin' The Town Red Allen & Lionel Hampton, vocal, & His Orchestra 139 1939 2:44 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 3) 30/04/08 11:01 PM
Pan Pan Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 152 1941 2:54 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 2) 1/05/08 10:20 PM
Apollo Jump Lucky Millinder 143 3:27 Apollo Jump 30/04/08 11:08 PM
Half Tight Boogie Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 150 2003 3:13 Jammin' the Blues 30/04/08 11:11 PM
Bogo-Jo Lionel Hampton and His Sextet 158 1940 2:55 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 5) 30/04/08 11:14 PM
Joog, Joog Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 146 1949 3:01 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 30/04/08 11:17 PM
Solid as a Rock Count Basie and His Orchestra with The Deep River Boys 140 3:04 Count Basie and His Orchestra 1950-1951 30/04/08 11:20 PM
Till Tom Special Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 158 1940 3:24 Tempo And Swing 30/04/08 11:23 PM
Summit Ridge Drive Artie Shaw and His Gramercy 5 128 1940 3:21 Self Portrait (Disc 2) 30/04/08 11:27 PM
Easy Does It Big 18 129 5:14 30/04/08 11:32 PM
B-Sharp Boston Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 126 1949 2:55 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 30/04/08 11:35 PM
It Takes Two to Tango Lester Young and Oscar Peterson 104 1997 6:09 Lester Young With the Oscar Peterson Trio 1/05/08 2:04 PM
It was the second set (Wednesday 30th April, 9.30-late), there weren't many people there at all and the floor was really slippery. I really struggled to find the right vibe that night. I'd expected a crowd who'd want old school, and mostly faster. I was looking forward to playing some of my newer, more obscure stuff. But that didn't happen so much. I'm not sure if it was because I sucked or because the dancers just weren't in the mood. I find it really difficult to work smaller crowds - I just need critical mass to really make them do what I want... or to get where I want to go. This crowd was also really into a bit of talking rather than dancing as well. So this set is more of the same, especially at the beginning, then there's some newer stuff. I did play that 'Give Me Some Skin' song from my new Hampton Mosaic set (which I adore), I screwed up and played 'Bogo-Jo' instead of ... some other song from that same set, and it didn't work so well. So I recovered with a safety song, 'Joog, Joog'. Overall, I wasn't too happy with that set, but it didn't suck. I mean, I liked the music a lot, and would have liked to dance to it, but it didn't really work the crowd properly. I also learnt that it's important to be able to see the people sitting down not dancing as well as the dancers when I'm DJing. At the Funpit I couldn't see anyone because it was so packed, but that's kind of easier to work. At MD's I couldn't see the people sitting down, so I couldn't judge their body language to see how they were feeling. Oh well.
I quite liked the bit from 'The Blues B' to 'Ballin' the Jack'. I'm especially fond of 'Deep Trouble'. But that stuff doesn't make for good lindy hop. It's too early. I'm really loving 1927-1930 right now (incidentally, that's the period the third season of House of Eliot is set, and I'm loving THAT - the skirt hems are so HIGH (knees! knees!)), but even though I know that's when lindy began, people in Melbourne can't dance to it. There's not enough swing, and it still feels a bit too oomp-a, oomp-a for proper lindy. D says that that type of music is good for 'one and five' dancing, and that people overseas dig it atm. I dig it, I'd like to dance to it, but it simply doesn't make for nice lindy hop. People at MD's seemed to like it, but they weren't really sure what to do with it.
In fact, I'm finding that people generally quite like the songs, but that they don't really know how to dance to it. Some of the songs I played at the blues night had a similar effect. People really liked them, but their dancing looked pretty awkward. And I could hear an awful lot of stompy, clattering feet during a few tracks.
Anyhow, here's that set list:
Do I Move You? (Second Version) (Bonus Track) Nina Simone 70 2006 2:20 Nina Simone Sings the Blues
Save Me Aretha Franklin 122 2:19 Greatest Hits - Disc 1
Get Back Temptation Ollabelle 80 2004 2:50 Ollabelle
I Left My Baby Kansas City Band 83 1995 7:24 Kansas City: A Robert Altman Film
St. James Infirmary The Cairo Club Orchestra 109 2004 3:33 Sunday
Reckless Blues Velma Middleton with Louis Armstrong and the All Stars 88 2:30 The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (disc 06)
Back Water Blues Dinah Washington with Belford Hendricks' Orchestra 71 1957 4:58 Ultimate Dinah Washington
Cloudy Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 69 1957 3:16 Goin' To Kansas City Blues
Wee Baby Blues Count Basie with Mahalia Jackson 64 1968 3:14 Live In Antibes 1968
Amtrak Blues Alberta Hunter 95 1978 3:24 Amtrak Blues
Long John Blues Dinah Washington 97 1948 3:10 Dinah Washington:the Queen Sings - Disc 2 - Stairway to the Stars
My Daddy Rocks Me Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra 114 1929 3:09 The Jimmie Noone Collection
New Orleans Bump Wynton Marsalis 128 1999 4:36 Mr. Jelly Lord - Standard Time, Vol. 6
Black And Tan Fantasy Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 88 1999 4:36 Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke
Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho Mahalia Jackson 130 1958 2:13 Live At Newport 1958
Goin' To Chicago Count Basie and His Orchestra with Jimmy Rushing 79 1952 3:22 Complete Clef/Verve Count Basie Fifties Studio Recordings (Disc 2)
I Want A Little Girl Big Joe Turner with Pete Johnson and Freddie Green 91 1956 4:19 The Boss Of The Blues
It's from the SP blues night, 13th April, 10.30-11.30. I especially love that song 'My Daddy Rocks Me'. I've heard a more recent version played lately round town - something hi-fi. But this version is the BEST. The older versions always sound so much dirtier. I wonder if it's because the contemporary singers, today, don't know what the words mean? Or if they can't make it work because they don't use those expressions themselves in their everyday talk (vernacular much?), so they can't give it the right weight....? Any how, Jimmie Noone is my man. My homey. My main squeeze. We are having a Thing. If you read the Red Hot Jazz entry about him you'll see where my musical taste is at at the moment - I am still really keen on Kid Ory (and following him through Jelly Roll's bands), nuts for Johnny Dodds and chasing some Earl Hines.
This blues set was quite varied, moving from an excellent (truly great) set by Leon. But Iiked the part from Long John Blues onwards especially. I played the Winton Marsalis version of 'New Orleans Bump' rather than the Jelly Roll one because I needed to get up out of the scratchy sound quality for the room to get a bit of energy. People really have trouble with those blues tracks with tango type rhythms, though. Me, I lubbs them, because I have experience with Argentinian tango. And because I really like blues music which makes you feel like moving around the floor rather than just standing there getting your frottage cheeze on. Also, the guy who wrote 'St Louis Blues' said in an interview I read somewhere that he wrote the song with a 'tango' intro because tango was so cool with dancers at that moment, and he wanted to get them on the floor before hitting them with the blues action.... now I think about it, I'm not sure it was 'St Louis Blues'. But whatever, it's an interesting point. And I really should look up the quote so I can get it right. But I like the late 20s for all the interesting stuff that was going on. We see early labour movement stuff. Women's movement stuff (where women were beginning to reap the benefits of the suffragette movement of the late 19th century). Sweet-as music stuff. It was just an interesting period.
Any how, I played the LCJO version of 'Black and Tan Fantasy' rather than a bit of sweet Ellington because of the scratch factor. This crowd isn't all that used to or comfortable with really old stuff - they prefer the hi-fi. And the sound gear and room just wasn't working with so much lo-fi, scratchy, messy sounding music. Which is a real shame.
Some day I'd like to do a set that played all the music from a particular period, regardless of tempo or style, just working it all together to make for an interesting night of dancing. I'd like to play the really slow stuff and the really fast stuff, working it all together so it kind of flowed, but not having to think 'oh, these speed freaks won't dance slow' and vice versa.
Sigh.
-- Note: all pics are from this interesting site, www.mainspringpress.com. --
"extreme DJing nerdery" was posted by dogpossum on May 5, 2008 2:04 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
March 30, 2008
djing by remote
Argh. This Yehoodi set is killing me. I've been working on this set off and on for ages and it's really not a very great thing. I've finally put together 4 hours of music that I think could work and I'm listening to it now, back to front. The last hour (currently the first hour) or so is pure cop out - I suddenly decided I needed to take the tempo extremely low and the tone equally so. This was cheering on a gloomy Sunday afternoon, but it sounds a bit odd to suddenly drop like that at the end of the session.
What I've been trying to do is work between different styles, much as I would while DJing, but perhaps on a longer 'curve' - so I can spend more time with each style. I'm also playing fast and loose with the tempos - I'm not tempering things for the physical limitations of a real, live crowd of dancers.
This is, of course, playing havoc with my internal DJing instincts. Playing 9 or 10 songs at 250bpm and higher in a row is wrong. Only balboa doods could hack that tempo. Similarly, it feels wrong to go from 200 to 160 to 60 within 4 songs. And then to move on up. Historically, it's fairly accurate - a band playing for a crowd in 1928 would move between subsonic and supersonic speeds ad libitum. But lindy hoppers today get all freaked out by that. Speed freaks in particular have trouble with songs at about 60bpm. Babies.
Anyhow, it's making me feel kind of anxious to break the rules like this.
But it's also quite nice - I'm playing songs I really, really like but hardly ever get to play. And I'm playing them in clumps that I know would never work for dancers. There's a particular lump of about 8 songs which are quite fast but also quite low energy - they're more along the 'chamber jazz' sort of line, which is really nice for listening, but would be ordinary for dancing.
... I had to resist the temptation to try to be as obscure as possible. Thanks for the tip, Trev - it's been very useful. It's not difficult to remind myself that I don't have anywhere near as large a collection as some of the supernerds out there, so there's no way I'm going to be able to pull off some esoteric collection of completely obscure and unknown gems. So I'm going for 'songs I freakin' love' and 'songs I love to play for dancers'.
That means there are quite a few favourites ('Jumpin' at the Woodside' is in there), I've played a couple of versions of a couple of songs (oh no! gasp! rule breaker!), but I figure it's a really nice way to contrast and compare. I don't play them one after another, of course, but it's a nice way to show how songs have stuck around for decades, in and out of the popular repertoire, given different treatments and flavours by different musicians. I have to say, all this stuff is chugging along in my head but is probably completely unnoticeable to most listeners - most people simply wouldn't notice or care. Which is ok by me. I certainly don't want to come off sounding as though I'm trying to take the listener to school. I just figure, while I'm breaking some rules, I might as well break others.
I'm also doing some shifts between songs that are purely for my own enjoyment. Yes, that is Freddy Green there in that Joe Turner song following that Count Basie song. And that's certainly not the only time I use a common artist to segue between songs/groups.
I've noticed that I over use a few different artists. But frankly, how can it be wrong to play a lot of Ellington? Or Basie? Those guys are the bread and butter of the swing dancing world, they recorded a jillion songs, they played for a jillion dancers and they really shaped the popular music world of the day. So I'm going to rock on with those mens.
Not so many ladies in the list, though. That's hardly suprising - how many lady rock stars are there in your average 'rock and roll' set list? Not a whole lot.
...more updates as I go. And I'll let you know when it's on the radio so you can listen - it's an internet radio station, so you'll be able to hear it (and me talking!) on your computers. If I have time I'll see if I can make some sort of read-a-long thing for this blog, so you can read my thinking along with the music. Or not, if you happen to have, well, a life. Ok, gotta ping ding chicken wing now - blllooooooz dancing!
"djing by remote" was posted by dogpossum on March 30, 2008 8:45 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
March 21, 2008
last night's set
There's a thread on the SwingDJs board called 'last night's playlist' which I'm not sure I'm brave enough to post in yet. So I'm going to post last night's set here. I've been listening to the set again this morning, so the 'last played' times are a bit off. It was a fun set - I'm enjoying listening to it now!
I played a fair few newer songs (new to me), which was really nice - I'm using all the new music I've bought lately. All this purchasing has been very inspiring and made me very happy. I'm loving the Lionel Hampton Mosaic set very much. It has quite a few nice, medium tempo songs which are great for newer dancers... or nannas like myself.
Last night was interesting as it's the second night of a new door cover charge for the venue. I think $5 (or is it $6?) is kind of crap for a venue where the drinks are really expensive and you're still not allowed to bring your own water ($1.50 for a glass of water!). I wouldn't mind a cover charge, but I need to drink a lot of water... it's also a fucking disgusting place. The toilets leak everywhere and stink, the taps don't work on the sink (of course - it's a scam to keep you buying water), it stinks, the floor is inconsistent, the DJing podium thing is a bit scary (a giant crevasse down behind it, etc), and it just generally has a nasty vibe. Plus the bar staff are surly bastards.
Anyhow, the door charge has cut the people through the door by 25% at least. This kind of sucks. But it means that those people who are going are there to dance rather than drink, which means it's easier to work the crowd - you get a greater proportion on the floor at any one time. The crowd should have been bigger, and the night should have been pumping because it was the Thursday before good Friday, but it wasn't - and that's a sure sign that the door charge is having detrimental effects.
But most of the people there were from the classes before, and the retention rate was higher than usual. It felt like a Funbags night - more 'beginner' dancers. Which is actually very nice, as they just want to DANCE and they're not as picky about musical style. They like a solid beat, and they really like the older music that I play, and they're totally unfazed by higher tempos - they just get out there and shake it, regardless.
But they don't have a lot of stamina, so you get everyone in the room dancing for 3 songs, then an empty floor (except for more experienced people), then 3 songs of packed floor, then an empty floor. They just don't have the stamina, the basic fitness and - more importantly - the body awareness and basic muscle memory/awareness to move efficiently and energy-savingly. Which means that they kind of get out there and thrash around, limbs all over the place, wasting energy. They're having fun, but they're killing themselves. So they need a rest. But they're still really keen to dance, so as soon as they've caught their breath, they're back out there, dancing like fools. Which is really very nice.
So I'm happy with the job I did last night, and I enjoyed it. It's about my fifth set this month (what with the 3 gigs over the MSF weekend just passed), so I'm steadily saving money for more CDs. Yay! I'm also getting my DJing in now before the second semester starts and I have to go back to being working stooge who has to keep normal hours. But I'm down to do a blues set next month, which I'm looking forward to (I only do one a year these days, not counting exchanges). Oh, and excitingly, I've been asked to do a set on Yehoodi radio soon. So I'm getting myself a bit worked up about that. I'm not sure whether I should play stuff I usually play for dancers (which could get kind of dull), stuff I'd like to play for dancers, stuff that's not necessarily for dancing but rocks, a lindy set, a blues set, a combination of the two... I'm also finding part of me is trying to find the most obscure stuff I can. It's a show off thing. And this obscure stuff is the older, more unusual stuff. And most of that is pre-lindy hop. Which probably isn't the best way to go. But I'm looking forward to it. All four hours of it (!!).
The Comeback 20/03/08 8:41 PM Barbara Morrison 134 2002 7:41 Live At The 9:20 Special
Froggy Bottom 20/03/08 8:43 PM Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 155 1957 2:37 Goin' To Kansas City Blues
Walk 'Em 20/03/08 8:46 PM Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra 131 1946 2:53 Walk 'Em
Give Me Some Skin 21/03/08 11:08 AM Lionel Hampton and His Sextet 138 1941 3:16 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 5)
Apollo Jump 21/03/08 11:12 AM Lucky Millinder 143 3:27 Apollo Jump
Summit Ridge Drive 21/03/08 11:15 AM Artie Shaw and His Gramercy 5 128 1940 3:21 Self Portrait (Disc 2)
Don't Be That Way 21/03/08 11:17 AM Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra 136 1938 2:36 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 2)
I'm Beginning To See The Light 20/03/08 9:02 PM Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five Featuring Hilary Alexander 126 2007 2:57 Moppin' And Boppin'
Massachusetts 21/03/08 11:21 AM Maxine Sullivan 147 1956 3:19 A Tribute To Andy Razaf
Shoutin' Blues 21/03/08 11:24 AM Count Basie and His Orchestra 148 1949 2:38 Kansas City Powerhouse
For Dancers Only 21/03/08 11:26 AM Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 148 1937 2:41 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford
Afternoon of a Moax 20/03/08 9:14 PM Charlie Barnet 132 2004 3:24 Charlie Barnet
The Heebie Jeebies Are Rockin' The Town (Alt Tk) 21/03/08 11:30 AM Red Allen & Lionel Hampton, vocal, & His Orchestra 141 1939 2:44 The Complete Lionel Hampton Victor Sessions 1937-1941 (disc 3)
Laughing In Rhythm 21/03/08 11:33 AM Slim Gaillard and his Peruvians 142 1951 2:56 Laughing In Rhythm: The Best Of The Verve Years
Ain't Nothin' To It 21/03/08 11:36 AM Fats Waller & His Rhythm 134 1941 3:10 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2)
Oh Red! 20/03/08 9:26 PM Sam Price and his Texas Blusicians with Sam Price 182 1940 3:05 1929-1941
A Viper's Moan 20/03/08 9:29 PM Willie Bryant And His Orchestra 153 3:26 Willie Bryant 1935-1936
My Baby Just Cares For Me 20/03/08 9:33 PM Nina Simone 120 3:38 The Great Nina Simone
Bli-Blip 20/03/08 9:35 PM Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 140 2007 2:44 Moppin' And Boppin'
Gotta Do Some War Work 20/03/08 9:40 PM Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five 150 2004 4:10 Crazy Rhythm
Savoy Blues 20/03/08 9:43 PM Kid Ory 134 2002 3:01 Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho 20/03/08 9:46 PM Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band 160 1946 3:13 Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46
I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate 20/03/08 9:49 PM Muggsy Spanier and his Ragtime Band 155 1939 2:56 Great Original Performances 1931 & 1939
Moppin' And Boppin' 20/03/08 9:53 PM Fats Waller & His Rhythm 173 1943 4:29 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 3)
Flying Home 20/03/08 9:56 PM Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 197 1942 3:11 Lionel Hampton Story 2: Flying Home
Good Queen Bess 20/03/08 9:59 PM Duke Ellington 160 1940 3:00 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10)
The Back Room Romp 20/03/08 10:02 PM Rex Stewart and His 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 2:49 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2)
Tippin' In 21/03/08 11:04 AM Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra 144 1942 3:20 Tuxedo Junction
"last night's set" was posted by dogpossum on March 21, 2008 12:40 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
March 17, 2008
happy day
This lovely thing just arrived! Sure, it was a little embarrassing opening the door to the post dood wearing only a (very) short, light cotton dress, but I like to think I made his afternoon a little more interesting. But it was just GREAT to see a giant Mosaic cardboard box under his arm.
I love Lionel Hampton very much. He's one of those guys I got into when I was first interested in DJing. In fact, I think his album Tempo and Swing was one of the first I bought thinking 'this is DJing music'. I'm still a massive fan. He made great dancing music - stuff that's really stompy and makes you want to get up and stomp around. Probably has something to do with his being a percussionist.
Anyhoo, it was interesting to see Ziggy Elman's name on the first page of the first CD's liner notes. Elman's interesting, not just because he's responsible for the freakin' awesome solo at the beginning of Tommy Dorsey's song 'Well git it!'. He caught my interest initially because he was a Jewish musician 'performing' whiteness - he changed his name.
This is something that Dean Collins also did (Saul Cohen originally). And all of this rings a bell with me because I keep coming across articles about Jewish musicians and actors who performed 'blackness' in the early days of radio and vaudeville - putting on 'black' accents and black face paint. It's something I'd like to follow up in greater depth at some point, not only because of the interesting Jewish history of American show business, but also because of the ideological ramifications of 'performing' ethnicity in swing culture generally.
Because, of course, when we lindy hop, we are dancing what was an African American dance. Dancers who are into historical recreationism are particularly keen on emulating 'black' ways of moving and movement aesthetics. Which is problematic, when you remember that these are predominantly white, middle class kids (especially in America). But all this gets even more interesting when you take into account the fact that lindy hop is getting very popular in places like Korea. A recent exchange guest was telling me that there are thousands of swing dancers in Seoul, and that he social dances every single night of the week - far more often than we can here in Melbourne. And then, remember that not all Australian dancers are white - we see an increasingly multicultural local swing community here in Melbourne (though still not entirely multicultural or diverse).
But back to Ziggy Elman. His solo in 'Well Git it!' has particular cultural resonances for contemporary lindy hoppers, as mediated by the internet. The Mad Dog people performed a routine in Danvers to this song in 2002 which proved very popular with Australian dancers, particularly in the then-very-introverted Melbourne scene. Here was a group of young people dancing crazy, wild lindy hop without rules or costumes! Suddenly, there was an alternative to the carefully 'safe' teaching of the larger school, dancers who weren't the 'old' recreationists ('old' being over 30, mind you). Suddenly, lindy hop got cool. Coolness which seemed to manifest in dancers wearing jeans in performances. And, most refreshingly for olden days music nerds like me, an increased general interest in music from the 1930s rather than 50s and 60s.
The Mad Dog troupe featured a bunch of young dancers who're now rock stars, some of whom learnt to dance in Ithaca with Bill Borghida (and other teachers), and some of whom were in the Minnie's Moochers dance troupe (circa 1999, 2000), which I remember being very influential. In fact, I remember watching this 2000 comp performance in my first year in Melbourne. This is as white a lindy hop performance as you're going to see, but holy smokes, it's tight. And these guys were young teenagers. If you're familiar with Borghida's teaching, you can see his sound technical foundations in there, and you can't help but envy those kiddies their early start on lindy hop.
This performance is an interesting contrast with the Mad Dog routine in part because it is so tight and carefully choreographed - each dancer is attempting to dance and move in exactly the same way (here's an interesting clip of the girls doing solo charleston). In the Mad Dog routine we see choreographed steps, but each couple (and dancer) is quite unique. And of course, if you watch this composite clip of old school lindy hoppers, you can see that though the routines are really tight, each dancer has a unique style. The Big Apple contest is probably the best example of this. So this representation or performance of 'individuality' through improvisation and 'styling' signalled a shift away from very white, studio ballroom/concert dance aesthetics and towards a more 'vernacular' dance ethos. Vernacular in that people were actually dancing how they felt, in clothes they wore every day, with their own particular 'accents'. And of course, lindy is just made for young people - it's fast music, it's crazy dancing, it's irreverent, it's badass*.
It's probably worth pointing out that the American lindy hop competition culture in 2000 was very strictly regimented. The scoring was complicated, there was a whole range of weird rules about what you could and couldn't do or wear in the competitions, and the type of dancing produced by these competitions was kind of... well, boring.
Competitions were kind of the same in Australia at the time, though there were no competitions run by lindy hoppers with specific 'lindy hop' categories. The biggest Australian competition at the time was 'Best of the Best', run by the VRRDA (Victorian Rock and Roll Dance Association), similarly constrained and rules-bound. It was also very much a 'rock and roll' competition - it was unusual to see 'real' lindy hop performances until about 2002.
In 2002 the MLX hosted the first Hellzapoppin' competition, a model borrowed from the American Hellza competition - no rules, an impetus towards historical 'authenticity', run as part of an African American cultural history festival in Harlem. Though the American Hellza comp has been largely superseded by the ULHS (Ultimate Lindy Hop Show Down) competition for wild, crazy, 'authentic' lindy hop - not to mention popularity - Hellza is the only competition in Australia which actually carries on this particular ethos. All other large competitions in Australia are run by one school, and this school's teachers tend to dominate the field, with the general tone being a little... straight.
So the 2002 Mad Dog performance is important as it signaled a diversion from the rules-bound competitions of previous years. The Mad Dog routine is probably more significant in American lindy as it was a very public diversion from the supergroove style that was popular at the time. I recently heard one of those dancers make a general comment about how 'we' used to dance 'groovier, smoother' and are not into 'rawer' dancing. It struck me as an example of how American dancers often generalise their experiences to the international community. But this is important stuff because these dancers were very young (and still are - under 30) and have been very influential in Australia.
So Ziggy Elman's name probably carries a little more interpretive weight for me than for most people, and one day I'm going to read up on all that stuff on Jewish showbiz history. I promise.
For now I'm busy filling up the last tiny bits of space left on my hard drive with Lionel Hampton goodness. Yeah!
* old people like it too. Frankie is 93 and he still likes it.
"happy day" was posted by dogpossum on March 17, 2008 2:58 PM in the category cat blogging and digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (5)
March 9, 2008
i like to move it move it
I did a late night gig last night that was very excellent fun. Starting at 2am and finishing at 4, I had to follow 15 minutes of heel slide competition (if ever there was a showing of hegemonic masculinity, that'd be it) to the Rocky theme, so it was a bit tricky starting out. But who does a better job representing The Man than Jimmy Witherspoon?
It was really nice to play a large crowd of dancers from all over Australia (and some overseas places) who were keen to dance hard and fast. Even after a long day of workshops, on the fourth day of an exchange, they were ready to lindy hop like it was 1937. Actually, it's nice to play a set later in the weekend as the dancers are kind of relaxed and warmed up. The DJ before me had set up a high energy vibe which was really nice to step into - it spoils me to have a DJ do all that work to establish a crazy, fun dancing energy in the room, and to be able to just step on in (or sit right down, rather) and take advantage of that.
It's a large room, and I'm not all that fond of the sound in there (the speakers are at one end of the room, so that end gets really crowded, really hot as the dancers squeeze up against the speakers). I think I should have gotten up and walked about the room a bit more to check the sound more often, but I was tired and I my buddies were mostly clustered towards the back (where it was cooler and there was more room for stunts). They're not shy of letting me know if the sound is bodgy, either.
Half way through, though, I had to sprint off for a wee break. Took me literally 45 seconds, even having to squeeze through a crowd. I guess I shouldn't have drunk all that water while I was DJing. But it was so hot up there at the front of the room I felt a bit dehydrated (didn't help that I'd been up til 4 dancing like a freak the night before, then ridden up for lunch during a hot afternoon).
The weekend isn't over yet, though. I have a set on tomorrow night (lindy hop from 12 - 1.30am) and there's blooz dancing tonight (though I've just checked the roster and there's apparently lindy on tonight as well - YAY!). A female friend asked me to dance the night before and mid-way through I was reminded of how great leading is. So I led most of that night. There are just so many fabulous follows in town - so many great chicks who're totally fun to dance with. And there's a bit of a shortage of leads (of course), so I'm laughing. I am still working up the guts to dance with Hanna. Maybe tonight. Or tomorrow.
Froggy Bottom Jimmy Witherspoon With Jay McShann And His Band 155 1957 2:37 Goin' To Kansas City Blues 9/03/08 2:08 AM
Jump Through The Window Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra 154 1943 2:42 After You've Gone 9/03/08 2:11 AM
Lopin' Count Basie, his instrumentalists and Rhythm 190 1947 2:29 Kansas City Powerhouse 9/03/08 2:13 AM
For Dancers Only Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 148 1937 2:41 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 9/03/08 2:16 AM
Moppin' And Boppin' Fats Waller & His Rhythm 173 1943 4:29 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 3) 9/03/08 2:20 AM
I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate Muggsy Spanier and his Ragtime Band 155 1939 2:56 Great Original Performances 1931 & 1939 9/03/08 2:23 AM
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band 160 1946 3:13 Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 9/03/08 2:27 AM
All Star Strut Metronome All Star Nine 176 3:12 Charlie Christian: The Genius of The Electric Guitar (disc 4) 9/03/08 2:30 AM
The Back Room Romp Rex Stewart and His 52nd Street Stompers 152 1937 2:49 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 9/03/08 2:33 AM
Peckin' Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra 165 1937 3:10 The Duke's Men: Small Groups Vol. 1 (Disc 2) 9/03/08 2:36 AM
Shortnin' Bread Fats Waller 195 2005 2:41 The Panic Is On 9/03/08 2:38 AM
Laughing In Rhythm Slim Gaillard and his Peruvians 142 1951 2:56 Laughing In Rhythm: The Best Of The Verve Years 9/03/08 2:41 AM
Turn It Over Bus Moten and His Men 148 1949 2:38 Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) 9/03/08 2:44 AM
The Grabtown Grapple Artie Shaw and His Gramercy 5 178 1945 2:57 Self Portrait (Disc 3) 9/03/08 2:47 AM
Lavender Coffin Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James 134 1949 2:47 Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings 9/03/08 2:50 AM
Cole Slaw Jesse Stone and His Orchestra 145 2:57 Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 9/03/08 2:53 AM
C-Jam Blues Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 143 1999 3:34 Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke 9/03/08 2:56 AM
Sent For You Yesterday Count Basie and His Orchestra with Joe Williams 163 1960 3:10 The Count Basie Story (Disc 2) 9/03/08 2:59 AM
Shoutin' Blues Count Basie and His Orchestra 148 1949 2:38 Kansas City Powerhouse 9/03/08 3:02 AM
Just Kiddin' Around Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 159 1941 3:21 Self Portrait (Disc 3) 9/03/08 3:05 AM
The Jumpin' Jive Chu Berry with Cab Calloway, vocal, & His Orchestra 177 1939 2:52 Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions 9/03/08 3:08 AM
Stomp It Off Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 190 1934 3:09 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 9/03/08 3:11 AM
Loch Lomond Chu Berry with Wingy Mannone & His Orchestra 153 1938 2:36 Classic Chu Berry Columbia And Victor Sessions Vol. 4 9/03/08 3:14 AM
Massachusetts Maxine Sullivan 147 1956 3:19 A Tribute To Andy Razaf 9/03/08 3:17 AM
Blues In Hoss's Flat Count Basie 144 1958 3:13 Chairman Of The Board [Bonus Tracks] 9/03/08 3:20 AM
A Viper's Moan Mora's Modern Rhythmists 143 2000 3:30 Call Of The Freaks 9/03/08 3:24 AM
Good Queen Bess Duke Ellington 160 1940 3:00 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10) 9/03/08 3:27 AM
Mutiny in the Parlor Chu Berry with Gene Krupa's Swing Band; Helen Ward, vocal; 137 1936 3:06 Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions 9/03/08 3:30 AM
Joog, Joog Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 146 1949 3:01 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 9/03/08 3:33 AM
Ain't Nothin' To It Fats Waller & His Rhythm 134 1941 3:10 Last Years (1940-1943) (Disc 2) 9/03/08 3:36 AM
B-Sharp Boston Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 126 1949 2:55 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 9/03/08 3:39 AM
Lemonade Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five 117 1950 3:17 Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five (vol 6) 9/03/08 3:42 AM
It Takes Two to Tango Lester Young and Oscar Peterson 104 1997 6:09 Lester Young With the Oscar Peterson Trio 9/03/08 3:46 AM
Blues For Smedley Clark Terry, Ed Thigpen, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown 137 1964 6:57 Oscar Peterson Trio + One: Clark Terry 9/03/08 3:53 AM
Christopher Columbus Maxine Sullivan 156 1956 2:21 A Tribute To Andy Razaf 9/03/08 3:55 AM
Smooth Sailing Ella Fitzgerald 118 2000 3:07 Ken Burns Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald 9/03/08 3:58 AM
Over all, the set went pretty well, I think. A few people came up to tell me they really liked it, which is always so nice. It's just so flattering to have people take the time to tell you that, especially if they don't know you. It makes me feel really good and encourages me to do my very best.
I played a few old favourites, mostly to hang a bit of shit on Trev, and I did think about doing a very mediocre set for all those people who've asked me to 'play something good' in the past. It maybe wasn't the very best I've ever done, but it felt like a good job. The floor was packajammed til 3am, and I kept a dozen couples on the floor after 3.30, which was pretty good. There were workshops this morning, so the numbers were bound to drop off, but I did a decent job keeping them up and lindy hopping. It was nice to see the floor suddenly fill up again when I played Blues for Smedley and then Christopher Columbus. That's a little super groove mini-set right there at the end. Two songs with chunky bass action a la Ray Brown at the end there (Two to Tango and BFS) for Jaymee to thank him for driving us home the other night (couldn't quite manage Blues for Stephanie, though).
Overall, it was a very fun set to do and I'm enjoying myself this weekend. Yay.
"i like to move it move it" was posted by dogpossum on March 9, 2008 2:44 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (2)
February 18, 2008
fats waller v duke ellington
It's been tricky fitting in all my listening this past weekend.
Will it be Fats, or will it be Ellington? Witherspoon and Sam Price don't even get a foot in the door, I'm afraid.
I have 8 Ellington CDs to get through, and 3 Fats CDs to get through, and I'm not rushing, mind you. I like to listen to new CDs really slowly, lots of repeat listens to individual songs, lots of skipping back to check out a particular section.
So I'm not exactly running through my new goodies. And when I'm reading, I simply don't hear the music at all, so I never know when a song's finished. Or a CD's finished. I think this is partly why I hate having music on when I'm working - it's a waste. Music also tends to stop being music and just turn into the odd sound or bump or squeak which I catch every other minute as my attention shifts back to the aural world. I also really hate having that annoying background buzz distracting me from ideas when I'm thinking. So I like Total and Complete Silence when I'm working.
But I was all about Fats at first:
Fats Waller and His Rhythm the Last Years ( 1940-1943 ) to be precise. This is the other goody that came for me last week. It's really, really wonderful. I adore Fats, and this is perhaps the best collection I have (so far - there's no end in sight). So, seeing as it was the first collection that arrived, this was where my listening was at. But then the Ellington Mosaic arrived, and now I'm all about Ellington.
It's not a real competition, not really. But I'm finding it tricky getting through all these. And it feels like every single song on this Mosaic set is wonderful - I have to keep stopping to put songs into my 'should play' list for DJing. Luckily there's quite a bit of stuff I don't already have (I love, love, love the smaller group stuff, and have the Columbia 2-CD 'Duke's Men' vol 1 and vol 2.
I really should get my finger out and properly research all these guys, get a proper idea of who recorded with which companies when. Get some sort of clue as to who was in whose band at what time. But I really can't be arsed devoting valuable research time to something that's meant to be fun. There's so much other stuff I should be researching (let's not talk about reality TV, ok?), I just don't want to ruin music for me. I have read bits and pieces, but I just don't have a sensible, comprehensive set of facts and figures and names at my disposal.
I mean, I am totally crap with that sort of thing normally (my memory is so crap it's a joke), and I find it really difficult to remember the names of songs. I can pick the musicians or the bands (mostly because they tend to have quite distinct musical 'styles' or 'accents', so you can guess who's playing what), but names of songs? Nope. I can generally guess the era (30s, 40s, etc), but not reliably. This means that it's always a nice surprise to discover I actually own that song that such and such just DJed. But it also means my learning curve re jazz history is more of a plateau.
I've also noticed that a song seems to sound completely different when you're dancing to it than when you're DJing it or sitting at home listening to it. I think it's because when you're DJing or listening, you pay really close attention, in a conscious-brain sort of way. But when I'm dancing, I'm responding unconsciously, not actually consciously thinking 'oh, muted trumpet' or 'huh, chunky bass'. Plus there's a bunch of other things going on when you're dancing that distract you.
Anyways, the bottom line is, Ellington is winning, but Fats is kind of niggling in my hindbrain. It's high-brow versus visceral, bodily goodness - Ellington is clever, Fats is fun (Ellington is fun too, and Fats is clever, but Ellington is telling you he's smart and Fats is telling you he'd like you to sit a little closer and pass him a drink).
"fats waller v duke ellington" was posted by dogpossum on February 18, 2008 11:18 AM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (3)
February 15, 2008
Sam Price and His Texas Blusicians 1929-1941
Sam Price and His Texas Blusicians 1929-1941 is the other CD that came this week, part of the Big Binge. It's a Chronological Classic, which is important because this series of albums feature artists in chronological order - so you get a series of Duke Ellington CDs featuring songs in the order they were originally recorded.
It's the most comprehensive series of albums, and they're quite sought after. You can pay zillions of dollars for the rarer ones. But I've picked up ones that are cheaper and really great. My favourite is the Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 one, which I picked up quite cheaply. It featured a song called B Sharp Boston which I really like and play quite often at late nights (it's a bit slower). It also features Joog Joog, which has some nice female vocals (again, the CD's in the other room, so I can't check the name for you, sorry, but I think it's a combination of Ivie Anderson and someone else [EDIT: I just checked and I think the notes are screwy, or I don't understand, as it has a bloke's name for the vocals, when I'm certain it's Ivie Anderson and someone else...]). It's quite an interesting album because it's later Ellington (round about the time of some of the late testament Basie stuff that I really like), but Ellington is quite a different band leader. Most of these songs aren't that wacky arty stuff he got into in the later period, but are much more popular songs. So it makes for interesting listening. And some great dancing.
Any how, this Sam Price action was drawn to my attention by Trev, king of fun scratchy music. And I'm quite in love. He apparently played with Lester Young's band (or at least Lester - this is another CD I have to check the liner notes on. It's only new, so I'm totally clueless on specifics). Sam Price, not Trev, that is.
One of my favourite bits of this album is in the song 'Do you Dig My Jive?' where he sings:
Ain't nothin' new about jive,
Believe it or not,
I know when jive first started,
The time and the spot,
Way back yonder,
In the year one-ty-one,
You can bet your sweet life,
That's when jive begun.
I like 'onety-one' - the first year. It makes me giggle.
So, of course, I'm swimming in lovely music today. And trying to pretend I don't have a dentist appointment this afternoon. I think I'll follow that up with a nice film. Probably Jumpers rather than the more serious things I want to see (There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, American Gangster), as I'm always a bit traumatised after the dentist. Thing kind thoughts for me, will you?
"Sam Price and His Texas Blusicians 1929-1941" was posted by dogpossum on February 15, 2008 1:02 PM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (3)
mosaic Duke Ellington: 1936-40 Small Group Sessions and Witherspoon-McShann Goin' to Kansas City Blues
...and the last of my Big Binge CDs arrived today, along with a lovely needlepoint pack. It was just like christmas.
Let's start with the needlepoint. I bought it from this slightly dodgy looking site. I've recently gotten returned to needlepoint, c/o a christmas present Margarate Preseton job, and have gotten a bit obsessive about it. Had to have another to do, though I've managed to sate some of that obsession with a nice blue patchworked crocheted blanket for The Squeeze - I can't bear large crochet projects in summer, but the smaller squares are easier - remind me to post pics of my fabulous red flowered job. Note the price - $55 for printed canvas + all wool. That's not bad at all. And it's an Australian company, so there's less postage to pay.
Jimmy Witherspoon with Jay McShann Goin' to Kansas City Blues from Mosaic. I'm a big fan of Jay McShann, and while I don't like Witherspoon's politics, he can sing like a mofo. I'm still keen on that big, fat 50s sound. This one has lovely quality recording, and the band is so freakin' good (Emmett Berry, J. C. Higginbotham, Hilton Jefferson, Seldon Powell, Al Sears, Kenny Burrell, Gene Ramey and Mousey Alexander). Some of it veers off into post-swing (this is a 1957 recording after all).
Most of my Jay McShann is earlier - nice, dirty Kansas City stuff. Though I do have this album Hootie!, a live job by his trio in... damnit, I haven't entered the date! [EDIT: just checked it - it's 1997] And the CD is far away... Anyhow, that's a great album, but it's supergroove. Lots of long, tinkly songs with tinkly piano, often at supersonic speeds. Not really the best dancing (except for the odd blues track), but really good listening music. I really like McShann's piano style - it's so different to people like Basie and Ellington and Junior Mance and Oscar Peterson.
So, anyhow, this new CD is really fun. Lots of great, upenergy songs. As I said, though, it's a bit post-swing, in that it stops swinging quite so much. The slower ones are better, but the uptempo ones are kind of staccato or abrupt. Don't swing so much. What this means for dancers is that it feels like you're rushing from beat to beat, and that songs feel faster generally. This can be good for lifting the energy in the room every now and then (especially if it's a more recent recording), but ultimately, it does bad things to your lindy hop. We need that gushy, delayed timing to really make us swing, to keep us hanging back and soaking every last moment out of each beat.
My other lovely present is Duke Ellington: 1936-40 Small Group Sessions, another Mosaic set I've had my eye on for ages. Cost a freakin' bomb, but oh-baby, I have a serious thing for Ellington that's just not going away. I have quite a few Ellington CDs and collections, but I couldn't resist some lovely Mosaic remastering goodness (that's what makes these expensive things worth it - good remastering, not to mention fab liner notes and packaging and great service).
This is completely different stuff to the Witherspoon CD - 20-odd years earlier, different approach to the rhythm section, very different approach to composition/arrangement. Really, this is a nice comparison between classic 30s swinging jazz and the 'next generation'. While I adore the Witherspoon/McShann CD, this is where my heart truly lies. I love Ellington for the complexity and sophistication of the arrangements and plain old management of the band. Each musician has a very particular job, and they do it just wonderfully. I also prefer this bouncy old school sound - makes me want to lindy hop. None of that shuffle-rhythm going on in the drum kit area. Nice shouty choruses at the end of songs. Yes, please.
I also like these big 'complete, collected works' sets because they include multiple takes of the one song. This means you get to hear the band make minute variations in the way they play, and you really begin to understand how the band work together as a team, and how a slightly shorter solo can change the whole song. I also like hearing the people in the studio talking - it's like we're just that little bit closer to a world that feels imaginary, most of the time. They way they talk, the things they talk about - are all so far away from us. But when you hear them swearing about fucked up takes or laughing at jokes, it becomes a bit more real.
So, sitting up in bed looking through all these goodies this morning (it was an early delivery), it felt like my birthday. And it was lovely.
Now I just have to score a few more DJing gigs to cover these extravagances.
"mosaic Duke Ellington: 1936-40 Small Group Sessions and Witherspoon-McShann Goin' to Kansas City Blues" was posted by dogpossum on February 15, 2008 12:23 PM in the category digging and djing and music
February 12, 2008
slim gaillard's Laughing in Rhythm and Fats Waller and his Rhythm, the Last Years 1940-1943
Two new arrivals:
Slim Gaillard's Laughing in Rhythm. Can't believe I've only just bought this. I am so the slowest, uncoolest DJ on the block. I mean, I've bought bits and pieces from places like itunes, but still. It's a bit late. I'd still like the giant Gaillard Proper set, but I just can't bring myself to buy all that nonsense singing...
Fats Waller and his Rhythm, the Last Years 1940-1943. I now own about 60 million Waller CDs. And I'm not quite sure that's enough.
"slim gaillard's Laughing in Rhythm and Fats Waller and his Rhythm, the Last Years 1940-1943" was posted by dogpossum on February 12, 2008 10:22 AM in the category digging and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
January 9, 2008
want
- Any of these CDs from the Boilermaker Jazz Band.
- this CD from the Firecracker Jazz Band (listen - most especially to 'Digga Digga Doo' here)
And, because it's not all want, I'm quite enjoying the Loose Marbles CD the lovely D sent me. Check out their version of 'When I get low I get high' (yes, a drug reference, yes one of the bestest songs evah). You can hear and watch them here, playing one of my favourite songs, 'Four or Five Times', heading towards the version I most prefer (a la the McKinney's Cotton Pickers). The lyrics?
Four or Five times - McKinney's Cotton Pickers, 1928
[scat]
I'm never about,
??
Just keep a-strolling,
Keep the ball a-rolling,
This isn't a boast
But what i like most
Is to have someone true
Who will love me too,
four or five times.
Four or five times
Four or five times
there is delight in doing things right
four or five times
[four or five times]
Maybe I'll sigh,
Maybe I'll cry,
And if I die,
I'm gonna try...
four or five times.
We like to play
We like to sing
We like to go scedadilah do
Four or five times.
Bibop one
Bibop two
bibop three
Didahdiladee
Four or five times
[scat]
Yes, sure, ok!
What?
Yes. ! !
Four or five times,
Four or five times,
There is delight,
In doing things right,
Four or five times.
There's a bunch of scatting in there I couldn't transcribe, but you get the point.
Oh, and yes, it's all about double entendre, yet again.
I love this song a whole lot, especially this version, though I never get to play it (too old, too fast, to obscure for mainstream lindy hoppers). I do play a pretty fabulous 1930s version by Woody Herman and his Orchestra which always really rocks the dancers. It's a lot straighter and safer and very lindy hoppable, but still lots of fun.
There's a version by Jimmie Lunceford (c 1935) which gets a fair bit of play in Melbourne, and I do prefer it, musically, though it's lower energy than the Herman version. I play the Herman far more often than the Lunceford version. I also have a fully sick version by Lionel Hampton, which I never seem to play. I have no idea why not - it's freakin' awesome.
"want" was posted by dogpossum on January 9, 2008 6:09 PM in the category cat blogging and djing and objects of desire
December 11, 2007
Jeeeeezuss!
I did a gig at the speegs during MLX which wasn't really very great. First, there were no dancers there but The Squeeze and I. So my swingin' jazz went down like a lead balloon. Thank heavens for James Brown, or I'd've been lynched. Though they booked me for a jazz gig, I just couldn't bear the empty floor any longer. So I played the very few soul and funk songs I had. And the punters loved it.
A bit later, some dancers arrived, so I started in with some good dancing from the jazz tradition. After 'Lavender Coffin' and midway through 'Joshua Fit De Battle of Jericho' some drunk prick tried to climb up on the stage (I dealt with that, quick-smart and used my scary body to move him back). "Are we going to be subjected to this gospel swing all night?" he demanded in a pleasant drunken slur. And I sort of shrugged it off with a tight smile. He kept lurking and I gave him the super snub. A few minutes later he returns with the same charming line. And I reply "If at all, possible, YES!"
What could be better than an evening of hardcore New Orleans Jeeeeezuss! music? I can't imagine. Then I gave that prick some serious snubbing.
There's nothing worse than a know-it-all jazznick heckler who thinks he knows better. Prick. Hope I never see that loser ever again.
But speaking of gospel, I'm quite struck on Mahalia Jackson live at Newport. I want it. At first it was just for that version of Jericho, but now I just want it. Not necessarily for DJing (though the Jericho would go down well at a blues event). The Basie Live in Antibes CD got me keen on Jackson, and I think I could well get over this swing malarkey and return to my soul and funk roots. Sigh. More obsessive collecting to come.
So, anyway, to finish off that bit about the speegs gig, Trev and Russ came in later and played the other bits of the set for me. If you look at the pic there (courtesy of Wendy), you can see me DJing (and probably freaking) and Trev leaning over my shoulder with beer in hand (there are no DJing rules at the Speegs).
Trev played excellent party lindy, moving into formerly uncharted territory, and Russ then decided it was partyhardy time. Yes, we did hear the theme from Footloose, amongst other 80s party anthems. The punters went nuts. The lindy hoppers went nuts. The speegs staff were very happy with us (I did check with them that it was ok to move on down this motown/stax/disco anthem track, and they approved), the pay was good.
I've done a few sets there, and I have to say I approve. Nice people, nice gear, fun crowds. Except for the stupid pricks. And I've been offered other DJing gigs (fielding phone calls all over the place), but I think I'm going to keep it real and only play for dancers. Unless the pay is good. Real good.
"Jeeeeezuss!" was posted by dogpossum on December 11, 2007 8:27 PM in the category djing and music and objects of desire
December 3, 2007
west brunswick toodle-oo
So November is over. It was ok.
- I had a birthday (that was ok)
- I liked all the moustaches (I don't think there's enough facial hair in the world, and it made dance partners extra interesting)
- we did mlx and it went well (biggest ever, zillions of interstaters and internationals, the usual reluctance on the part of Melbournites to play nice with guests)
- we had galaxy plus a round of dancers stay with us (and that was very nice)
- I did all my marking and got it in with plenty of time to spare
- I got a job interview for a postdoc (argh! next week!)
- I got a small grant to get me to the CSAA conference this week (double argh! paper not written! flights not booked! accommodation not sorted!)
- I've had a few punters ringing me offering DJing gigs (I am resolute about only taking paying gigs - I've done enough freebies to know I never want to do one again, unless it's for a real charity)
- Galaxy and I met up with Mz Tartan pre-GG and the Austenauts (dang, I'm sorry I missed that! blogged with excellence here) and she was surprisingly cool, calm and collected
I've also met another dancer doing a phd on dance stuff, but she lives in Perth, so we're squeezing in a natter-fest tomorrow before she flies out. She's into sociology and anthropology and I'm not sure she's up there with the hardcore sister action. But we'll see. It'll be neat just to sit and have a nice, nerdy chat.
I'm planning to meet up with the Adelaidean dancers during the conference visit this week (Wednesday). So I'll be able to say I've danced in every scene in Australia. Except Launceston. That should be nice.
My paper is pretty much done - just some tidying up to do. It's a combination of bits from these three posts, but obviously with far less detail, seeing as how I only get 20 minutes. 20 minutes kills me, especially when I want to play some music and clips of dancers to actually make clear what I'm talking about. It's ridiculous to talk about dancing without showing any, particularly when you're talking about gender performance in dance. In fact, it's so ridiculous I should just show 6 clips and provide an exercise sheet to stimulate group discussion, a la tutorials past.
I've also noted I'm in kind of a dud session, parallel with papers I'd really like to see, and which everyone else would really like to see as well. Not a big deal, really, and just desserts for someone who fucked the programming around at the last minute (I'd missed out on another grant and cancelled on the organisers, then been offered one by someone else, so squeezed back into the program - people who pull that shit deserve to get dud sessions). But it's parallel with an old buddy's paper and in a session of licorice allsorts, so we'll have trouble asking each other questions. It is in the last session of a day, but this time it's not the last session of the last day, so I guess it's ok.
I don't mean this to sound like a big old bitch - I really am very lucky to be going at all, and I don't want you to think otherwise. But the part of me that's trying to get a job keeps saying 'how will you pimp your fine self out if there's no one in the audience?' But really, it only takes one. And there'll be plenty of afternoon teas for me to pimp myself about. I'm cringing, writing that stuff. I hate the thought of such aggressive self aggrandising, but at the end of the day, in such a competitive job market, I have to be a bit pushy.
So I'm going to experiment with performing pushiness, and pretend like I'm one of those blokes who, obliviously, introduces himself to all the Names at conferences. It's the sort of thing chicks tend to be reluctant to do. And as a consequence, those pushy blokes get remembered, simply because the chicks have been to shy to step up.
But I'm going to focus on Names that mean something to me - you know, the Old Girls network. The ladies who do. The sorts of women academics who I admire and want to work with and be like. They're the ladies who'll call me on bullshit pushiness and demand some sort of fer real talk. No bullshit (unless it's a story about my career as a stunt woman and there are Tasmanians in the room), all kick arse Sister. No pathetic arse-kissing. No sycophancy.... like I'd have the patience for that. And for sure I'd forget that it's not cool to swear in polite company. Must remember that for the job interview, actually. Swearing = not cool.
But we'll see. No doubt I'll forget all these plans and end up talking shit and eating all the chocolate biscuits with the homies from UQ. Awesome.
Galaxy asked me the other day if I'd written a 'why dance is important to cultural studies' paper, and I haven't. I'm not sure I really, hugely care - if you don't dance you don't understand why it's important. Words won't help convince you - you have to feel it to understand why it's good stuff. But I do have a short list of reasons which include things like 'class' and 'not needing literacy' and 'ethnicity' and 'faster than words' and 'freakin' great fun!' I'll have a think, though. Perhaps it'll be a paper I write when I actually have a job or a book or more than half a dozen papers. Right now I think I'd get more from a paper called 'Why cultural studies needs dogpossum' which is so effective it gets me lots of jobs. But I'll work on it.
"west brunswick toodle-oo" was posted by dogpossum on December 3, 2007 11:18 AM in the category conferences and djing and lindy hop & other dances and travel | Comments (1)
November 5, 2007
mad
I don't really have time to write much (marking, marking, proximity to mlx, etc), but I am going to briefly tell you about the set I did at the Spiegeltent on Friday.
1. Best sound set up ever.
2. Best sound guy ever.
3. Best venue ever.
4. Best pay ever.
5. Best only rider ever.
6. Seeing students at gig = mutual discomfort.
7. Fun, fun fun.
8. Hours? 11.30-3am. Challenging when doing band breaks, but still a win gig.
"mad" was posted by dogpossum on November 5, 2007 1:09 PM in the category djing
August 22, 2007
the legend of D4E
Whenever I see D4E (which is a few times a year at a lindy exchange - in Sydney, in Perth, in Melbourne) we plug our earbuds into each other's mobile music devices and play each other music.
This is where I learn about music that isn't jazz and wasn't released in 1992 on Shock Records.
I only play music - he makes it.
the legend of D4E Hip Hop Mixtape
(I'm not sure if he rocks, though)
"the legend of D4E" was posted by dogpossum on August 22, 2007 2:12 PM in the category clicky and djing and music and people i know | Comments (3)
May 2, 2007
hullabaloo round up
So a couple of weekends ago we went to Hullabaloo.
Thursday
We flew in on Thursday, taking a midday flight because we're sensible. I was really excited and had trouble sitting still on the plane. I took my laptop and headphones and copy of The Swing Era so that I could prepare for my sets over the weekend, but ended up far too excited to concentrate. The Squeeze slept the whole way. I ended up watching a dumb Hillary Swank film called the Freedom Writers which made me cry.
We arrived at about 6pm, and headed off to Chez Chez to dump our gear and change clothes. Chez's flat is quite small, and we filled it up with a Taswegian and us and Chez. But we're used to each other - they stay with us at MLX time each year.
From Chez's house we went off to a pub in Cottesloe to do some dancing. But first we ate fish and chips, and I was very pleased.
Then we went up to start the dancing, but got sidetracked by a lot of old friends who needed squeezing and teasing. I was delighted to see Dust For Eyes, who taught me how to do Snake Hips dancing and snaps.
After a lot of dancing there, we moved on to the late night venue so I could set up for my first set (eek!) at 2am. The late night venue was an interesting dance studio space with hiiiigh ceilings. The sound set up was not ideal. In fact, it was pretty damn ordinary and I really struggled to make things sound good. Well, to make them sound ok.
People straggled in slowly and I was mostly playing to a very small crowd (ie 5 or 10 people) for a while, but that was ok because I just played stuff to test the limits of the sound set up and to please myself. And those 5 or 10 people.
Once the rest of the punters arrived I stepped it up a bit.
I can't really remember how the set went, other than that I wasn't really happy with it, but it didn't suck. It was probably a combination of nerves and adjusting to an exchange crowd. This is what I played (title-artist-bpm-date-album-length-date/time played if it's accurate):
I'm Comin' Virginia- Maxine Sullivan - 110 - 1956 - A Tribute To Andy Razaf - 2:48 - 20/04/07 2:13 AM
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - 120 - 1957 - Ella And Louis Again [MFSL] - 4:15 - 20/04/07 2:17 AM
I've Got A Mind To Ramble - Alberta Hunter - 112 - 1978 - Amtrak Blues - 4:13 - 20/04/07 2:21 AM
It Takes Two to Tango - Lester Young and Oscar Peterson - 104 - 1997 - Lester Young With the Oscar Peterson Trio - 6:09
B-Sharp Boston - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 126 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 2:54
Jive At Five - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 147 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 1) - 3:02 - 20/04/07 2:30 AM
Easy Does It - Big 18 - 129 - 5:14
Every Day I Have The Blues - Count Basie - 116 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 3:48
C-Jam Blues - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - 143 - 1999 - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke
Blues In Hoss' Flat - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 142 - 1995 - Big Band Renaissance Disc 1 - 3:13
Good Queen Bess - Duke Ellington - 160 - 1940 - The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10) - 3:00
Flying Home - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 197 - 1942 - Lionel Hampton Story 2: Flying Home - 3:10 - 20/04/07 2:52 AM
Lavender Coffin - Hampton, Lionel and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James - 134 - 1949 - Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings - 2:47
Cole Slaw - Jesse Stone and His Orchestra - 145 - Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 - 2:57
Four Or Five Times - Woody Herman Orchestra - 141 - The Great Swing Bands (Disc 2) - 3:09 - 20/04/07 3:01 AM
Stomp It Off - Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra - 190 - 1934 - Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:08
Savoy Blues - Kid Ory - 134 - 2002 - Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3 - 3:00 - 20/04/07 3:07 AM
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho - Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band - 160 - 1946 - Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 - 3:12
Perdido Street Blues - Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra with Sidney Bechet - 148 - 1940 - Blues In Thirds 1940-41 - 3:00 - 20/04/07 3:13 AM
East St. Louis Toodle-Oo - Michael McQuaid's Red Hot Rhythmakers - 152 - 2006 - Rhythm Of The Day - 3:21
Jungle Nights In Harlem - Charlestown Chasers - 213 - 1995 - Pleasure Mad mediumenergy - 2:48
Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Hampton, Lionel and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker - 134 - 1949 - Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings - 3:23 - 20/04/07 3:23 AM
Till Tom Special - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 158 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 3:23
For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford and His Harlem Express - 178 - 1944 - 1944-Uncollected - 2:22
Shoutin' Blues - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 148 - 1949 - Kansas City Powerhouse - 2:38
Turn It Over - Bus Moten and his Men - 148 - 1949 - Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) - 2:38
Jump Session - Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart - 162 - Slim & Slam, 1938-1939 - 2:35
Don't Be That Way - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 137 - 1938 - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets great mediumenergy 2:35
Massachusetts - Maxine Sullivan - 144 - 2006 - A Tribute To Andy Razaf - 3:18
We don't have any photos from that night.
Friday
The next day was Friday, and The Squeeze was determined to get up in time for the tour of Fremantle. I was tired. But we bundled into the car with K (Chez was off to work - suckah!) to start our tour at the Round House. The Squeeze had heard there would be some kick boxing action to start off with, but this proved to be erroneous.
The tour was fun. We met up with some people, saw a cannon fired, were told a few lies by whiley Perthlings (I have discovered being lied to is as good as telling lies) and moved immediately to the best cafe in the area for sustenance. By this time it was at least 2pm and we were in need of caffeine and fewd. You can see some photos from the tour here at George's site. I'd like to say we saw more of Fremantle than a series of pubs and cafes, but that would be lying. We've seen Fremantle before, and we had people we needed to talk to.
Then DFE, The Squeeze and I sat in a nice cafe and ate a lot (I had a FABULOUS fettucini pescatore!) and talked a whole lot of shit. After a couple of hours The Squeeze got bored and went away. Then he came back. Then we walked to a pub where we saw more dancers drinking and eating. Then we went to another pub the Little Creatures Brewery and saw more dancers. And some of us drank a whoooooole lot. And some of the rest of us caught up with lovely friends.
By this stage I had already talked so much about music and DJing I had almost grown my own pocket protector. But that part of the weekend was far from over.
After the beer had been drunk and the sun had gone down, we left that pub and went home to change our clothes nap. We accidentally missed the Friday night dance at a local pub gig. So we went straight to the after party where I had another set lined up. That's the gig where I did that (look right). 
I have no excuse for my ineptitude. I thought I could DJ for blues dancers. But apparently this crew weren't into old music. In fact, they weren't really into much except standing on the spot, really close to their partners or make human waves with their torsos. I ordinarily like blues dancing, but this was dull. But enough of that! Let's see the terrible set I played:
Harvard Blues - Kansas City Band - 83 - 1997 - KC After Dark - 6:50 - 21/04/07 3:36 AM
Wee Baby Blues - Big Joe Turner with Pete Johnson and Freddie Green - 79 - 1956 - The Boss Of The Blues - 7:18 - 21/04/07 3:43 AM
Hear Me Talking To Ya? - Ella Fitzgerald - 98 - 1963 - These Are The Blues - 3:02 - 21/04/07 3:46 AM
Back Water Blues - Dinah Washington with Belford Hendricks' Orchestra - 71 - 1957 - Ultimate Dinah Washington - 4:58
I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl - Nina Simone - 65 - 1967 - Released - 2:33 - 60 - 21/04/07 3:54 AM
I'm Gonna Take What He's Got - Etta James - 57 - 1967 - The Best Of Etta James - 2:35 - 21/04/07 3:56 AM
Son Of A Preacher Man - Aretha Franklin - 77 - Greatest Hits - Disc 1 - 3:16
When I've Been Drinkin' - Jimmy Witherspoon - 71 - 1998 - Jazz Me Blues: the Best of Jimmy Witherspoon - 3:38 - 21/04/07 4:03 AM
Slow Down Baby - Walter Brown with Jay McShann and His Kycee Stompers - 73 - 1949 - Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) - 2:56
Hamp's Salty Blues - Lionel Hampton and His Quartet - 86 - 1946 - Lionel Hampton Story 3: Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop - 3:10 - 21/04/07 4:09 AM
Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway - 97 - 1994 - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 3:16 - 21/04/07 4:13 AM
St. James Infirmary - Henry "Red" Allen - 98 - 1991 - World on a String - Legendary 1957 Sessions - 3:45 - 21/04/07 4:16 AM
Reckless Blues - Velma Middleton with Louis Armstrong and the All Stars - 88 - The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (disc 06) - 2:30
Willow Weep For Me - Louis Armstrong - 90 - 1957 - Ella And Louis Again [MFSL] - 4:21
Rocks In My Bed - Ella Fitzgerald - 68 - 1956 - Ella Fitzgerald Day Dream: Best Of The Duke Ellington Songbook - 3:59 - 21/04/07 4:27 AM
Amtrak Blues - Alberta Hunter - 95 - 1978 - Amtrak Blues - 3:23
Resolution Blues - Dinah Washington - 65 - 22 Original Classics - 3:14 - 21/04/07 4:34 AM
It Takes Two to Tango - Lester Young and Oscar Peterson - 104 - 1997 - Lester Young With the Oscar Peterson Trio - 6:09 - 21/04/07 4:37 AM
Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald - 118 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald - 3:07 - 21/04/07 4:40 AM
Happy Go Lucky Local (Night Train) - Oscar Peterson - 103 - 1962 - Night Train - 4:52 - 21/04/07 4:45 AM
Easy Does It - Big 18 - 129 - 5:14 - 21/04/07 4:50 AM
B-Sharp Boston - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 126 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 2:54
Jump Ditty! - Joe Carroll and The Ray Bryant Quintet - 134 - Red Kat Swing 1 - 2:53
The Deacon - Count Basie - 110 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 5:52 - 21/04/07 5:02 AM
It was round about "Minnie the Moocher" that things were at their lowest. I had trouble getting the feel of the room (I'd actually been told I'd be playing an hour later than I ended up starting, so I hadn't had a chance to be in the room and get a feel for things) and those kids - I don't really think they were ready for blues dancing just then. So I took the energy up with some "St James Infirmary" (though I should have gone straight to the Louis Armstrong), but it didn't help. Finally, things picked up at "Willow Weep for Me", and I decided to ooze into a bit of groovy lindy hop, then up the bpm ladder til the room was working again. It immediately improved numbers on the floor.
I tried some lower tempo stuff with Dinah again a bit later (because I felt I should play a blues set if I was booked for it), but that crashed. So I recovered with dirty Lester Young action.
And fled Mt DJ after "The Deacon".
Not my finest hour (and a half), and if you take a look at the set list of the DJ before me (lovely Jason from Perth), you'll see there were some double-ups.
In fact, there were quite a few repeats over the weekend - "Savoy Blues" was played by every single DJ on Thursday night up til me. If I'd been dancing more and talking less at the dance I'd have noticed.
So, thank god that set was over.
We went home after that - The Squeeze was tired and so was I.
Saturday
The next day we slept til 1 or 3pm. I forget which. We went and bought some fewd for dinner and drove and saw some sites. Then we went home and got ready for the dance, which was fun. I really liked the band at the dance, and had some fun dances with fun people. Trev won the Jack and Jill and I heard some good DJing action. Then we went to the after party. First we tried to organise a trip to eat nice Chinese fewd, but we failed. So we just went on to the after party, which was at the better two-room venue.
Some of us went in a team battle. At the time I was really regreting entering, and I didn't really have a good time at all. But in retrospect (ie, after watching the clip), it wasn't so bad. I was in Team Brunswick (named for Chez' shirt) - you can even hear me answering Trev at the beginning. We were ok. The best bit (in my mind) was where we (entirely by coincidence) did a 'waterfall' of swingouts to just the right bit in "Flying Home". I'm not a big fan of team battles (sorry Trev), and I've never seen one go really well or really inspire me. The secret to a good lindy battle is actually dancing lindy. But mostly people do dumb stuff, which I'm not all that interested in. Because I am a boring straighty-one-eighty stooge.
After that was all over, things got fun. There was a band (I think - or was that the night before? I can't remember). There was a lot of dancing fun, and I did another set (my best of the weekend, I think). Here's the set list (title - artist - bpm - date - album - time/date stamp (minus 2hours because I was working with Melbourne time, not Perth time):
Blues In Hoss' Flat - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 142 - 1995 - Big Band Renaissance Disc 1 - 3:13 - 22/04/07 4:19 AM
C-Jam Blues - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - 143 - 1999 - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:33 - 2/05/07 1:15 PM
Sent For You Yesterday (And Here You Come Today) - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 172 - 1952 - Complete Clef/Verve Count Basie Fifties Studio Recordings (Disc 2) - 3:13 - 22/04/07 4:26 AM
Back Room Romp - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - 151 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington - 2:49 - 22/04/07 4:29 AM
A Viper's Moan - Willie Bryant And His Orchestra - 153 - Willie Bryant 1935-1936 - 3:25 - 24/04/07 4:31 AM
Good Queen Bess - Duke Ellington - 160 - 1940 - The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10) - 3:00 - 22/04/07 4:35 AM
Stomp It Off - Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra - 190 - 1934 - Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:08 - 22/04/07 4:38 AM
Four Or Five Times - Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra - 140 - 1935 - Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford - 3:07 - 22/04/07 4:41 AM
Turn It Over - Bus Moten and his Men - 148 - 1949 - Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) - 2:38 - 24/04/07 4:34 AM
Easy Does It - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra - 155 - 1939 - Yes, Indeed! - 3:15 - 22/04/07 4:47 AM
Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - 143 - Apollo Jump - 3:26
Krum Elbow Blues - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 162 - 2004 - 20th Century Closet - 2:45
Blues My Naughty Sweetie - Sidney Bechet - 140 - 1951 - The Blue Note Years - 5:43 - 22/04/07 4:59 AM
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho - Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band - 160 - 1946 - Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 - 3:12 - 22/04/07 5:02 AM
East St. Louis Toodle-Oo - Michael McQuaid's Red Hot Rhythmakers - 152 - 2006 - Rhythm Of The Day - 3:21
Jungle Nights In Harlem - Charlestown Chasers - 213 - 1995 - Pleasure Mad - 2:48 - 22/04/07 5:09 AM
Lavender Coffin - Hampton, Lionel and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James - 134 - 1949 - Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings - 2:47
Cole Slaw - Jesse Stone and His Orchestra - 145 - Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 - 2:57 - 22/04/07 5:14 AM
Shoutin' Blues - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 148 - 1949 - Kansas City Powerhouse - 2:38 - 22/04/07 5:17 AM
For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford and His Harlem Express - 178 - 1944 - 1944-Uncollected - 2:22 - 22/04/07 5:19 AM
Just Kiddin' Around - Artie Shaw and His Orchestra - 159 - 1941 - Self Portrait (Disc 3) - 3:21
Don't Be That Way - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 137 - 1938 - Lionel Hampton Story 1: Hot Mallets - 2:35
Chicken Shack Boogie - Lionel Hampton and His Sextet - 124 - 1949 - Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings - 3:16 - 22/04/07 5:29 AM
Hey Now, Hey Now - Cab Calloway - 121 - 1994 - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:56 - 22/04/07 5:32 AM
Effervescent Blues - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 122 - 2004 - 20th Century Closet - 3:07
B-Sharp Boston - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 126 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 2:54 - 22/04/07 5:38 AM
Massachusetts - Maxine Sullivan - 144 - 2006 - A Tribute To Andy Razaf - 3:18 - 22/04/07 5:41 AM
Splanky - Count Basie - 157 - 1966 - Live at the Sands - 3:52 - 22/04/07 5:45 AM
Hallelujah, I Love Her So - Count Basie - 145 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 2:36 - 22/04/07 5:47 AM
King Porter Stomp - Kansas City Band - 170 - 1997 - KC After Dark - 4:38 - 22/04/07 5:52 AM
Till Tom Special - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 158 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 3:23 - 22/04/07 5:55 AM
Shout, Sister, Shout - Lucky Millinder - 140 - Apollo Jump - good medium tempo dancing 2:44 - 22/04/07 5:58 AM
Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - 144 - 1939 - Lunceford Special 1939-40 - 2:41 - 22/04/07 6:01 AM
My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina Simone - 120 - The Great Nina Simone - 3:38 - 22/04/07 6:05 AM
Bli-Blip - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - 134 - 1999 - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:16 - 22/04/07 6:08 AM
I started a bit earlier than expected because Russ had technical troubles and I had to take over. After the first three songs he gave up and introduced me. I was really happy with those first three songs - I had the room on fire. It's a pity Russ had to interrupt to introduce me, as we lost quite a few people then. But them's the breaks. I should probably have continued with hi-fi action to keep the room, but now I've learnt something useful.
I actually consciously chose to play a fair proportion of hi-fi because we'd heard a lot of old scratch so far that weekend. I wanted to change the vibe a bit and catch people's attention. It worked well, and I found that a useful thing to remember through my set. This was my first real late-late night set at a hardcore lindy exchange and I learnt a lot. I discovered that you need to change the energy in the room a bit to keep people dancing - from slow to fast to hi-fi to scratchy - and change more regularly than I normally would. The most important thing I learnt was that if you give people a chance to remember how tired they are when they're dancing at 2:30am (take two hours from those time stamps) they sit down and then they go home. So you have to keep the tempos above 120, or the energy levels nice and high.
Round about "Effervescent Blues" I let the tempos get lower and noticed a distinct drop in the room's energy. So I did a bit of stunt work with Maxine Sullivan. That version of "Massachusetts" is really swinging and energising. It's pretty hi-fi and hitting on the groove barrier, but it feels like fun. The band she's working with are so freaking good, you just want to dance.
From there I decided we needed more hi-fi action to wake people up. So I used some old favourite action - "Splanky" is a real swinger favourite, and that version is nicely uptempo and upenergy - and hi-fi. But it doesn't feel too crazy - people also think of "Splanky" as being slower, as many of the most popular versions are about 130bpm. That's the advantage of different versions of favourites - you can exploit people's expectations. By this stage I had the room really cooking, but I wanted to get the tempos much higher. Thing is, the dancers were actually a bit tired (it was 3:45am) so I gave them a bit of break with the hi-fi favourite "Hallelujah" (not my favourite song, but very effective and live which always feels good). Then I chucked it up with "King Porter Stomp", another hi-fi (but sounds old school) live song. It's a longish song, so I had to drop it down from there.
From there I went with an oldie but a goodie - "Til Tom Special" is upenergy, but it creeps up on you. It starts with a more mellow feeling, but builds. So I could get the kids who were sitting down (but ready to dance) up on the floor. Then another very safe favourite.
And I decided to change things again completely with Nina Simone at 4:00am. Hi-fi, super favourite, nice easy tempo. And I had 100% strike rate - everyone in the room dancing (which was about 30 or 40 people? I'm not sure). From here I was to hand over to the closing DJ, so I couldn't do much more than close up with a fun favourite. I really could have gone on a bit longer, I think, and had just begun to hit another wave of inspiration - "Blip Blip" could have gotten us to other, more interesting places - but that was the end of my set.
Then I wanted to dance and dance and dance and dance. The Squeeze was long gone by then - he was tired and had gone home to bed. But I was feeling all energised by a successful set, and thought I was the dancing queen. So I had some dances, proved - despite all that thinking - that I wasn't the dancing queen. And then I was taken home.
To Deb and Glen's home, where seven of us had toasted sandwiches and hot chocolate at about 6am. The Squeeze turned up with Chez who'd dropped home to pick up cheese (really), and he impressed people with his fleecy pajamas. Then Glen, Trev and I had a really lovely, nerdy music talk.
Then we went home as the sun came up and went to BED!
Some more things I've learnt about DJing at exchanges:
- the stuff that's old and boring at home isn't necessarily old and boring somewhere else. People at exchanges are from all over, and you can't be sure of what's cool in their home town (though it helps to know who there local DJs are and what they play). So songs like "Lavender Coffin", which I'm really sick of was new to the Perthlings. And "Cole Slaw", which is newish (ie new for new dancers and the groover crowd, old for people like me who learnt with old school teachers) for Melbourne is old for Perth.
- Perth DJs play a lot of scratch, so hi-fi was novel there. I had to be careful what I played, though - stuff that Melbourne kids would adore, Perthlings (especially Perthlings who'd been around for awhile) wouldn't like.
- The Squeeze reckons exchanges are the place to play safe favourites, because dancers are dancing with strangers and want each dance to be good. But I reckon it's also a place to experiment with more challenging stuff because you tend to have a more experienced crowd. Really, though, it's a combination of both, and depends on what time you play (that time slot was a really choice set), where you're playing, what the crowd is like and how the room feels.
- Having workshops affects how late people stay and how much energy they have. Workshosp can often leave people feeling trashed about their dancing, so 'safe' songs can be nice.
- Hullabaloo wasn't like MLX - it was a bit smaller and had more new dancers. At MLX you can really play the most hardcore stuff, because you have the most hardcore music. But Hullabaloo is a more mixed crowd. Having said that, Hullabaloo has a crowd of older dancers with more sophisticated taste - there's little they haven't heard and they want to be pushed.
Overall, I was happy with my sets in an okish way, but I don't think I pushed any envelopes and have certainly done better sets in the past. But it was lovely to DJ in a new town, far, far away from the bullshit politics of Melbourne. It was especially nice to be DJing in a town where set times and numbers weren't determined by whether or not you're in with the 'cool crowd' or best friends with the organisers. I was just one DJ in many, and I had to prove myself on the night - no pre-existing rep to protect or prove.
Sunday
On Sunday we got up at 3pm, and then looked for some food. It was hard because the shops are all closed in Perth on Sunday. People have been telling me that this is 'cute' and 'nice' and gives workers a break. I say it's BULLSHIT. We saw some more sites. Some by accident.
But after a bit we got some stuff. We made dinner for the crew and spent some time getting ready for the ball. I'm not a big fan of balls generally - I don't like the dressing up or the big, echoey barns they're held in. I like a more intimate venue and casual vibe for hardcore dancing. I'd also made a particularly crappy dress, which didn't help. But there was free food, I did more talking and that was nice.
After that we went to the late night party, which was at the first venue. There was some sort of DJ mix up and the music wasn't good for lindy - apparently the DJ'd been booked for a blues set, and was determined to play that no matter what. Which didn't make the mixed crowd happy (who were predominantly lindy hoppers).
Later I was asked to fill in at the end of the night with some stuff, so I ended up DJing some lindy then blues as the lindy crowd had pretty much gone home by then. It was an ok set, a bit dull, really. Kind of the 'greatest hits' of 2004/2005. The first lindy bit (up until "Smooth Sailing", then I swapped with a buddy, then we swapped back and I closed the night) was good, but it was really too late by then to catch the lindy crowd.
But here's what I played:
Every Day I Have The Blues - Count Basie - 116 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 3:48 - 23/04/07 6:28 AM
Lavender Coffin - Hampton, Lionel and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James - 134 - 1949 - Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings - 2:47 - 23/04/07 6:31 AM
Solid as a Rock - Count Basie and His Orchestra with The Deep River Boys - 140 - Count Basie and His Orchestra 1950-1951 - 3:03 - 23/04/07 6:34 AM
Everybody Eats When They Come To My House - Cab Calloway - 151 - 1994 - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:46 - 23/04/07 6:36 AM
Oomph Fa Fa - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five - 129 - 2003 - Jammin' the Blues - 3:35 - 23/04/07 6:40 AM
Jump Ditty! - Joe Carroll and The Ray Bryant Quintet - 134 - Red Kat Swing 1 - 2:53 - 23/04/07 6:43 AM
Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald - 118 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald - 3:07
Get Back Temptation - Ollabelle - 80 - 2004 - Ollabelle - 2:49
Heartattack and Vine - Tom Waits - 90 - 1980 - Heartattack and Vine - 4:50 - 23/04/07 7:10 AM
Son Of A Preacher Man - Aretha Franklin - 77 - Greatest Hits - Disc 1 - 3:16 - 23/04/07 7:13 AM
My Chile - Jay McShann Trio - 145 - Hootie - 3:20 - 23/04/07 7:16 AM
Organ Grinder's Swing - Jimmy Smith - 168 - 1996 - Talkin' Verve - 2:15 - 23/04/07 7:19 AM
My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More - Alberta Hunter - 76 - 1978 - Amtrak Blues - 3:49
Reckless Blues - Velma Middleton with Louis Armstrong and the All Stars - 88 - The Complete Decca Studio Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the All Stars (disc 06) - 2:30
Do I Move You - Nina Simone - 53 - 1967 - Released - 2:46
I Never Loved A Man - Aretha Franklin - 90 - Greatest Hits - Disc 1 - 2:51
Dead End Street - Lou Rawls - 75 - Best Of Lou Rawls - 3:33
Please Please Please - James Brown - 74 - 1991 - Sex Machine - 2:45
When The Lights Go Out - Jimmy Witherspoon - 100 - 1998 - Jazz Me Blues: the Best of Jimmy Witherspoon - 3:00 - 80 - groovy blues - 25/04/07 7:22 PM
Slow Down Baby - Walter Brown with Jay McShann and His Kycee Stompers - 73 - 1949 - Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) - 2:56 80 - 25/04/07 7:25 PM
I Feel Like Layin In Another Woman's Husband's Arms - Blu Lu Barker - 89 - 1946 - Don't You Feel My Leg: Apollo's Lady Blues Singers - 2:56 - 25/04/07 7:28 PM
How Long, How Long Blues - Ella Fitzgerald - 80 - 1963 - These Are The Blues - 4:00 - 25/04/07 7:32 PM
Willow Weep For Me - Louis Armstrong - 90 - 1957 - Ella And Louis Again [MFSL] - 4:21 - 25/04/07 7:37 PM
Amtrak Blues - Alberta Hunter - 95 - 1978 - Amtrak Blues - 3:23 - 25/04/07 7:40 PM
Back Water Blues - Dinah Washington with Belford Hendricks' Orchestra - 71 - 1957 - Ultimate Dinah Washington - 4:58 - 25/04/07 7:55 PM
I'm not sure what happened to the date stamp there - it was all on the morning of the 23rd/ late night of the 22nd, but the times are accurate if you minus 2 hours for Melbourne/Perth time differences.
I don't have much to say about this set as it was uninspiring to DJ and is kind of dull to think about (though it was very popular on the night - which just goes to show, considering it's almost the same as the other blues set I did that weekend - that timing is everything). That Ella blues album? Don't bother with it - Ella can't sing the blues. It's a nice album to listen to, but lacks emotional veracity.
I went home from here a bit tired and over it.
Monday:
We got up at about 12 to go to the picnic in the park, which was nice. They had GREEN GRASS!
That night we went to the final dance, and I have to say, I was kind of over the whole thing by then. It was fun, but I was bored and tired and actually more interested in interesting conversations that lasted longer than three minutes. I did hear some sweet DJing though (Trev and Glenn esp, with nice work by Russ).
It ended, then there were two rival after parties at people's houses. The teenagers' party blues party and the nanna party lindy party. I decided I wanted to go to a party where some lights were on, decent conversation was likely and the room didn't smell like heavy petting (yes, I had to say it - blues dancers stink, and not in a healthy exercise sweat way). That was fun. From there we went to the blues party to close up, and it was exactly as expected. The Squeeze was very disappointed - he was looking for the party where people were drinking and laughing and doing stunts. So we watched other people rub up against each other very slowly dance and went home to bed.
The next day we had a 1pm flight which we caught quite happily, then flew back to Melbourne to our beds.
Overall, it was really really nice to catch up with interstate friends and hang out. I think I prefer the day time stuff to the night time stuff, but I do like the late nights more than the evenings - there you just put on your comfortable hardcore dancing clothes and dance and dance and dance. I will get a bit fitter for next time so I can go harder and I will get hardcore with vitamins - the first day home I had a cold which had no doubt been brewing the last few days.
It was great to get a chance to talk nerdy DJ talk with other DJs, and I do love catching up with friends.
"hullabaloo round up" was posted by dogpossum on May 2, 2007 7:17 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and perth
when swing djs get bored...
I'm Duke Ellington!
Just like the greatest of American composers, you see the big picture. You make the most of your resources by arranging them just so. A calm, cool demeanor on the outside is often just a front. Capable of a wide range of emotions and a prolific need for something new, you are at heart a whistful dreamer.
Take Which Jazz Musician Are You? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.
"when swing djs get bored..." was posted by dogpossum on May 2, 2007 6:30 PM in the category djing | Comments (2)
April 27, 2007
i rock
I have lots of things to write about Hullabaloo, but I need some time to process.
But I do have some nerdy DJing talk.
I did a few sets over the weekend (about 4 all up, including drop-in help-outs), one of which was a blues set. It was just so great. I really rocked. In fact, I rocked so much I did this to some of the hardest harcore blues dancers in the country:
During the set, no less.
You can see more of The Squeeze's photos from the weekend here.
"i rock" was posted by dogpossum on April 27, 2007 2:47 PM in the category djing and perth
April 17, 2007
current favourite songs
I really love Stompy Jones (Ellington 1934 200bpms), but only played it for the first time last Thursday. It went down well. But I was playing such a shitty set I miscombined it and it didn't work as well as it should.
I love love love the song Jungle Nights in Harlem (Ellington again, 1930 202 bpms) but have only played the Charleston Chasers' version, which swings less and is more 'charlestony' (and is 213bpm). I like the trumpet. Of course.
On a completely different tack, I really like Turn it Over by Bus Moten and his Men (1949, 148bpm). I'm sure it's in a minor key (I'm sure JNIH is too, which is why I like it), it has a mellow, laid-back feel which makes it sit well with Slim and Slam, has a sparse instrumentation (on a quick listen - electric guitar, sax, piano, trumpet, drums, bass) and simple vocals. It's probably a song about sex (though the words are about playing records - "flip it, flop it, don't drop it, flip it flap, don't you slap it - turn it over on the other side") and has a nice hummy melody. I play it later at night when people are over their crazed energy but still have some juice in them - it starts mellow but gets more energetic. I like to sing along.
Four or Five Times - Woody Herman, Jimmie Lunceford, Lionel Hampton, McKinney's Cotton Pickers - any version is good. I really like the lyrics and the feel of it. This is definitely a song about sex, and how if you can manage 4 or 5 times the ladies will looooove you. Or possibly the fellas - the McKCP are a little more ambiguous. Because they are naughtier. I like the Herman version for high-energy, crazy lindy, the Lunceford one for mellower dancing, the McKCP one for crazy loungeroom dancing. And the Hamp one is just plain neat dancing.
Jimmie Lunceford
Is whetting my whistle. Again. I especially love his versions of Blues in the Groove (1939 205bpm) (surely a song about sex - groove being a euphemism for vaginas after all - and it's a fun, highenergy number that sounds like great, sweaty fun).
Stomp it Off (190bpm, 1934) - possibly another minor key, but great fun. Sounds lower energy so it gets people dancing, but is actually quite quick and energising. But 'light'.
Hittin' the Bottle (1935, 211bpm - the early-mid 30s were good to Lunceford) - great fun. I like the way they 'call' steps: "move it around, keep going to town, now make a break and wiggle like a snake" (the last two in 'the break'). I've always thought it would make a fun jazz routine song.
Organ Grinder's Swing (120bpm, 1936). A mellow, nice song that I love dancing to and singing as I ride home - it's the perfect bike riding song. I like it because it reminds me of the Mills Brothers (who do a version) and their version of Walking Stick (1938, 158bpm), which I also like. Mostly because it has humming, a really nice bit of Louis Armstrong singing (and I'm not a fan of his vocals), and a sparse bit of instrumentation - maybe just guitar? - with novelty 'instrumental' vocals.
"current favourite songs" was posted by dogpossum on April 17, 2007 8:58 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
DJing talk
The Thursday night before the easter weekend I did the second set at CBD, starting at 10pm and finishing at 12.30. I was rostered til 11.30, but the crowd were in partay mode. It was a great set, I was very pleased with it, and I had lots of happy dancers complimenting me on it (which is the absolute height of pleasure and satisfaction - nothing makes you feel better than dancers rushing up, all covered in sweat, with their hair in their eyes and their clothes disheveled, telling you that they loved your set. That's happiness). A few people have asked me to post it on the swing talk board, but I'd rather do it here as it helps me keep track of when/what I played without cluttering up the discussion board with massive posts.
I can't really remember many of the specifics of the set, other than that I came in swinging with a crowd-favourite, hardcore, hi-fi, big band wall-of-sound Basie, lindy hopping track. Blues in Hoss's Flat is great stuff. Followed by another. And then a less common version of another. It was cheating, really.
I have to say that Dan set up the set perfectly. He played a mellow, groovier first half of the first set - very noob friendly - and then kicked it up a notch with a great combination of old school, nu skewl, hi-fi and lo-fi lindy hopping action. I just slid on in to a partyhardy room full of crazy dancing spastics. I also totally ripped off his idea for a stroll - he asked "do you think the shim sham would go down well now?" and he didn't end up doing it. But I did steal the idea and play the Big Apple song. There were so many people doing the routine they had to form two lines opposite it each other, and it was GREAT. I was dying of jealousy up on the DJ stand.
I was very happy with the way I worked the energy in the room over 2 and a half hours. I called it at 12.30, even though we could have gone on longer and the crowd was still dancing, but I was buggered. And an hour unpaid while the bar makes money is kind of galling. It was nice to end with a bit of supergroove medium tempo stuff.
But out of 43 songs, only 10 were above 160, which isn't good. Especially when 13 were under 140. We should be a bit more hardcore. But I didn't feel I could push it much higher - people were kind of crazed as it was.
One weird thing that happened: when I played the Charleston Chasers track (which is more 'charlestoney' than the Ellington one), people danced lindy, and the floor was full. Every other time I've played this, it's been solo 20s charleston city. But I think it was because I moved from a New Orleans/trad sound (which I had gotten to from some swinging stuff), and people were tricked into continuing with their lindy. It was unusual, but gratifying to see people trying such high tempos without resorting to bal or solo dancing. But the Giordano track really called 'charleston' to them, and they obliged.
Oh, and Disco Keith commented that Dan and I were playing the same songs a number of times - ie I played a song Dan had played, but a different version, and Dan (apparently) had played 2 versions of one song. After I heard that I went out of my way to find more repeats. Because I like to see Keith squirm (Keith is a wedding DJ with some strict Rules - one is no repeats. Another is 'only one song by each artist - don't play 2 or more in a row'. I like to break that second one a lot. Brian once played an entire set of Basie at the Funbags and no one noticed. That was ace).
I also have to mention that the George Gee stuf was a plug. A visiting dancer is giving out Gee's earlier albums as promotion for the new one (which I've also scored), and playing this artist was a thankyou plug. But it wasn't forced: that's a great album, and the new one is equally great dancing music.
This set was pretty heavy on the late testament Basie. Because I am in love again. It was heavy on the hi-fi and later recordings of things (rather than the older orginals) and newer bands because CBD has shitful sound and I wanted the high energy of newer recordings. Plus that's how I felt.
I'm actually having a 'classic swing' moment - I'm really into stuff from the late 30s, 40s and some 50s stuff (and 60s with Basie, really). I just like music that makes for great, swinging lindy hop. I still love that older stuff a whole LOT, but I've been hankering for the beautiful quality of some of the later stuff. And I really prefer Basie's band in the later years - that's some good shit.
But I still prefer Ellington's earlier stuff.
I adore Hamp, and he's a good indicator of my current tastes.
I am also on a Jimmie Lunceford kick. I just can't get enough. I need more. More.
I'm also having a Kansas City jump blues moment. I don't know if any of the Melbourne dancers will be able to handle many more hand-clapping, foot-stomping, shouting-about-food jump blues songs. I will certainly get punched if I play Cole Slaw again any time soon - even a noob dancer noticed that I'd played it in my last 4 sets (ie last night, last Thursday, the Friday before, and the Thursday before that). It's time to let it rest.
I also did a really fun set at the Funpit last Friday. It's mostly a new dancer crowd, and the numbers were up last week. We were also in the room with a better vibe. And I had a hankering to play hi-fi. So I played a solidly swinging mid-tempo set with lots of hi-fi stuff I don't play very often as I associate it with my beginner days and feel it's a bit un-complicated for more advanced dancers (it is - it's musically and rhythmically pretty simple, but vocally quite nice). I may post that set list later if I can be bothered.
But it went down a treat. Once again, Keith and I were teamed up as DJs, and he followed me, muttering "I'm getting a reputation as an old school DJ and I want to be more flexible", and then playing a whole bunch of hi-fi which I really enjoyed dancing to. It was really an example of how you can play hi-fi, good quality music which is still hard-driving, bad-ass swinging jazz. No freakin trip hop rhythm n blues bullshit here, thankyou very much.
The crowd went nuts. It's so nice to see beginner dancers dancing like they're on crack.
PLEASE NOTE: If you're looking at this set with an eye to picking up the songs - get into it! But if you're looking to do some torrenting or CD copying, please think twice, especially when it's a song by a contemporary band. I've added links to these bands sites, or to their CDs on amazon - give them a click. Some are really, really, crazily cheap. And these guys are the guys we dancers hire for our dancing pleasure. If we steal their music they'll go bust and we won't get to dance like fools to them LIVE!
DJ Snoop Doggydogpossum's set, CBD, Thursday 5th April 10pm-12:30am (second shift).
title - artist - bpm - date - album - length
Blues In Hoss' Flat - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 142 - 1995 - Big Band Renaissance Disc 1 - 3:13
C-Jam Blues - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - 143 - 1999 - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke - 3:33
For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford and His Harlem Express - 178 - 1944 - 1944-Uncollected - 2:22
"Big Apple Contest"- The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - 211 - 2006 - Swingmatism - 2:57
Shoutin' Blues - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 148 - 1949 - Kansas City Powerhouse- 2:38
Jive At Five - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 147 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 1) - 3:02
Back Room Romp - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - 155 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington - 2:49
Stomp It Off - Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra - 190 - 1934 - Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford upenergy - 3:08
Foo A Little Bally-Hoo - Cab Calloway - 175 - 1994 - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 3:01
Four Or Five Times - Woody Herman Orchestra - 141 - The Great Swing Bands (Disc 2) - 3:09
Savoy Blues - Kid Ory - 134 - 2002 - Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3 - 3:00
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho - Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band - 160 - 1946 - Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 - 3:12
Perdido Street Blues - Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra with Sidney Bechet - 148 - 1940 - Blues In Thirds 1940-41 - 3:00
East St. Louis Toodle-Oo - Michael McQuaid's Red Hot Rhythmakers - 152 - 2006 - Rhythm Of The Day - 3:21
Jungle Nights In Harlem - Charlestown Chasers - 213 - 1995 - Pleasure Mad - 2:48
Yellow Dog Blues - Vince Giordano - 195 - 2004 - The Aviator - 2:29
Lavender Coffin - Hampton, Lionel and His Orchestra with Sonny Parker and Joe James - 134 - 1949 - Hamp: The Legendary Decca Recordings - 2:47
Cole Slaw - Jesse Stone and His Orchestra - 145 - Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 - 2:57
Flying Home - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 159 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 2:58
Savoy - Lucky Millinder - 192 - Apollo Jump - 3:26
Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - 144 - 1939 - Lunceford Special 1939-40 - 2:41
I Want The Waiter (with the water) - Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - 151 - 1939 - Lunceford Special 1939-40 - 2:44
Apollo Jump - Lucky Millinder - 143 - Apollo Jump - 3:26
Sent For You Yesterday - Count Basie and His Orchestra with Joe Williams - 163 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 2) - 3:09
Good Rockin' Tonight - Jimmy Witherspoon - 155 - 1998 - Jazz Me Blues: the Best of Jimmy Witherspoon - 4:15
Blues For Stephanie - George Gee And His Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra - 140 - Swingin' Live! - 4:55
Rock-A-Bye Basie - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 175 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 1) - 3:37
Splanky - Count Basie - 125 - 1957 - Complete Atomic Basie, the - 3:36
Every Day I Have The Blues - Count Basie - 116 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 3:48
A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - 143 - 2000 - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
Krum Elbow Blues - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 162 - 2004 - 20th Century Closet - 2:45
Till Tom Special - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 158 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 3:23
Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five - 141 - 2004 - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
Effervescent Blues - Mora's Modern Swingtet - 122 - 2004 - 20th Century Closet - 3:07
St. James Infirmary - Hot Lips Page and his Orchestra - 122 - 1949 - Jump For Joy! - 3:12
Black And Tan Fantasy - Jimmie Lunceford - 104 - 1997 - Rhythm Is Our Business - 2:44
Why Don't You Right - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five featuring Hillary Alexander - 118 - 2004 - Crazy Rhythm - 4:59
Down Hearted Blues - Ella Fitzgerald - 122 - 1963 - These Are The Blues - 3:11
My Chile Jay - McShann Trio - 145 - Hootie - 3:20
Blues In Hoss' Flat - City Rhythm Orchestra - 130 - 2004 - Vibrant Tones - 5:23
Moten Swing - Count Basie - 125 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 5:17
Easy Does It - Big 18Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald - 118 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald - 3:07
"DJing talk" was posted by dogpossum on April 17, 2007 8:03 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music
March 30, 2007
tech up
A revivial of the "Previewing. How do you DJ without it" thread on Swing DJs, coupled with a case of god-I'm-bored and the anniversary of my getting into DJing has prompted me to take an interest in DJing hardware. It probably doesn't help that I've been reading that book by Justina Robson*.
I've been looking into some sort of software/hardware option to expand my DJing from a laptop for a while now. I want to be able to preview songs on headphones while I'm playing music that goes out to the mixer at the same time. With a pc laptop that's as simple as opening two versions of winamp and telling it each where they should send the sound. But with a mac, there are far fewer DJing/music media player options.
I use itunes as my default music library/searcher/player. Problem is, macs won't let you open more than one version of an application at a time - great when you're working with word documents, but not so great if you're looking to DJ. It wouldn't be a problem if itunes would let me send music to two different outs. But it's not a DJing tool, despite its popularity with swing DJs - it has a sweet search, nice layout, reassuring colour scheme, etc etc, but simply can't handle the sheer volume of music and complexities of DJing. Winamp doesn't work on macs. I have tried windows media player (gag), but it won't let me click and drag songs from itunes to the media player (which is pretty important if I'm keeping itunes as my library - which I'd like). Plus it sucks. And Cuephase, one of the few plug ins for itunes isn't terribly sexy or useful. The Squeeze was going to experiment with a bit of applescript, but I don't see that happening any time soon (sorry love, but you know it's true).
There are a whole heap of DJing software packages, but very few specifically for macs, and even fewer in a sensible price range. The problem is to do with the fact that there are so few mac users out here in the wilderness, especially not in comparison with winblows stooges. The PC doods often use PCDJ if they're getting fancy (though the itunes/winamp option is a lasting favourite), but there really isn't much for the mac DJ beyond DJ1800, which isn't a great product. It has little 'blank out' moments when it pauses or simply drops out for a second or two. Recovering from these can lead to crashage. It's also a bit resource-hungry. It costs ($US60 or $AUD77), it's ugly as sin, but you can do nice things like click and drag songs across from itunes, shrink or minimise the various 'cd players' in the set up and tell it where you want it to send the sound - to the mixer, to the headphones, wherever. You can download a test version (which is worth playing with if you're interested) which closes after 20 minutes, but I've had trouble convincing it to recognise my USB headphones. I'll have another bash, but I don't think it's playing.
Anyhow, today I bought it (which means that it gave me the password so it won't close after 20minutes), and I'll have a play before letting you know how it goes.
To make playing through two sources at once possible (ie through headphones and through the mixing desk), you need to use a USB/headphone jack combination, or get jiggy with an external soundcard. I've been looking at a few, including the ever-popular-with-DJs turtle beach thingy and extravagant items like the numark mixers with 2 USB ports (look under products then mixers) which is complete overkill, ridiculously heavy for carrying with me on my bike, but too darn tempting for a DJ nerd. I haven't exactly figured out whether or not I need the external sound card in combination with DJ1800 and itunes to be able to preview on headphones and play through the mixer at the same time, but there are other reasons for using an external sound card. Better sound quality is the most important (I've had one on my christmas list for a while). I'll have a fiddle and see what's what.
What I want:
- to be able to play music through two media players at once, previewing on headphones and playing through a mixer
- decent sound quality
Wish me luck.
It's probably worth noting that I'm the only girl in my town who talks about this stuff. Meggers and I have become DJing buddies, though, and while we have very different tastes in music, we have similar philosophies of DJing (ie get the energy up and kick their arses, fill the floor and Keep It Street) and are equally interested in figuring out how all the equipment works. She uses a pc laptop, though, so we have different technical issues. It's really nice to have someone with similar interests and experiences to play with. We take the desk out and figure out what's connected where, trade tips as we learn new things and give each other feedback on the sound in the room when one of us is DJing. It's nice and encouraging but also a great chance to explore technical stuff which is so male-dominated. We've also been charmed by the willingness of young Cameron to help us learn about this stuff. I guess he likes the fact that we're more than happy to let him come up there and twiddle our knobs (wo-ho!) to demonstrate how to get a better sound from a particular song - I know there are a few DJs (both male and female) who are too defensive to ask for help or give help unstintingly. There is a degree of competitiveness between DJs in our town (because there are so many of us, and because Melbourne swing is all about competition - in ethos as well as practice), so it's nice to have an amigo bandido.
Having said that, the SwingDJs discussion board is full of lovely, helpful people, and there are other DJs in other cities who'll happily help out or share their experiences!
*It's not a fabulous book, but it's kind of addictive. As my dad describes it, it's a combination of science fantasy elves and fairies stuff (literally) and cyber punk (literally - the female protagonist is a cyborg body guard for a rock star - what is it with books that like female cyborg assassin types? Or rather, what is it with the idea of a cyborg woman capable of violence?). And if something so silly can keep my hardcore-Sci-Fict dad interested...
"tech up" was posted by dogpossum on March 30, 2007 1:15 PM in the category djing | Comments (3)
March 2, 2007
Hullabaloo 2007
I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but we're going to Hullabaloo soon. Next month, I think it is.
This is the forth annual Hullabaloo - and Hullabaloo is kind of the Perth equivalent to MLX. It's not an all-social exchange (there are only two of those in this country - MLX and Canberrang), mostly because it's very difficult to make an all-social event sustainable, unless you live in a giant local scene (like us here in Melbourne), have quite a few years of successful events under your belt to serve as promotion (like us here in Melbourne), live in a very tourist-attracting city (like us here in Melbourne) or just couldn't give a shit, and want to have a party (like the kids in Canberra).
So we go and just don't do any workshops - we pretend it's an all social event, and sleep in late every day, go to cafes, wander around like the cheery holidaying tourists we are. The very best bit of going to someone else's exchange isn't that you don't have to run anything or work on anything (you always end up doing something at some point to help out - it's an instinct you can't fight when you're used to running events), it's that you're on holiday with a hundred or so other people. And they all want to wander around like tourists, visit cafes and breweries, eat nice meals, talk a whole lot of shit and then dance like crazy fools all night.
Hullabaloo is The Squeeze's favourite exchange. We get hosted by dear friends (who we host when they come to us), with dear friends (who we see regularly when we host an exchange - it's a real exchange and it's wonderful), we don't do anything particularly difficult, The Squeeze is very popular with the Perth ladies (not just because he's cute - also because he's naughty and inclined to pranks, drinking games and stunts) and I like to dance like a fool. Unfortunately I haven't been to an exchange yet where I haven't gotten really ill. I think it's because my body tends to think 'ok, we're on holiday, let's relax'. So I have to spend far too much time sitting about being tired and pathetic. Which sucks arse because I love de late night dancing.
I love Hullabaloo because you can feel every step a Perth lead takes, they bounce and they play good music. They are a bit anal and weird about vintage costume, but The Squeeze sets a good example and just completely ignores any dress standards rubbish. He simply doesn't bother reading that part of the events guide and doesn't bother his pretty little head about it. And he never gets in trouble for it.
So yeah, we're going there next month.
They're also planning a lindy battle thing as well. Trev will no doubt chime in with a comment on that, seeing as how he's organising it (Trev is a Perth person). My buddy Dan (who has a blog, but I can't remember the url) has decided we're goint to enter the battle. And I think it's a good idea. So we've started hassling all our friends to put together a team, including people like Kara. I'm not going to read any rules, because these sorts of things are always much more fun if you don't plan anything too seriously.
There's been a flurry of emails this morning afternoon (I got up LATE - DJed the second set at CBD last night and didn't get home til 1am. Now I'm really tired) with all sorts of exciting ideas for the team. Mostly involving tshirts and how cool we are. Not much talk of actual dancing. Trev, I hope you're not reading this, because I want to talk about it... ok, well, this is the internet, so I won't talk about it til later.
Anyway, I've also put my name in for DJing at Hullabaloo, which will be way fun, but also way pressure - I've DJed interstate before (SLX), but no DJing for a hardcore lindy hopping crowd out of my home town. I DJed at MLX, and I've DJed local big events, but it's different when you travel to a new town. There's new equipment to learn. The fear of forgetting essential cords. Not knowing what a local crowd will like/not like. And so on. I'm excited, but a bit scared. I don't doubt I'll do a decent job, but I will need to work on learning my music a bit better and do some serious practicing. But I have faith.
[all photos are by The Squeeze from Hullabaloo 2005]
"Hullabaloo 2007" was posted by dogpossum on March 2, 2007 4:59 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music and travel | Comments (5)
last night's set
Last night I did the second set at CBD (as I mentioned), the first time I've done a second set in aaaages (since SEPTEMBER last year, and MLX last year in November), and I was a bit worried about it. I like going first because it's like starting with a blank palette - you start at 0bpm and work the room to your comfort zone. I've been pretty successful getting the room really pumping - working from that 0 point (actually starting at about 130bpm and working the average tempo up to about 160bpm) - which can be tricky with a room that's largely beginner dancers. But you know. Performance anxiety. But last night went well.
We are expecting a large event of our own next weekend, so the locals are getting a bit excited. Last night there were more experienced dancers in the room, and I heard a lot of "oh god, I HAVE to get fitter" and "shit, my charleston sucks" talk.
Basically, I went at it the way I would for a first set - get the tempos up high, regularly, and really pump the energy up. It was a bit tricky because it was pretty bloody hot and humid in that nasty skankpit of a venue, but people proved amenable to a little persuasion.
There's a new mixer thingy, which proved a pain. Once again there were lines that didn't work. Fiddling with the cords, I noticed that someone had plugged the CD players into the wrong lines (despite we lindy hoppers being lectured by some wanker sound guy about only using X plugs, etc - this time it wasn't us), and then that the line I'd chosen was screwed. So I had to do some emergency unplugging/replugging mid-set. As per usual. Every single set, I'm lifting the fucker out of the desk (this new one is way heavier than the old one), pulling out plugs, inserting plugs and hunting down loose connections. The hairs on my arms stand on end.
So I start with a bit of hi-fi groove action to segue from Megger's* set, and that goes ok. The second song? Long, hi-fi, supergroove - good for testing levels and shifting stylistic gears. There were some major technical issues, though (fucked if I know what was wrong - I didn't touch the fucker!), so I had to change cords and plugs and so on. By that point the sound had cut out a couple of times and I was heartily sick of that bloody song. So I just thought 'fuck it', stopped the song mid-way, changed the cords over, and started again with something I actually liked.
It was very liberating to break all the rules like that - you're not supposed to stop a song mid-way through, and you should make gentler transitions. But it was hot, the song had already been screwed by the tech issues and I just HATE that groover shit right now.
It was so nice to hear Buddy Johnson kicking on in. No bullshit organ crap. No fancy wank flourishes - just a kicking rhythm, some punchy brass and a nice clear melody. Bread and cheese action. A potato chip song that lets the dancers know what your action is all about. Once I had their attention I went to a crowd pleasing favourite - C-Jam Blues (that, even though it's overplayed up the wazoo, is still a bitching song - buy that album if you're interested in learning about lindy hop music). And we were off.
A third of the songs I played were over 160bpm, which is a bit of a shift for Melbournians - they like it slow. And the 120s were at the very beginning when I was still thinking about new dancers, or at the very end when people were starting to pass out from dehydration. But otherwise, we had quite a few more upper tempo songs than usual. I just kept dropping them in there, working up and down the tempos. And they kept dancing. It was really nice to work a crowd of more experienced dancers who were determined to dance like fools to decent tempos - I haven't seen the experienced kids from different cliques so unified by dancing and enthusiasm in ages. I did, however, neglect the newer dancers a bit. But shit, just that one time, I wanted to play what I liked, and to really cater to more experienced dancers who often spend most of the night going through the motions rather than pushing themselves a bit.
I was still a bit clunky til about Four or Five Times (I didn't really practice yesterday), but there were a couple of guys standing behind me talking shit and distracting me - I knew I'd hit my groove when they both said "ok, the music's gotten good - I'm going to dance", headed off in different directions to hit the floor. And I laughed at them. Man, my friends are big fat nerdy music snob nerds.
From there, though, things went really well.
I was actually happy with the songs preceding that point - I might have been a bit quick to get the Mora's Modern Swingtet stuff in there, and did follow a combination of 3 or so songs I'd played with that afternoon rather than working the room thoroughly, but I was still finding my groove and beating off a case of weird nerves. When I'm nervy I just throw random songs on - sort of like the way I talk when I'm nervy. Lots of random comments rather than a coherent discussion.
I love Shout 'em Aunt Tillie (Ellington, of course, to follow on from the MMS verson of an Ellington track), but I should have left it til later in the night when the doods were ready for that sort of less familiar music. It was also a bit poor quality, which the crowd often can't take so early in a set. Especially after a set of super hi-fi music. But I freakin' love that song.
From Effervescent Blues, though, we were really cooking. Old Skool rules! Yee-haw!
I love Back Room Romp a great deal, and hope I don't get sick of it soon. The dancers really like it too - it's one of those songs where the floor starts off empty because it's kind of lo-fi and a bit scratchy. But the beat is so insistent, the brass really rolls around and then gets up there with some nice spikey bits... the floor always ends up full and kicking. It's almost painful to have to stand there watching people enjoying the music on the floor while I just have to be satisfied with a bit of bouncing on the spot.
Who Stole the Lock (On the Hen House Door?) was a bit of a punt. I wanted a high energy, old school lindy song. But people did charleston, which surprised me as it's the song Todd and Naomi used in this routine (which I've talked about before). I'd thought the old school fans would think 'Yee-haw! Lindy hop MUTHAFUCKAHS!' but they thought 'Yee-haw! Charleston MUTHAFUCKAHS!' instead. Which was kind of a shame as I had some sweet Charleston Chasers and Vince Giordano lined up for later on. There's only so much superfast music you can play on a hot night. And very few people actually dance 20s solo charleston, so it've been a bit exclusive to pound that theme to hard.
Because the quality of that recording is quite poor, I went for the Mora's Modern Rhythmists version of A Viper's Moan, because I wanted to stay old school, but needed to lift the sound quality a bit to change the mood and get the un-charleston people onto the floor again. It was a success. I'm almost really sick of that song (especially the MMR version), but it's a useful potato chip song.
I'm also a bit over Savoy Blues. But I was going somewhere particular. And, weirdly, that New Orleans sound is really popular with Melbourne kiddies at the moment. It defies comprehension. But it's very pleasing - I love that action, so it's nice to play stuff for the kids that I really dig. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised: it has stompy rhythms everyone can hear, it has a kind of uproarious, controlled-chaos approach to solos and parts. It's not the sort of carefully unified and controlled stuff that Benny Goodman and Glen Miller are into. Nor is it the sort of wilder, yet still managed big band sound of Basie. It feels a bit crazy, but is still quite clear and easy to dance to.
But then I wanted to up the tempos a bit and change the mood. So I went with Stomp it Off by Lunceford, which is quite quick, but has a lovely light, energetic, fun feeling - it feels light hearted and fun. Which is quite a nice contrast to the New Orleans stuff which can be a bit heavy and lower and church-influenced (you can really hear the jesus gospel stuff and martial themes). I'm always delighted when people jump on the floor for uptempo stuff, people who don't usually dance to quick stuff. I always figure it as a win if I've tricked them into dancing faster. But that version of Stomp it off is so fun and nice - it could almost be an Ellington recording, but it has that Lunceford naughtiness chugging along in there as well. And of course, it's some nice Sy Oliver goodness (he wrote it).
Then I followed up with some mellower uptempo stuff. I'm almost over Good Queen Bess as well, but it's a very effective tool for transitioning. At this point I was totally in the groove and thought I'd finally please the girl who wanted old school but really meant male vocal stuff. So I played a big fat bracket of chunky male vocal stuff. I say male vocal, but I'm actually thinking 'silly songs with men talking about food, sex or both, accompanied by guitars'.
These songs always stump me, in terms of the sound quality, but Cammy was really nice and helpful and gave me some tips mid-way through to sort them out. They're tricky because they're not walls of sound like big band stuff - they're really just a couple (or few) blokes singing along with a guitar, bass and possibly percussionist. Cam said they're mostly sitting on about 220 somethings (I can't remember the word), so we dumped the bass way down, upped the mids (or was it the opposite? I forget), and then fiddled with the highs. It was interesting to play with this stuff. And Cam encouraged me to get serious with my equalizer, which scares me. But heck, I'm all cowboy these days, so I might as well. It does bring home the drawbacks of itunes, though.
So I played a bunch of Slim and Slam, Cats and the Fiddle and Mills Brothers and peopel went NUTS. They really really dug it. Apparently the teachers at the Lismore camp in February played a lot of this action. It's weird, because I learnt to dance on these guys, the Hot Shots use them a lot at Herrang for teaching and they really feel very familiar and kind of 'overplayed' in my mind - I love them, but I wouldn't pack a set with them. But I had avoided playing them for a while as they'd not gone down well last year with CBD people, and I do actually adore Slim Gaillard in particular.
I almost added some Fats Waller in there, but I figured I needed to change the vibe a bit, so I went with a potato chip song (after the Potato Chips song), because I wanted to get to a request for the birthday boy - when someone requests For Dancers Only you hop to it. Particularly when they specifically request the higher tempo version I adore.
By this point people were looking really trashed. They were kind of euphoric and having a good time, but they were obviously not drinking enough water (arsehole venue manager won't let people bring their own water and won't turn on the air-con. Arsehole), so I figured I'd finish off this chunk then let it settle a bit. Savoy, one of my favourite songs, went down really well, and I thought I Want The Waiter (with the water) was a funny choice, a bit lower energy and a bit slower. And it also went down well. Jive at Five is such a nice song, and that version is slower again and kind of mellow, so people had a chance to chill.
It's kind of a risk at that point in the evening (I started at 10.00 and it was about 11 by then), so this was a bit of a punt. But they were still nuts for dancing. So I built them up again. And played Minor Goes a'Muggin' in honour of Trev. There was a protracted discussion about the meaning of the word 'muggin' at the DJ desk at this point, with some speculation that it could have something to do with smiling or a big face (kind of a British thing), or perhaps more to do with:
muggins |ˈməginz|(to use the dictionary on my computer).
noun ( pl. same or mugginses ) Brit., informal a foolish and gullible person.
• humorous used to refer to oneself in order to suggest that one has been stupid, esp. in allowing oneself to be exploited : muggins has volunteered to do the catering.
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: perhaps a use of the surname Muggins, with allusion to mug 1 .
People dug the song, though. By this point it was about 11.20 and I was getting tired. The last few songs were closers and I danced the last two (because it was after 11.30 and I wasn't being paid any more and I WANTED TO). I should have ended at St James Infirmary rather than letting it peter out. Don't Come Too Soon is a fairly lackluster attempt to construct a euphemism for the obvious. I like it.
It was a good set, I enjoyed it, and things went well.
Here's the set list:
CBD set 2 1st March 2007
(title, artist, bpm, date, album, time)
Mumbles Oscar Peterson 188 1964 Ultimate Oscar Peterson As Selected By Ray Brown 2:02
Blues In Hoss' Flat City Rhythm Orchestra 130 2004 Vibrant Tones 5:23
Shufflin' And Rollin' Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra 153 1952 Walk 'Em 3:12
C-Jam Blues Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 143 1999 Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke 3:33
Krum Elbow Blues Mora's Modern Swingtet 162 2004 20th Century Closet 2:45
Shout 'Em Aunt Tillie Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 158 1930 Jazz Caravan 2:56
Effervescent Blues Mora's Modern Swingtet 122 2004 20th Century Closet 3:07
B-Sharp Boston Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 126 1949 Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 2:54
Four Or Five Times Woody Herman Orchestra 141 The Great Swing Bands (Disc 2) 3:09
Back Room Romp Duke Ellington and his Orchestra 155 2000 Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington 2:49
Flying Home Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 159 1940 Tempo And Swing 2:58
Who Stole the Lock (On the Hen House Door?) Jack Bland 245 2002 Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 2 2:37
A Viper's Moan Mora's Modern Rhythmists 143 2000 Call Of The Freaks 3:30
Savoy Blues Kid Ory 134 2002 Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3 3:00
Perdido Street Blues Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra with Sidney Bechet 148 1940 Blues In Thirds 1940-41 3:00
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band 160 1946 Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 3:12
Stomp It Off Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 190 1934 Swingsation - Jimmie Lunceford 3:08
Good Queen Bess Duke Ellington 160 1940 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 10) 3:00
Laughing In Rhythm Slim Gaillard 140 2:52
Groove Juice Special Slim Gaillard And His Flat Foot Floogie Boys 170 1942 Big Ben - Disc 2 - All Too Soon 2:43
Stomp, Stomp The Cats and The Fiddle 203 1941 We Cats Will Swing For You Volume 2 1940-41 2:55
My Walking Stick The Mills Brothers 158 1938 The Mills Brothers Featuring Louis Armstrong vol4 (1937-1940) 2:43
Potato Chips Slim Gaillard 143 2004 Jazz For Kids - Sing, Clap, Wiggle, and Shake 3:04
Apollo Jump Lucky Millinder 143 Apollo Jump 3:26
For Dancers Only Jimmie Lunceford and His Harlem Express 178 1944 1944-Uncollected 2:22
Savoy Lucky Millinder 166 1993 Anthology Of Big Band Swing (Disc 2) 3:04
I Want The Waiter (with the water) Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 151 1939 Lunceford Special 1939-40 2:44
Jive At Five Count Basie and His Orchestra 147 1960 The Count Basie Story (Disc 1) 3:02
Shoutin' Blues Count Basie and His Orchestra 148 1949 Kansas City Powerhouse 2:38
Till Tom Special Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra 158 1940 Tempo And Swing 3:23
The Minor Goes Muggin' Duke Ellington 176 1946 The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 15) 3:02
Cole Slaw Jesse Stone and His Orchestra 145 Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 2:57
Yes, Indeed! Sy Oliver and Jo Stafford with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 134 1941 Yes, Indeed! 3:30
St. James Infirmary Hot Lips Page and his Orchestra 122 1949 Jump For Joy! 3:12
Black And Tan Fantasy Jimmie Lunceford 104 1997 Rhythm Is Our Business 2:44
New Style Baby Walter Brown with Jay McShann and His Kycee Stompers 120 1949 Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 3) 2:37
Don't Come Too Soon Julia Lee And Her Boyfriends 123 1949 Kansas City Blues 1944-1949 (Disc 2) 2:59
*Megs and I have very different taste in music, but we like each other and enjoy DJing together - she's an arse kicker and we make each other laugh a lot. So it's always good when we're paired up for sets.
"last night's set" was posted by dogpossum on March 2, 2007 4:55 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances
February 27, 2007
Mora's Modern Swingtet's 20th Century Closet
Mora's Modern Swinget's 20th Century Closet.
A contemporary band who specialise in the sort of music I like most (earlier swinging jazz and 20s hot jazz), the Swingtet are a smaller version of the Rhythmists (they could be a completely different band that Mora runs, I haven't checked - I have Dumb Brain right now). I was happy with the Rhythmists' Call of the Freaks and have my eye on their latest album 
This is fun stuff because the quality's good, the songs are really neat (some of my favourites) and this sort of action is a great introduction to old school music for the more conservative/groover dancing crowd.
It's nice to have a few songs by my favourite artists - I'll list them below - my favourite small group artists:
The album contains 20 tracks of great swing of the 1930s and 1940s, originally performed by such bands as the John Kirby Orchestra, Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five, Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven, and the Duke Ellington small groupsAnd you know how I feel about Ellington. But I'm also a keen fan of John Kirby. I like that smaller, 'chamber jazz' sound. Maybe I need to explore Tommy Dorsey's smaller groups?
Song highlights:
Hop, Skip and Jump - 191bpm - 2004 - 2:44
It's interesting to compare this with the Campus Five version (which I talked about here). I might prefer the Campus 5 version, but I haven't listened to them back to back yet, so I can't be sure.
Krum Elbow Blues - 162bpm - 2004 - 2:45
I love the Ellington version of this song that I have ('Krum Elbow Blues' - Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra - 153bpm - 1938 - The Duke's Men: The Small Groups, vol. 2 - 2:35), and I don't have Mora's liner notes in front of me, but he could have used that arrangement (that's actually a big fat guess). It's still a great song, and this is a decent version.
Effervescent Blues - 122bpm - 2004 - 3:07
Another 'cover' of one of my favourite songs ('Effervescent Blues' - John Kirby Sextet - 119bpm - 1939 - John Kirby Sextet: Complete Columbia and RCA Victor Recordings (disc 01) - 2:50), I do prefer Kirby's version, but the quality of that version that I have is a bit dodgy. Not really up to places like CBD at all.
Jump Steady - 172bpm - 2004 - 2:39
I don't have the liner notes in front of me, nor do I have another version of this in my itunes, so I'm not sure who the original's by. But this is fun.
There are many other great tracks, but these are the ones at the front of my brain right now.
I do have some complaints about this album, though. I'm not struck on the vocalist, Kayre Morrison. She's a bit... hoity toity. This band, all over, is a bit... uptight. Unhep.
I prefer the Willie Bryant versions of Rigamarole and A Viper's Moan, for example, because they sound rawer, wilder and more emotionally authentic. The problem with some of these recreationist guys, is that they spend so much energy and effort on doing really careful reproductions of other artists' work, they forget to put themselves into the music. I've written about this before here, so I needn't say more than to repeat the last line of that post: "I like a little grunt, a little grit in my ...music".
"Mora's Modern Swingtet's 20th Century Closet" was posted by dogpossum on February 27, 2007 7:58 PM in the category digging and djing and music
Roy Eldridge's After You've Gone
Roy Eldridge's After You've Gone.
I'm feeling a bit tired and bashed about my the anithistamines I've had to take to save my sanity (I could, quite possibly, scratch my nose off my face otherwise), so I can't write much.
Song highlights:
All the Cats Join In - Buster Harding with Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra - 176bpm - 1946 - 2:45
Jump Through The Window - Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra - 154bpm - 1943 - 2:42
Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip - Roy Eldridge and his Orchestra - 224bpm - 1946 - 2:45
Sometimes a bit too much squawky brass, but also some greatly fun dancing action.
"Roy Eldridge's After You've Gone" was posted by dogpossum on February 27, 2007 7:52 PM in the category digging and djing and music | Comments (1)
February 18, 2007
i just couldn't get it together
Friday night I played a crappy craptastic set at Funbags.
It was pretty hot, I'd been feeling a bit crook during the day and I didn't take time to go through my music.
I was also pretty uncomfortable with the set up for the DJ. The sound system was pretty good, but the whole thing was at the same counter where the punters pay to come in near the front door. We had to sit our laptops on the counter with our backs to the mixing desk so we could see the dancers, but this meant that our cables had to hang across the entry to the behind-the-counter. And people kept coming in and out of that space all night, climbing under the cords. In addition, I was ideally placed for people to come talk to me.
I need at least ten minutes of alone time at the beginning of a set to get settled - fix the sound a bit, sort my laptop, pick out a couple of good starter songs so I can go walk the room, de-jitter, etc etc etc. But I don't mind being visited later in the set.
I just couldn't get it together - I had to tell people to leave me alone a couple of times and to move out of my way so I could see the floor at least three times til I gave up.
As a result, I was a bit jittery and couldn't relax and get into gear. There was too much talking and bustling around me and it kept me on edge.
So the set sucked.
It was also a bit of an odd crowd, mostly beginner dancers with a couple of more experienced people. It also felt more like an after-class gig than a 'social dancing' gig, so pumping, upenergy crowd-kicking songs fell a bit flat. Those sorts of hardcore songs really go down better with more experienced dancers. The Bechet track was a particularly heinous fizzer.
sigh.
I didn't kill the floor, though. I just couldn't make a coherent set that really worked the energy in the room. Because it was mostly newer dancers who just love dancing, it was ok. But it wouldn't have worked on a more experienced crowd.
I'm a bit sick of my music as well - I feel like I'm just playing the same old stodge each week. The same old songs. I haven't bought a lot of great music lately, just a lot of stuff I really like.... well, that's probably not true, that's just how it feels. I actually feel like I'm a bit limited in the music I can play. I feel like I can't pull out the less crowd-pleasery stuff. There are some songs that are just like chips at a party - they go down well, you can just keep filling the bowl and the crowd'll just keep chewing em down. But they're nothing special.
I want to make hoors doovers. Not chips.
I dunno, guess I need to spend more time listening to my music I spose. I think I need to find another artist that really drives me wild so I can get inspired again.
I'm actually feeling like I'd like to play a supergroove set - really pull out all the really good supergroove stuff. But I don't want to waste a big night on that rubbish. I'd like a more mellow late night perhaps for that. A really late night... but I can't fight my 'drive them crazy' arse-kicker instincts.
anyway...
Just so's you can compare, he's the set list. All good songs, just combined in a really shitty order.
(first set, Funpit 16 Feb 2007) song - artist - bpm - album - song length
My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina Simone - 118 - The Great Nina Simone - 3:38
Cow Cow Boogie - Jennie Löbel and Swing Kings - 120 - 2001 - He Ain't Got Rhythm - 2:56
Jump Ditty! - Joe Carroll and The Ray Bryant Quintet - 134 - Red Kat Swing 1 - 2:53
Oomph Fa Fa - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five - 129 - 2003 - Jammin' the Blues - 3:35
B-Sharp Boston - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 126 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 2:54
Jive At Five - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 147 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 1) - 3:02
Splanky - Count Basie - 157 - 1966 - Live at the Sands - 3:52
Hallelujah, I Love Her So - Count Basie - 145 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 2:36
Undecided Blues - Count Basie and His Orchestra with Jimmy Rushing - 120 - 1941 - Cutting Butter - The Complete Columbia Recordings 1939 - 1942 (disc 03) - 2:55
Hey Now, Hey Now - Cab Calloway - 121 - 1994 - Are You Hep To The Jive? - 2:56
Four Or Five Times - Woody Herman Orchestra - 141 - The Great Swing Bands (Disc 2) - 3:09
Back Room Romp - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - 155 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington - 2:49
Flying Home - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 159 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 2:58
Cole Slaw - Jesse Stone and His Orchestra - 145 - Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 - 2:57
Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton, etc - 138 - 1949 - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 2:47
Redskin Rhumba - Charlie Barnet - 186 - 1940 - Charlie Barnet : Skyliner - 2:41
Savoy Blues - Kid Ory - 134 - 2002 - Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3 - 3:00
Perdido Street Blues - Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra with Sidney Bechet - 148 - 1940 - Blues In Thirds - 1940-41 - 3:00
The Greatest There Is - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 133 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 2:43
Come On Over To My House - Julia Lee with Jay McShann's Kansas City Stompers - 138 - 1944 - Jumpin' The Blues (Disc 1) - 2:52
Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five - 141 - 2004 - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
"i just couldn't get it together" was posted by dogpossum on February 18, 2007 1:44 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances
February 12, 2007
As dangerous as a midnight coffee
Glen's started a meme over here, and it's one that actually caught my eye.
I meme when I'm trying to be cool, but I think this one is actually quite me.
I am starting up a meme. It is called the “As dangerous as a midnight coffee” meme.Blurb: Five songs for going nuts when IT HAS TO BE DONE. This isn’t the Nike Just Do It song list of inspiration. It is a savage beast that attacks your weaknesses, and gives you the perspective of sickness, thus forcing you to be stronger. The songs have to currently be on a portable music playing device that you listen to at midnight brewing a coffee and getting ready to attack IT (or comparable scenario).
I do own an ipod (well, The Squeeze owns an ipod, and I see it as my Sistahly duty to appropriate it and use it for previewing old skewl jass for DJing on the bus... well I did, when I was catching the bus. I also used to use it for 'read-a-long' sessions with Gunther Schuller (I've just been humming and ahing over his books on abebooks, btw: I need them. I do. I really do)), but I think this meme really lends itself to the 'hypothetical set list'.
Midnight Coffee - hm. I'm thinking of late night after parties, when the crowd are warmed up from the first gig, but you've just changed venues, so you have to get them really cooking again.
So, to rework the meme-theme, here are five songs that (I'd hope) would work together to GET IT DONE. In other words, five songs that would hopefully drive a crowd of dancers into a frenzy.
Now, five songs really isn't very much for crowd frenzying, so let's assume I've spent about five songs getting them warmed up.
...actually, I'm going to do two lists. One will be a chronological list of five songs, in the order I'd play to get the crowd nuts. The other list will be five seriously hardcore-kick your muthafucking arse hardcore YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! dancing songs that I would never play all in a row. Not if I wanted to have the floor even partly full.
1. 'Blues In Hoss' Flat' Count Basie 142bpm 195? Big Band Renaissance Disc 1 3:13
Because Basie is the only way to kick a bunch of dancers into a frenzy... well, not really, but it's a nice place to start.
I'm imagining I'm working with the Melbourne crowd at CBD rather than at MLX or another big exchange. Because exchanges are a different kettle of fish.
This song rocks because it's hi-fi, it's late Basie, it has some pretty major brass and people know it and love it. It's also a very manageable 142bpm - a nice warm-up tempo.
2.
...look, this isn't going to work. Five songs isn't long enough for me to guarantee mass insanity. I ain't that good, and I need to see the floor to judge my choices.
Instead, I'm just going to go list five arse kicker songs. The sorts of songs that make me crazy. That I've made dancers crazy with (with which I've made... whatever). And they'll probably be my current favourites.
1. 'Back Room Romp' Duke Ellington and his Orchestra 155 2000 Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington 2:49
Man, I can't believe I only have one version of this song! It's the best. This is a great warm-up track.
... wait, I'm doing it again! I just can't list five big songs without working up to them!
Ok, now I'm just going to do hardcore, arse kicky songs that I might play at an afterparty. Maybe not all in a row, because the dancers would die. But definitely within one set. Between about 2 and 3 perhaps - when people have all arrived, had a slurpy or their second (or third) Red Bull and something to eat and have the energy to burn. Let's also say that the room is pretty warm (but not hot - just not chilly), and it's pretty crowded. But not so crowded you can't really swing out like a fool.
I'll try again.
1. 'Jumpin' At The Woodside' Count Basie 237bpm 1938 Ken Burns Jazz Series: Count Basie
The 1930s versions are best. This is one kick your arse song. You can tell Basie got his start with a bit of stride piano with that stomping intro. The tempo is hot (but doable), there are lots of nice layers building up the energy.
Actually, I'm into this now. Now I'm just going to list hardcore songs that I love that would kick your arse if you danced to them all in a row.
2. 'Lafayette' Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra with Count Basie 285bpm 1932 Kansas City Powerhouse 2:48
My comments for this one read "difficult but good fast dancing; ok quality". It comes in shouting and then pounds away at 285bpm. I've never danced to it, I'm not sure you could, but it's a cracking song. I like the stompy base. Basie of course began with Moten's band - this is hot Kansas city action (those Kansas doods were wilder and rougher).
3. 'Hotter Than Hell' Fletcher Henderson 275bpm 1934 Tidal Wave 2:58
This is one frickin' fast song. But it really rocks. Henderson is the king of hot, arse-kicking music for lindy hopping.
...I'm getting really excited listening to this stuff. It's going to be impossible to settle down and work after this.
4.'Blues In The Groove' Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra 205bpm 1939 Lunceford Special 1939-40 2:35
Not everyone's pick of the Lunceford action (I know I was torn between this and 'Lunceford Special' or 'Blue Blazes'), but this one, while it doesn't have that pounding, driving structure is one of those songs that you can't help but dance to - it makes you jump up and jiggle around. So it's a 'get it done song' because it'll get you dancing, despite yourself. And that's a DJ's job - getting people dancing despite themselves.
5. 'Rigamarole' Willie Bryant And His Orchestra 240bpm Willie Bryant 1935-1936 2:35
This one doesn't actually sound all that fast, but it really builds you up and makes you crazy. It says DANCE MUTHAHFUCKAH! So people generally do. Mostly like crazy fools. It has shouting in it as well, which always helps. I often play the Mora's Modern Rhythmists version for dancers because the quality is better, but the MMR version doesn't have the same punch as Bryant's.
That's it, then.
There are about a million other songs I could have listed - we're all about hard fast, getting-you-moving music here in the swinguverse - but these are five of my favourites.
I know some people'd be suprised to see no 'Ride Red Ride' in there, or 'Man from Mars' (or Chick Webb at all) or 'Sugar Foot Stomp' in some incarnation. I'm also a bit sorry not to have any really hot Ellington action there something like 'Jubilee Stomp', a 1928 Ellington track that clocks in at 265bpm (I have it on The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 01)) would have been a sensible addition. But I could have gone on forever. I could have done a top 5 Basie arse kicking songs. Or a top 5 old skewl. And I didn't even touch the dixie or 'charleston' music.
Anyone got 5 other good, arse kicking, 'get it done', 'dangerous as midnight coffee' music?
"As dangerous as a midnight coffee" was posted by dogpossum on February 12, 2007 10:28 AM in the category clicky and djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (8)
February 9, 2007
hanging my head in shame
I've just realised that I don't actually own any Dorsey albums. Just a bunch of one-off songs from compilations.
I am ashamed.
Can anyone suggest any sure-fire winners?
"hanging my head in shame" was posted by dogpossum on February 9, 2007 10:38 PM in the category djing and music | Comments (4)
because trev is a little baby
Last night I DJed for the second time since... well. I've only DJed three times this year, since November 2006 really. The last time was actually very ordinary and I wasn't very happy with it (see earlier comment). Thing is, when I'm not DJing a lot, I'm dancing a lot. So it's a trade off.
Anyways, last night I DJed a set which made me very, very happy. Practicing yesteday afternoon for the first time in ages probably helped (practicing = going through my music and doing 'test' sets, re-familiarising myself with all my music... well, most of my music).
Partway through the first or second or third (can't remember which) song I had that crazy pulse-thumping 'this freakin' RAWKS' feeling. I said to Dan about ten times "God, this sounds so GREAT on a big sound system!" Which was kind of duh, because it was either the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, from an album that every swing dancer and DJ must own - fabulous live recording of a fabulous band doing fabulous Ellington music, or it was Basie. And Basie is the best.
The night started kind of strange when a girl I thought knew my music asked if I could play some 'old school' music. And I thought she might be joking because I said "That's like asking me if I like to lindy hop". But she thought... well, who knows what she thought. Anyways, the upshot is that she really wanted to hear some Cats and the Fiddle. I showed her a short list of stuff I'd put together that afternoon with plenty of CATF, Slim and Slam and the Mills Brothers - male vocal groups which feature lots of guitar. And are, incidentally, from the late 30s and 40s for the most part. 'Old school' to me means early 30s, late 20s - serious scratch. It's not difficult to convince me to play that stuff - I loves that action (and I'd probably add some select Fats freakin-wonderful Waller and Cab Calloway to that particular subgroup - sillier vocals, smaller groups (though not necessarily with Cab... though his earlier stuff has the right sort of sound), chunking rhythm section.
Despite the impression I might have given here, it was actually quite nice to be asked to play stuff I adore. I had to stop myself suddenly go through my music and revising my plans for the set. I had to stay cool and just work with the plan.
As it turns out, I didn't play any of that stuff (not even any Cab!), nor did I play any serious old school, though I did have Who Stole The Lock (On The Henhouse Door) by Jack Bland and his Rhythmakers with Henry 'Red' Allen (1932, 243bpm) on my short list. In fact, I think it's time for a little gratuitous lindy hop pr0n.
That's Todd Yanacone and Naomi Unami (blowing all my arguments about ethnicity to shit right there) kickin' it old school at the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown in 2005 (linkage). Dat is where it's at.
But I didn't end up playing that either. That's the sort of music that I think of as old school, and I'd add people like Willie Bryant (oh Willie, how do I love thee?), Henry Red Allen, Mills Blue Rhythm Band, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, early Cab Calloway and early Ellington to that group). I really freakin' love that action - it sounds crazy and fun and you can really hear the transition from 'charleston' music to 'lindy hop' music - ie this is where the swing is actually getting into jazz. It's not quite right for hard core lindy hop, a la Frankie, but it has the crazy energy of the music that makes you dance de charleston and other ol' timey dances. This is the sort of stuff that I associate with the breakaway - precursor to lindy hop (which you can see in the After Seben clip - Shorty George does the breakaway with an unknown partner right there at the end before the solo stuff (and that solo stuff, incidentally, was my obsession for a while - I love that crazy eccentric dance stuff)).
Though I adore this stuff, it's not terribly general-audience-friendly. The tempos are generally very high (above 200 at least) for lindy hoppers... for Melbourne lindy hoppers - I'm sure Trev could offer some nice examples of lindy hoppers in other Australian cities and their tempo-comfort. And the lack of swinginess can actually make for quite tiring dancing when you're doing lindy. It almost demands a more upright position and you don't get that 'flying' lindy look. But, as Todd and Naomi demonstrate, it still makes for freakin' amazing dancing.
Anyway, back to me and me and my stuff and me.
I think I'll just cut and paste from my comment over on Swing Talk. Here's my set list and commentary on how the set went:
[song title - artist - bpm - year - album title - song length]
Happy Go Lucky Local - Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - 110 - 1999 - Live In Swing City: Swingin' With Duke highenergy - 6:57
Moten Swing - Count Basie - 125 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue - 5:17
Blues In Hoss' Flat - Count Basie - 142 - 1995 - Big Band Renaissance Disc 1 - 3:13
Shoutin' Blues - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 148 - 1949 - Kansas City Powerhouse- 2:38
Four Or Five Times - Woody Herman Orchestra - 141 - The Great Swing Bands (Disc 2) - 3:09
Shout, Sister, Shout - Lucky Millinder - 140 - Apollo Jump - 2:44
Back Room Romp - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - 155 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington - 9:07 PM
A Viper's Moan - Mora's Modern Rhythmists - 143 - 2000 - Call Of The Freaks - 3:30
Savoy Blues Kid Ory - 134 - 2002 - Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3 - 3:00
Perdido Street Blues - Louis Armstrong - 144 - 1997 - Priceless Jazz Collection #3 - 3:08
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho - Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band - 160 - 1946 - Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46 - 3:12
Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton, etc - 138 - 1949 - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun - 2:47
Cole Slaw - Jesse Stone and His Orchestra - 145 - Original Swingers: Hipsters, Zoots and Wingtips vol 2 - 2:57
Solid as a Rock - Count Basie and His Orchestra with The Deep River Boys - 140 - Count Basie and His Orchestra 1950-1951 - 3:03
Joog, Joog - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 146 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 3:00
B-Sharp Boston - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 126 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950 - 2:54
Jive At Five - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 147 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 1) - 3:02
Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five - 141 - 2004 - Crazy Rhythm - 3:29
All The Cats Join In - Peggy Lee and Frank DeVol's Orchestra - 150 - 1998 - Complete Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcription Sessions (Disc 2) - 2:18
Flying Home - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 159 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 2:58
Blues In The Groove - Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - 205 - 1939 - Lunceford Special 1939-40 - 2:35
Hop Skip and Jump - Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander - 192 - 2004 - Crazy Rhythm - 2:48
For Dancers Only - Jimmie Lunceford and His Harlem Express - 178 - 1944 - 1944-Uncollected - 2:22
Till Tom Special - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 158 - 1940 - Tempo And Swing - 3:23
Jumpin' At The Woodside - Count Basie - 235 - The Complete Decca Recordings (disc 02) - 3:10
Rundown:
I always begin with something 'safe' and hi-fi at CBD so I can fuss over the tech set up (because it always sucks). Happy Go Lucky Local went down really well (which surprised me). I'm not sure if I actually played Moten Swing or not - it was on my list but I think I was deciding between it or HGLL and didn't actually play it. Whatever.
Keith tried to suggest the one-in-a-row rule to me at about Blues in Hoss's Flat but I scoffed. I derided. Basie is such a great opener for a set - he really is the best lindy hopping music. Nice, high energy, kind of straight up and nothing too scary or difficult, you can get nice quality recordings and people know a lot of his stuff.
I consciously played a lot of favourites during the set - sort of speckled them in there between other 'mini-sets' (the mini-sets in order: the norleans set, the shouty-clapping set, the 'chilling' set, the 'finally you're warmed up, so let's kick your arse' set). Perdido Street Blues is one of my old faves which I actually DJ very rarely (it's also actually a song I think of as 'Sidney Bechet' rather than Armstrong). I can't play Blues My Naughty Sweety Gave To Me again - it make me want to hurl. Even though people love it, I'm over it. PSB was my BMNSGTM substitute.
The 'mini set' thing wasn't deliberate - it just kind of worked out that way as I tried to play songs in a logical order (ie matching styles and then moving between styles using the clutch rather than just hacking them in there).
I did scew up at one point, doing a dreaded double click 3/4 of the way through Til Tom Special, which sucked, as I was building them into a frenzy for the last song. But no one seemed to mind and an jam circle formed instantly. It was the first spontaneous jam I've seen in Melbourne for ages. There were a couple of grumbles from people who wanted to dance to that song, but I say - get in there and DANCE to it.
I think I have to add for the non-dancers reading, that that last song Jumpin' at the Woodsideis an iconic one. It's hardcore Basie, doing the very best Basie action. It's fast (though this wasn't the version I thought I played, which is about 270 odd bpm), it's fun and it's crazy. It's also been stamped as a 'jam song'. I didn't intend a jam, I just wanted to play an arse-kicking, fun, crazy fast song to close my set. As bigpants comments in that Swing Talk thread, though (and I really like this line):
"We interrupt the regular broadcast for this important jam announcement"If only I could say that I planned this. But I'm afraid it was sheer fluke.Maybe you shocked the jam into us. It worked.
One of my favourite parts of the night was playing Blues in the Groove (I'm on a(nother) Lunceford kick atm) and seeing people run to the floor. I blame that version of Flying Home - it's slower but gets people all worked up. And you have to love balboans - they get in there and work it at all tempos.
Another highlight was playing that version of For Dancers Only - it's off a new album I saw pimped on SwingDJs recently and which I absolutely LOVE. I think Gracenote has the wrong name for the album, but it looks like that to the right there.
As you can see from the Amazon link, it's crazy cheap. And worth it for that version of FDO alone (incidentally, Dan played a version of Wham last night - I am currently loving that song atm. Lunceford and Hamp are my men).
Then Dan played his first Melbourne gig and did a neat job. We had a bit of a scuffle over who'd play what. The best bit of DJing first is that you get to play what you like, while the second DJ can't repeat anything. Tough luck if you dig the same stuff (though that rocks because you get to dance to the stuff that way). But then, the first DJ has to suffer through thinking 'why didn't I play that?!' in the second set. Actually, I enjoyed DJed with Trev at the Speegs at MLX - we have similar tastes, but different collections, and of course, different ways of putting a set together. I played the first set, he the second, me the third, and it was really nice rubbing in/bewailing our choices.
And just in case you thought I was the nerdiest DJ in the whole world, go look at this link and see I'm not. WHY didn't I find that clip before I wrote that stuff about youtube?
Rightio. Enough postage for you there, Trev?
I have a job application to write, so I'm outy.
LCJO image stolen from here.
"because trev is a little baby" was posted by dogpossum on February 9, 2007 12:48 PM in the category djing and lindy hop & other dances and music | Comments (1)
February 1, 2007
hm
I'm doing a set this Friday night (second set, if you're interested, preceded by one of my least favourite DJs) and I'm not really on top of my music. I have been too busy reading and writing and haven't spent enough time listening to music. I don't listen to music when I'm working because it either distracts me or I just stop hearing it after a while.
"hm" was posted by dogpossum on February 1, 2007 2:29 PM in the category djing
January 5, 2007
it's difficult to not think 'oh, this Basie song would be good here'
It's always difficult DJing for a crowd of lindy hoppers on a very hot night in a very hot room. Especially when they're Melbournians, who tend to forget how to deal with hot weather, even though we have really hot summers. I think it's all the rain and wind and cold in the winter.
But last night I was up for the first set, and over the course of yesterday revised my loose plans for the set. I had a quick look through my slower stuff - I knew I wouldn't get terribly high bpms - but reminded myself of my favourite highenergy, fun slower stuff. Just because you're playing slower music, don't mean you should let the dancers get too lethargic. My goal was to keep the energy up so the dancers continually felt like they really wanted to dance fast and crazy. I wanted to build them up gradually, kind using the smaller wave idea, not only in terms of tempo (where you move from slower to medium to faster stuff in a general progression) but also in terms of mood (where you build up the energy and excitement, then quieten it down, progressively). But at the same time as I was working on these shorter waves, I also wanted to work on a broader, 'big picture' type wave, where I was gradually working up the energy in the room, even though I was giving them rests with the down parts of the mini-waves. It worked quite well, I think.
This was the first set, as I've said, and that means that the crowd was largely beginners from the class (though not super-beginners - more people with some lindy who're loving dancing, but can't quite hack mega tempos or really complicated melodies and rhythms yet). The more experienced dancers came in about a third of the way through the set, and that always builds the energy in the room, in part because their example invigorates the newer dancers watching them, but also because they really use the music (meaning, they're beyond just thinking 'move-move-move' and can build in extra responses to the music within a move). Newer dancers can hear this stuff, but they don't often have the physical ability to make this feeling flesh).
I do find, though (unfortunately) that the newer dancers tend to cede the floor to the more advanced dancers as they feel a bit intimidated. I guess that's one aspect of a scene with more advanced dancers, but it's also one of the less pleasant parts of the Melbourne scene - there's a very clear heirarchy enforced by the system of performance troups, competitions, teaching cadetships and teaching roles, and of course, the supporting emails, websites and other assorted media and discourse. Nor do many of those more experienced dancers work to undo that heirarchy by asking newer people to dance.
So you can see on the set list below that the more experienced dancers came in at about Everyday I have the Blues.
There were a couple of eggs in there - If it don't fit don't force it just sounded shit on the sound system. CBD sucks arse - all my piano-only or sparser arrangements end up sounding like shit. It has to have a big, full orchestra to fill the room. I do not know why - I try to fix it with the levels, but that doesn't work. I guess I need to get onto the whole equaliser thing, but...
I really wanted to play a bit of Jay McShann after I'm just a ladies' man man by Witherspoon, because I liked the way Witherspoon's dirtiness responded to Barrel House Annie's crudeness, and because they're both kind of solid, uptempo blues tracks - good stompin' dancing fun. Witherspoon also got his start singing with McShann's band, so it seemed appropriate. I did want to play a bit more McShann, as he passed away recently, but the little section kind of faltered with the poor quality. I'm just a ladies' man did go down really well, though.
I pulled a few stunts during this set... stunts, as in DJing tricks. I played some old favourites, speckled through the set. These included Blues in hoss's flat which we haven't heard in a while, and which was overplayed earlier this year (mostly by me), Shout Sister Shout (whose unnoticed vulgarity and double entendre work really pleases me and seemed a good lead in to If it don't fit), Be Careful (even if you can't be good) which was me having a joke with myself - it's an old favourite, I regard it as a 'safety' song as it's good quality, is good, easy dancing (and has some nice musically bits), but I really like the synchronicity of the lyrics ("be careful... even if you can't be good). This track is also edging into jump blues/early rock n roll in 1951, which kind of worked as a musical progression from the styles of the previous songs (a sort of timeline of the development of blues to rock n roll) - a point only a supernerd DJ would care about, but which actually works really well with dancers, as it leads them naturally between styles, rather than sort of dumping a nasty stylistic shift on them.
I wanted to get to Six Appeal, which is a Campus Five song I'm busily overplaying, and have noticed goes down really with dancers, and figured Shoo Fly Pie (another song riddled with overlooked inuendo) was a nice step. I had toyed with playing the Campus Five version of Why don't you do right (the 'Jessica Rabbit song'), but that's too low a tempo and kind of kills it. Six appeal is more fun anyway.
I really like the way Campus Five play that older, echoes-of-Orleans style in Six Appeal - I think it's the trumpet and the clarinet that make me think this way. Plus the odd bit of interesting percussion/drum work. From here the obvious choice seemed Bechet - he's got that revivalist trad jazz sound that still swings. And Blues my naughty sweetie gives to me is very popular with Melbournians today so I figured it was a good choice.
From there, I had to play Joshua fit de battle of jericho as it really develops that New Orleans sound, and I really like that combination of songs. I like the way Blues my naughty sweetie works the crowd up, energy-wise with the stompy piano/base, but adds in a bit of sauciness with the trumpet (no, it's not Louis Armstrong, though I always think it is). This song is great. It kind of feels like Western saloon honky tonk, but with a bit of saucy (and terribly cool) bluesy swing to give it a sense of humour. When the clarinet comes in (it could be a sax - I can't be arsed checking), its work with the trumpet really lets you know where the naughty is at.
And Joshua really takes up the energy blues my naughty sweetie has been gradually building up and works it up a level - kind of the climax, really. Though it depends on the crowd. This combination of songs has gone arse up for me in the past, but the mellow tempos and the general vibe was working with me - I think the Campus Five got people in the mood, in a less confronting, twenty first century way, which made people more amenable to the quite-in-your-face yelling and shouting and almost unswingness of Joshua.
I'm generally not a big fan of Jesus songs (I do not like Wade in the water, for example) but Joshua seems a little more irreverent - I think funeral march rather than baptism. Kind of the way Lavender Coffin (another crowd pleaser I dropped in earlier to score cheap points) does. It's about death and martyrs and saints and the bible, but in an old testament way. Kind of gloriously bloody, and with a bit of gospel-as-used-by-African-American slaves - a bit of tactical resistance from within an institution, where you know dark humour is the flip side of that slap stick clowning for the white folks.
Of course, Jericho has some sweet trumpet and clarinet as well. And you really feel like stomping along with this song - it has a nice, stompy rhythm. The 'improvised' bit at the end feels nicely chaotic and wild, but still purposeful and organised (if that makes sense).
And then I rounded it off with Ridin' on the L&N, which I love dearly - I love the lyrics in these Hampton track (fuck, I LOVE Hamp more than anything - no one does stompy, going somewhere rhythms like him):
A man named Mose,I did play this song particularly for a couple of balboa nuts I saw just getting into their groove with Jericho, and I know this song goes down well with balboa doods. That wide-handed piano and driving rhythm pleases them. I had considered Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, the version by the Goodman small group (which features Hamp as well) with Martha Tilton, but that's a little light and tinkly and I was getting a bit of a stompy groove on.
With (was?) a great big nose,
Was sleepin' on a pile of clothes,
Conductor came and rang the bell,
The porter hollered 'well well well'I'm riding,
Riding on the L & N
Ain't jivin'
Riding on the L & N
So long!
Basically, I wanted something with that 'building up' feeling, to work on the existing energy, but not a crazy all-out speeding lindy hop track. It was too hot, and I didn't want the dancers spent on a track just before the end of my set - I wanted them all hot and ready and worked up.
Savoy Blues brought the tempos down again, but got all the less experienced (and post-christmas indulgant types) back onto the floor. It's a song that's kind of getting pretty popular, I love it (Kid Ory again, though a later period I think (at least a later feel - I don't have the date for that song unfortunately)), and it kept up that stompy move yo ass! feel.
People were pretty much going nuts in that last bracket, which was impressive, as they'd not been able to hack a lot of pounding earlier on in the set.
That version of Splanky was a birthday dance, and was right for the people dancing in the circle.
Overall, it was nice to work from the enthusiastic newer dancers to the old sticks who can be much pickier, but can like a wider range of tempos and styles (if I'm lucky - depending on the crowd). Those newer doods just love to dance, and for whom I like to play some of the old faves, or play the better quality stuff so they can really hear swinging jazz at its best.
[rant] I do not, at all, in any way, subscribe to the idea that we should play neo swing for new dancers. That stuff sucks arse for dancing, doesn't swing at all, and encourages bad dancing habits. It's technically pretty poor musicianship (for the most part), and I refuse to add any to my collection. Beyond that, it's more the case that people take up swing dancing for swing music and the influence of people like Jamie Cullen and (sigh) Robbie Williams than Royal Crown Revue or Cherry Poppin' Daddies.[/rant]
I began with the Campus Five because I quite like that song, I needed something hifi and safe to test the set up before I got hardcore, and because it feels like the band are kind of 'testing' a melody, over a solid, obvious beat - good stuff for a warm up dance. I played Jump Ditty then because I'm very fond of it, even though I suspect that cooler types than I think it's naff. And it always goes down well with a crowd of newer dancers - it feels like fun. The lyrics are a good thing - I've found that dropping in vocals is a good idea with newer dancers.
I played Massachussetts because it feels really swingy and gets me in the mood for dancing - Maxine really swings, and yet the rhythm is really clear and swingingly nice. It's a nice bridge between the groovy and the solidly swinging old school. The musicians are top notch, and as a smaller combo, you can really appreciate each instrument individually. Unfortunately, everything on this album sounds like shit at CBD - all base and treble. Even when I up the mids. I think this is indicative of the problems with CBD generally - you lose definition in the middle range. And it SUCKS. I will work on learning how to fix it.
I like B Sharp Boston a whole lot, hi fi Ellington, feels like it's going somewhere, kind of sassy. Still a good warm up song (ie not too challenging or fast or scary), but really great, musically. Blip Blip was a crowd-pleaser, and because I was thinking of Ellington (he did a great original version with Ray Nance on vocals before this Ella one). Slip of the lip sounded like arse - same problem of too much high, lows... but I think it's indicative of many of the Ellington recordings I have from this period, only made worse by CBD's system. It's a shame as it's a really fun song. Too fast for that crowd in that temperature at that time of night, though. So I went back to hifi (a safety strategy), with the wonderful Jive at Five, then thought I'd follow with a Basie track by a big band other than Basie's orchestra. Which was a good thing, as I then played two Basie tracks in a row - two very safe, crowd-pleasing favourites.
But really, Basie makes for such great dancing music, it's difficult to not think 'oh, this Basie song would be good here' - his stuff is so varied, so swingingly great for dancing.
After all that DJing, I tried to dance like a fool, but the temperature, post-christmas fatness and unfitness and so on prevented. Needless to say, riding home was difficult.
Fuck it was hot yesterday (and my laptop is burning my legs now!)
Oomph Fa Fa - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five- 129 - 2003 - Jammin' the Blues
Jump Ditty! - Joe Carroll and The Ray Bryant Quintet - 134 - Red Kat Swing 1
Massachusetts - Maxine Sullivan - 144 - 2006 - A Tribute To Andy Razaf
B-Sharp Boston - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - 126 - 1949 - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: 1949-1950
Bli-Blip - Ella Fitzgerald - 132 - 1956 - Ella Fitzgerald Day Dream: Best Of The Duke Ellington Songbook
A Slip Of The Lip - Duke Ellington with Ray Nance - 150 - 1942 - The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings (disc 13)
Jive At Five - Count Basie and His Orchestra - 147 - 1960 - The Count Basie Story (Disc 1)
Easy Does It - Big 18
Every Day I Have The Blues - Count Basie - 116 - 1959 - Breakfast Dance And Barbecue
Blues In Hoss' Flat - Count Basie - 142 - 1995 - Big Band Renaissance Disc 1
Walk 'Em - Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra - 131 - 1946 - Walk 'Em
Back Room Romp - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - 155 - 2000 - Ken Burns Jazz: Duke Ellington
Lavender Coffin - Lionel Hampton, etc - 138 - 1949 - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun
Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra - 130 - 1949 - Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun
Le Jazz Hot - Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra - 144 - 1939 - Lunceford Special 1939-40
Shout, Sister, Shout - Lucky Millinder - 140 - Apollo Jump
If It Don't Fit (Don't Force It) - Barrel House Annie - 148 - 1937 - Raunchy Business: Hot Nuts and Lollypops
I'm Just A Lady's Man - Jimmy Witherspoon - 144 - 2002 - Goin' Around In Circles
Be Careful (If You Can't Be Good) - Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra - 121 - 1951 - Walk 'Em
Shoo Fly Pie - June Christy - 128 - Red Kat Swing 1
Six Appeal - Jonathan Stout And His Campus Five - 141 - 2004 - Crazy Rhythm
Blues My Naughty Sweetie - Sidney Bechet - 140 - 1951 - The Blue Note Years
Joshua Fit De Battle Of Jericho - Kid Ory And His Creole Jazz Band - 160 - 1946 - Kid Ory and his Creole Jazz Band 1944-46
Ridin' On The L&N - Lionel Hampton and His Quartet- 170 - 1946 - Lionel Hampton Story 3: Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
Savoy Blues - Kid Ory - 134 - 2002 - Golden Greats: Greatest Dixieland Jazz Disc 3
Splanky - Count Basie - 125 - 1957 - Complete Atomic Basie, the
"it's difficult to not think 'oh, this Basie song would be good here'" was posted by dogpossum on January 5, 2007 4:05 PM in the category djing | Comments (1)
December 28, 2006
very un-cultural studies of me
I've been writing a bit about women and blues music and dance lately, my ideas fed in part by my research for the thesis, but also (and perhaps more importantly), stimulated by my own experiences as a woman in the swing dance community.
I've been asked to do a guest spot on a fairly spec online culture blog, writing specifically about my own research. I've had a bit of a think about it, not much, I must admit, as I've been a bit distracted, and really, I just can't seem to put anything together in my head. I mean, I have no idea what I'd like to write about. I've kind of got stage fright. This is the first mass-public airing of my work where I'm likely to get/see immediate feedback (in the form of comments), and unlike academic journals or conference papers, I feel there's a bit of pressure to write well and accessibly. I do think that the format is quite different - shorter, lots of linkage, etc etc.
And while I just know that this is a fabulous opportunity, I can't seem to put my ideas together.
I'd quite like to do something like this hot and cool entry (with some tidying and a more coherent structure and, well point), but I'm not sure how to start.
I actually got to the hot/cool entry by way of this entry on women, blues and dance, which developed from this (fairly ordinary) entry on the same topic. And of course, that was a response to Kate's responses to a CD I sent her with a copy of a blues set I did a few weeks ago.
Of course, for me the most interesting part of this whole chain of thinking is the fact that we began with a set list posted on the internet, which is something I have started doing recently as a replacement for the fairly fizzly thread on the Swing Talk board where we did list our set lists ages ago, but which has recently fallen out of favour.
I