Swing, jazz and blues - Dance to the music

Happy Jazz - Gunhild Carling & Danish Jazz All Stars

2009-11-12T13:48:00.007+01:00

Speaking of jazz that makes you happy: Tomorrow night, Friday Nov 13th there will be a concert at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress called Happy jazz with Gunhild Carling Big Band together with the band Danish Jazz All Stars.

"Plays the happy music of Papa Bue, Louis Armstrong, Eddie Condon, Wild Bill Davison "

More information about the concert.

What do you think of Gunhild Carling? Please comment.

Missisippi Seven at Uppsala Jazz Club

2009-11-12T13:18:00.008+01:00

Last Sunday the trad jazz band Missisippi Seven had a concert at Pub 19 in Uppsala. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

From a listeners point of view: This is music that really makes you happy. Good musicians. Nuff said.

Well, almost. What also makes you smile is that talk inbetween the songs by drummer Bertil Ekman. He seems to have a infinite supply of entertaining useless facts.

From a dancers point of view: Missisippi Seven plays trad jazz in a moderate tempo that you could easily do lindy to. The tempo is a little slow for balboa but they could probably throw in a couple of faster tunes if you asked them.

They played two of my favorite songs: "Diga Diga Doo" (also the name of the their new album where my photos is on the album cover) and "Blues My Sweetie Naugthy Gives To Me".

Here's my own useless but entertaining fact: mostly you hear "Blues My Sweetie Naugthy Gives To Me" played instrumently by for instance Sidney Bechet but there is actually lyrics to the song which list all the kinds of blues that you can get.

One of the kinds of blues is "The blues you get from women, when you see them going swimming, and you doesn't have a bathing suit yourself".

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license them.

What do you think of Missisippi Seven? Please comment.

RAGGMOPP - The Treniers

2009-11-09T10:47:00.003+01:00

It's time for some rhythm & blues. Here is one of the classic rhythm & blues songs: RAGGMOPP performed by The Treniers.

What do you think of The Treniers singing RAGGMOPP? Please comment.

Peggy Lee: I Can't Give You Anything But Love

2009-11-06T12:23:00.004+01:00

I love artists that have a good time when they perform. Here is Peggy Lee singing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" together with Dean Martin and Jack Jones.

They seem to have a great chemistry together. You can't but smile when you see them.

What do you think of Peggy Lee and Dean Martin? Please comment.

Join us on Facebook

2009-11-02T11:54:00.004+01:00

Over the last week or so many people have found their way to the Swing, jazz and blues Facebook page and have become fans of the blog.

It's great to see a little more about who is reading the blog. On Facebook I usually make short announcements and post some videos for you to check out.

Become a fan of the Swing, jazz and blues blog on Facebook!

What do you think of the Facebook page? Please comment.

Rose Murphy - Busy Line

2009-10-31T11:26:00.003+01:00

Rose Murphy had a very special voice and she had a habit of inserting her catch phrase "chi-chi" into songs, that's why she got known as the as the "chi-chi girl".

In this video clip she sings the song "Busy line". If you want to hear her actually singing her trademark phrase "chi-chi" you should check out her version of "I can't give you anything but love".

What do you think of Rose Murphy singing Busy Line? Please comment.

On Revival Day - Terra Hazelton

2009-10-28T20:46:00.005+01:00

I always liked the gospel inspired song "On Revival Day", the most played version of the song on swing dance floors is by La Vern Baker.

However, I found a great version of "On revival day" in a video clip done by the Canadian singer Terra Hazelton. I like the way she does the "blues shouting".

Listen to more of Terra Hazelton on her MySpace page.

What do you think of Terra Hazelton? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse October 2009

2009-10-17T09:54:00.007+02:00

The October show of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse has been released.

Hey Mr Jesse is a great monthly podcast where the swing djs Jesse Miner and Manu 'Spuds' Smith talk about swingin' music that matters to dancers.

Download the October 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

Read the October show notes to see what's in the podcast.

Here is my contribution to the show:

Hi Jesse! Hi Manu!

Here is some swingin' tips for October.

In the ongoing series "1001 ways to find swing music", here is item number 154: "Inspiring video clips from competitions"

In the big dance competions the best performers seek out music that inspire them to create new steps and showcase their musicality. Often those tunes work very well for the social dance floor as well.

Here is two recent examples from International Lindy Hop Championship, ILHC 2009:

1) Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl dancing to "Jump Through the Window" with Roy Eldridge.

Frida & Skye really use their musicality to showcase all the accents in the music.

2) Evita Arce and Nathan Bugh dancing to "That's how rhythm was born" by the Boswell Sisters.

This clip instantly gets you in a good mood. How can you avoid being smitten by Evita's bubbly jazz age charm? Impossible!

Last thing: A tip for swing dj's

I know by experience that sometimes it can be hard to ask new people to dance. If you're an experienced dancer you might be busy dancing with the people you already know or if you're a newcomer it's difficult to get the courage to ask the "really good dancers".

If I'm djing a 3 hour set I usally get on the microphone after 2 hours and say "Those of you who would like to, please dance the next song with someone you haven't dance with before". Those who don't want to do it, they simple does whatever they like.

If everybody on the dancefloor does this, well, then 100 people have gotten a new dance acquaintance.

What do you think of Hey Mr Jesse October 2009 podcast? Please comment.

Nagasaki - Alice Mei & Thomas Blacharz

2009-10-01T17:26:00.007+02:00

Alice Mei & Thomas Blacharz have great musicality when they dance to the song Nagasaki at the International Lindy Hop Championships 2009.

I don't know for sure which artist performs the song, but it sounds like Wingy Manone to me. Do you know?

Update: justafish provided me with the correct artist: Putney Dandridge.

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Beyonce vs Duke Ellington

2009-09-29T16:32:00.006+02:00

What do you get when you mix Duke Ellington with Beyonce Knowles and all the single ladies? You get this. Brilliant mashup.

(Via Peter Loggins and Miss S)

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Linda Hopkins & BB King - Every Day I Have the Blues

2009-09-11T14:37:00.005+02:00

"Every Day I Have the Blues" is a classic blues song. This version with a duet between Linda Hopkins and BB King must be one of the best versions I heard. Ever. So much energy!

What do you think of Linda Hopkins and BB King singing "Every Day I Have the Blues"? Please comment.

Outdoor dancing season is over

2009-09-11T10:57:00.004+02:00

The outdoor dancing season is over in Uppsala, on Tuesday we had the last dance by the river with some barbeque. You could notice that the autumn is here because it got dark much earlier.

We always get an audience who look at us dancing when the big boats passes by on the river.

A big thank you goes to the persons who made it happen: Simon, Mirjam, Emil, Lilian and Johan (and possibly others that I forgot, in that case please let me know).

They have made it possible to dance lindy hop and balboa during the summer. I think it's fantastic that right after our weekly dance Cats Corner ended for the spring season, the outdoors dancing started so that we now have social dancing every week all year around.

The outdoor dancing got the attention of the local newspaper and they published a full page interview with Anna. Anna is a enthusiastic dancer who does a lot of work for dance scene in Uppsala. Her efforts really makes a difference. Thank you Anna!

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license them.

What do you think of the outdoor dancing by the river? Please comment.

Betty Hutton - "Murder, He Says"

2009-08-08T11:08:00.002+02:00

Jive talk was the slang language of the 1930's and 1940's. Here is video clip with some of the expressions from the swing era.

Betty Hutton sings the song "Murder, He Says" in which she is rather annoyed with the way her lover speaks when they get into an intimate situation.

According to the YouTube poster this clip is from "November 1943 for the Armed Forces Radio Service show "Command Performance" (episode 92)". I suspect that this video clip appeared in the movie Strictly G.I.

Films like Strictly G.I. were made to boost the morale for the American troupes in World War II.

What do you think of Betty Hutton belting out "Murder, He Says"? Please comment.

Movits! - Fel del av gården

2009-08-06T11:48:00.013+02:00

Lately I've been listening a lot to the Swedish hip hop /jazz group Movits!. I discovered them a couple of months ago but now they have become really popular.

Right now, Movits! album Äppelknyckarjazz is the most popular album on the Amazon.com Top MP3 Albums in Rap & Hip-Hop, before artists like Eminem, Jay-Z and Mos Def, how about that!

Movits! combines rap/hip hop with gypsy jazz and balkan rhythms. In the video clip with the song "Fel del av gården" (The Wrong Part of the Yard) you can also see dancing by the Swedish swing dance troupe The Harlem Hot Shots.

Movits! got a lot of attention when they were interviewed on the tv program The Colbert Report last week where they performed the song "Fel del av gården". In the interview they say that they were inspired to add a swing touch to their music when they heard the swing song "Sing, Sing Sing".

Do you like the music but don't know what the heck Movits! are rapping about? Here is the lyrics for Movits! song "Fel del av gården".

From a swing music point of view I like that one of the songs on the album, "Stick iväg Jack, del II" tells story about what happend after "Hit The Road, Jack".

Regarding the the name of Movits! album, Äppelknyckarjazz; "Äppelknyckare" refers to a certain kind of pants that were popular in the 1930's and 1940's. I would translate "Äppelknyckare" as "apple nickers".

The name comes from the fact that the legs of the trousers ended just below the knee and the legs could be tightened, so if you were a young rascal nicking apples from the neighbour's garden you could put all the apples inside the pants and you could run away with ease if you were discovered. Here is a photo of äppelknyckare.

In Sweden 'äppelknyckare' is very much associated with the swing era.

What do you think of Movits! and the music video for "Fel sida av gården"? Please comment.

Jazz in the Botanical Garden: Ulf Johansson Werre

2009-08-02T14:15:00.006+02:00

Tomorrow night, Monday Aug 3rd, there will be a jazz concert at the Botanical garden in Uppsala, at Orangeriet, with a jazz trio led by Ulf Johansson Werre (trombone and piano). Together with him are Erik Ojala (bass) and Robin Englund (guitar). They will play both Swedish as well as international love songs.

Two years ago Ulf Johansson Werre did a large scale concert in the Botanical garden called Botan Brass. & Fireworks with the Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra in which Robin Englund plays the guitar. Erik Ojala plays in several jazz bands in Uppsala.

The jazz concert is a part of Konstsommar i Uppsala. The concert starts at 19 and the ticket costs 120 kr (100 kr with UNT-card).

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license it.

What do you think of the musicians in the band? Please comment.

Jerry Lewis - Leap Frog

2009-08-01T16:29:00.004+02:00

I found this video clip with Jerry Lewis from the movie The Nutty Professor via a comment made by leazwell. Jerry Lewis has made perfect examples of the phenomenon that I call "the music made me do it". Look at him in the films Errand boy or Cinderfella.

In this video clip he cant help himself, he just has to dance to the song Leap Frog performed by Les Brown and His Band of Renown.

The nutty professor explains:

"I got carried away by the music, it was a toe tapper"

What songs do you consider a "toe tapper"? Please tell me.

I've featured a very different version of Leap Frog before in my blog post "Jazz as a conversation" but it was also a example of "the music made me do it".

What do you think of Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor? Please comment.

Validation - Smile!

2009-07-31T20:14:00.005+02:00

Lately I've had some great comments about some blog posts, it's so good to hear your views on what I write about. Please keep the comments coming! I'll soon be posting some videos that you readers have sent tips about.

I think it's important to give validation to people, to let them know what they are good at and let them know how much you appreiciate them. That is what the video clip from the short film "Validation" above is about.

You can't but smile when you have seen it. A great film. Love it.

Oh yeah, I just want to remind you that there is a Facebook group for the Swing, jazz and blues blog, join it so I know who you are. You are great!

What do you think of the short film Validation? Please comment.

Doris Day - Dig It (I Ain't Hep To That Step)

2009-07-17T23:42:00.005+02:00

I saw a documentary about Doris Day and thought I'd post a song from her singing career, here a tune she sang with Les Brown and His Orchestra: (I Ain't Hep to That Step But I'll) Dig It.

What do you think of Doris Day singing Dit It? Please comment.

Nina Simone - Feeling good

2009-07-15T15:17:00.003+02:00

"Feeling Good" sung by Nina Simone is a typical summer song for me. Don't ask me why, it just is.

Do you have any song that you associate with summer or another season?

What do you think of Nina Simone singing Feeling good? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse - July 2009

2009-07-14T18:02:00.003+02:00

The July show of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse has just been released.

Hey Mr Jesse is a great monthly podcast where the swing djs Jesse Miner and Manu 'Spuds' Smith talk about swingin' music that matters to dancers.

Download the July 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

I'm sorry that I haven't commented on the last couple of months when Hey Mr Jesse have been released, so if you use my blog to stay updated when the podcasts arrive you might have missed a few. In that case, just look at the Hey Mr Jesse archive and catch up.

This month I had a few tips on songs from some new album releases, first out was Ik Hou Van Je (I Love You) by Candye Kane from the album Superhero (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic),

Second tip was the song "Let's Misbehave" by Top Shelf Jazz from the album Fast & Louche.

My bonus tip for July was "Christopher Columbus" by Humphrey Lyttelton from the album Bad Penny Blues 1955-1956 (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic)

What do you think of Hey Mr Jesse podcast July 2009? Please comment.

The Real Group - It Don't Mean A Thing

2009-07-09T12:44:00.008+02:00

It Don't Mean A Thing is almost the definition of a classic swing song. Here is a acapella version by the Swedish vocal group The Real Group from a concert at Stockholm Concert Hall in 2005.

I really like how the bass lines are sung and I'm also very fond of the way they layer their voices (starts at ~ 2:00 into the video clip).

What do you think of The Real Group singing It Don't Mean A Thing? Please comment.

Louis Jordan - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby

2009-07-07T13:48:00.005+02:00

According to Wikipedia, the musician Louis Jordan was born on July 8th in 1908. One of his most known songs that he performed was Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby.

Above you see him play and sing it in the movie Follow the Boys from 1944.

"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" have been sung by many artists. Do you have a favorite version?

What do you think of the video clip with Louis Jordan? Please comment.

Easy virtue - Let's misbehave

2009-07-05T20:01:00.008+02:00

While looking for versions of Cole Porter's song "Let's Misbehave" I stumbled across the film Easy Virtue that was released last year. "Let's misbehave" is the tagline of the movie and the song is also included in the film.

Easy Virtue is set in England in the early 1930's, where a young man marries an American which is not approved by his mother. The main characters are played by Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth.

There is also a soundtrack from Easy Virtue available.

I think the film look charming and would like to see it. Has anyone got it?

Read more about:

Have you seen Easy Virtue? What do you think of it? Please comment.

Outdoors summer dancing in Uppsala

2009-07-03T10:04:00.009+02:00

Tuesdays are dancing days in Uppsala during the summer. If you go down to the park by the river, you'll find lindy hoppers and balboa dancers all over the place from 18 o'clock and until we run out of batteries for the boombox or run out of dancers, whichever happens first.

Many people bring food and drinks and have a picnic while they rest for a while. Many other (not yet dancing) people pass by on the walking paths beside and stay for a while and look. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce your friends to the dance.

Nobody has yet fallen into the river by accident but last Tuesday one guy jumped into river all by himself.

The event has expanded to Mondays when tap dancer try their rhythms on the quayside.

The event seems to be getting some attention since earlier this week the local radio station phoned me and wanted to get in contact with some dancers.

There are also other outside dances in Uppsala, if you dance tango, go to Smultron at Svartbäcksgatan on Tuesdays between 19 and 23 and if dance Swedish Bugg, go to the river between Skolgatan and Eddaspången on Thursdays after 18.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license them.

What do you think of the outside dancing by the river in Uppsala? Have you been there yet? Please comment.

Midnight Serenaders - Portland

2009-05-03T09:59:00.005+02:00

Midnight Serenaders is a band from Portland, Oregon that play 1920's and 1930's music.

There is a good segment from the show "Oregon Art Beat" from Oregon Public Broadcasting where they feature Midnight Serenaders playing and talking about their band.

[Found via Evrim Icoz]

What do you think of Midnight Serenaders? Please comment.