SwingDJs

I think that bands have the advantage since between songs, since some band leaders say stuff about their music

stompy jones is a good example. while the band is preparing for the next song, david gives a little history about the band/song/artist. then after that there is a count off that can normally be heard, so dancers get a jump on the tempo of the song before the first note.

Jonathon stout does this a lot. he counts of the beat quite a few times, if you watch him doing it, you can tell how fast the song is and prepare

Lots of good comments from everyone.

I think bands may have an advantage with gaps between the songs, but I think even bands can benefit by flowing their songs a bit. In other words, don't go from ballad to barnburner to ballad to barnburner.

I've always wondered why bands don't flow their sets. I never complain mind you. I'm just happy to be able to dance to live music.

I think they get a certain amount of flow from being the same band who played the last song, so to speak.. (kinda like, if everything you played was old testament basie, how bad can the transition ever get?)

we argued about this in another thread (whether bands flow or not). i'm too lazy to dig it up though.

like kevin says, the fact that the same band is playing a different song is enough connection to the previous song that tempo doesn't matter. the feel is likely to be similar. bands don't emulate new testament basie then suddenly start playing dixieland ensemble stuff, or vice versa.

sonofvu wrote:I've always wondered why bands don't flow their sets. I never complain mind you. I'm just happy to be able to dance to live music.

As noted in the thread about biorhythm of "flow," the better bands do pay attention to "flow." But even when they don't, Julius and Kevin hit on why it is not so noticeable as going from hi-fi Gatemouth Brown Groove swing to lo-fi 1932 Jellyroll Morton vintage swing.

Most Jump Blues is often a good transition. It was a step in the musical evolution that smoothed the "amplitude" of the rhythm out, for those math geeks out there. Even though it is not as smooth as groove swing, it also is not the "chonk, chonk" of vintage swing.

If I might add another technique I've tried, and had some success with, although I don't know how "big event" friendly this is, but it works well in weekly venues...

After playing some groove and you're noticing that perhaps the crowd is ready for something different, (that sleepy "I-got-too-groovy-feeling") you _can_ transition slowly... or you can get on the mic and say something like:

"Those were a few of my favorite groove songs.... That last song was by (insert artist here).... now that you're all warmed up, right now I'd like to play for you a few classic songs... a little something old school... some of the music that created the lindy hop."

Or something along those lines. Then you're free to start from a clean slate.

I find then its easy to go back to groove if you need to... Slim Gaillard, later Ellington, Basie, etc are excellent segueways to newer music... it is harder (for me) to go from groovy to old school though.

nightowl wrote:
If I might add another technique I've tried, and had some success with, although I don't know how "big event" friendly this is, but it works well in weekly venues...

This definitely could work at a small event that you are familiar with and the dancers are familiar with you. Not so much for a big event or if you are a guest dj in another town.