SwingDJs

The last 20 seconds of Chick Webb - Harlem Congo drops significantly in tempo--from insanely fast to moderately slow. Probably not something you'd spin, but just to illustrate Trev's point.

Carmen McRae - Yesterdays (off the album Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man) I use this as a transition if I am finishing up a blues interlude and want to get the energy back up for lindy hop. The tempo starts off at about 60 bpm, then doubles midway through. Carmen also really digs in, so it tends to pro...

Here's another I-Tunes/mp3 player capabilities question for y'all. Is there any way to set I-Tunes to play just the first 60 to 90 seconds of each song in a playlist? Or another commonly available mp3 program? Alternately, can anyone think of an easy way to burn a cd that contains one or two minutes...

Jazz Profiles on NPR. Hosted by Nancy Wilson. The 4-part series on Duke Ellington is pretty engaging.

FYI (for the luddites in the crowd), if you subscribe to the podcast through ITunes, you only get the last few episodes. More back episodes can be downloaded from the website though.

St. Louis Blues traditionally uses a mix of tango and swing rhythms. The song has been recorded by a million artists, in a wide range of styles, so depending on the taste of your dancers, I would imagine that you could find one rendition that suites you. You might start with the recordings by Fats W...

What about the Firecracker Jazz Band. They sound a little bit like the Zippers in so far as they are extremely high energy, have an appreciation for circus/carnival aesthetics, and contain some former members of the SNZ. But they play music that is more traditionally Dixieland. Check 'em out.

I LOVE the Duke Ellington cut that you posted. It was the first version of the tune that I heard, and still my favorite. Admittedly, it's not something I'd usually play at a dance in Chicago (unless a group of people came out of the woodwork that really dig dirty, jungle-growly, low-fi jazz, which I...

dancin_hanson wrote:One more -

Anyone know what THIS
recording is?

I think that's live music. Melody sounds like "I can't get started."

[Slightly off topic]Delta Rhythm Boys do an awesome vocal version of BMSG2M on the album I Dreamt I Dwelt in Harlem. Not really for dancing though.[/off topic]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. Some very interesting music. I love Dark Eyes. But to refine my question, I'm interested mostly in finding examples from the period, so '25-'35 maybe. Most of the examples you cite sound to me like the 2-beat feel is really a back beat, with the rhythm section goin...

I-Tunes just isn't designed to be a versatile database. If it were, you'd be able to do multiple filters on any field, not just hierarchically by genre, then artist, then title. You can do multiple filters, by clicking the '+' key and adding a second filter on the same field. I meant in the music b...

Actually, I think smart playlists sort of blow, compared to what they could be. For instance, I know of no way to include OR or NOT connectors in smart playlists. I-Tunes just isn't designed to be a versatile database. If it were, you'd be able to do multiple filters on any field, not just hierarchi...

I've been finding the same thing about beginners. Most of the beginners that I encounter haven't really developed strong tastes yet, so they really will dance to just about anything, as long as it has a clear beat. So for beginners, I try to avoid: - old recordings with obscured rhythm sections - ve...

Somebody just asked me this very question. A few more examples:

Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin'
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Prince Nez (No comments from the peanut gallery!)
Carmen McRae - Yesterdays - off of Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man. It starts at about 60 bpm, and doubles midway through

So someone was explaining to me recently that some early jazz is a mix of 2-beat (Charleston-like) and 4-beat ("Foxtrot") phrasing. Can anyone name recordings that illustrate this?