SwingDJs

Blues is a word with so many different meanings and implications. It can be a phrasing structure of 12 bars. It can be a slow tempo. It can be of melancholy subject matter. It can be a combination of any or all of these. That said, my favorite Blues musicians and bands for Lindy Hop are Count Basie ...

I get teary-eyed every time I hear her live version of "Trouble in Mind" that's on Bittersweet: The Best of Nina Simone. I have several other versions of this tune, and I have never since listened to any of them, I think it's that good. The other tune on there that I really dig is a long, ...

I have iCrunchBPM for my Palm, a dirt-simple, free little ditty I've had for a while. Same idea as WinBPM--tap and it calculates--but I really don't use it very often, and really don't like to. My biggest pet peeve is when anyone comes up and asks me to play a tune "about 190" or whatever....

"One More Once" by Basie & Duke was one I would often start sets off with for a while. In spite of its high treble intro, I loved how hard-hitting it was.

If I have ever had a theme song, it would be anything with a Lester Young solo.

The last couple times I've had to spin birthday jams, it's been on five minutes' notice for someone I didn't really know, or maybe had met once. In which case, I usually go for some sort of crowd-pleaser. "Bye Bye Blackbird" usually does fine, but "Sent for you yesterday and here you ...

"Jive Jam," Duke, Ella & Duke at Cote d’Azur "Oh Lady Be Good," Artie Shaw, the version that can be heard at the beginning of Ken Burns' Jazz Vol. 6. "Lester Leaps In," Count Basie at Newport , but a little choppy and not particularly great to start a jam with. Old ...