Search found 177 matches

by Albert System
Wed Feb 06, 2008 12:12 pm
Forum: Upcoming Events
Topic: Boilermakers Mid-West Tour!
Replies: 0
Views: 3633

Boilermakers Mid-West Tour!

Hi Guys- The Boilermaker Jazz Band will be spending most of February touring the Mid-west. We will have some wonderful vocalists singing with us, and we will be playing some great venues- check it out: Fri. Feb. 8 Lakewood Masonic Hall 15300 Detroit Rd. Lakewood, OH (Cleveland) 9pm www.gethepswing.c...
by Albert System
Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:03 am
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Getting that 'live band' atmosphere at lindy hop dances
Replies: 14
Views: 14694

Actually, I never script my sets ahead of time. I always call all the tunes as we go so that I can gauge the room, and decide what we need next. I also know the scene pretty well in most cities- I can play more fast tunes in DC than I can anywhere else for example. One of the reasons I can do this i...
by Albert System
Tue Jan 29, 2008 12:41 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Getting that 'live band' atmosphere at lindy hop dances
Replies: 14
Views: 14694

What you say is totally true. There are certain tunes and song forms that I will not play at a dance for the reasons you suggest. I will save those tunes for concerts or clubs whgere people are listening and not dancing. Many bandleaders do not believe in tailoring their sets to the audience. They l...
by Albert System
Sun Jan 27, 2008 7:54 am
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Most Ella Fitzgerald/Chick Webb songs "disposable"
Replies: 19
Views: 18455

For some reason- and I think it was because she was a teenager at the time- the record companies gave Ella a ton of crappy material to record.

That being said, if you can get past the awful content of the lyrics, her voice is amazing and the band swings like crazy (if you are a Chick fan...)
by Albert System
Fri Jan 25, 2008 2:04 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Tips for finding the right 'next song' in the heat of DJing
Replies: 71
Views: 54688

Exactly- just about every Bill Haley tunes is a 12 bar blues progression. Those guys were so formulaic that the rhythm and feel of just about everyone one of their tunes was also the same.
by Albert System
Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:26 am
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Tips for finding the right 'next song' in the heat of DJing
Replies: 71
Views: 54688

Kitkat- I agree with you. That sounds like a pretty good set. And again, you could do it by changing artists, vocalists etc. And you are correct- those type tunes do tend to get everyone one the floor including reluctant people and newbies. I could not really do that live as well.... As I said, it b...
by Albert System
Thu Jan 24, 2008 1:28 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Tips for finding the right 'next song' in the heat of DJing
Replies: 71
Views: 54688

All good points folks. For me selecting tunes for a set of music with my band- I have the following options to consider: Instrumental Vocals- who is going to sing since we have 3 different people in the band who sing. Tempo Style Key. I think for a DJ you can easily vary all but the last one. FYI- t...
by Albert System
Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:47 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Tips for finding the right 'next song' in the heat of DJing
Replies: 71
Views: 54688

FYI- this is how I categorize my tunes for when I am calling a set of music with my band. I do not make set lists ahead of time- I like to call things as I go depending on the crowd. So I have my songs listed thusly: Up tempo Instrumental Mid Tempo Instrumental Slow Instrumental Blues Latin And the ...
by Albert System
Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:41 pm
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Songs With Similar Chord Changes
Replies: 4
Views: 4189

The Bop musicians based a lot of their tunes on early jazz songs. For instance: "Back Home again in Indiana" is the same chord progression as "Donna Lee" by Charlie Parker Also, "How High the Moon" has the same chord progression as "Ornithology" also by Charli...
by Albert System
Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:13 pm
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Don't Be That Way - recordings you like and play
Replies: 9
Views: 6144

Don't forget the live 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert version with the ridiculous Krupa drum breaks- Crazy!


BTW- I like the Chick version......
by Albert System
Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:58 pm
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Good enough to keep (Airmail special)
Replies: 12
Views: 8760

The Nat Cole recording of Tis Autumn will make you cry......
by Albert System
Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:15 pm
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Good enough to keep (Airmail special)
Replies: 12
Views: 8760

You are correct on all counts- thanks for the info. For me, just about everything Ellington wrote seems like an instrumental that lyrics were added to- as opposed to say lots of Fats Waller's tunes where the lyric really seems more an integral part of the song. And I totally agree- I think the lyric...
by Albert System
Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:53 am
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Good enough to keep (Airmail special)
Replies: 12
Views: 8760

Lots of Ellington tunes were originally instrumentals with lyrics added later. Some are good, some suck. I hate the lyric to A train, Mood Indigo, Perdido. I like the lyric to Don't Get Around (Jeep's Blues originally?), I let a Song go out of my heart, I'm beginning to see the light. Sometimes it w...
by Albert System
Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:38 pm
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Good enough to keep (Airmail special)
Replies: 12
Views: 8760

You mean like those horrible lyrics they put to Opus One? Or Corner Pocket? Or Shiny Stockings?
by Albert System
Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:56 am
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: New Swing Bands
Replies: 18
Views: 13915

Agreed. I understand that it is not an obligation for any musician to give away stuff to random people. However, if he was so gruff as to put someone off to the point that they started a thread about it.... that's bad busniess any way you slice it.