SwingDJs

I've been going thru a Benny Goodman Sextet phase (rediscovering Charlie Christian).

I've also been listening to late 40s Jump Blues (Bull Moose Jackson, Big Jay McNeely etc)

And I can never get away from 20s-40s Ellington

GemZombie wrote:It's that I tend to obsess on things... if I moderated it all I'd never get tired of it, but since I listen to one thing over and over, I need a rest sometimes.

It's just my personality.

Talk about obsessive - I read a leter from some Jazz fans years ago and he said only Duke Ellingon records were played in his house! No one else....just EKE.

trev wrote:I've been going thru a Benny Goodman Sextet phase (rediscovering Charlie Christian).

Do you have a preference for the earlier sides with Hampton or the later sides with Williams and Auld?

Eyeball wrote: Do you have a preference for the earlier sides with Hampton or the later sides with Williams and Auld?

I'm a Cootie fan, so I'd have to vote for the 40s stuff (Six Appeal, Charlie's Dream, Breakfast Feud, Benny's Bugle etc)

Although I don't have a lot of the earlier trio/quartet/sextet material yet.

Although I also love the Benny/CC/Hamp sextet, the BG/CC/Cootie/Georgie sides are the best. 4 of my favorite soloists all in the same band. Plus those arrangements and riffs are so awesome - definitely my prime inspiration.

I'm with you guys. The earlier sessions are excellent, but the Auld/Williams/Christian sides are brilliant and still sound fresh....amen for all those alternate takes, too.....and for the session with Lester Young.

Also - fabulous sound quality.

trev wrote:

Eyeball wrote: Do you have a preference for the earlier sides with Hampton or the later sides with Williams and Auld?

I'm a Cootie fan, so I'd have to vote for the 40s stuff (Six Appeal, Charlie's Dream, Breakfast Feud, Benny's Bugle etc)

Although I don't have a lot of the earlier trio/quartet/sextet material yet.

By "earlier" - in this case, i just meant the Christian sides from 1939 and early 40 before Williams and Auld come on. The 30s sides with the other small groups are another world.....and the small sextet BG had right after the GA/CW/CC sessions pale in comparison, even though they are excellent Jazz.

Cootie Williams only had a one year contract with BG, but he turned out a lot of great stuff with the big band, too. "Fiesta In Blue" is one of many great sides.

And I never thought about it until know, but I wonder why Georgie Auld left? I think he might have gone back to Shaw. I know he had his own band, but hat was not until the mid 40s, IIRC.

Eyeball wrote:

GemZombie wrote:It's that I tend to obsess on things... if I moderated it all I'd never get tired of it, but since I listen to one thing over and over, I need a rest sometimes.

It's just my personality.

Interesting.

What Swing thing do you listen to over and over? I have a few songs that when I play them, they get played several times in a row. Not sure if I wind up 'hooked' on something and play it every day. Great to be that enthusiastic!

I consider a musical style (ala Swing) to be a thing. So if you are looking for a band or a song that I listened to too much, that's not it. I get my fill of Swing right now DJing. Probably after the holidays I'll get into it more. I also find that these cycles also ebb and flow with dancing. Something I'm only doing half as much as I did when I was in California.

Campus Five wrote:Although I also love the Benny/CC/Hamp sextet, the BG/CC/Cootie/Georgie sides are the best. 4 of my favorite soloists all in the same band. Plus those arrangements and riffs are so awesome - definitely my prime inspiration.

I knew your band reminded me of someone!

Like - what are you playing at dances and what are you listening to (Jazz and Swing) in your personal or work time?

i haven't been dj'ing at all lately, so just the second part: generous helpings of shaw and bechet, with the occasional louis & ella.

I also tend to get obsessed by certain tracks - meaning that I play them over and over, hundreds of times. In the last year or so, it has happened with

Artie Shaw - Summit Ridge Drive
Andy Kirk - Froggy Bottom
Count Basie - Honeysuckle Rose

Froggy Bottom is very lo-fi (at least my Chronogical Classics version is) but I DJ it sometimes anyway.

Cootie plays amazing stuff on the tune "Benny Rides Again" which I think is one of the most interesting BG big band records. It starts off all crazy with growling trumpets in a minor key, and then it mellows out with a beautiful smooth sax section and BG solo, and then back to the roaring minor brass at the end. Just great.

BENNY RIDE AGAIN - Yeah..great number with many contrasts and colors.

Does it ever get played for dancers these days? That middle part mioght confuse some people.

Great side - even WCS people might find it useful.

CHERRY is good, too.

40 -41 is a great era of BG.

I dj-ed it at a dance here this past tuesday. I got 2 good comments at the end of the tune. One follow particularly loved the middle part in fact!

That middle theme and section is unusual and such a contrast to the rest of the song. Maybe it gives people a chance to play with it a bit or slow down during a long side - gotta be 4.5 minutes all in all.