Actual (not armchair) HJDF

[djstarr]

Brenda, I am sorry that we didn't get a chance to meet each other. Perhaps, we will at another event. What events are you planning on attending on the near future?

Hey Abdel -- here are some shameless plugs for you:
VLE - July 11- 13 http://www.vancouverlindyexchange.com/
maybe Camp Hollywood; - http://www.camphollywood.net/
Seattle Exchange - Aug 8-10 (site's not up yet but it will be awesome - come to Seattle!)
Jitterbug Weekend in Seattle with Peter Loggins and Sugar Sullivan - Sept. 26 - 28 - http://www.jitterbugclub.com/
Hawaii Lindy Exchange - Dec 18 - 21 - http://www.swingouthawaii.com/HiLX/index.htm

I typically travel around the West Coast because of costs and most of my family lives in LA. Come on out to Seattle!

Brenda

[CafeSavoy]

The Willie Nelson thing was mine - cuz even though Gene Harris kicks ass, he has about as much of a connection to harlem as everyone's favorite long haired texan tax-avoider.

I have a bunch of his stuff, and I play it all the time, but if I were judgin the contest, playin him would lose points for a lack of "harlem content"

But he's still more relevant than willie nelson. Odd synchronicity that his home town, Benton Harbor, Michigan, is in the news today for burnings and riotings.

[Lawrence]

Gene Harris playing Dont get a round much anymore is no more a tribute than (as someone said) Willie Nelson playing it.

The Willie Nelson thing was mine - cuz even hough Gene Harris kicks ass, he has about as much of a connection to harlem as everyone's favorite long haired texan tax-avoider.

But he's still more relevant than willie nelson.

Hampton has alwasy been considered a Los Angeles originals, even though he did eventually move to NY ....

... and Willie Nelson has always been considered an Austin original, and I DON'T APPRECIATE ALL THE WILLIE-BASHING GOING ON IN THIS THREAD, DAMN-NABIT!!!

I frankly think it would have been a funny twist to play the Willie version. I might even give it more "points" than playing the Gene Harris version, if only because the Gene Harris version has already been overplayed. It certainly shows how far Harlem's influence has stretched. But either one is still Harlem-based.

This discussion has changed my thoughts on it. I originally considered the event should ahve been Harlem-Jazz oriented, for better or for worse. But, again, taking it in the spirit I described above (celebrating the widespread influence Harlem Jazz has had on the entire music world), playing Willie would fit in.

Not sure if it would be danceable, though.

[Mr Awesomer]

Are you assuming I'm talking about you?

Are you assuming I assumed you were talking about me?
To be clear, I was speaking in general.

[Lawrence]

Actually, what might ahve been the best is to mix together parts of the Gene Harris version, the Willie version, the Harry Connick version, and one of Duke's original versions into one re-mix version that really shows how far-reaching the influence of that one song has been.

[KevinSchaper]

But he's still more relevant than willie nelson. Odd synchronicity that his home town, Benton Harbor, Michigan, is in the news today for burnings and riotings.

Yeah, I admit it, they're only equivalent in relevance if you don't actually listen to them. :)

[Swifty]

Are you assuming I'm talking about you?

Are you assuming I assumed you were talking about me?
To be clear, I was speaking in general.

Haha, I knew that was inevitable.

[djstarr]

My set:
Bli-Blip... Duke Ellington (Ray Nance vocal), 1940
Sweet Georgia Brown... Erskine Hawkins, 1940

I especially liked these two selections Lucy -- hope you will bust out more of this at VLE.

[djstarr]

I >>THINK<< this is what I played, though I didn't write it down.

1. Chick Webb - Blue Room (Standing Tall)
2. Henry Red Allen - Love Me or Leave Me (World on a String)
3. (CAN'T REMEMBER)
4. Buddy Tate - Two Left Feet (Texas Tenor Sax)
5. Jimmie Lunceford - Lunceford Special (Lunceford Special)

I really liked your set; for me it was a tie between you and Jesse, although Jesse suckered me in with the Louis Armstrong selection.

and fyi you and Sarah looked great during the Hellzapoppin' finals.....

[Nate Dogg]

OK, I finally read up on all the posts.

If a few people are ignorant enough to bash Willie, not much I can say for them. If you don't like Willie, you are missing out. There is a lot more to music appreciation than swing and jazz.

I have about 15 or so Willie CDs at home, seen him many times, he totally deserves to be the legend that he is. He is probably the number one musical icon in Texas, and we are fortunate to be able to check him out live on a regular basis. I am set to see him again on July 4th.

His Swing era covers sound like Willie covering a swing era songs, that is what they are supposed to sound like, that is why people appreciate them.

[falty411]

i dont think anyone bashed willie.

[main_stem]

Honestly I think there was a great oprotunity lost here. There was a chance to really put the spotlight on our musical forfathers. Their music inspired so many musicians through out the decades, like Gene Harris, Ray Brown, Junior Mance and so on. It cross boundries, Willie Nelson. And while they may not get played at the dances in genreral this really seemed like the perfect opprotunity to bust them out and let the world know about them. Introduce dancers who may never have heard of Fletcher Henderson or Don Redman or any of the other greats to what they did and that the music we predominately dance to today is based on the works and innovations of so many people we tend to forget.

We stand on the shoulders of giants. It's so easy to miss those forming the bace.

[KevinSchaper]

If a few people are ignorant enough to bash Willie, not much I can say for them. If you don't like Willie, you are missing out. There is a lot more to music appreciation than swing and jazz.

Bash? Naw, I picked Willie as an example of "not harlem, playing music composed by somebody who is harlem" like Gene Harris, but cuz he's white and cuz he's "country", it's more obvious that he doesn't have anything to do with harlem. I like him, if I were there I'd go see him too.

[KevinSchaper]

..speaking of Ellington crossing boundaries, I heard a hiphop dj play something once with this odd little sort of honk kinda sound that played the melody to 5 O'Clock Whistle.

[falty411]

Honestly I think there was a great oprotunity lost here. There was a chance to really put the spotlight on our musical forfathers. Their music inspired so many musicians through out the decades, like Gene Harris, Ray Brown, Junior Mance and so on. It cross boundries, Willie Nelson. And while they may not get played at the dances in genreral this really seemed like the perfect opprotunity to bust them out and let the world know about them. Introduce dancers who may never have heard of Fletcher Henderson or Don Redman or any of the other greats to what they did and that the music we predominately dance to today is based on the works and innovations of so many people we tend to forget.

We stand on the shoulders of giants. It's so easy to miss those forming the bace.

thank you for saying what i couldnt as clearly.