SwingDJs

Preparing music for the competition right now and kinda stumped. Every single good fast song I can think of is already largely overplayed. And I don't mean overplayed at parties (I guess I could live with that) - I mean overplayed at competitions. Of course these songs are really awesome but I think when the riff starts playing everyone thinks "Oh man, I can't hear Lunceford Special again" (or something like that).

Here's the list of fast songs I consider to be "competitions overplayed" (in our scene of course):

Charlie Barnet - The Count's Idea - 219
Lucky Millinder - Mason Flyer - 226 (totally overplayed)
Erskine Hawkins - Riff Time - 211
Glenn Miller - Slip Horn Jive - 229
Count Basie - Swingin' The Blues - 227
Jimmie Lunceford - Lunceford Special - 236 (totally overplayed)
Count Basie - Jumpin' At The Woodside - 237
Swing Kids OST - Shout And Feel It - 226
Charlie Barnet - Swing Street Strut - 223
Artie Shaw - Traffic Jam - 237
Count Basie - Back To The Apple - 224
Charlie Barnet - The Last Jump - (slowed down to) 230
Jack Teagarden - Harlem Jump - 228
Gene Krupa - Rhythm Jam - 229


Can anyone suggest some more good fast songs with lots of energy and the "right" pulse and feeling for fast lindy? Around 210-240 BPM.
It would be just great. :)

A couple from Duke Ellington - Jubilee Stomp and High Life, from the Victor recordings 1927-1931.

By the way, I was in Moscow at the weekend - Idaho, USA, not Russia

It was snowing hard!

subst wrote:Here's the list of fast songs I consider to be "competitions overplayed" (in our scene of course):

Charlie Barnet - The Count's Idea - 219
Lucky Millinder - Mason Flyer - 226 (totally overplayed)
Erskine Hawkins - Riff Time - 211
Glenn Miller - Slip Horn Jive - 229
Count Basie - Swingin' The Blues - 227
Jimmie Lunceford - Lunceford Special - 236 (totally overplayed)
Count Basie - Jumpin' At The Woodside - 237
Swing Kids OST - Shout And Feel It - 226
Charlie Barnet - Swing Street Strut - 223
Artie Shaw - Traffic Jam - 237
Count Basie - Back To The Apple - 224
Charlie Barnet - The Last Jump - (slowed down to) 230
Jack Teagarden - Harlem Jump - 228
Gene Krupa - Rhythm Jam - 229


Can anyone suggest some more good fast songs with lots of energy and the "right" pulse and feeling for fast lindy? Around 210-240 BPM.
It would be just great.

Benny Goodman - Life Goes To A Party - 206
Artie Shaw - Non-Stop Flight - 210
Bob Crosby - King Porter Stomp - 210

Glenn Miller - Stealin' Apples (1944) - 212
Teddy Powell - Jamaica Jam - 218
Joe Venuti - Flop - 220
Benny Goodman - Swingtime In The Rockies - 230

Ella Fitzgerald - Diga Diga Doo (LIVE) - 230
Harry James - Cross Country Jump - 230
Cab Calloway - A Minor Breakdown - 236
Bob Crosby - Diga Diga Doo - 240

Main Stem - Duke Ellington - 208
Go Harlem - Chick Webb - 210
Father Steps In - Earl Hines - 212
Hollywood Jump - Count Basie - 218
Algiers Stomp - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - 221
The Goo - Boots & His Buddies - 227
Down Under - Woody Herman - 228
Jammin' For The Jack-Pot - Mills Blue Rhythm Band - 229
Texas Shuffle - Count Basie - 230
Cotton Tail - Duke Ellington - 233
Miss Thing - Count Basie - 234
Rock And Rye - Earl Hines - 238

some others:

Count Basie, Shout and Feel It, 1940, 240
Benny Goodman, Bugle Call Rag, 1936, 242
Lil Hardin Armstrong, The Lindy Hop, 1937, 240
Cootie Williams, Roll 'Em, 1944, 240
Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Algiers Stomp, 1936, 229
Artie Shaw, Man from Mars, 1939, 228

A few of these might be slower or faster than what you are looking for. They might also be considered overplayed or not depending on the region. And might not be the right "pulse" for you either. Heck, sounds like they might not fit your criteria for competition music, but here they are anyway:

Slower:
Boilermaker Jazz Band - Don't Go 'way Nobody
Bill Elliott - Oh Lady Be Good
Bill Elliott - Jeep Jockey Jump
Illinois Jacquet - Bottoms Up
Chick Webb - Lindyhopper's Delight
Lionel Hampton - Whoa Babe
Count Basie - Shorty George

Faster:
Count Basie - Every Tub
Count Basie - Doggin' Around
Earl Hines - G.T. Stomp
Benny Goodman - Jam Session

Wrong pulse:
Willie Bryant - Rigamarole
Sidney Bechet - When the Saints go Marching
Kansas City Band - Lafayette

Here's a list of suggestions that I came up with - they might not all foot the bill - it's kind of late and my brains half dead!

Ridin' High [Live] Benny Goodman 2:39 241 1937
Bugle Call Rag Benny Goodman 2:59 265 1934
Bugle Call Rag Cab Calloway 2:31 235 1931
Bugle Blues Cab Calloway and His Orchestra 2:30 269 1937
Facts and Figures Chick Webb 2:32 246 1935
Out the Window Count Basie 2:49 234 1937
Gin for Xmas George Gee 2:17 276 2007
I Want to Be Happy Glenn Miller 3:07 250
Farewell Blues Glenn Miller 2:30 263 1940
Daphne James Horner 1:52 268 1993
Central Avenue Breakdown Lionel Hampton 3:04 222 1940
I've Found a New Baby New Orleans Feetwarmers 3:14 265 1932

How did you get on subst?

Since you mentioned Lunceford:

Jimmie Lunceford - Blues in the Groove [1940] (210)

If you want more playful lindy songs (as opposed to cliché jam tunes):

Jimmie Lunceford - Harlem Shout [1936] (210)
Jimmie Lunceford - Oh, Boy! [1935] (225)
Jimmie Lunceford - Avalon [1935] (230)
Jimmie Lunceford - Runnin' Wild [1935] (250)
Jimmie Lunceford - Stratosphere [1934] (250)
Jimmie Lunceford - Swingin' Uptown [1934] (255)

"Oh, Boy!" is btw another one of those songs that speed up