SwingDJs

I'm dj'ing on Weds and have been asked by some folks competing in the NJC shag and balboa competitions to spin some stuff for them to practice to.

Anyone want to throw down some of their all time favorite balboa and shag songs?

Thanks in advance!

I don't think there is any such thing as a Balboa or a Shag song. One couple will choose to bustt out some lindy while amother will hear the song a bust out some bal. It's all a matter of how the dancers want to interprit the music.

Just play good solid swingin' music and let the couples decide if they want to lindy shag or bal.

-Kevin

main_stem wrote: Just play good solid swingin' music and let the couples decide if they want to lindy shag or bal.

I don't fully disagree with kevin here at all. But, I wanted to add that I personally find that tunes with a 2/4 feel most often inspire me to bal. Basically, a "tighter" swing beat moves me in that direction. In my own collection, that includes tracks from:

Fletcher Henderson
early Duke
McKinney's Cotton Pickers
Jimmie Lunceford
Horace Henderson
Bix
Red Nichols
early Basie
Andy Kirk
Claude Hopkins
Hot fives and sevens

And so on...

"Just play good solid swingin' music and let the couples decide if they want to lindy shag or bal."

Bullseye. On that note, I always love Bechet and Condon as two solid starters for any of that you want to dance.

-FF

thanks for the replies so far.

I'll put Bechet and Condon on my shopping list; what I've heard of Bechet so far has him at the top of the to buy right now.

While agreeing with Kevin in princple, I think Seattle is a little tricky; the 2/4 stuff with any type of a Dixie feel will have people doing Charleston; songs listed on Balboa Nation that I own (like from Lunceford's "For Dancers Only" and "Stomp it Off") people try to fast lindy to.

But I'm definitely going to play some of the faster Lunceford and watch what happens.

I'm also going to play some stuff off the Django Reinhardt and his american friends box set --- something about the guitar strum makes me want to bal. We shall see what happens......

Speaking of Sidney Bechet, I only have one or two of his albums but would like to get into some more. Does anybody have any favorites of his that are a must have?

djstarr wrote:But I'm definitely going to play some of the faster Lunceford and watch what happens.

I'm also going to play some stuff off the Django Reinhardt and his american friends box set --- something about the guitar strum makes me want to bal. We shall see what happens......

Fast songs I played last night that worked --
From Django Reinhardt and his american friends:
I got Rhythm (291) - Dicky Wells orchestra
Bugle Call Rag (204) - Dicky Wells orchestra
Sweet Georgia Brown (268) - Coleman Hawkins All-Star Jam Band (w/Benny Carter)

Don't be that Way (205) Chick Webb - Jazz After Hours
Avalon (230) Jimmy Lunceford - For Dancer's Only

coreyj5 wrote:Speaking of Sidney Bechet, I only have one or two of his albums but would like to get into some more. Does anybody have any favorites of his that are a must have?

Tonya and Travis both have Sidney Bechet and have played him recently, but I don't know what albums they are......

coreyj5 wrote:Speaking of Sidney Bechet, I only have one or two of his albums but would like to get into some more. Does anybody have any favorites of his that are a must have?

The Ken Burns one is a decent place to start.. Fabulous Sidney Bechet is pretty good too. I've got one of those Europe1 discs, live in '57-'58, and it's just ok.

on LP, I've found a lot more good stuff - but I can't remember titles and don't see them on amazon...

His releases seem really incoherent, everything's on a different label with different musicians, and it's all the worse when it's cheap LP reissues with no recording information.

KevinSchaper wrote:

coreyj5 wrote:Speaking of Sidney Bechet, I only have one or two of his albums but would like to get into some more. Does anybody have any favorites of his that are a must have?

The Ken Burns one is a decent place to start.. Fabulous Sidney Bechet is pretty good too. I've got one of those Europe1 discs, live in '57-'58, and it's just ok.

Sidney Bechet's Jazz in Paris; et Claude (Can't remember the rest) is a really nice disc. I've been pulling more from it in the last 2 months. Other than that the discs Kevin mentioned are a good place to start.

-Kevin T

Once again, Proper has a nice box set of Bechet's work and you can't beat their prices.

Just reviving this thread since some of the local dancers here in South Florida have asked me to play more music suited for Balboa.

Wanted to know if anyone had anymore recommendations than the ones previously mentioned.

Thanks,
Tina

Soupbone wrote:
Fletcher Henderson
early Duke
McKinney's Cotton Pickers
Jimmie Lunceford
Horace Henderson
early Basie
Andy Kirk
Claude Hopkins

And so on...

haha, thats all the artists that i LOVE to lindy hop to.

falty411 wrote:
haha, thats all the artists that i LOVE to lindy hop to.

Fabulous! Here's to diversity on the dance floor and personal choices about dancing!!

At least I didn't say one should only balboa to these artists, and you didn't say one should only lindy hop to these artists.

Lesson for us all: Kevin's point -- "Just play good solid swingin' music and let the couples decide if they want to lindy shag or bal."

gatorgal wrote:Just reviving this thread since some of the local dancers here in South Florida have asked me to play more music suited for Balboa.

Wanted to know if anyone had anymore recommendations than the ones previously mentioned.

Thanks,
Tina

One song I absolutely love to balboa to and is suited for beginning bal dancers is "5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days" by Louis Prima - Swing Session also has a good version of it, but I like Louis' better.

Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Mr. Rhythmist Goes to Town has some great tunes on it for balboa.

Again, Django and groups inspired by him (such as Pearl Django) are great for balboa.