Beautiful swing ballads for dancing

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anton
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Beautiful swing ballads for dancing

#1 Post by anton » Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:40 am

Lately I've been trying to mix more slow songs into my sets. I'm not talking about blues songs intended for blues dancing (which is another category), but non-blues swing songs that you could slow-dance to (in whatever way you choose to do that: cheek-to-cheek, fox-trox, slow motion lindy...).

So, I'm looking for beautiful swing ballads with some serious jazz quality to them. Not the slow "commercial" pop songs that were so common in the swing era.

To get you an idea about what I am looking for, here are some songs I have picked out so far:

Cab Calloway - Moonglow [1934] - 110 bpm
Fats Waller - I'm at the Mercy of Love [1936] - 95 bpm
Jimmie Lunceford - Dream of You [1934] - 120 bpm
Teddy Wilson - I Wished on the Moon [1935] - 110 bpm
Art Tatum - Cocktails for Two [1944] - 110 bpm

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anton
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#2 Post by anton » Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:37 am

To get you an idea about what kind of songs I am not looking for (there are millions of them, so these are just picked at random):

Glenn Miller - Somewhere [1940]
Benny Goodman - All My Life [1936]
Andy Kirk - The Key to My Heart [1937]

You get the idea... Of course, there is a greyscale between the two extremes.

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#3 Post by lipi » Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:50 pm

Ella & Louis's things on Verve and Nat King Cole come to mind immediately.

Also, er, note I only have one of your example tracks, so I'm mostly going by your description. Let me know if these are along the lines of what you're looking for and I'll look for more.

"Copenhagen Shuffle", Edmond Hall, 1966 (95)
"They Can't Take That Away from Me", Ella and Louis, 1956 (99)
"The Frim Fram Sauce", Ella and Louis, 1946 (105)
"Don't Shove I'm Leaving", Nat King Cole, 1949 (105)
"Trouble in Mind", Nina Simone, 1965 (106)
"Pennies from Heaven", Teddy Wilson/Billie Holiday, 1936 (107)
"Backwater Blues", Meschiya Lake and her Little Big Horns, 2010 (107)
"Cow Cow Boogie", Freddie Slack, 1942 (108)
"All of Me", Sidney Bechet, 1953 (109)
"Things Ain't What They Used to Be", Duke Ellington, 1946 (110)
"In a Mellow Tone", Nat King Cole Trio, 1959 (110)
"Watermelon on the Vine", Delta Rhythm Boys, 1941 (112)
"Smack Dab in the Middle", Count Basie, 1956 (112)
"Can't We Be Friends", Ella and Louis, 1956 (114)
"Cheek to Cheek", Ella and Louis, 1956 (123)
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", Ella and Louis, 1957 (125)

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#4 Post by CafeSavoy » Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:26 am

You could look into Ben Webster and Lester Young; they both play beautiful ballads. A few examples include _The Lester Young Trio_ with Nat King Cole, _A Musical Romance_ Lester Young & Billie Holiday, and _King of the Tenors_ Ben Webster.

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#5 Post by lipi » Mon Aug 30, 2010 12:25 pm

Also, Bing Crosby. Some of the things on the Mosaic set would work well, I imagine.

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#6 Post by Gong-Oh » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:08 pm

Here are my suggestions for slow Swing tunes:

Everybody Does It In Hawaii, Jimmie Rodgers (1929) - 100
Never No Lament, Duke Ellington (1940) - 110
On The Alamo, Benny Goodman Sextet (1941) / Bonebrake Syncopators (2008) - 110
Trouble In Mind, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys (Tiffany Transcriptions, 1946) - 110
Sister Kate, Sidney Bechet (1949) - 100
Waiting For A Train, Carl Sonny Leyland Trio (2004) - 115

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#7 Post by CountBasi » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:34 pm

Indian Summer - Sidney Bechet (Chronological Classics 1938-40) (109)
It don't matter if your clock is broke - it's the right time somewhere : Slim Gaillard

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Capt Morgan
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#8 Post by Capt Morgan » Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:29 pm

Here's a couple of my favorites:

Soild Old Man by Django Reinhardt (and featuring some of Duke Ellington's band) @ 95 BPM

Petite Fleur by Sidney Bechet @ 95 BPM

After Hours by Benny Goodman @ 95 BPM

When I Grow Too Old To Dream by Nat King Cole (After Midnight Session) @ 110 BPM

I'll post some more after I look back in my library.
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#9 Post by anton » Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:54 am

Thanks for all the suggestions! Nat King Cole - I will look closer at his early work. Ella and Billie can turn almost any song into gold. Sidney Bechet - always beautiful. Webster and Young - I shall investigate more. Solid Old Man - this is probably my favorite of the bunch!

I have picked out a few more myself (as you can see, I am mainly interested in non-blues songs from the classic swing era):

Benny Goodman Sextet - Star Dust [1939] - 80 bpm
Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra - Body and Soul [1939] - 90 bpm
Sidney Bechet & Muggsy Spanier - Sweet Lorraine [1938] - 100 bpm
Red Norvo and His Swing Septet - I Surrender, Dear [1934] - 80 bpm
Earl Hines and His Orchestra - Harlem Lament [1934] - 120 bpm

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#10 Post by Capt Morgan » Sat Sep 04, 2010 6:56 pm

Yeah, Solid Old Man is my favorite slow swingin' tune. I got turned onto it by the lead guitar player from the Hot Club of San Francisco. They do an amazing version of it.

Here are some more songs:

Apex Blues by Earl Fatha Hines @ 95 bpm

Tears by Django Reinhardt @ 115 bpm

Memories of You by Benny Goodman @ 95 bpm

Are You Livin Old Man by Anita O'Day @ 100 bpm

My Man by Billie Holiday @ 100 bpm

Echoes of Harlem by Cootie Williams @ 100 bpm

Two to Tango by Lester Young @ 100 bpm

Savoy Blues by Bob Crosby @ 115

Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider by Benny Goodman @ 110 bpm

Rock It For Me by Chick Webb @ 100 bpm

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out by Bessie Smith @ 90 bpm

Pompton Turnpike by Charlie Barnet @ 90 bpm

That's most of the ones that I have that swing pretty good at a slower tempo.
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#11 Post by Haydn » Fri Oct 22, 2010 5:10 pm

Just remembered this thread, and here are two I've just fallen in love with.

1. 'Heart and Soul' composed by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loessor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_and_Soul_%28song%29

"Heart and soul, I fell in love with you,
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do,
Madly...
Because you held me tight,
And stole a kiss in the night...

Heart and soul, I begged to be adored,
Lost control, and tumbled overboard,
Gladly...
That magic night we kissed,
There in the moon mist.

Oh! but your lips were thrilling, much too thrilling,
Never before were mine so strangely willing.

But now I see, what one embrace can do,
Look at me, it's got me loving you,
Madly...
That little kiss you stole,
Held all my heart and soul."

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/f/frank_loesser/#share

The Larry Clinton/Bea Wain hit version from 1938 is a lovely soft swinging arrangement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCdaY-ga ... re=related

There's also a modern version I like by Crystal Gayle and another modern one by Marie-Élaine Thibert,


2. Moon Ray recorded by Helen Forest with Artie Shaw & His Orchestra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6qpZNbU ... re=related


3. Another one is Comes Love also by Helen Forest with Artie Shaw -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8JoCSoO ... 1&index=27

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Re: Beautiful swing ballads for dancing

#12 Post by Eyeball » Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:02 am

anton wrote:Lately I've been trying to mix more slow songs into my sets.
A few ballads that pop intro my head now and then for no reason except that they seem to define the song-

I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME - Sunset All Stars with Charlie Shavers. Nat Cole and Buddy Rich. CS is the main soloist. Circa 1945. Cool album to own because they included some of the cross talk between takes. No vocal.

CHANGE MY WAYS - Duke Ellington Orch- circa 1947 - no vocal
Autumn Leaves - Ellington - 1958 - Ozzie Bailey - vocal

BUT IT DIDN'T MEAN A THING - Glenn Miller - 1939 - vocal Marion Hutton. (Just saw a college newspaper article from 1939 where she was telling one of the kids that she thought it was too slow! It's one of her best recordings of the period.)

EVERYBODY KNEW BUT ME - Woody Herman - 1946 (on Mosaic) vocal Woody Herman.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS? - Louis Armstrong - 1947 - vocal Louis

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN - Bobby Hackett w a small group circa 1946. This was on some obscure label which I cannot remember the name of, but he aces it and it is a master piece.
Last edited by Eyeball on Mon Oct 25, 2010 6:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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#13 Post by CafeSavoy » Sun Oct 24, 2010 7:57 pm

anton wrote: I have picked out a few more myself (as you can see, I am mainly interested in non-blues songs from the classic swing era):

Sidney Bechet & Muggsy Spanier - Sweet Lorraine [1938] - 100 bpm
If you like Sweet Lorraine, you might like the Metronome version with Frank Sinatra on vocals, Nat Cole on Piano, and the pantheon in the band from '46.

;Charlie Shavers (tp), Lawrence Brown (tb), Johnny Hodges (as), Coleman Hawkins (ts),Harry Carney (bars), Nat "King" Cole (p), Bob Ahern (g), Eddie Safranski (b), Buddy Rich (d), Frank Sinatra (vo), "Sy" Oliver (ar)

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Re: Beautiful swing ballads for dancing

#14 Post by anton » Mon Oct 25, 2010 3:49 am

Eyeball wrote: I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME - Sunset All Stars with Charlie Shavers. Nat Cole and Buddy Rich. CS is the main soloist. Circa 1945. Coll album to own because they included some of the cross talk between takes. No vocal.
Very soft, lovely. It's listed as by the Herbie Haymer (ts) Quintet. Available on the Nat King Cole 1945 Chrono Classics. (Do I love Spotify!)
Eyeball wrote: CHANGE MY WAYS - Duke Ellington Orch- circa 1947 - no vocal
Interesting - there are three studio versions from 1947 (August, October, October), all in the same tempo.
Eyeball wrote: BUT IT DIDN'T MEAN A THING - Glenn Miller - 1939 - vocal Marion Hutton. (Just saw a college newspaper article from 1939 where she was telling one of the kids that she thought it was too slow! It's one of her best recordings of the period.)
Nice song, but perhaps too fast to qualify as a ballad?
Eyeball wrote: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN - Bobby Hackett w a small group circa 1946. This was on some obscure label which I cannot remember the name of, but he aces it and it is a master piece.
Very nice. Available on the Bobby Hackett 1945 Chrono Classics.
CafeSavoy wrote: If you like Sweet Lorraine, you might like the Metronome version with Frank Sinatra on vocals, Nat Cole on Piano, and the pantheon in the band from '46.
Top notch. Very nice arrangement.

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Re: Beautiful swing ballads for dancing

#15 Post by Eyeball » Mon Oct 25, 2010 6:16 am

anton wrote:
Eyeball wrote: I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME - Sunset All Stars with Charlie Shavers. Nat Cole and Buddy Rich. CS is the main soloist. Circa 1945. Cool album to own because they included some of the cross talk between takes. No vocal.
Very soft, lovely. It's listed as by the Herbie Haymer (ts) Quintet. Available on the Nat King Cole 1945 Chrono Classics. (Do I love Spotify!)

Yes! Herbie Haymer - poor guy was killed on his way home from a Sinatra recording session a few years later. "Sunset" was the label. Two takes and Shavers does something unusual with the tune that makes it stand out on one of the takes.

Eyeball wrote: CHANGE MY WAYS - Duke Ellington Orch- circa 1947 - no vocal
Interesting - there are three studio versions from 1947 (August, October, October), all in the same tempo.

I only know the issued Columbia version.

Eyeball wrote: BUT IT DIDN'T MEAN A THING - Glenn Miller - 1939 - vocal Marion Hutton. (Just saw a college newspaper article from 1939 where she was telling one of the kids that she thought it was too slow! It's one of her best recordings of the period.)
Nice song, but perhaps too fast to qualify as a ballad?

You're right. I had second thoughts on that.
Eyeball wrote: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN - Bobby Hackett w a small group circa 1946. This was on some obscure label which I cannot remember the name of, but he aces it and it is a master piece.
Very nice. Available on the Bobby Hackett 1945 Chrono Classics.

How's the sound on that CC reissue? I still have my cassette dub of a lesser condition 78.
CafeSavoy wrote: If you like Sweet Lorraine, you might like the Metronome version with Frank Sinatra on vocals, Nat Cole on Piano, and the pantheon in the band from '46.
Top notch. Very nice arrangement.
Will big bands ever come back?

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