Songs for the Shim Sham

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Downeastdancer · #16 Post by **Downeastdancer** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 7:48 am

I'd like to put in a vote for "Till Tom Special", off the Peter Davis CD, which has a long-enough-to-get-lined-up intro.

sonofvu · #17 Post by **sonofvu** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 1:35 pm

laf wrote:
A couple of years ago, I and another local (Vancouver) dj were sick of "Tuxedo Junction" being rigidly referred to as "the Shim Sham song" (you know, like "Sing Sing Sing" is "the swing jam song"?). Another local dj would play it every night, each time announcing that it was time to do the Shim Sham.

This also happens with "flying home". It seems that as soon as you play that song people bust out into the Big Apple. Tuxedo Junction might be rescued but I do believe that Flying Home will always be relegated to the Big Apple.

Yakov · #18 Post by **Yakov** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:03 pm

what's wrong with the big apple to Flyin' Home? I miss the big apple... there was a time in pgh when everybody knew it but now no body knows it, not sure how that happened

sonofvu · #19 Post by **sonofvu** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:44 pm

Yakov wrote:what's wrong with the big apple to Flyin' Home? I miss the big apple... there was a time in pgh when everybody knew it but now no body knows it, not sure how that happened

There's nothing wrong with doing the Big Apple to Flying Home. The problem is that I've never just danced to Flying Home. In my home town when the DJ plays it people just spontaneously go into the Big Apple.

GirlieGirl · #20 Post by **GirlieGirl** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:52 pm

What? You and I did lindy to it in front of the stage at the Century. How quickly you forget me!!!

Nate Dogg · #21 Post by **Nate Dogg** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:56 pm

sonofvu wrote:
Yakov wrote:what's wrong with the big apple to Flyin' Home? I miss the big apple... there was a time in pgh when everybody knew it but now no body knows it, not sure how that happened
There's nothing wrong with doing the Big Apple to Flying Home. The problem is that I've never just danced to Flying Home. In my home town when the DJ plays it people just spontaneously go into the Big Apple.

Last Saturday I was dancing in Dallas and Kalman or Don played Hampton's Flying Home. Nobody did the Big Apple, first time I can remember dancing to that song in a long time.

julius · #22 Post by **julius** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 4:09 pm

In LA, Flying Home gets a big old pile of lindy hop on the floor. no big apple in sight. in fact i don't think i've ever seen a spontaneous big apple.

sonofvu · #23 Post by **sonofvu** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 5:08 pm

GirlieGirl wrote:What? You and I did lindy to it in front of the stage at the Century. How quickly you forget me!!!

Did we??!!!?! I must have been mesmerized by your beatiful eyes and your dancing skill!! Man, what the....

sonofvu · #24 Post by **sonofvu** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 5:14 pm

julius wrote:In LA, Flying Home gets a big old pile of lindy hop on the floor. no big apple in sight. in fact i don't think i've ever seen a spontaneous big apple.

Hmmm... Now that I think about it, there is no spontaneity to doing a jazz routine to the same song all the time. I remember last year at the Austin exchange the band played a fast version of Rocking in Rhythm and skippy and other Dallas people busted out with the Shim Sham. I joined in too and I had so much fun. I remember thinking that it was cool because I did not expect to Shim Sham to that song.

GirlieGirl · #25 Post by **GirlieGirl** » Tue Aug 26, 2003 6:12 pm

sonofvu wrote:Did we??!!!?! I must have been mesmerized by your beatiful eyes and your dancing skill!! Man, what the....

Sweet talker.

It was a live version, too! I remember jumping up and down at the end. Fun song!!!

Brother Swing · #26 Post by **Brother Swing** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:32 am

Here in France, T'Ain't What You Do from Jimmy Lunceford is generally regarded as "The Shim Sham Song", although I personally hate to have such a categorization and try to explain to dancers that they could do partner dance on it as well.
For a change, I often play Stompin' At the Savoy from George Gee Live CD with Frankie calling the steps, but my current favorite is to play Till' Tom Special from Dave Davis. Even so I have to call it in advance if I want people to Shim Sham on it, they like it a lot.

On the Big Apple subject, it has not been very much taught here in France and I am trying to teach it at different workshops. Lately, I have been more into teaching an "improvised" version of it which is just having a Leader doing Calls and switching leaders around during the song. It get people really going rather than just doing classics steps, they start to improvised. 2 weeks ago at the San Sebastian Lindy Exchange in Spain, we had one of the Leader starting to roll on the floor and everybody did it.
I usually use Let's Get Together from Duke Ellington or Big John Special from Chick Webb, even so I prefer faster songs myself.

Olivier

Brother Swing · #27 Post by **Brother Swing** » Wed Aug 27, 2003 8:11 am

Here in France, T'Ain't What You Do from Jimmy Lunceford is generally regarded as "The Shim Sham Song", although I personally hate to have such a categorization and try to explain to dancers that they could do partner dance on it as well.
For a change, I often play Stompin' At the Savoy from George Gee Live CD with Frankie calling the steps, but my current favorite is to play Till' Tom Special from Dave Davis. Even so I have to call it in advance if I want people to Shim Sham on it, they like it a lot.

On the Big Apple subject, it has not been very much taught here in France and I am trying to teach it at different workshops. Lately, I have been more into teaching an "improvised" version of it which is just having a Leader doing Calls and switching leaders around during the song. It get people really going rather than just doing classics steps, they start to improvised. 2 weeks ago at the San Sebastian Lindy Exchange in Spain, we had one of the Leader starting to roll on the floor and everybody did it.
I usually use Let's Get Together from Duke Ellington or Big John Special from Chick Webb, even so I prefer faster songs myself.

Olivier

SwingKidAli · #28 Post by **SwingKidAli** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 5:37 pm

I'm from Québec city, canada, we sometimes use a french song called "Brother Swing" by Christophe Avril, but I don't presonnally really like it... it's just coz it's in french and some people like it here... other than that we play "Shim sham song" by Bill Elliott, "t'ain't what you do" by Jimmie Luncenford, I've seen it on "Tuxedo Junction"... so that's my word for the Shim Sham

Ali ~xx~
www.portoswing.com
2 fast 2 furious weekend coming verrrrrrrry soon!

#29 Post by **JesseMiner** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 12:08 am

Last night I was DJing at the Sacramento Swing Festival. Frankie Manning was in attendance, and the organizer requested a Shim Sham between the evening performances ("Sausages" and Loose Change - both were amazing by the way). Frankie got up to lead it, and I put on Lunceford's "T'ain't What You Do". He signaled for me to cut the music and asked for Erskine Hawkin's "Tuxedo Junction" instead. Of course I obliged (who am I to deny Frankie?), and all was well.

Jesse

Abdel · #30 Post by **Abdel** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 3:56 pm

Well Mathew,

The first time Frankie Manning came down here in Tampa to teach in recent years was back in 1999. It was at the Gulf Port Casino and I remembered that night well because Frankie yelled at me for playing Bill Elliot's Shim Sham song in stead of "Tuxedo Junction" by Erskine Hawkins, which was what he requested off of his cd. He was about to teach the Shim Sham to everyone and requested that song. I was busy getting getting lunch during the band break and Frankie just yelled at me. He said: "Wait, wait, this is not Tuxedo Junction. What is this? Don't you have Frankie Manning Favorites cd?" Everyone turned around and look at me while I was scrambling around trying to locate his cd which I eventually did find. Every since that time, people around here have always done the Shim Sham to that song. I think Frankie chose that song to teach it because it has a slower tempo, which was perfect for learning. We hardly do the Shim Sham around here anymore.

At ALHC last year, I thought I was being cool for playing "T'Ain't What You DO" for the Shim Sham. Much to my dismay, I was surprised when I heard that was a popular choice for the Shim Sham. Also, last year at the Soflex, my friend Tim played "Ain't What You Do" just for a dancing song and the next thing I know is that everyone was on the dance floor doing the Shim Sham. Tim turned around and said to me" wtf, this doesn't make any sense. I don't understand why people would do the Shim Sham to that song". I just laughed because.

I like Stompin' At The Savoy. I've also played a Slim & Slim song before back at the American Open in Orlando. It's on video and I believe a certain person calling the Shim Sham that night messed it up. I wonder if they ever edited that part out of the final cut? You can also play "Don't Be That Way", "Till Tom Special", "In The Groove At The Groove", etc... I just put on my Chick Webb cd and listen to just a couple of songs. I believe that you can play any song with the right structure. You'll just have to get up and start leading it if you want people to follow you.

SwingDJs

Songs for the Shim Sham

ShimShams