SwingDJs

What songs, artists, etc. do you exclude from your swing collection? Why do you exclude them?

I'm not talking about modern pop, such as Screeching Weasel. Swing-related music only, including neo-swing.

I'm expecting to hear a loud chorus of "Glenn Miller," because so many people I know loathe his music. I'm actively excluding his stuff from my collection because I haven't heard him swing harder than a 200-year old golfer.

Rock n' Roll

I'm not a fan of excluding any artists. Most of them, even Glen Miller IMHO have recorded one or two Charts that I believe are good to Ok.
I have found my taste to develop sometimes as well, so an artist I did not like when I first heard them, now I may like.
I generally don't believe in closing doors.

I have a glenn miller compilation.

Lawrence Welk

Seriously, though, I've heard some Glen Miller stuff that's okay. I have a live recording of "In The Mood" that actually swings pretty good. It's a lot faster than the standard version usually played, and all the solos sound real.

CafeSavoy wrote:I have a glenn miller compilation.

Me too. Glenn Miller swings the hell out of some cuts.

As I grow as a DJ, I find myself opening up, limiting my musical selections less, getting more in touch with what the variety of dancers want, not just what I want. I try to not make blanket statements like "I will never play type X of music." Granted I will admit that I rarely, if ever, play much neo-swing or Andrew Sisters, but I am open to the possibility of doing so in the future when the time is right (I'm actually in the progress of putting together an Andrews Sisters compilation just in case).

Jesse

Beat me to it, I was just about to say Andrew Sisters aren't in my normal collection, although I bet I could dig up something dusty if I had to. And Glenn Miller, as some have pointed out, has some live cuts I really can get into.

Except for some really horrendous modern bands, I don't bother to 'catalogue' bands or songs I can't stand, I keep track of the ones I do want to move to.

-FF

I'm not actively excluding anything. But since I'm building my collection and don't have huge amounts of money I'm only buying things I really want. This makes me buy no Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Andrew sisters at the moment.
But I guess if I found something I really like I wouldn't really care who recorded it.

/Patrik

The only stuff I exclude is music I don't like. Why would I play something I don't like?

Tina

I don't intentionally exclude anything, but since I'm a music fan first and a DJ second, I pretty much only have CDs that I would listen to on my own.

Depends on what you mean by excluding?

When I DJ, I actually don't bring that many CDs, in most cases a book with compilations that for the most part has the songs I am likely to play or recieve a request for.

At home, my Swing original CD bookshelf/binders have all the swing artists, this includes Glenn Miller. It also includes non-danceable CDs from artists that have other more danceable CDs (ex: I don't separate the non-danceable Ray Charles from the danceable, all my Ray Charles is stored in the same place). This level of organization is so that I can find stuff. My orginals very rarely leave the house.

Finally, I have a couple thousand non-swing CDs in separate bookcases in another room.

Guy Lomardo
70's soul/funk or motown

I know it's a trend recently to play soul at swing events, but it won't be at my hands that this happens.

I do carry Indigo Swing and Royal Crown Review, but beyond that I do not carry any neo-swing.

Matthew wrote:
I'm expecting to hear a loud chorus of "Glenn Miller," because so many people I know loathe his music. I'm actively excluding his stuff from my collection because I haven't heard him swing harder than a 200-year old golfer.

Check out his The Spirit is Willing. It's good stuff and I pull from it oftern. Almost doesn'e sound like Miller.

As for Stuff I exclude... Frank Sinatra. Other than the fact that I just can't stand him, other people play him enough around here so I feel no obligation too.

I have Glenn Miller, because there are actually a few decent Miller tunes that cook. They are harder to find. I keep my Glenn Miller Proper Box set in my collection.

I dig pre Rock and Rock "R&B" stuff, so I wont' exclude that.

I do exclude most modern jazz, even if it might "Swing". I generally don't like it, and thus don't have to play it if I don't have it with me. I exclude many Neo swing bands, mostly because i'm tired of hearing it.

Past that I pretty much carry everything else since you never know when the mood will strike you to play something to cause pain and suffering. I actually play a really cheezy or bad song from time to time just to remind people how bad it used to be before I took over DJ duties locally.