SwingDJs

Christmas is in the air. With only 3 weeks of dancing left before christmas, what Christmas songs would you like to spin before the year is out?

Brian

5 Pound Bag of Money - Pearl Bailey

Of course, I can't find it. Because I'm not just Internet-impaired, I'm Internet-retarded.

Tina

gatorgal wrote:5 Pound Bag of Money - Pearl Bailey

It's actually "5 Pound Box Of Money" and you can find it on Hipsters' Holiday: Vocal Jazz & R&B Classics. Looks like a great collection of songs. I dig "Cool Yule" and "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" on there.

I love listening to swinging holiday music, but I rarely find myself playing much when I DJ, maybe just a select track or two throughout the entire season. A few of my favorites would be:

- Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Angela Strehli (Hip Holidays III)
- Cool Yule - Kurt Elling (Yule Be Boppin')
- Merry Christmas Baby - Lou Rawls (Swingin' Christmas)
- Shake Hands With Santa Claus - Louis Prima (Yule Be Swingin' Too)
- Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald (Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas)
- Winter Weather - Joe Williams & Harry "Sweets" Edison (Together)
- Winter Wonderland - Peggy Lee (Hip Holidays II)

I'll stop there. My list is longer than I thought.

Anyhow, tune into Yehoodi Radio every Friday in December to hear all of these songs and more on our holiday show.

Jesse

Thanks Jesse!!!! That would probably explain why I couldn't find the song...

Tina

Charles Brown has several Christmas albums with some great music. The best I've found was featured last year in my Album of the week: Cool Christmas Blues. It has music that is good enough to play year-round. Another one, Please Come Home for Christmas, features Bill Doggett on the Hammond B3 organ and has a great, up-beat version of "Winter Wonderland."

I played "Jingle Bells" by Benny Carter [off the Big Band Box Set] the Monday before Thanksgiving and I got a bunch of glares until folks heard it swing; I got half the crowd to dance to it.

I'm dj'ing on Dec 14th; I'll probably play "Good Morning Blues" from Best of Early Basie; we've played it on and off here lately, but it's got a good Santa Claus line and it's a great song. I've also got Nat King Cole Trio's "Jingle Bells" that looks like it would be fun to play.

I don't have a ton of swing Christmas tunes, but I might play something by Elvez (the Mexican Elvis) just for grins.

I remember dancing at Christmas time and I got really annoyed everytime a Christmas song would come on, so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.

Next week I'll play one or two songs from "Ella wishes you a swinging Christmas". I know one for certain rigth now and that's an absolutely hilarious version of "Frosty, the snowman" where Ella goofs off and sings like a little girl.

djstarr wrote: I'm dj'ing on Dec 14th; I'll probably play "Good Morning Blues" from Best of Early Basie; we've played it on and off here lately, but it's got a good Santa Claus line and it's a great song.

thank you

djstarr wrote: so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.

thank you

I really dig "Sleigh Ride" as done by the Squirrel Nut Zippers on the Christmas Caravan Album.

I've got Ultra-Lounge's Christmas Cocktails Vols. 1 & 2, some all right stuff on there but not entirely what I'd spin for dancing.

Yule B Swingin' is solid. It's got some of my favorites on this one- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Ella Fitzgerald and "Let it Snow" by Les Brown, as well as "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong.

"Christmas Blues" is a good instrumental song to play for the holidays. They have a sleigh bell/holiday sound without sounding too commerical or obvious.

The new "Yule Be Miserable" from Verve has two versions from Eric Reed and Ramsey Lewis.

djstarr wrote:I remember dancing at Christmas time and I got really annoyed everytime a Christmas song would come on, so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.

It is quite possible to put together a solid set of danceable Holiday music. I tend to avoid playing anything that I would not play outside the season. Just as with any swing music, it just takes a bit of searching to get past the campy, crooning stuff. You need not abandon it just because you have memories of DJs who did not rise up to the task.

I picked up "mistletoe and merriment" today at Starbucks - it's a Hear Music collection. I bought it for "Christmas Night in Harlem" w/Louis Armstrong and Benny Carter and His Orchestra; "All I want for Christmas" with Nat King Cole and the Starlighters is also nice.

The rest of the CD features the usual suspects - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett - the Peggy Lee "Winter Wonderland" is ok.

djstarr wrote: I remember dancing at Christmas time and I got really annoyed everytime a Christmas song would come on, so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.

I personally like hearing a number of holiday tunes, but I repress my urges seeing as how most people don't have the same tolerances.

Not to mention it's a fine line to walk between putting dancers in the holiday spirit and making them feel like they never left the mall.

Tina

"Hootie's KC Christmas Prayer" by Jay McShann off Still Jumpin' the Blues is also another good one.

Hipster's Holiday is sounding better and better...I might have to pick that up...

Jay McShann = too much blues shouting not enough swing...