SwingDJs

I've got plenty of stomps, shuffles, and rags, but I also have a couple of wobbles, and I'm not sure what they are. One, "The Wolf Wobble," is by Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang. The other, "Mississippi Wobble," is by Jimmy Wade & His Dixielanders. Both are '20s-era pieces. Originally, I only had the first one, and I thought it was just a strange title, but I bought the second one last night, and it made me wonder. Anybody know what a wobble is?

maybe it's related to the turkey trot?

I think Duke also recorded a Washington Wobble sometime around 1930, but unfortunately, I don't know what a wobble is either.

Maybe it's related to Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble?

It's something weebles do.

Kalman

Ha. We used to get weebles for selling magazines back in middle school. If you had an intermediate-level weeble, you could go to an ice cream party.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. This site has lyrics from "Black Bottom" with what are presumably synonymous terms (for the benifit of tap dancers) in parentheses:

"Hop Down front and then you doodle (Slide) back,
Mooch to your left and then you mooch to your right,
Hands on your hips and do the mess around,
Break a Leg (Wobble) until you're near the ground"

So maybe a wobble is music that you can do a break a leg to.

mousethief wrote:It's something weebles do.
Kalman

... but they don't fall down.

digging through the archive...

the break-a-leg in the black bottom is a step with six accents in an 8-count, on 2, 4, 5, 5&, 6&, 7. mark knowles' in "the tap dance dictionary" gives them as heel drops.

is that a rhythm that fits your two wobbles, matthew?

incidentally, i've never heard this step referred to as a wobble before. cute.

That's pretty cool. I'll have to check the wobbles when I have more time. (Isn't it fun to say "wobble"?) Thanks!