SwingDJs

i've finally taken the plunge and dj'ed in public outside of that comfortable womb that is my alma mater campus. i did about three hours at the fillmore jazz festival in sf. outside, small dance floor, very few dancers, mostly random people walking by watching, so relatively low stress.

apart from "mahna mahna", which drew groans from all the rock-stars who were there (and which i nixed at the first break -- mercifully early in the song), i think it went over o.k. there were some mini classes and performances during these three hours, but i don't remember where they went exactly.

if anyone is bored and feels like looking at the playlist below, i'd _love_ any kind of feedback. "too much ella!", "cut it out with the crappy jump blues already!", "try varying tempi less", "you are the best dj ever -- will you make kids with me?", etc.

I Love Being Here with You 155 3:07 Barbara Morrison Live at the 9:20 Special
Vem Vet 128 3:03 Lisa Ekdahl Absolute Svenskt volym 2
The Flat Foot Floogee 160 3:18 Benny Goodman Lullaby In Rhythm
Sweet Georgia Brown 189 2:47 Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli Le Hot Club De France
Ol' Man Mose 168 3:53 Ella Fitzgerald Jukebox Ella (The Complete Singles, Volume 1, Disc 2)
Jeep Jockey Jump 204 2:14 Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Band Tuxedo Junction (Big Bands 8/40)
Too Darn Hot 162 3:50 Ella Fitzgerald The Cole Porter Songbook - 1
Jumpin' at the Deuces 148 2:54 Slam Stewart Jumpin' At The Deuces 1 (From Swing to Bebop 19)
Scrub Me Mama, with a Boogie Beat 175 3:03 Will Bradley Boogie Woogie Hits (Disc 2)
Jubilee Swing 184 3:12 Chick Webb Strictly Jive
Ezekiel Saw da Wheel 175 2:33 Louis Armstrong Louis and the Good Book
Lavender Coffin 134 2:47 Lionel Hampton Lionel Hampton Story 4: Midnight Sun
Pennies From Heaven 157 2:17 Dinah Washington After Hours with Miss D
Sympathique 129 2:48 Pink Martini Sympathique
Chicas Patas Boogie 178 2:50 Lalo Guerrero Y Sus Cinco Lobos Pachuco Boogie
Wo yao ni de ai (I Want Your Love) 193 2:35 Pepe & the Bottle Blondes Latenight Betty
Peckin' 171 3:08 Johnny Hodges Complete Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra: 1937-1938
Goody, Goody 135 2:25 Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald — Priceless Jazz Collection
Ya Ya 150 2:20 Lee Dorsey Rhythm & Blues Classics
Now You Has Jazz 168 4:41 Louis Armstrong Mack The Knife
All the Cats Join In 197 3:11 Benny Goodman Swing Angel
Hey Pretty Baby 168 2:38 Ruth Brown Miss Rhythm (Greatest Hits & More)
720 in the Books 140 2:57 Ella Fitzgerlad Ella swings lightly
Organ Grinder's Swing 120 2:40 Jimmy Lunceford & His Orchestra Jimmy Lunceford & his Orchestra
Money's Gettin Cheaper (Times Gettin Tougher Than Tough) 153 2:45 Jimmy Witherspoon Swing Baby Swing! House Rocking Swing and Jump Jive Boogie
Blue Suit Boogie 175 3:53 Indigo Swing All Aboard!
Sweet Georgia Brown 189 2:47 Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli Le Hot Club De France
Mahna Mahna 170 2:16 Mahna Mahna & The Two Snowths The Muppet Show: The 25th Anniversary Collection
Shiny Stockings 132 3:21 Ella Fitzgerald Ella at Juan-Les Pins
Everybody Eats When They Come to My House 154 2:46 Cab Calloway Are You Hep To The Jive?
Love Me or Leave Me 144 2:59 Sammy Davis Jr.
Rhythm in My Nursery Rhymes 170 2:27 Count Basie Jazz Archives 73: The Golden Years Vol. 1
Bli-Blip 133 3:04 Ella Fitzgerald The Duke Ellington Song Book (Disc Seven)
Ain't Misbehavin' 148 2:52 Sidney Bechet RCA-Victor Master Takes (Disc 2)
Splanky 121 3:36 Count Basie The Complete Atomic Basie
For Dancers Only 160 2:43 Jimmy Lunceford & His Orchestra Jimmy Lunceford & his Orchestra
Apollo Jump 142 3:26 Lucky Millinder Apollo Jump
Papa's In Bed With His Britches On 165 2:32 Cab Calloway Are You Hep To The Jive?
Christopher Columbus 186 3:05 Fletcher Henderson Ken Burns Jazz
A-Tisket A-Tasket 160 2:39 Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald — Priceless Jazz Collection
Smack Dab in the Middle 113 3:38 Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Williams One O'Clock Jump
Late Late Show 141 4:01 Blue Room Boys Mr Jives Pleasure Platter
You Dyed Your Hair Chartreuse 169 2:36 Louis Jordan Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five (1949-1950)
Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina 144 2:42 Anita O'Day Young Anita: 1 Gene Krupa Days
My Buckets Got a Hole in It 141 2:59 Louis Armstrong The California Concerts
Stop! The Red Light's On 168 3:21 Anita O'Day Young Anita: 1 Gene Krupa Days
Flying Home 197 3:10 Lionel Hampton The Lionel Hampton Story 2: Flying Home
Shadrack 164 2:46 Louis Armstrong Louis and the Good Book
Bits and Pieces 149 5:33 Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Gate Swings
One O'clock Jump 168 3:02 Count Basie The Complete Decca Recordings (Disc 1)
Air Mail Special 200 3:02 Ella Fitzgerald 1952
Everything Is Jumpin' 168 5:07 Artie Shaw & His Orchestra Centennial Collection - Artie Shaw
Don't Falter at the Alter 142 2:44 Cab Calloway Are You Hep To The Jive?
Shout, Sister, Shout 142 2:45 Lucky Millinder Apollo Jump
Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong) 170 2:50 Count Basie The Complete Decca Recordings (Disc 1)
Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor 160 2:19 Johnny Horton Whistle Bait
Smooth Sailin' 132 2:54 Ella Fitzgerald and her Quartet J.A.T.P. in Tokyo 1953
C Jam Blues 178 2:42 Duke Ellington Battle Of The Bands
Shorty George 207 2:46 Count Basie The Complete Decca Recordings (Disc 2)
King Porter Stomp 169 4:38 Kansas City Band KC after Dark

Well done lipi
It looks really good. I'd have loved if I could have spun some of that stuff the first time I spun.
I'd never give any direct comment on a set, where I was not there, unless I saw some major problems. Your set looks good to me.
As the DJ, you would have been reading the floor and your choices would have been determined on how you read the floor at that time.
Keep up the good work. I would be worth asking a few of your friends who were out at the night. Listen to their comments but take their comments in perspective as you are not only DJing for them, but for the whole room.
If I'm ever having a bad dancing night or just not liking the music, I do like to take 15 minutes out to study the floor and how the DJ is working it. Sometimes is see that I may not like the music, but the majority of the floor is really enjoying them selves on the floor. It's amazing how much you can learn from studying DJ's and the floor.

Brian

Pretty eclectic, sounds like a set built for fun.

I am super tired of Lavender Coffin (and Rock House and a few other songs in that vein) though.

Nice work Alex! That's a great selection. I wish I'd been there to dance. If you're interested, I'll talk to the guys about having you spin a set at the park. That would be fun.

As for songs that are over-played, well it's a fine balance. They're overplayed because they're good to dance too. I know I'm guilty of playing certain songs (Janis Siegel's Bei Mir Bist Du Schon) too often, just because I love to dance to them.

Once Dave Wong was on a Flyin' Home kick. He played different versions of it every weekend for months. Then he went all out & played 5 different versions of it in a row. The dancers were not too happy, but those of us a the dj booth were laughing.

As for Mahna Mahna...well, I like to play it, but only as a last song. Then again, at LitP, we go crazy on last songs. Tee hee hee...

I personally don't think Rock House is a great song to dance to (boring rhythm, boring riff) but that's just me. And I know you weren't necessarily referring to that song in particular.

I just like complaining.

Naomi wrote:If you're interested, I'll talk to the guys about having you spin a set at the park. That would be fun.

oooh...yes, i'd love to some time. pm/email me if you want to set it up.


and thanks for the encouraging comments, everyone. :o)

I personally don't think Rock House is a great song to dance to (boring rhythm, boring riff) but that's just me. And I know you weren't necessarily referring to that song in particular.

I just like complaining.

LOL - Don't we all? As for Rock House, it's spoiled for me. We have a "creepy guy" who requests it almost every week. Then he asks me to dance with him. Then he tries to get me to do arials. To Rock House!

julius wrote:I just like complaining.

julius wrote:Pretty eclectic, sounds like a set built for fun.

I am super tired of Lavender Coffin (and Rock House and a few other songs in that vein) though.

lucky for you I don't own Lavender Coffin otherwise I'd play it at SLE for you . When I first started DJ'ing I played Manhattan Transfer's version of Rock House, which is a fun song, but not the best for dancing. I like Ray's version of Rock House now and again but I have not heard that in Seattle for a while.

Alex - to me this set reads pretty beginner friendly - i.e. lots of lyrics, lots of explicit rhythm songs, lots of mid-tempo. So if that was your target audience I'm sure they enjoyed all the songs. I would try to mix in some more up-tempo instrumentals and some slower blues if the crowd was more advanced.