SwingDJs

Laughing at people who dance ceroc or don't like jazz may not be the best way to attract new people to swing music

I think that there is a lot more variety out there. But, at least at the events I have been to (as well as locally), I have not seen a trend where one style of music is overtaking another style, just seems like people are more agreeable to more flavors of pie these days.

When I DJed at Lindy Gras, the only request I got was from a newer for some Indigo Swing. Boy, was he excited to see that I had BOTH of the albums on my laptop. I think most dancers were just happy that I was playing shorter songs, the band songs were generally all on the long side.

Razz wrote:
A few weeks back a 22 year old friend of mine expressed an interest in taking up swing. He wanted to see what it looked like, so I played him a few video clips. After about the third clip he looked kinda solemn and disinterested, "Is this the only music you guys dance to? Jazz?"

BTW - Which clips did you show him?

kitkat wrote:

Toon Town Dave wrote:it looks more like Ceroc with swingouts.

Oh my gosh, it does. I'd never thought of that.

Razz wrote:A few weeks back a 22 year old friend of mine expressed an interest in taking up swing. He wanted to see what it looked like, so I played him a few video clips. After about the third clip he looked kinda solemn and disinterested, "Is this the only music you guys dance to? Jazz?"

Ha haaaaaaaaaaaa! Quote of the day!

Oh, man, I woulda told him, "Yup...pretty much. You'll get some stuff you like better, but only a small percentage of the time. 10%, 20% maybe. Too bad it's not your cup of tea."

Hee heeeeee. That's funny.
"Jazz?"

Exactly.

I mean, Bon Jovi? Come on...

Razz wrote: "Is this the only music you guys dance to? Jazz?"
"No, we dance to this too." [Bon Jovi - One Wild Night]
I don't think I've ever seen him smile that big. Right away he wanted to know when the next lesson was.

Can you send me the names of some of these songs?

I have no objection to playing random music for newbies. Whatever it takes to get people interested in dancing, I'm all for it.

My objection is when "anything goes" becomes the default mindset for dancing a swing dance. This is an age-old objection, and not confined to Lindy Hop. There's always been a certain tension inherent in the evolution of music and a dance associated with that music; that tension is what keeps a dance in its loosely recognizable form.

Anthemic flag-wavers are discussed quite often in other threads, but I'm too lazy to dig them up. Here's a variety of fairly high energy songs that most very good Lindy Hoppers of today would recognize and regard as "lindy hop music", although a few are overplayed and would no doubt elicit groans.

Every Tub (Basie)
Jumping At the Woodside (Basie)
Jazznocracy (Lunceford)
White Heat (Lunceford)
Sing Sing Sing (Goodman)
Swingin' the Blues (Basie)
Bill's Bounce (Bill Elliott)
Shout And Feel It (Basie)
One O'Clock Jump (Basie)
Traffic Jam (Shaw)
Oh, Lady Be Good (Shaw)
Dark Eyes (Dorsey? I forget)

Nate Dogg wrote:
When I DJed at Lindy Gras, the only request I got was from a newer for some Indigo Swing. Boy, was he excited to see that I had BOTH of the albums on my laptop. I think most dancers were just happy that I was playing shorter songs, the band songs were generally all on the long side.

You know, I remember you playing "Violent Love" at Lindy Gras, and Dr. Michael White was on stage playing his clarinet with the chord changes. It is amazing how much a good musician can elevate banal material.

I also agree that people seem more receptive to a wider variety of music (within the jazz genre). I think all the extremely picky people stopped dancing because they were frustrated, haha.

julius wrote:
You know, I remember you playing "Violent Love" at Lindy Gras, and Dr. Michael White was on stage playing his clarinet with the chord changes. It is amazing how much a good musician can elevate banal material.

He probably knew it from Willie Dixon.

julius wrote:I think all the extremely picky people stopped dancing because they were frustrated, haha.

No, it was the stage that comes after frustration that did it.

Toon Town Dave wrote: By the way, you didn't answer Mary Ann's question about where you're from.

nope, don't know any of you, perhaps in time when I feel more comfortable.

Eyeball wrote:BTW - Which clips did you show him?

I don't have them on this computer... I'm pretty sure I at least showed him a certain ULHS clip of various couples and the Harlem Hot Shots video that was posted on yehoodi back in October. I'll try to get back to you on that...

julius wrote:Every Tub (Basie)
Jumping At the Woodside (Basie)
Jazznocracy (Lunceford)
White Heat (Lunceford)
Sing Sing Sing (Goodman)
Swingin' the Blues (Basie)
Bill's Bounce (Bill Elliott)
Shout And Feel It (Basie)
One O'Clock Jump (Basie)
Traffic Jam (Shaw)
Oh, Lady Be Good (Shaw)
Dark Eyes (Dorsey? I forget)

Much appreciated, thank you... I'll go looking for those posts a little later this week.

Not that I'm trying to 'razz' you, but:

http://www.swingdjs.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=48

Anonymity has its uses, but in reality most of us are pretty inoffensive. As a friend of mine once described it, swingdjs.com is like a bunch of teenage girls in pajamas playing records for each other on the bedroom floor.

julius wrote: My objection is when "anything goes" becomes the default mindset for dancing a swing dance.

Good summation of the problem.

I think the Dark Eyes you like may be by Krupa...or Stout.

Razz wrote:

Eyeball wrote:BTW - Which clips did you show him?

I don't have them on this computer... I'm pretty sure I at least showed him a certain ULHS clip of various couples and the Harlem Hot Shots video that was posted on yehoodi back in October. I'll try to get back to you on that...

Do you possess any vintage clips?

julius wrote:like a bunch of teenage girls in pajamas playing records for each other on the bedroom floor.

Except Julius still comes in a blazer on pajama night. (I don't think I have a picture of that).

Razz wrote:A few weeks back a 22 year old friend of mine expressed an interest in taking up swing. He wanted to see what it looked like, so I played him a few video clips. After about the third clip he looked kinda solemn and disinterested, "Is this the only music you guys dance to? Jazz?"

If someone isn't interested in dancing to jazz, then Lindy Hop is the wrong dance for them. Period. No need to force newbies into the wrong dance for the sake of it. Let them be not interested. Why is everybody so concerned with trying to "grow the scene" to people who have no business being in it?

Let them learn hip-hop, salsa, Ballroom or country... whatever DOES float their boat. Stop trying to make Lindy-Hop something it's not just to get your friends in the door. It's just selfish and misguided.

Ryan wrote: If someone isn't interested in dancing to jazz, then Lindy Hop is the wrong dance for them. Period. No need to force newbies into the wrong dance for the sake of it. Let them be not interested. Why is everybody so concerned with trying to "grow the scene" to people who have no business being in it?

Let them learn hip-hop, salsa, Ballroom or country... whatever DOES float their boat. Stop trying to make Lindy-Hop something it's not just to get your friends in the door. It's just selfish and misguided.

I would argue that it's up to us to help encourage and foster an interest and appreciation of jazz. We can't expect people to love it from the beginning. When I started I was interested in many aspects of Lindy Hop even though I knew very little about jazz. More 'accessible' music was a window to an eventual passion for the real jazz stuff. Very few Lindy Hoppers today start dancing because of an existing passion for jazz music.

Having said that, I completely agree that if they are never interested in dancing to swinging jazz, then they should be doing something else.