Song Samples

[Jerry_Jelinek]

Here are the answers to the song samples I post 2 weeks ago:

http://www.wkhr.org/SwingDJs/

Clip 1 - At The Jazz Band Ball - Andy Stein - from the CD "Goin'
Places" - on Stomp Off Records 001. Andy is one of the most versatile
violinists in New York today. Has a great love of swing violin
playing. He has 2 CDs out on jazz violin that are great.

Clip 3 - Father Knickerbopper - Ted Heath Big Band - From 2 CD Set
"Big Ben Bounce" - on Proper PVCD116 - Great 2 CD set of mid to late
1940s recordings from Englands best big band.

Clip 8 - Melancholy - Bob Scobey Frisco Band - from CD "Vol 1. The
Scoby Story" - on Fantasy - unknown CD number. Bob was one of the
west coast traditional jazz bands from the 50s that had success. Fine
trumpet player and always a gret trad. jazz group.

Clip 4 - Flat Foot - Turk Murphy - from the CD "A Natural High" - on
Bainbridge label CD BCD501. Turk is another of the traditional jazz
bands from the San Fran Bay area in the 60s and 70s.

Clip 7 - Just Plain Meyer - Terry Gibbs Dream Band - From the CD
"Dream Band Vol. 3" - on Contemporary CCD-7654-2. Tery had the
hardest swing band in L.A. during the late 50s. It was stocked with
the finest musicians that alway swung the heck of out of the charts.

Clip 9 - Winding Way - Blue Wisp Big Band - on CD "20th Anniversary" -
on Sea Breeze SB-2114 . John Von Ohlen (former Kenton drummer) has led
this Cincinnati big band every Wed night for 20+ years. Always a
great group, but more geared toward non swing jazz charts.

Clip 2 - Date for Eight - Billy Kyle's Big Eight - on Mosaic Complete
H.R.S. Sessions MD6-187. Billy Kyle was the pianist with John Kirby
and then for a long time with Louis Armstrong. This 6 CD set has
various sessions, in many styles from early through mid 1940s.

Clip 5 - High Society - Jack Teagarden - on Mosaic Complete Roulette
Jack Teagarden Sessions - MD4-218. This is a MUST HAVE for any Jack
Teagarden fan. The entire set of recordings is fantastic. Nearly
every track has one of the true unsung heroes of 60s traditional jazz
trumpet players - Don Goldie.

Clip 6 - Terry Cloth - Tito Puente - Complete RCA Recordings - Vol 2
RCA 74321-88222-2 - Along with being one of the innovators of Salsa,
Tito was one of the house bands at Birdland. He had a great jazz and
latin jazz group.

Clip 10 - Gimme That Wine - Lambert, Hendricks and Ross - This is my
favorite track of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. One of the clever
examples of Jon's mastery of comical lyrics.

[djstarr]

Ok, I was waiting for the cheat sheet.

Clip 1 - At The Jazz Band Ball - Andy Stein - from the CD "Goin'
Places" - on Stomp Off Records 001. Andy is one of the most versatile
violinists in New York today. Has a great love of swing violin
playing. He has 2 CDs out on jazz violin that are great.

nice tune - I might go out and get this - bass line sounds like bass sax, too low for bari I think.

Clip 3 - Father Knickerbopper - Ted Heath Big Band - From 2 CD Set
"Big Ben Bounce" - on Proper PVCD116 - Great 2 CD set of mid to late
1940s recordings from Englands best big band.

A Canadian dancer friend from rural BC loves Ted Heath....this lacks "soul". It's more of a concert piece.

Clip 8 - Melancholy - Bob Scobey Frisco Band - from CD "Vol 1. The
Scoby Story" - on Fantasy - unknown CD number. Bob was one of the
west coast traditional jazz bands from the 50s that had success. Fine
trumpet player and always a gret trad. jazz group.

this is really nice - another CD I'll probably go get

Clip 4 - Flat Foot - Turk Murphy - from the CD "A Natural High" - on
Bainbridge label CD BCD501. Turk is another of the traditional jazz
bands from the San Fran Bay area in the 60s and 70s.

nice, but almost *too* charlestony. this sound goes over once or twice a night, but too much of this will get you written up on the forum

Clip 7 - Just Plain Meyer - Terry Gibbs Dream Band - From the CD
"Dream Band Vol. 3" - on Contemporary CCD-7654-2. Tery had the
hardest swing band in L.A. during the late 50s. It was stocked with
the finest musicians that alway swung the heck of out of the charts.

maybe - intro is good, but when vibe solo comes in with the drums it kind of sucks.

Clip 9 - Winding Way - Blue Wisp Big Band - on CD "20th Anniversary" -
on Sea Breeze SB-2114 . John Von Ohlen (former Kenton drummer) has led
this Cincinnati big band every Wed night for 20+ years. Always a
great group, but more geared toward non swing jazz charts.

easy groove - I would play this after a big hot number - this is nice and relaxing dance music.

Clip 2 - Date for Eight - Billy Kyle's Big Eight - on Mosaic Complete
H.R.S. Sessions MD6-187. Billy Kyle was the pianist with John Kirby
and then for a long time with Louis Armstrong. This 6 CD set has
various sessions, in many styles from early through mid 1940s.

ok - I don't really like the polka-ish sound of the clarinet. Even though I really like Billy Kyle on the All star recordings.

Clip 5 - High Society - Jack Teagarden - on Mosaic Complete Roulette
Jack Teagarden Sessions - MD4-218. This is a MUST HAVE for any Jack
Teagarden fan. The entire set of recordings is fantastic. Nearly
every track has one of the true unsung heroes of 60s traditional jazz
trumpet players - Don Goldie.

oh yeah; you have almost talked me into getting these recordings. This is really hot; I've been digging Jack T. lately and this sound is really fun to dance to; more so than track 4. This "chicago" or "dixieland" sound is a little smoother and you can dance different styles than just straight charleston to it.

Clip 6 - Terry Cloth - Tito Puente - Complete RCA Recordings - Vol 2
RCA 74321-88222-2 - Along with being one of the innovators of Salsa,
Tito was one of the house bands at Birdland. He had a great jazz and
latin jazz group.

another easy groove sound - nice when you want to cool the crowd down.

Clip 10 - Gimme That Wine - Lambert, Hendricks and Ross - This is my
favorite track of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. One of the clever
examples of Jon's mastery of comical lyrics.

totally not danceable, but I listened to the whole song about 3 times - it's pretty funny.

[Jerry_Jelinek]

Hi Brenda,

Ok, I was waiting for the cheat sheet....

Let me guess, you used cliff notes in school???!!!

....Clip 1 - At The Jazz Band Ball - Andy Stein..
nice tune - I might go out and get this - bass line sounds like bass sax, too low for bari I think.

Andy is very talented. And your right, it is a bass sax. The 2 CDs he has out on jazz are a bit hard to find.
Internet will be your best chance. If you have trouble finding them, let me know and I'll make sure you can get in
touch with Andy. I think for trad., Venuti style of violin jazz, you will enjoy the CDs.

...Clip 3 - Father Knickerbopper - Ted Heath Big Band...
A Canadian dancer friend from rural BC loves Ted Heath....this lacks "soul". It's more of a concert piece.

I was really torn on which track to pick. The band he had played everything from Miller style of sweet swing to the
harder bebop stuff. If you want a wide variety of styles, played very well, then this Proper Set is worth
investigating. The band is top notch.

...Clip 7 - Just Plain Meyer - Terry Gibbs Dream Band...
maybe - intro is good, but when vibe solo comes in with the drums it kind of sucks.

This gets to be a matter of taste. The Gibbs band charts are used a lot around here in big band settings for dances.
The band recordings from the 50s and early 60s are just amazing. Terry had a rehersal band stocked full of the top west
coast studio guys. High energy and great charts and performers. If you want a fine example of late 50s hard swinging
bands, you will be hard pressed to find anything better.

....Clip 2 - Date for Eight - Billy Kyle's Big Eight....
ok - I don't really like the polka-ish sound of the clarinet. Even though I really like Billy Kyle on the All star
recordings.

Buster Bailey is the clarinet player on this recording. The Mosaic H.R.S. set that this track was taken from is a nice
listening set. I use it a lot of the radio. It will be a mixed bag for dancing music. Has some great stuff by Pee Wee
Russell, Sidney Bechet, Trummy Young, Billy Kyle, but also explores more non dance things.

...Clip 5 - High Society - Jack Teagarden - on Mosaic...
oh yeah; you have almost talked me into getting these recordings. This is really hot;

Brenda I'm a huge Mr. T fan and this Mosaic - Roulette set is killer. I love Don Goldie and he is on nearly every
track. I may not be an expert on dance music, but I can't see how any fan of Jack will not LOVE this set. And with
these Mosaic things, if you get caught short, you are out of luck.

I'm already putting some more clips together for next week.

Jerry

[Jerry_Jelinek]

Hi all,

After watching all the great balboa dancers last evening, and then hearing the great Boilermakers band live (Thanks Paul - what a treat), I got the urge to post some new sound samples.

Enjoy:

http://www.wkhr.org/SwingDJs/

[Matthew]

Thanks for creating these. I enjoy them. My thoughts on the latest samples:

Song 1: I've got a couple of Ellington versions of this, and I'm probably biased. I'm okay with the first 24 seconds of this one, but then it gets too boppish for my taste.

Song 2: Okay. I like the tempo, and there are some melodic things to play with, but overall, it doesn't sound all that unique.

Song 3: Sounds very electronic, as though it had been sequenced. Is this by that guy (I forget his name) who creates Big Band stuff electronically? Perhaps it's just my PC's audio setup.

Song 4: Things to play with, uptempo, tight playing - I'd probably enjoy dancing. Horns have that 1940s-sounding "punch."

Song 5: Interesting sound - very modern, with the banjo on top of the beat. I'd like to hear what they'd do with the vocals. Doesn't impress me greatly, probably due to that banjo.

Song 6: Sounds sort of confusing at the beginning; first 10 seconds sound to me like a Basie-style band, but then the trombone sounds like a "sweet," band. Melodic stuff to play with, though, and a nice, mid-range tempo. I'd probably play this.

Song 7: Sounds familiar. I think I've heard this in a video from some exchange or competition. I enjoy it quite a bit because it's uptempo and has a lot of melodic stuff to play with.

Song 8: What the heck?! The melody's only sort of intact in the first part. I'd play this if I wanted to torture the crowd.

Song 9: Okay. I neither love nor hate this one. Yeah, I'd probably play it if I thought there was a significant group that would enjoy it. Otherwise, I'd pick something else.

Bonus song: Ugh. Some people would probably love it. If somebody begged me and got me to play it, I'd then leave it at home for a year.

[Jerry_Jelinek]

Thanks for creating these. I enjoy them. My thoughts on the latest samples:

Thanks Matthew. It is fun to dig out some more obscure things to hear the pro DJs impressions.

Just a quicky note on one of the clips:

Song 8: What the heck?! The melody's only sort of intact in the first part. I'd play this if I wanted to torture the crowd.

This was actually going to be my original 'bonus clip' as a non dancing performance. I agree this is not a dance track.

I slipped it into the 'dance' clips in honor of putting a Ray Charles clip as the bonus.

FYI,

[jmatthew]

I'm writing before reading the other responses, so I can compare my thoughts with the greats without being prejudiced.

1. Not into at all.
2. Okay, but kind of repetitive, might make an okay Bal.
3. This is kind of a wierd song. The beat is pretty fast (200ish) but the feeling is much slower. I think it'd be really hard to feel like you're dancing well to it, which might frustrate people, which is something I don't want.
4. I like this one. Not in love, but the musicallity is interesting and energetic, and doesn't seem to get away from teh actual beat as number three.
5. I like. Seems like a fun song to play with. Not a very beginner friendly song, but experienced dancers would probably have fun with it, and I like it's energy.
6. I'm not sure if it's the crappy sound system on my laptop or what, but the beat on this song got burried way down in the almost inaudable range for me. Other than that it sounds solid if not inspiring.
7. I'm actually torn on this one. It could be fun to play with for a fast tune, but then it doens't sound like it's going to inspire a lot of fast dancing. /shrug.
8. Wow fast. Not sure anyone would dance to this around here, but would be fun if I found a group that would.
9. I liked. Not awe inspiring, but definately solid. I'm sure people around here would dance to it, has some nice musicallity, pace is good.
bonus: Fun. Lots of energy, playful and different. I'm sure people would dance to this around here and have a good time. Definately wouldn't be a staple, but as a one-shot or a rare spin it'd definately go over well.

[djstarr]

Hi all,

After watching all the great balboa dancers last evening, and then hearing the great Boilermakers band live (Thanks Paul - what a treat), I got the urge to post some new sound samples.

Enjoy:

http://www.wkhr.org/SwingDJs/

yeah! Finally got to post early on some listening;

1: this is ok; hard to beat the original (which is getting played a lot in Seattle right now), but this would be worth trying - I like the bass.
2: has good drive even with the drummer clang clang clanging. Not sure if it would make my book, depends on how it ends.
3: rick a tick a tick - high cheese factor for me
4: I like this a lot - good drive; good breaks; good solo; good band fills -- who is it?
5: despite "chinatown my chinatown" intro this is nice - it would play well in Seattle - got to love the tuba. Charlestony w/o being overtly so.
6: no - I liked it initially but there are either some tempo changes or 2/4 bars that would make it hard to dance to.
7: no --- kind of sounds like a bad version of "Too darn hot", but I think it's a different song -- rhythm section is bad (i.e. not in the pocket, missing a steady beat) and the rest of the band is suffering
8: like the trombone; too bad the drummer sucks.... and since this is such a well known tune [Sweet Georgia Brown - I don't think I'm spoling anything by listing it...] there are a bunch of other great fast versions - one of my favorites is Coleman Hawkins all stars on Django Reinhardt's my American friends; another is Benny Goodman quartet - Lionel sounds really nice on it (can be found on the very best of Benny Goodman).
9: again the drummer ruins for me what could be a very danceable tune...piano sounds a little Basie-esque. - later Basie?
10: Ray transcends genre --- he gets a lot of play at dances, especially this last weekend --- wish I had this tune because I'd play it tonight... This would definitely go over well when you wanted to have some fun and get the crowd out of itself.

Thanks Jerry - glad you had fun and enjoyed the Boilermakers - I couldn't quite make it to Cleveland this year, but hopefully next year I'll be there.

[kitkat]

*growl*
Can't listen to things at work, and my net access is bunk at home.

You don't have an archive, do you?

[GemZombie]

Hi all,

After watching all the great balboa dancers last evening, and then hearing the great Boilermakers band live (Thanks Paul - what a treat), I got the urge to post some new sound samples.

Enjoy:

http://www.wkhr.org/SwingDJs/

1. Not bad... has a bop feel which I'm not so into.
2. A bit repetitive, but not so bad.
3. Too "Jazzy" for my taste. Is that a bass clarinet I hear? interesting.
4. I like this one quite a bit.
5. Sweet! Fun song.
6. Just an average swing song... not bad, not great.
7. Not my thing.
8. No thanks.
9. I'd play this on my radio show, it's ok.
10. uh...

I'd be interested in knowing what tracks 2, 4, and 5 are.