Swing with a nautical theme

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lipi
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Swing with a nautical theme

#1 Post by lipi » Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:08 pm

Short notice, but I was asked today to DJ on Wednesday and to play many "nautically themed songs". Well then.

I find, to my surprise, that at first thought, I can come up with about a million good versions of "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea", but not too much more. I suspect more variety is warranted. So, smart people, help?

Things with lyrics that mention saily-things (some are a stretch...):

"A Sailboat in the Moonlight", Billie Holiday, 1937
"When My Dreamboat Comes Home", Bing Crosby, 1942
"I Throw a Kiss in the Ocean", Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman, 1942
"Smooth Sailin'", Ella Fitzgerald, 1953
"Down by the Riverside", George Lewis, 1953
"Beyond the Sea" (laugh all you want, people love it), Bobby Darin, 1958
"Down by the Riverside", Louis Armstrong, 1958
"On a Slow Boat to China", Ella Fitzgerald, 1961

Things without lyrics that are, therefore, only for my own amusement:

"Showboat Shuffle", Mills Blue Rhythm Band, 1936
"Riverboat Shuffle", Muggsy Spanier, 1939
"Smooth Sailing", Horace Henderson, 1940
"Riverboat Shuffle", Wild Bill Davison and his Commodores, 1943
"Song of the Volga Boatmen", Glenn Miller, 1944
"Song of the Volga Boatmen", Ted Heath and His Music, 1946
"When My Dreamboat Comes Home", Billie & De De Pierce, 1962
"La Mer", Pearl Django, 2003

What the hell? There ought to be loads more. Oh, I just thought of two more: "Swanee River", and "Wade in the Water", of course. :o)

So, list your favourite nautically themed things for dancing. I'm unlikely to purchase anything before Wednesday, but perhaps I already have them, or perhaps this odd request will come up again in the future.

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J-h:n
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#2 Post by J-h:n » Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:25 am

With lyrics:

"Barnacle Bill the Sailor", Hoagy Carmichael, 1930 (there's also a much later Louis Prima/Keely Smith version)
"How Deep Is the Ocean", Washboard Rhythm Kings, 1932; Billie Holiday, 1954 (and many other versions)
"Ol' Man River", Cootie Williams/Jerry Kruger, 1938 (fast version; there are of course lots of slow ones)
"Lazy River", Casa Loma Orchestra, 1939 (and many other versions)
"Charlie Was a Sailor", Lionel Hampton/Spirits of Rhythm/Douglas Daniels, 1940
"Blue River", Jack Teagarden, 1941
"There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon" (from Porgy & Bess), Louis Armstrong/Ella Fitzgerald, 1957

Without lyrics:

"Steamboat Stomp", Jelly Roll Morton, 1926
"Deep River", Tommy Dorsey, 1941
"Shipyard Social Function", Lucky Millinder, 1943
"Rockabye River", Duke Ellington, 1946

lipi
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#3 Post by lipi » Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:22 pm

Thanks!

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JesseMiner
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#4 Post by JesseMiner » Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:10 pm

A few more:
- "Captain Kidd" by Ella Mae Morse - The Very Best Of
- "Christopher Columbus" by Maxine Sullivan - A Tribute to Andy Razaf

If you can stretch the theme to general Ocean-related material:
- "At The Codfish Ball" by Dan Levinson - At the Codfish Ball

And from Reuben's past DJing, this is apparently appropriate to play at a swing dance:
- "Come Sail Away" by Cartman - Chef Aid: The South Park Album :shock:

Jesse

lipi
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#5 Post by lipi » Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:52 pm

Great stuff! Thanks, Jesse!

"Christopher Columbus": of course! Will definitely play this, or maybe the Henderson version (though it lacks vocals).

"At the Codfish Ball": I have two versions of this (don't have the Levinson one): Bob Crosby and Dean Mora. I'll add them to my shortlist. I guess I should look into "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and such things, too.

"Blue River": I actually prefer the slightly faster (150 bpm) 1927 version by Trumbauer (with Bix and Eddie Lang). I'd forgotten about that tune, so I'm glad you mentioned it, Johan!

"Ol' Man River": oh, yes, that Holiday track is excellent! Yes, thanks!

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Travis
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#6 Post by Travis » Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:20 am

Yacht Club Swing.
Jazz will endure as long as people hear it with their feet instead of their brains. --John Philip Sousa

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Gong-Oh
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#7 Post by Gong-Oh » Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:36 am

"Cryin' In The Deep Blue Sea" by Hank Thompson.
"Steamboat Bill" (Mora's Modern Rhythmists' version)

Lorenzo

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Platypus
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#8 Post by Platypus » Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:09 pm

Last month, I put together a "travel" set of swing and blues - here are a few more for your list, includes some blues:
I Am Sailin' Maria Muldaur 3:43
Lord Let Me In The Lifeboat Sidney Bechet 3:35
Red Sails In The Sunset Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra 3:04
Sail On T-Bone Walker 5:07
Sail On Little Girl Jimmy Witherspoon 2:50
Shipyard Blues Bryan Lee 4:32
Shipyard Ramble Erskine Hawkins And His Orchestra 3:31
Shipyard Woman Blues Jay Mcshann, His Piano & Orchestra, Jimmy Witherspoon 3:02
Someone's Rockin' My Dreamboat Boilermaker Jazz Band 3:44
A slip of the lip can sink a ship - Duke Ellington

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Jose Tello
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#9 Post by Jose Tello » Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:26 am

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but there's also "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (The Careless Lovers version is fantastic)

lipi
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#10 Post by lipi » Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:44 pm

Jose Tello wrote:Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but there's also "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (The Careless Lovers version is fantastic)
Well, from the first message in the thread:
[...] I can come up with about a million good versions of "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" [...]
I have 36 recordings in my library, but these are the ones I prefer to play at dances:

Dicky Wells and His Orchestra, 1937
Benny Goodman and the Rhythm Makers, 1935-6-6
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, 1935-7-1
Buck Clayton and His Orchestra, 1955
Count Basie and His Orchestra, 1939 (two takes)
Edmond Hall with the Ralph Sutton Group, 1954
Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, 1996
New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 2002

I'll have to give the Careless Lovers version a listen.

lipi
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#11 Post by lipi » Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:58 pm

While I'm at it, here are the nautical tracks I played that night. I played a total of 45 tracks, 22 of which are below. Admittedly some are a bit of a stretch. The other 23, which I won't bore you with, were your usual non-nautical swing.

Smooth Sailin' -- Ella Fitzgerald and her Quartet -- J.A.T.P. in Tokyo 1953 -- 132 -- 1953
Christopher Columbus -- Maxine Sullivan -- A Tribute to Andy Razaf -- 153 -- 1956
Yacht Club Swing -- Fats Waller and His Rhythm -- The Complete Recorded Works, Volume 5: 1938-1940 -- 176 -- 1938
High Tide -- Count Basie -- Jazz Archives 76: The Golden Years Vol. 4 1944/45 (The V-Discs) -- 152 -- 1945
La Mer -- Pearl Django -- Swing 48 -- 161 -- 2003
Down by the Riverside -- Louis Armstrong -- Louis and the Good Book -- 178 -- 1958
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea -- Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers -- One Hour Mama -- 172 -- 1996
At the Codfish Ball -- Bob Crosby & His Orchestra -- Associated Transcriptions 1936, Vol. 1 -- 204 -- 1936
When My Dreamboat Comes Home -- Bing Crosby -- Crosby: His Legendary Years (1931-1957) -- 170 -- 1942
Froggy Bottom -- Jimmy Witherspoon with Jay McShann and His Band -- Goin' to Kansas City Blues -- 152 -- 1957
Christopher Columbus -- Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra -- Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions -- 185 -- 1936
A Sailboat in the Moonlight -- Billie Holiday -- Complete Columbia Golden Years Recordings -- 115 -- 1937
Beyond the Sea -- Bobby Darin -- Mack the Knife: The Best of Bobby Darin, Volume Two -- 143 -- 1958
Wade in the Water -- Eva Cassidy -- Yeahman III -- 120 -- ?
I Throw a Kiss in the Ocean -- Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman -- Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman: The Complete Recordings 1941-1947 -- 161 -- 1942
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea -- Dicky Wells and his Orchestra -- Django Reinhardt & His American Friends: Complete Sessions -- 190 -- 1937
Song of the Volga Boatmen -- Glenn Miller -- The Lost Recordings -- 133 -- 1944
Saturday Night Fish Fry (Pt.1) -- Roy Eldridge Sextet -- Roy Eldridge: Little Jazz Trumpet Giant, Disc 3: King David In Paris...And Stockholm, Too -- 169 -- 1951
Backwater Blues -- Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns -- Lucky Devil -- 107 -- 2010
Smooth Sailing -- Horace Henderson & His Orchestra -- The Real Kansas City of the '20s, '30s & '40s -- 163 -- 1940
Swanee River -- Benny Goodman and His Orchestra -- Classic Columbia and Okeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Sessions (1939-1958) -- 160 -- 1958
O Mary Don't You Weep -- Bruce Springsteen -- We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - American Land Edition -- 135 -- 2006

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