alain’s dance blog

DJ Jesse Miner from San Francisco broadcasts a monthly podcast on swing and blues music for dancers. The current podcast was recorded live at Swing Out New Hampshire, a Lindy Hop dance camp happening on Labor Day weekend every year in Hebron, NH, and features a Top 8 song selection by SONH DJs.

I listen to these podcasts every month. They are a great way to keep up-to-date on current Lindy Hop events as well as to discover new music. The Top 8 series is my favorite feature because the music is always hot! In the past, there’s been a Top 8 Ella Fitzgerald, a Top 8 Jump Blues, a Top 8 Holiday swing songs and many more.

Download and listen to the Hey Mr. Jesse podcast on Yehoodi.

Yesterday I stopped at one of the many second-hand music shops in Montreal. L’Échange on St-Denis near Des Pins had some pretty good finds. There was a Sidney Bechet 2CD import for $14 with some of my favorite tunes like “Shake it or break it” and “Viper Mad”. There was also an Ella Fitzgerald CD for $7 with the hand-clapping version of “Goody Goody” (25/2/1952).

L’Échange St-Denis, 3694 rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2X 3L7 Tél.: (514) 849-1913

Here are a few other choice second-hand spots in Montreal to shop around for jazz music.

• Cheap Thrills 2044 Metcalfe, (514) 844-8988
• L’Échange Mont-Royal 713 Mont-Royal E., (514) 523-6389
• Beatnick 3770 St-Denis, (514) 842-0664

I’ll admit that for DJ-ing, you can be pretty picky about the albums you buy, especially when you are on a budget. So if you’re looking for specific CDs, don’t forget online retailers for used CDs - Ebay, Amazon and Gemm. However if you like to explore music by artist, it’s much more fun to dig in and get your hands dirty rummaging through those used record shops.

It’s pretty much a treasure hunt. You’ll get frustrated a lot, but finding the occasional gem will make it all worthwhile!

Next week, we’re having our second Battle of the Swing DJs at Cat’s Corner. It’s going to be a tag team battle AC vs. DK.

In the old school corner, we’ve got DJ Danny-O, head DJ at the Canadian Swing Championships for the last six years, and superman DJ “Ka-El” Karrwright Lee, who just got back from Japan. I had to convince Karrwright to come out of retirement for this one, so this will be a rare occasion to see one of the Montreal originals in action.

In the newcomer corner, we’ve got the youngsters from Cat’s, DJ Carl Nelson who will be DJing at the upcoming Albany Chill, and DJ Alain Wong (me).

Don’t miss it. It’s gonna be violent.

This is the playlist of the Saturday late night at the Montreal Lindy Hop Exchange 2007. Nathan Shetterley started off which some groovy mood music while people ate, and then dancing resumed at around 2am.

DJ Mike Thibault from Rochester and DJ Alain Wong from Montreal trading songs, mostly four at a time.

Savoy Blues Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band
Effervescent Blues John Kirby & His Orchestra
The Darktown Strutters’ Ball Alberta Hunter
Flying Home Barnet, Charlie
Moten Swing Kansas City Band
The Comeback Count Basie & Joe Williams
Roll With My Baby Ray Charles
Let’s Get Together (edit) Chick Webb/ Ella Fitzgerald
Don’t Go ‘way Nobody Boilermaker Jazz Band
Track 19 Mystery Track
Like It Is Erroll Garner
Honeysuckle Rose Ella Fitzgerald
Don’t Be That Way Lionel Hampton
One O’Clock Jump rip Coleman Hawkins & The Metronome All-Stars
The Very Thought of You Billie Holiday
Death Came A Knockin’ Ruthie Foster
It’s All Right Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
Hound Dog Big Mama Thornton
Cry To Me Solomon Burke
Groove Me King Floyd
Shoorah Shoorah Allen Toussiant with Chocolate Milk
What Makes The Ending So Sad Lou Rawls
Never Make Your Move Too Soon (edit) Ernestine Anderson
Splanky Count Basie
Skin ‘Em Back (Original) rip Skeets Tolbert and His Gentlemen Of Swing
Exactly Like You The Benny Goodman Quartet
It’s De-Lovely Boilermaker Jazz Band
Yes Indeed Tommy Dorsey
Keep on Churnin’ Wynonie Harris
Got To Give It Up, Part 1 Marvin Gaye
Let’s Get It On (Demo Take) Marvin Gaye
Ocean Of Tears Ruthie Foster
Lonely Teardrops Jackie Wilson
Please Mama Please Go Cat Go
You Sexy Thing Hot Chocolate
When the lights Go Out Jimmy Witherspoon
Gimme a pigfoot Lavern Baker
On The Sunny Side Of The Street Lionel Hampton
They Can’t Take That Away Carmen McRae
A Letter To Heaven Sister Wynona Carr
Just A-Sittin’ And A-Rockin’ Ben Webster
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A letter (Ahlert-Young) Jay McShann
Black And Tan Fantasy Duke Ellington
You are My Sunshine Bill Henderson
Trouble in Mind Nina Simone
Midnight Blues (Red Shirt) Jimmy Witherspoon
You Send Me Aretha Franklin

Duke Ellington - Blanton-Webster Band or Early Ellington

On the Mura Dehn dance documentary “the Spirit Moves” - a must-see for any Lindy Hop, Charleston or Blues dancer interested in the roots of the dance - you can hear Black and Tan Fantasy, The Mooche, Creole Rhapsody and East St.Louis Toodle-O layered over the dancing. Despite the low sound quality, early Ellington recordings are worth listening to, especially the cuts with jazz trumpet growler Bubber Miley.

For dancing the Lindy Hop, go for The Blanton-Webster Band, a 3-disc album spanning 1939-1942 with the complete recordings of Ellington’s orchestra with bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Some of Ellington’s best compositions can be found on this set, such as Harlem Air-Shaft, played by the band at the Invitational Jack and Jill at ULHS 2005. Other masterpieces include In A Mellow Tone, Main Stem and Cotton Tail.