alain’s dance blog

This weekend, I had supper at the House of Jazz to celebrate my dance partner Mélanie’s birthday. Formerly known as Biddles (for Charlie Biddle, father of the Montreal Jazz Festival), the House of Jazz is a world-renowned hot spot in the heart of Montreal.

“The House of Jazz, formerly Biddle’s, first opened in 1968 but in 1981, became an exclusive jazz house when one-time forestry-engineer-turned-mega-entrepreneur Georges Durst took the reins. Oliver Jones, Oscar Peterson, Liza Minelli, Skip Bey—these are but a few of the legendary vocalists and musicians to have performed at the HoJ, where patrons swear by the Louisiana-style chicken and ribs. The formula has proven so successful, in fact, that Durst along with partner and former Soviet superstar goalie Vladislav Tretiak has new chains lined up for Hong Kong, Moscow and Paris.”

Taken from Play-Montreal.com

The live band Saturday night featured Michelle Sweeney on vocals, Tim Alleyne on drums, Samuel Cournoyer on bass and Steve Corbey on piano and keyboard. They played many crowd favorites, while adding their own flavor to the songs. Here’s part of their setlist, along with the artists/interpreters I associate these songs to: Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight), Respect (Aretha Franklin), Georgia on my mind (Ray Charles), Home (Bublé), Superstition (Stevie Wonder), At Last (Etta James).

They were awesome! They had rhythm and oomph to their sets, so that even the ballads had energy. And Michelle Sweeney is a born entertainer. Even with a voice that was off that night, she balanced it out with her energetic stage presence, bold wit and character. With her daughter in the audience, Michelle played off the mother/daughter relationship between songs and kept us thoroughly entertained. What a personality!!! Michelle alone is worth the $5 cover charge for live music.

Wanting to hire her for a dance event, I asked if she sang swing songs. Unfortunately, she replied, “I’m more of a Blues /R’nB person.” However, she would be perfect for a motown/soul night à la Swing & Soul! So I ended up buying her CD with her contact info on the cover.

Michelle did refer me to Ranee Lee, a Montreal vocalist known for her scatting skills. I will have to check her out.

For those who were there, you know how amazing the Cat’s Corner Halloween party was. For those who missed it, we’ll have pictures up shortly on the Cat’s Corner website.

Here is a sneak preview. Dianne Eramo’s hidden talent - spreading spiderwebs.

Because more than 50 Montrealers are going to ALHC, we moved our Halloween swing dance to November 2nd.

The Cat’s Corner Halloween theme this year is the Undead. Zombies, vampires, ghosts, mummies (and anything that lives between life and death…perhaps your boring chemistry teacher?) will be welcome in our jazzy cemetary. Bring your imagination, your lust for death and… your dance shoes of course. Be prepared for surprises and a prize for the best costume.

Here are some pictures from last year’s Pirate Halloween swing dance party at Cat’s:

Shona Harris interviewed Fred and me during the Dance Museum show broadcasted every Thursday from 2-3pm at CKUT 90.3 FM, Montreal’s McGill campus community radio. We’ve been on this show before with Katherine Blekinsop, and it’s always a pleasure to talk about the swing dance scene in Montreal.

You can listen to the CKUT interview (26 mins). I apologize to Fred for cutting him off and monopolizing some of the answers. After listening to the interview, I realized I need to improve my interview skills. I need to work on listening, on enunciating and on being less of a control-freak. And maybe brush up on my dance history.
Oh, and if there are inaccuracies in our answers, please let me know. I definitely don’t pretend to know everything.

It was cool doing the interview. Thanks Shona! And tune in to CKUT 90.3 FM, the voice of artists in Montreal.

I had met Dianne Eramo a few times in Lindy Hop events, but only got to know her a few weeks ago at Showdown when she shared a hotel room with us Montrealers. She’s an awesome person and inspiring dancer, and she totally deserved making the final in the Solo blues contest there.

So when she told us she intended to visit Montreal in November, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to inspire Montrealers with her dancing.

So here it is, straight from New York City for the first time, two drop-in classes on Saturday November 3rd with Dianne Eramo. It’s gonna be hot!

Here’s a video of Dianne and Lee Tucker winning the Strictly at Wicked Lindy in Boston 2007.