Tickets for Uppsala Winter Swing released tomorrow

Tickets for the big annual jazz festival in Uppsala, Uppsala Winter Swing, will be released at Uppsala Nya Tidning (UNT) tomorrow. UNT is located at Dragarbrunnsgatan 24 in Uppsala.

Peter Lind & The Cabaret Band will play between 10 and 12 tomorrow. In case you haven't heard them, you should definitly take the chance to see them. They are a very entertaining and swinging band.

I'll post more about Uppsala Winter Swing later on, with all the details about which jazz orchestras and artists that will perform at the jazz festival. Uppsala Winter Swing takes place on Jan 26th 2008.

You might want to read all the articles I've written about the jazz festival.

The photo is taken by me at their show Good Evening Everybody and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Are you planning to attend Uppsala Winter Swing? Tell me.

Pidgin: concert at Hijazz: Photos

Last Saturday the jazz band Pidgin had a concert at Hijazz in Uppsala. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.



Pidgin consists of Joakim Simonsson (piano), Pär-Ola Landin (bass), Thomas Opava (percussion), Daniel Olsson (drums) and Joakim Milder (saxophone). This time Joakim Milder was replaced by Fredrik Nordström.

Pidgin plays very soft and lyrical jazz. From my point of view I also sense a touch of Swedish folk music. Most songs were composed by Joakim Simonsson.



The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.



Have you heard Pidgin? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Buddy Rich plays Well Git It at the Tonight Show

Well, Git It is one of the most infectious swing songs I know. Here is a video clip from the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson from Oct. 2, 1985 featuring drummer Buddy Rich playing Well, Git It.



If that doesn't get you snapping your fingers, nothing will.

I have to find out more about the individual musicians in this video: Doc Severinsen, Tommy Newsom, Snooky Young and also Buddy Rich himself. Do you have any tips on what I should hear or see?

What do you think about the video clip with Buddy Rich playing Well Git It? Tell me.

Biz & Art: Lindy hop at Cats Corner

Cats corner, Swingkattens weekly dance night, is featured in a new glossy magazine in Uppsala called Biz & Art. Whee!

I'm one of the persons that are interviewed and I think the article gives a good view of what Cats Corner and the swing dance scene in Uppsala is like. The article has bit and pieces about: lindy hop, balboa, Swingkatten and Herräng Dance Camp. The article hasn't got space to go in depth but it is a nice appetizer for those who are interested in dance.


The article got nice photos taken by Stewen Quigley at Q Image.

Issue nr 2 of Biz & Art has also got articles about belly dancing and flamenco. You can buy the magazine at Akademibokhandeln LundeQ at Forumgallerian.

Have you read the article in Biz & Art? What do you think of it? Tell me.

Splanky - Count Basie - Montreux Jazz Festival

Splanky played by Count Basie is one of the classic swing songs you should know of. Here is a excellent up-tempo version of Splanky by Count Basie at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977.



Splanky is written by composer and arranger Neal Hefti.

Watch other classic swing songs like Corner Pocket with Count Basie and In the Mood with Glenn Miller.

What do yoy think of the video clip with Count Basie playing Splanky? Tell me.

Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers: Music video shoot

Last Sunday Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers shot a music video at Grand. Along with the band there were a lot of dancers from Swingkatten dressed up in the style of the 1940's and 1950's.

Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers is a rhythm & blues band from Uppsala that also plays jump blues. They are collecting material for their second album that hopefully will be out sometime next year.

Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers will play tonight at Pub 19 in Uppsala at 21 o'clock. If you have the opportunity, you should see them.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Have you seen or heard Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers before? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Thank you all readers of Swing, Jazz and Blues!

Since it's Thanksgiving in USA today, I thought it might be appropriate to celebrate the day, even though I'm living in Sweden.

Honestly, I wasn't sure, when I started this blog, how long it would last. But now after having done more than 300 posts, I'm pretty sure it will be here for a while.

I've learned so much about swing, jazz and blues that I didn't know in the beginning of the year. I've seen and heard so many amazing jazz and blues musicians. Thank you for sharing your music. I'm truly grateful for being able to experience so many great jazz concerts. Thank you UJC.

I'm thankful for all the people who are reading the blog, about 1000 people are regular readers. Please don't be shy, I would love more comments and I also would like to get to know you better.

At last, I would like to thank all the great people I meet every day.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and I hope you like what this blog has become. Thank you!

The St James Infirmary Blues - Animation

The song "The St James Infirmary Blues" sung and played by Louis Armstrong has been turned into an animation by Dhar Jabouri. Watch the video clip with "The St James Infirmary Blues".



The version of St James Infirmary Blues in this animation might be from Louis Armstrong's recording in 1928, but I'm not sure. If you know, please tell me.

One guy that should know is Rob Walker, who has collected a lot of material about the song. Take a look at Rob Walker's blog about St James Infirmary Blues.

What do you think of the video clip? Tell me.

Monica Borrfors sings Monica Zetterlund

On Saturday Monica Borrfors and The Gösta Nilsson Trio played at a concert at Hijazz in Uppsala. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

The concert was a tribute to the late jazz singer Monica Zetterlund who would have been 70 years old this year, if she hadn't died in an accident a couple of years ago. Monica Borrfors told about her life and career and sung the songs that made Monica Zetterlund famous.

Monica Borrfors has an exellent voice that is very warm, it was a pleasure to hear her sing songs like "Sakta vi går genom stan" (Walking my baby back home). In fact, one of the things that made Monica Zetterlund special was that she sang the jazz standards with Swedish lyrics, the songs gets a slightly different meaning and adds something new. Very refreshing.



I particulary liked "Du måste ta det kallt" (Stockholm Sweetnin´, Music: Quincy Jones; Lyrics: Peter Himmelstrand) and "En Slump" (Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Music: Richard Rogers and lyrics by Tage Danielsson).

Monica Borrfors is backed up by a great band: The Gösta Nilsson Trio which consists of:
Gösta Nilsson (piano), Filip Augustsson (bass) and Jesper Kviberg (drums). At this concert Filip Augustsson was replaced by Palle Sollinger.

If you want to hear the music, Monica Borrfors has made a cd with the songs from the show.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Were you at the concert with Monica Borrfors and The Gösta Nilsson? What did you think of the jazz concert? Tell me.

Youth Jazz Contest in Uppsala 2007: Photos

The Youth Jazz Contest in took place yesterday at Reginateatern in Uppsala. Young jazz musicians competed with their music. There were six groups who performed 2 songs each:

• Trio From Hell
• Yenny Alpsten Duo
• Jazzseptetten B13
• Johan Christoffersson 4
• Henrik & Anton Duo
• Future Sound Of Sweden
  
  

The winners of Youth Jazz Contest 2007 was Johan Christoffersson 4 which consists of Johan Christoffersson (saxophone), Filip Ekestubbe (piano), Petter Olofsson (bass) and Sebastian Ågren (drums).

I think the jury made the right choice because these guys were clearly the best group when it comes to musicianship and ensamble play. I really liked the way the bass player and drummer interacted, they were in the pocket and kept it swinging. Johan Christoffersson had the the best sound of all saxophone players. I'm looking forward to hearing them in the spring.

The winners played bop jazz but there were all kinds of jazz styles represented there, but unfortunatly no real swing music. Jazzseptetten B13 played the most swinging music which I liked. I also enjoyed the soft jazz with Henrik & Anton Duo, particulary the trumpet playing by Henrik Grim. Henrik won the jury's price for best individual performance.


Future Sound Of Sweden play jazz with a lot of influences from funk. They took third place. If there had been a price for entusiasm it should have been awarded to them too.

Second place was awarded to Yenny Alpsten Duo which played free jazz. I enjoy most forms of music, but free jazz is not one of them. I can't find anything in it that I appreciate. It must have a pulse, a rhythm or a melody. Free jazz, by definition, has none of that. If you are a fan of free jazz, would you please comment and tell me what attracts you to the music, I really like to know.

I missed the women in this competition, of all the contestant there were not a single one. Why is that? I hope there are young women playing jazz somewhere, even though they weren't in this competition.



Footnote:
The jury was instructed to rank the contestants with the following things in mind:

1. Group feeling/ ensemble play between the band members
2. Individual proficiency at their instruments
3. Feeling for the particular style of jazz they've chosen to play
4. Additional factors to consider: Joy of playing and originality in choice of music and arrangements

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Were you at Youth Jazz Contest 2007? What do you think of it? Which group was your favorite? Tell me.

Youth Jazz Contest 2007

Tonight it's time for Youth Jazz Contest 2007 in Uppsala at Reginateatern where young jazz musicians compete. You might spot the jazz stars of tomorrow there. The concert/competition is FREE.

The event starts at 19 o'clock and is arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club. The winner gets to play at either Katalin or Uppsala Konsert & Kongress in the spring.

In the photo you can see Johanna Grim and Henrik Grim who competed in last years Youth Jazz Contest. The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Are you going to the Youth Jazz Contest? Tell me.

Play swing music for the best dancers

On Tuesday I dj:ed a set at Cats Corner and I felt it went successfully. Swing dancer Peter Loggins told me earlier this year: "Dj for the best dancers". He meant that if you play swing music that satisfies the best dancers and makes them happy, that kind of music will benefit all of the dancers in the dance scene. On Tuesday I looked out over the dance floor and some of the best dancers seemed inspired so I guess I did a pretty good job.

So, what kind of music did I play?

I was happy to play a couple of songs by the swing band 4beat6 from the Netherlands. I was happy to for the first time introduce the crowd to swing songs sung by Nikki Yanofsky: "Betcha Nickel" and "Lullaby Of Birdland", which she recorded last year when she was 12! Amazing! I can't wait to hear more songs from Nikki Yanofsky.

I featured some songs from the vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross: "A Mellow Tone" and "Twist City" from the great album "The Hottest New Group In Jazz".


It was good to hear the new swing dj, Dietmar, dj for his first time. It's always refreshing to hear someone else's music selections.

When the set (and the swing night) was over I played one song just to amuse the crowd that was still there: "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy" by the Hot Club of Cowtown from a live album called Continental Stomp.

Were you at Cats Corner on Tuesday? What do you think of my music choices? Tell me.

Cats Corner: Hear new swing music and swing djs

Tonight I will dj at Cats Corner in the end of the evening. Also, a new swing dj will make his debut: Dj Dietmar. It'll be intresting to see what kind of swing tunes he will play. In the beginning of the evening Jonas Pettersson will dj, so you have the opportunity to hear three different styles during the night.

I have collected some new swing music that I'm excited to play. Come and listen and dance!

Would you like to dj at Cats Corner? Tell me and we'll work something out.

Big Band Explosion & Louise Hoffsten & Vocation

The name of the concert says it all: Great Jazz Party. What else could you call a evening with top notch jazz musicians in an 17 piece band. Band leader Ulf Johansson Werre has put together a superb orchestra. Providing the base for swinging madly is the rhythm section with Ulf Johansson Werre himself on piano, Andreas Pettersson on guitar, Tommy Johnson on bass and Mats Engström on drums. Mats had also arranged many of the songs they played.

There were many great solos, I particularly liked the solos by Karl Olandersson and Ulf Andersson. I liked the song "I found a new baby" which was played by a small group consisting of Ulf Johansson Werre, Mats Engström and Klas Toresson (saxophone).




It was great to hear singer Louise Hoffsten, who can both sing in smooth and a raw style. An old favorite song sung by her was "Seduction of Sweet Louise" and she also sang a really good song from her coming album: "Så speciell" (So special).

Last but not least there was a vocal group called Vocation. I really liked their version of "It dont mean a thing (if it ain't got that swing)"

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Where you at the concert with Ulf Johansson Werre Big Band Explosion at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress? What did you think of the evening? Tell me.

Duke Ellington: It Don't Mean A Thing

A classic swing tune: It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) performed by Duke Ellington.



Do you have more information about this video clip, like where it's from and who the the soloists are? Let me know.

What do you think of the video clip with Duke Ellington playing It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)? Tell me.

Great Jazz Party at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress

One of the largest jazz concerts of the autumn here in Uppsala will take place on Saturday Nov 10th, it's properly named Great Jazz Party.

Great Jazz Party is the work of Ulf Johansson Werre where he handpicks the greatest jazz musicians in Sweden to form an 17 piece orchestra called "Ulf Johansson Werre Big Band Explosion".

This is the 7th year that Great Jazz Party is performed, earlier years there have been a theme to the concert but now there is no theme which gives Ulf Johansson Werre more artistic freedom for the concert.



Big Band Explosion consists of:

• Saxophone/clarinet/flute:
  Johan Hörlén, Klas Lindquist, Klas Toresson, Ulf Andersson, Erik Nilsson
• Trumpet/flugelhorn:
  Jan Kohlin, Karl Olandersson, Stig Persson, Svante Halldin
• Trombone:
  Olle Holmquist, Karin Hammar, Mats Hermansson, Sven Larsson
• Guitar : Andreas Pettersson
• Bass: Tommy Johnson
• Drums: Mats Engström
• Piano/trombone: Ulf Johansson Werre
  

Also performing together with the band is the excellent blues singer Louise Hoffsten (who is also a great harmonica player) and the vocal group Vocation.



I hear that the concert is sold out, but if you're lucky you might find a ticket.

The photos are taken by me (with the exception of the photo of Louise Hoffsten) and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Are you going to Great Jazz Party at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress? What are your expectations? Tell me.

Patrik Öhrström djs swing at Cats Corner

Tonight, Patrik Öhrström from Stockholm is djing swing music at Cats Corner. Patrik last dj:ed here in Uppsala in the spring. It's great to hear a wide variety different dj:s.

Cats Corner is located at Uplands nation at St. Larsg. 11. Time 20-23. 20 kr.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Count Basie duet with Cleveland Eaton: Booty's Blues

You can't have enough of Count Basie and that is certainly true when he plays together with the bassist Cleveland Eaton. Enjoy this fantastic duet between them: soft and playful. In the duet it looks like Cleveland Eaton accidentally slips but Basie use that mistake and adds a chord and makes it look like it was supposed to be like that from the beginning. What great musicians!

Then the whole band kicks in and Booty Wood plays a great trombone solo. Have a look at Count Basie and Cleveland Eaton playing Booty's Blues. Recorded at a Carnegie Hall Concert in March 20, 1981.



What do you think of the duet with Count Basie and Cleveland Eaton playing Booty's Blues? Tell me.

Rockin' in the Rockies: Cappa Barra Boys

Here is a video clip from the Three Stooges film Rockin' in the Rockies (1945) where the Cappa Barra Boys, a harmonica quartet, play a medley of jazz songs including "One O'clock Jump" and "Royal Garden Blues".

What do you think of the Cappa Barra Boys? Tell me.

King Teddy from Washington, DC

Earlier this autumn a band called King Teddy from the Washington, DC area mailed me and wanted me to check them out. You can listen to them at their MySpace page or download the songs.

King Teddy plays jump blues in a way that reminds me of the style that a lot of the neoswing bands had in the late 1990's. I'm thinking of bands like Indigo Swing, Jet Set Six and The Love Dogs.

Judging from the songs that are available, I would have liked more songs with a more "raw" feeling, the songs are a little too sweet for my personal taste. But hey, thats just me. Maybe they play other songs that are "rawer"? I liked the song "Phantom of Main and Ordinary Street".

What do you think of King Teddy? Tell me.

4beat6 plays Benny Goodman songs

I just discovered the swing band 4beat6 from the Netherlands which plays swing in the style of the Benny Goodman sextet.

I think they play really tight: Listen to these songs from their site (mp3)

• Airmail Special
• Bennie's Bugle

4beat6 consists of Jacco Griekspoor (vibraphone), Martien Oster (guitar), Joop van Deuren (piano), Frans van Geest (bass), Barry Olthof (drums) and David Lukacs on clarinet.

What do you think of 4beat6 playing Benny Goodman songs? Tell me.