Bob Malone

Most of the time I find great music and musicians, sometimes it's the other way around, they find me. That is the case with Bob Malone.

Bob Malone does all kinds of music and sometimes it's blues and jazz or ragtime. As Bob says "There are only two kinds of music. Good and bad." His music is the first kind.

Bob Malone is on tour in Sweden right now, check out Bob Malone's MySpace page to see his schedule. Go see his concerts.

What do you think of Bob Malone? Please comment.

The Great Gatsby - Charleston dancing

Here is a fun video clip from the film The Great Gatsby where people are dancing Charleston at a wild party and jumping into the fountain.

I would have liked to been at that party in the roaring 20's!

The film The Great Gatsby is from 1974 and has Robert Redford and Mia Farrow in the leading roles.

I think this might be where the director for the music video of Come To Me by Koop got some of his ideas.

What do you think of the video clip with charleston dancing from The Great Gatsby? Please comment.

Kulturoasen: Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers

Today there is a concert with Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers at Kulturoasen in Håga just outside of Uppsala. The concert starts at 14 and is free of charge.

Kulturoasen is run by Kent Wennman who also arranges the summer concerts in Parksnäckan.

The photo above is from Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers' concert in Parksnäckan last summer. This is the photo that the band uses on their posters.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission.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

What do you think of Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers? Please comment.

Jail House Blues - Hal and Honey Abbott

Here is a comedic dance routine by Hal Abbott and Honey Abbott from the short film "Woody Herman and His Orchestra" from 1938.

Mostly they dance shag but they also do tap dancing and some charleston kicks. I'm not sure but they could also be dancing Peabody (1:14-1:24), can anybody set me straight?

I think that the solo footwork that Hal Abbott does in the very last seconds of the video clip is really amazing. Wow.

Can anyone tell me more about Hal and Honey Abbott?

What do you think of Hal and Honey Abbott dancing to Jail House Blues? Please comment.

Top Shelf Jazz: Nagasaki

Top Shelf Jazz is a jazz band from Great Britain that has the tag line "fine purveyors of filthy swing".

Top Shelf Jazz plays music from the 1920's and 1930's and they also write their own songs in a 1920's style. They seem to have a great sense of humour, just take a look at the video clip above where Top Shelf Jazz perform the song Nagasaki.

I haven't heard Nagasaki played like this before, there's something special about it, I like it. A special bonus is that the band features a tap dancer, Josephine Shaker.

You can hear more of their music on Top Shelf Jazz's MySpace page. The rumours are that they'll release an album soon.

If want more British versions of Nagasaki, I encourage you to look at this video clip from the the tv-serie Jeeves & Wooster where Hugh Laurie as Wooster plays Nagasaki.

What do you think of the video clip with Top Shelf Jazz performing Nagasaki? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse: Candye Kane

The January show of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse has just been released.

Hey Mr Jesse is a great monthly podcast where the swing djs Jesse Miner and Manu 'Spuds' Smith talk about swingin' music that matters to dancers.

Download the January 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

Take a look at what is in the show: read the show notes for Hey Mister Jesse January 2009.


My contribution to the show:

In the last show you mentioned you never heard a swing band played the tub bass before the California Honeydrops.

Well, you have, you just didn't know it, because the leader of the Lost and Wandering Blues and Jazz Band, Dan Fitzgerald, uses a tub bass. Take a look here.

Speaking of Dan Fitzgerald; While waiting for this podcast I went back and listened to some old episodes and came across the interview with Ron Sunshine. Ron mentions that it was Dan Fitzgerald who got him to pick up singing again. It's all connected!

The December podcast featured a mashup from dj G3RSt. I just wanted to provide some more info about the song "Come To Me" by Koop.

Come To Me has a great music video with some swing dancing by The Harlem Hot Shots. I've featured it on my blog, check it out.

MUSIC TIP
The music tip for January is the artist Candye Kane.

The music that Candye Kane writes and performes is very eclectic, it's based on jump blues, rhythm & blues and blues with boogie rhythm but there is also gospel and soul in there as well.

Some of her songs I recommend:
* "Poetry Cocktail" from the album "Swango"
* "Seven Men A Week" from the album "Home Cookin'"
* "Fine Brown Frame" from the album "Guitar'd and Feathered"
* "(Hey Mister!) She Was My Baby Last Night" from the album "The Toughest Girl Alive"

I'm looking forward to a great new year of Hey Mr Jesse podcasts!

Ps. Last show I recommended "Where did you go, Bettie Page". Well, now she is really gone. Bettie Page passed away in the middle of Dec.

What do you think of the Hey Mr Jesse podcast January 2009? Please comment.

Joe Jackson - Jumpin' Jive

About one year ago, I wrote in to the Hey Mr Jesse podcast (February 2008 edition) and tipped them about Joe Jackson and his album Jumpin' Jive from the early 1980's.

Just the other day I found a video clip with Joe Jackson performing Jumpin' Jive. In the podcast, Jesse Miner commented: "You can tell that this was just a labor of love, that he loves this music." I agree, especially after you've watched the video clip, they seem to have the time of their life.

What do you think of Joe Jackson performing Jumpin' Jive? Please comment.

Ray Charles - Hallelujah I Love Her So

Some friends of mine have just gotten married, congratulations J&J! The best way to celebrate is to play a swinging love song. Here is Ray Charles singing Hallelujah I Love Her So in a video clip from 1955.

Do you have any other suggestions of great swinging love songs?

What do you think of Ray Charles singing Hallelujah I Love Her So? Please comment.

Best jazz blog out there!

At this time of year many people think about the year that has gone by and the year that lie ahead, so do I.

This will be the third year of this blog, can you belive it? I just want to thank all the people who have supported me and who appreciate the work I'm doing.

In the December 2008 podcast of Hey Mr Jesse, one of hosts, Manu "Spuds" Smith, called my blog:

"Best jazz blog out there!"

Spuds, thank you very much!

I also made the list "Top Ten Jazz and Blues Music Blogs" made by http://www.bestshowticketslasvegas.com/. Thank you so much! Check out their list with other good jazz blogs.

So, what will 2009 bring? Well, I'll continue to mix old and new swinging stuff, both music and dance. I hope I'll be able to post 3 to 4 times a week. Please let me know if there is anything you'd like me to write more about.

Some recent events have made me think about how I should invest my time and energy and what I get back. I suspect there will be some changes made. This blog however gives me great joy and happiness and I hope you feel the joy as well.

What would you like me to write about? Please comment.

Well Git It - Tommy Dorsey

Well Git It is one of my favorite songs, here is a video clip with Tommy Dorsey performing Well Git It. The video clip starts kind of mellow but don't you worry, they soon start playing it the way you know it: up-tempo, kick-ass and jam circle encouraging .

You'll see a young Buddy Rich at the drums, a year ago I posted a video clip of Buddy Rich performing Well Git It on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

What do you think of Well Git It with Tommy Dorsey? Please comment.