Anita O'Day: Ain't Misbehavin'

What do you think of Anita O'Day singing Ain't Misbehavin'? Please comment.

Happy Jazz - Gunhild Carling & Danish Jazz All Stars

Speaking of jazz that makes you happy: Tomorrow night, Friday Nov 13th there will be a concert at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress called Happy jazz with Gunhild Carling Big Band together with the band Danish Jazz All Stars.

"Plays the happy music of Papa Bue, Louis Armstrong, Eddie Condon, Wild Bill Davison "

More information about the concert.

What do you think of Gunhild Carling? Please comment.

Missisippi Seven at Uppsala Jazz Club

Last Sunday the trad jazz band Missisippi Seven had a concert at Pub 19 in Uppsala. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.



From a listeners point of view: This is music that really makes you happy. Good musicians. Nuff said.

Well, almost. What also makes you smile is that talk inbetween the songs by drummer Bertil Ekman. He seems to have a infinite supply of entertaining useless facts.



From a dancers point of view: Missisippi Seven plays trad jazz in a moderate tempo that you could easily do lindy to. The tempo is a little slow for balboa but they could probably throw in a couple of faster tunes if you asked them.

They played two of my favorite songs: "Diga Diga Doo" (also the name of the their new album where my photos is on the album cover) and "Blues My Sweetie Naugthy Gives To Me".

Here's my own useless but entertaining fact: mostly you hear "Blues My Sweetie Naugthy Gives To Me" played instrumently by for instance Sidney Bechet but there is actually lyrics to the song which list all the kinds of blues that you can get.

One of the kinds of blues is "The blues you get from women, when you see them going swimming, and you doesn't have a bathing suit yourself".



The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission.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

What do you think of Missisippi Seven? Please comment.

RAGGMOPP - The Treniers

It's time for some rhythm & blues. Here is one of the classic rhythm & blues songs: RAGGMOPP performed by The Treniers.

What do you think of The Treniers singing RAGGMOPP? Please comment.

Peggy Lee: I Can't Give You Anything But Love

I love artists that have a good time when they perform. Here is Peggy Lee singing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" together with Dean Martin and Jack Jones.

They seem to have a great chemistry together. You can't but smile when you see them.

What do you think of Peggy Lee and Dean Martin? Please comment.

Join us on Facebook

Over the last week or so many people have found their way to the Swing, jazz and blues Facebook page and have become fans of the blog.

It's great to see a little more about who is reading the blog. On Facebook I usually make short announcements and post some videos for you to check out.

Become a fan of the Swing, jazz and blues blog on Facebook!

What do you think of the Facebook page? Please comment.

Rose Murphy - Busy Line

Rose Murphy had a very special voice and she had a habit of inserting her catch phrase "chi-chi" into songs, that's why she got known as the as the "chi-chi girl".

In this video clip she sings the song "Busy line". If you want to hear her actually singing her trademark phrase "chi-chi" you should check out her version of "I can't give you anything but love".

What do you think of Rose Murphy singing Busy Line? Please comment.

On Revival Day - Terra Hazelton

I always liked the gospel inspired song "On Revival Day", the most played version of the song on swing dance floors is by La Vern Baker.

However, I found a great version of "On revival day" in a video clip done by the Canadian singer Terra Hazelton. I like the way she does the "blues shouting".

Listen to more of Terra Hazelton on her MySpace page.

What do you think of Terra Hazelton? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse October 2009

The October show of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse has 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 October 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

Read the October show notes to see what's in the podcast.

Here is my contribution to the show:

Hi Jesse! Hi Manu!

Here is some swingin' tips for October.

In the ongoing series "1001 ways to find swing music", here is item number 154: "Inspiring video clips from competitions"

In the big dance competions the best performers seek out music that inspire them to create new steps and showcase their musicality. Often those tunes work very well for the social dance floor as well.

Here is two recent examples from International Lindy Hop Championship, ILHC 2009:



1) Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl dancing to "Jump Through the Window" with Roy Eldridge.

Frida & Skye really use their musicality to showcase all the accents in the music.

2) Evita Arce and Nathan Bugh dancing to "That's how rhythm was born" by the Boswell Sisters.

This clip instantly gets you in a good mood. How can you avoid being smitten by Evita's bubbly jazz age charm? Impossible!



Last thing: A tip for swing dj's

I know by experience that sometimes it can be hard to ask new people to dance. If you're an experienced dancer you might be busy dancing with the people you already know or if you're a newcomer it's difficult to get the courage to ask the "really good dancers".

If I'm djing a 3 hour set I usally get on the microphone after 2 hours and say "Those of you who would like to, please dance the next song with someone you haven't dance with before". Those who don't want to do it, they simple does whatever they like.

If everybody on the dancefloor does this, well, then 100 people have gotten a new dance acquaintance.

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

Nagasaki - Alice Mei & Thomas Blacharz

Alice Mei & Thomas Blacharz have great musicality when they dance to the song Nagasaki at the International Lindy Hop Championships 2009.

I don't know for sure which artist performs the song, but it sounds like Wingy Manone to me. Do you know?

Update: justafish provided me with the correct artist: Putney Dandridge.

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Beyonce vs Duke Ellington

What do you get when you mix Duke Ellington with Beyonce Knowles and all the single ladies? You get this. Brilliant mashup.

(Via Peter Loggins and Miss S)

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Linda Hopkins & BB King - Every Day I Have the Blues

"Every Day I Have the Blues" is a classic blues song. This version with a duet between Linda Hopkins and BB King must be one of the best versions I heard. Ever. So much energy!

What do you think of Linda Hopkins and BB King singing "Every Day I Have the Blues"? Please comment.

Outdoor dancing season is over

The outdoor dancing season is over in Uppsala, on Tuesday we had the last dance by the river with some barbeque. You could notice that the autumn is here because it got dark much earlier.

We always get an audience who look at us dancing when the big boats passes by on the river.

A big thank you goes to the persons who made it happen: Simon, Mirjam, Emil, Lilian and Johan (and possibly others that I forgot, in that case please let me know).

They have made it possible to dance lindy hop and balboa during the summer. I think it's fantastic that right after our weekly dance Cats Corner ended for the spring season, the outdoors dancing started so that we now have social dancing every week all year around.



The outdoor dancing got the attention of the local newspaper and they published a full page interview with Anna. Anna is a enthusiastic dancer who does a lot of work for dance scene in Uppsala. Her efforts really makes a difference. Thank you Anna!



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

What do you think of the outdoor dancing by the river? Please comment.

Betty Hutton - "Murder, He Says"

Jive talk was the slang language of the 1930's and 1940's. Here is video clip with some of the expressions from the swing era.

Betty Hutton sings the song "Murder, He Says" in which she is rather annoyed with the way her lover speaks when they get into an intimate situation.

According to the YouTube poster this clip is from "November 1943 for the Armed Forces Radio Service show "Command Performance" (episode 92)". I suspect that this video clip appeared in the movie Strictly G.I.

Films like Strictly G.I. were made to boost the morale for the American troupes in World War II.

What do you think of Betty Hutton belting out "Murder, He Says"? Please comment.

Movits! - Fel del av gården

Lately I've been listening a lot to the Swedish hip hop /jazz group Movits!. I discovered them a couple of months ago but now they have become really popular.

Right now, Movits! album Äppelknyckarjazz is the most popular album on the Amazon.com Top MP3 Albums in Rap & Hip-Hop, before artists like Eminem, Jay-Z and Mos Def, how about that!

Movits! combines rap/hip hop with gypsy jazz and balkan rhythms. In the video clip with the song "Fel del av gården" (The Wrong Part of the Yard) you can also see dancing by the Swedish swing dance troupe The Harlem Hot Shots.

Movits! got a lot of attention when they were interviewed on the tv program The Colbert Report last week where they performed the song "Fel del av gården". In the interview they say that they were inspired to add a swing touch to their music when they heard the swing song "Sing, Sing Sing".

Do you like the music but don't know what the heck Movits! are rapping about? Here is the lyrics for Movits! song "Fel del av gården".

From a swing music point of view I like that one of the songs on the album, "Stick iväg Jack, del II" tells story about what happend after "Hit The Road, Jack".

Regarding the the name of Movits! album, Äppelknyckarjazz; "Äppelknyckare" refers to a certain kind of pants that were popular in the 1930's and 1940's. I would translate "Äppelknyckare" as "apple nickers".

The name comes from the fact that the legs of the trousers ended just below the knee and the legs could be tightened, so if you were a young rascal nicking apples from the neighbour's garden you could put all the apples inside the pants and you could run away with ease if you were discovered. Here is a photo of äppelknyckare.

In Sweden 'äppelknyckare' is very much associated with the swing era.

What do you think of Movits! and the music video for "Fel sida av gården"? Please comment.

Jazz in the Botanical Garden: Ulf Johansson Werre

Tomorrow night, Monday Aug 3rd, there will be a jazz concert at the Botanical garden in Uppsala, at Orangeriet, with a jazz trio led by Ulf Johansson Werre (trombone and piano). Together with him are Erik Ojala (bass) and Robin Englund (guitar). They will play both Swedish as well as international love songs.

Two years ago Ulf Johansson Werre did a large scale concert in the Botanical garden called Botan Brass. & Fireworks with the Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra in which Robin Englund plays the guitar. Erik Ojala plays in several jazz bands in Uppsala.

The jazz concert is a part of Konstsommar i Uppsala. The concert starts at 19 and the ticket costs 120 kr (100 kr with UNT-card).

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 the musicians in the band? Please comment.

Jerry Lewis - Leap Frog

I found this video clip with Jerry Lewis from the movie The Nutty Professor via a comment made by leazwell. Jerry Lewis has made perfect examples of the phenomenon that I call "the music made me do it". Look at him in the films Errand boy or Cinderfella.

In this video clip he cant help himself, he just has to dance to the song Leap Frog performed by Les Brown and His Band of Renown.

The nutty professor explains:

"I got carried away by the music, it was a toe tapper"

What songs do you consider a "toe tapper"? Please tell me.

I've featured a very different version of Leap Frog before in my blog post "Jazz as a conversation" but it was also a example of "the music made me do it".


What do you think of Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor? Please comment.

Validation - Smile!

Lately I've had some great comments about some blog posts, it's so good to hear your views on what I write about. Please keep the comments coming! I'll soon be posting some videos that you readers have sent tips about.

I think it's important to give validation to people, to let them know what they are good at and let them know how much you appreiciate them. That is what the video clip from the short film "Validation" above is about.

You can't but smile when you have seen it. A great film. Love it.

Oh yeah, I just want to remind you that there is a Facebook group for the Swing, jazz and blues blog, join it so I know who you are. You are great!

What do you think of the short film Validation? Please comment.

Doris Day - Dig It (I Ain't Hep To That Step)

I saw a documentary about Doris Day and thought I'd post a song from her singing career, here a tune she sang with Les Brown and His Orchestra: (I Ain't Hep to That Step But I'll) Dig It.

What do you think of Doris Day singing Dit It? Please comment.

Nina Simone - Feeling good

"Feeling Good" sung by Nina Simone is a typical summer song for me. Don't ask me why, it just is.

Do you have any song that you associate with summer or another season?

What do you think of Nina Simone singing Feeling good? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse - July 2009

The July 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 July 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

I'm sorry that I haven't commented on the last couple of months when Hey Mr Jesse have been released, so if you use my blog to stay updated when the podcasts arrive you might have missed a few. In that case, just look at the Hey Mr Jesse archive and catch up.

This month I had a few tips on songs from some new album releases, first out was Ik Hou Van Je (I Love You) by Candye Kane from the album Superhero (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic),

Second tip was the song "Let's Misbehave" by Top Shelf Jazz from the album Fast & Louche.

My bonus tip for July was "Christopher Columbus" by Humphrey Lyttelton from the album Bad Penny Blues 1955-1956 (available on AmazonMp3, iTunes Plus and eMusic)

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

The Real Group - It Don't Mean A Thing

It Don't Mean A Thing is almost the definition of a classic swing song. Here is a acapella version by the Swedish vocal group The Real Group from a concert at Stockholm Concert Hall in 2005.

I really like how the bass lines are sung and I'm also very fond of the way they layer their voices (starts at ~ 2:00 into the video clip).

What do you think of The Real Group singing It Don't Mean A Thing? Please comment.

Louis Jordan - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby

According to Wikipedia, the musician Louis Jordan was born on July 8th in 1908. One of his most known songs that he performed was Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby.

Above you see him play and sing it in the movie Follow the Boys from 1944.

"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" have been sung by many artists. Do you have a favorite version?

What do you think of the video clip with Louis Jordan? Please comment.

Easy virtue - Let's misbehave

While looking for versions of Cole Porter's song "Let's Misbehave" I stumbled across the film Easy Virtue that was released last year. "Let's misbehave" is the tagline of the movie and the song is also included in the film.

Easy Virtue is set in England in the early 1930's, where a young man marries an American which is not approved by his mother. The main characters are played by Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth.

There is also a soundtrack from Easy Virtue available.

I think the film look charming and would like to see it. Has anyone got it?

Read more about:

• Let's Misbehave
• 1930's
• Films and movies

Have you seen Easy Virtue? What do you think of it? Please comment.

Outdoors summer dancing in Uppsala

Tuesdays are dancing days in Uppsala during the summer. If you go down to the park by the river, you'll find lindy hoppers and balboa dancers all over the place from 18 o'clock and until we run out of batteries for the boombox or run out of dancers, whichever happens first.

Many people bring food and drinks and have a picnic while they rest for a while. Many other (not yet dancing) people pass by on the walking paths beside and stay for a while and look. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce your friends to the dance.



Nobody has yet fallen into the river by accident but last Tuesday one guy jumped into river all by himself.

The event has expanded to Mondays when tap dancer try their rhythms on the quayside.

The event seems to be getting some attention since earlier this week the local radio station phoned me and wanted to get in contact with some dancers.

There are also other outside dances in Uppsala, if you dance tango, go to Smultron at Svartbäcksgatan on Tuesdays between 19 and 23 and if dance Swedish Bugg, go to the river between Skolgatan and Eddaspången on Thursdays after 18.

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

What do you think of the outside dancing by the river in Uppsala? Have you been there yet? Please comment.

Midnight Serenaders - Portland

Midnight Serenaders is a band from Portland, Oregon that play 1920's and 1930's music.

There is a good segment from the show "Oregon Art Beat" from Oregon Public Broadcasting where they feature Midnight Serenaders playing and talking about their band.

[Found via Evrim Icoz]

What do you think of Midnight Serenaders? Please comment.

Frankie Manning has passed away

The legendary Lindy hop dancer Frankie Manning passed away today, Monday morning, in New York, 94 years old.

I first encountered Frankie at my first visit to Herräng Dance Camp. What struck me was his good spirit and his infectious laugh. To me he embodied everything that lindy hop is all about: joy and happiness.

Frankie Manning contributed so much to this world. We will miss you!

Tell me your stories about Frankie Manning! Please comment.

Happy birthday in advance, Frankie Manning!

Frankie Manning, the lindy hop legend, turns 95 in May, and he is going to have a gigantic birthday party in New York.

Peter Strom & Ramona Staffeld have created a choreography to honor Frankie at his birthday. People all over the world have participated in performing it and of course we have also done it in Uppsala. The video above is from Tuesday at Cats Corner at Smålands nation.

The song is Savoy by Lucky Millinder.

I think it looks really nice. What do you think? Please comment.

Happy Birthday Duke! - Concert and show April 29th

Happy Birthday Duke! is a concert and show that you really should see. It's a concert that celebrates Duke Ellingtons 110th birthday. The concert features no less than three bands and orchestras: Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra, SweDukes and the Middlesex group.

But wait there's more. Way more. You will also see the swing dance troupe MessAround perform together with the bands. The will show off all kinds of swing dances: Lindy hop, balboa, shag, charleston and tap.

The concert takes place next Wednesday, April 29th, at Univeritetsaulan, at 19.30.
Tickets cost 130 kr (90 kr for students). If you got a UNT-card: 100 kr (70 kr for students). Buy tickets via UNT Biljett (018-478 10 70) or at Ticnet.

Invite all your friends to Happy Birthday Duke! on Facebook.

If you were at Cats Corner yesterday, you got a sneek peak of MessAround doing the charleston number Uppsala Stomp. The number was tight and had lots of energy.



Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra (UUJO) has got a new member: Claes Brodda on saxophone. The photo above is from Saturday when he played together with Jennie Löbel and the Swing Kings at Swingkattens dance at Grand. I look forward to hear more of him. (I'll post more about the Saturday night dance later).

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

Will you attend "Happy Birthday Duke!"? Please comment.

1920s Charleston at the Gatsby Picnic 08 - Lynne and Peter

I really like this video clip from the Gatsby Picnic 2008 where Lynne Koehlinger and Peter Varshavsky perform a 1920's partner charleston routine to Jimmie Noone's Apex Orchestra song "Every Evening (I Miss You)".

The charleston dancing looks very airy and light and there is all sorts of charleston in the routine; partner charleston, solo charleston and breakaways (that later on developed into lindy hop swingouts). I'd like to get better at charleston, it's been a while since we had charleston workshop in town.

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Jumpin' at the Woodside: Antti Sarpila

Jumpin' at the Woodside is a classic swing song by Count Basie. It has a fast tempo and has often been used as music for lindy hop jam circles.

Above is a version from Bern Jazz Festival 1988 where Antti Sarpila and Christian Plattners duels with their saxophones. I've had the pleasure of listening to Antti Sarpila a couple of times. If he is in your town, go and hear him play.

What do you think of Jumpin' at the Woodside with Antti Sarpila? Please comment.

Trinity at Uppsala Jazz Club: Photos

The jazz group Trinity played yesterday at Pub Nitton in Uppsala at a concert arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

The band consists of Ali Djeridi (drums), Andreas Hellkvist (Hammond) and Amanda Sedgwick (saxophone) who this time replaced Karl Olandersson (trumpet).



They played groovy jazz from the 1960's. It becomes especially groovy when Andreas Hellkvist attackes the key of his Hammond organ.



My favorite song of the concert was The Preacher by Horace Silver. Very groovy indeed.


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

What do you think of Trinity? Please comment.

Shim sham by Michael Jagger

Shim sham is a jazz routine that originally was a tap routine. It's know by swing dancers all over the world.

In order to celebrate Frankie Manning's upcoming 95th birthday, Michael Jagger performs the shim sham in a most amusing way by using buns and fork to show the routine.

The song in the video clip is "T'ain't what you do" by Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra.

Great stuff, does anyone know more about Michael Jagger and the film maker John Damn? Tell me.

(Found via Finn)

What do you think of the video clip with shim sham? Please comment.

Lars Erstrand has passed away

One of Uppsala's and Swedens best jazz musicians, vibraphone player Lars Erstrand, passed away today at the age of 72.

I liked his concerts with Swedish Swing Society and Lars Erstrand Four and I will always remember his warmth, his joy and his humour that he gave to us in the audience. Rest in peace.

Do you have any memories of Lars Erstrand that you would like to share? Please comment.

The Preacher (Jazzbacillen) - Horace Silver

The song "The Preacher" is written by Horace Silver. In the video clip above The Preacher is played by Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers. The video clip also include the song Doodlin'. I don't listen to a lot a bop but this is my kind of bop (I've mentioned before that also like Silver's tune "Filthy McNasty").

In Sweden "The Preacher" is known as Jazzbacillen (The Jazz Bug). The song became a hit when it was sung by the artist Siw Malmqvist in 1959 with new Swedish lyrics written by Eva Nordström (which I think is a pseudonym).

Below is the Swedish lyrics.

Jazzbacillen

Mitt huvud surrar av toner, säg vad kan ha hänt
och kroppen dunkar av rytmer som jag aldrig känt.
Det svänger runt och det gungar så jag blir konfys.
Omkring mig allting blir upp och ner,
vad är allt detta för nys.

Jag gick till doktorn och skildrar vad som hänt så här:
Jag är en stillsam person som ej ens har varit kär.
Men jag är nu som en köttbit på en glödhet grill.
Jag visslar jämt, slår takten på allt
och jag kan inte va' still.

Jag sa jag kanske fått hispan eller kanske fnatt
men farbror doktorn tog prover och sen sa han att:
Det här är bara en envis ganska snäll bacill,
jag skriver ut ett litet recept,
så håller den sig nog still.

Jag gick till pillerkontoret, visade min lapp,
men apotekarn han log och gav min kind en klapp:
Tyvärr så säljer vi inte alls nånting sånt här.
Gå bort till nästa hus och försök
där finns en skivaffär.

Med möda läste jag det som doktorn skrivit ner
att jag fått jazzen i blodet och behövde mer.
Det var så enkelt men doktorn hade träffat rätt.
Då blev jag arg för de' han fått
för nåt som var så lätt.

Den medicin skivaffären gav mig var perfekt.
Jag fick min jazzhunger stillad och min swingtörst släckt.
I stället åkte jag på en ny och praktfull nit,
jag intogs av en ny bacill
blev kär i en expedit.

Mitt huvud surrar av toner, som mig himlen sänt
och kroppen dunkar av rytmer som jag aldrig känt.
Jag blir så frisk av baciller om de är så här,
den bästa sjukan är nog ändå
det där att plötsligt bli kär.

What do you think of The Preacher? Please comment.

Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer): Bob Wills

Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer) by Bob Wills & Tommy Duncan is a great song especially when paired with old photos of people dancing.

I don't know much about Bob Wills, but apparently he was a big name playing western swing in the 1930's-1940's.

I like the lyrics which could describe any dance where you just don't want to leave until it's really really over.

"Stay all night, stay a little longer
Dance all night, dance a little longer
Pull off your coat, throw it in the corner
I don't see why I don't stay a little longer"

Some of the other lyrics seem to be nonsense, but it could well be the case that I don't have the cultural context (USA in the 1930's-1940s) to get the references. If the lyrics do have a meaning, please leave a comment and explain.

What do you think of Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer) by Bob Wills & Tommy Duncan? Please comment.

Jassdancer - Blog by Peter Loggins

The swing dance historian and dance instructor Peter Loggins has just launched a new blog called The Jassdancer. Peter has a collected a lot of knowledge and information about swing dances and the swing era, so it will be very interesting to follow what he writes.

One of his first posts discusses the question: What is a jitterbug?

What do you think of The Jassdancer? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse: March 2009

The March 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 March 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

Here is my tip to Jesse and Manu:

"What a surprise with the jingle you made. Thanks :)

Ok, down to business, music tip for March:

Last time you featured a live recording by Benny Goodman, I want to recommend 2 cd set called "Live Swing Sessions 1943 - 1949" with more live sessions with Goodman.

I especially like his version of "Love me or leave me".

I also like "Rattle and roll", The songs starts a little weak but then starts pumping."

They also talked a little about my post about the Folkets Hus Five. You can see the video with the Folkets Hus Five playing "All of me" they talk about above. It was during this song I took the picture of Todd Yannacone. The video is shot by Johannes Schmidt.

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

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

Cats' Corner at Gotlands nation

I hope I didn't scare you with the photo above. Sometimes when I'm out taking photos unexpected things like these pop up in front of my lens. Booo! ;)

Yesterday I visited our (almost) weekly dance Cats' Corner. This season we don't have just one but several locations for the dance. This time it was held at Gotlands nation. It was there very first time we had the dance there, so there was some things to figure out how they worked.

Another debut for the night: Agnes Hjelm debuted as a swing dj and I think she played very well. She played both old classics as well as some neo swing.



One especially nice thing about Gotlands nation as a swing venue is that there are some space where people really can sit down and talk while they are not dancing. Oftentimes it's just "dance, dance, dance!" and you never get a chance to chat with people.

One other thing you could do when you're not dancing is to read the old magazines that we have bought. All the magazines are from the 1940s-1950s and it's fun to read what they thought was important to write about then. It's also entertaining to read the advertisements.



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

What do you think of Cats Corner at Gotlands nation? Please comment.

Bo Kaspers Orkester: Hon är så söt

Some late night music: "Hon är så söt" (She is so sweet) by Bo Kaspers Orkester.

This song reminds me of Jan Johansson's album, "Jazz på svenska", it has that certain melancholy that I find very Swedish.

What do you think of the song? Please comment.

The Temperance Seven - Everybody Loves My Baby

Here is a video clip with the song Everybody Loves My Baby performed by The Temperance Seven, a seven-piece band from Britain playing popular music and jazz from the 1920s and 30s.

I really like the cinematography of the video clip.

Also check out another version of Everybody Loves My Baby by Red Nichols that I've posted before.

What do you think of The Temperance Seven? Please comment.

Blue Monday: Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra

This afternoon a new concert series will start in Uppsala: Blue Monday at Universitetsaulan.

First out in this attempt by Uppsala University to make mondays more fun is Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra which will play big band classics. The concert starts at 16.45 and lasts an hour. The concert is free of charge. Go there and listen!

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 Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra? Please comment.

Ulf Johansson Werre at Grand: Photos

The band for the Friday night dance at Uppsala Winter Camp was Ulf Johansson Werre Swing Orchestra. Ulf Johansson Werre had put together this band with some other professional jazz musicans: Tommy Johnsson (bass), Claes Askelöf (guitar) and Calle Rasmusson (drums).



The great thing about professional musicians such as them is that they often add more "texture" to the music, which the dancers can pick up and play with. If they overdo it, it becomes more "jazzy" than swinging, but as long as you have a good rhythm section you can't go wrong. I think the band had a really good swinging sound all through the night.





In the end of the first set Ulf Johansson Werre looked down at the dance floor where he saw Ida Widberg who also sings in The Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra where Ulf is the musical director.

He invited her onto the stage and she sang All Of Me (if I remember correctly).

Later on there was another guest appearance when Christoffer Alehed joined the band with his trombone for two songs.

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

What do you think of Ulf Johansson Werre Swing Orchestra? Please comment.

Herrang All Stars / Folkets Hus Fem: Photos

I have now recovered from attending the Uppsala Winter Camp, it was a fun experience and in my opinion the best dance camp in Uppsala so far.

One of the things that made this year special was what happend Saturday night. In addition to the big band on the main stage, some of the instructors had decided to put together a band or more exactly to reunite a band from Herräng Dance Camp.

The band is called the Herrang All Stars / Folkets Hus Fem and consists of Peter Loggins (Washboard-Suitcase-Pots and Pans), Mia Goldsmith (vocals and kazoo), Todd Yannacone (guitar), Niklas Eriksson (clarinet) and Christoffer Alehed (trombone). Guest artist this night was Orvar Turegård on piano.



The played songs like: I Found a New Baby, After You've Gone, Aint she sweet (with Sean Hall singing and playing his Uke), Dinah, I Found a new baby, Lady Be Good , Saint Louis Blues. All these songs were recorded and you can listen to the Herrang All Stars / Folkets Hus Fem songs here.



Having one more band made it an awesome experience to walk around Grand and having music played everywhere you went.

Thank you guys for playing. Your performance made the camp very special.



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



What do you think of Herrang All Stars / Folkets Hus Fem? Please comment.