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.

Wingy Manone - Ochi Chornya

Here is Wingy Manone and his Orchestra performing "Ochi Chornya" in a recording from 1938.

The YouTube poster, edmundusrex has uploaded a lot of songs with artists from the 1920s and the 1930s. A goldmine to dig into and discover more about early jazz and blues artists.

I don't have time to browse through them all, why don't you take a look at his videos and recommend your favorite clips in the comments below?

You also might want to check out 100 Great Records Of The 1920s.


What do you think of Wingy Manone performing Ochi Chornya? What is your favorite clip?Please comment.

Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall 70 years ago

Today it's the 70th anniversary of Benny Goodman's concert at Carnegie Hall, a concert that really helped swing to become mainstream music. The climax of the concert was the performance of the song Sing, Sing, Sing.

Here is a video clip of Sing, sing, sing with Benny Goodman's orchestra from the movie Hollywood Hotel from 1937.

You'll notice Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet.



This version is very short compared to the Carnegie hall version which is 12 minutes long.

What do you think of the video clip with Benny Goodman playing Sing, Sing, Sing? Tell me.

Film: Quintette du Hot Club de France

Sometime around 1938-1939 The Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grapelli as prominent members of the jazz group made a tour to England. To promote the tour and to explain the difference between jazz and the contemporary english music a short film was made for the english audience. Here is the film with Quintette du Hot Club de France.



This kind of jazz is often called gypsy jazz. The Quintette du Hot Club de France is unusual because the band has only string instruments.

What do you think of the video clip with Quintette du Hot Club de France? Tell me.