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.

Opus One: Tommy Dorsey

I will continue to list the classic swing songs. Here is one undisputed classic: Opus One with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. This particular version is from the short film "Universal Name Band Musical 7301: Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra" from 1951.

Opus #1 was written by Sy Oliver and became a hit with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra in 1944.

I love the trading of phrases that goes on between trumpeter Charlie Shavers and the pianist (who is he, can anyone help me?)

What do you think of Opus No. 1? Got any suggestions of other classic swing songs? Please comment.

Cyd Charisse - Frankie and Johnny

Recently the great dancer Cyd Charisse passed away. Cyd Charisse was one of the stars in the era of movie musicals in the 1940's and 1950's. Read her obituary in NY Times.

Here is a video clip from the film Meet Me In Las Vegas from 1956 where Cyd Charisse dances to the song Frankie and Johnny sung by Sammy Davis Jr.

I love the precision and quality in the dancers movements. What a great choreography. It's credited to Hermes Pan according to the Internet Movie Database (but the poster on Youtube says Eugene Loring).

Last summer I posted a clip where Cyd Charisse dances in the film Party Girl.

What do you think of the dance scene with Cyd Charisse? Please comment.

The Three Little Bops

I want to wish you happy new year with this cartoon about The Three Little Bops and The Big Bad Wolf. Here is a new version of the tale of the three little pigs with music by Shorty Rogers.



I think the Big Bad Wolf looks hilarious when he sneaks into the joint playing the song Charleston on his ukelele.

What do you think of the cartoon with the Three Little Bops? Tell me.

The best things happen while you're dancing

Here is a video clip with Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing and singing the song "The best things happen while you're dancing" from the film White Christmas from 1954.



I'll take a short break for a couple of days during Christmas. In the mean time, why don't you tell me what your favorite blog post of this year has been or what you like to see next year.

I wish you a Merry Christmas!

What do you think of this video clip from White Christmas? Tell me.

Firehouse Five Plus Two plays Jingle Bells

Firehouse Five Plus Two plays a great dixieland jazz version of Jingle Bells in this video clip from the Disney tv show: One Hour in Wonderland from 1950.



"One Hour in Wonderland" is said to be the first tv program that the Disney studios produced.

The band Firehouse Five Plus Two consisted of animators from the studio: Danny Alguire, cornet, Harper Goff, banjo, Ward Kimball, trombone, Clarke Mallery, clarinet, Monte Mountjoy, drums, Ed Penner, tuba and Frank Thomas, piano.

(Yeah, I know, I broke an unwritten dj rule, that is, not to play the same song twice in a row, but sometimes you got to break the rules, especially when it's such a happy and joyful version.)

What do think of Firehouse Five Plus Two playing Jingle Bells? Tell me.

Dinah Washington - All Of Me

Enjoy this video clip from Newport Jazz Festival 1958 with Dinah Washington singing All Of Me.

Swing Dancing in Untamed Youth

Dance is intimately connected to music. When the music style changes so does the dance. If you dance the same way as you are used to, you not really paying attention to the music. Your dancing style should reflect what the music expresses.

When early rock and roll appeared in 1950's the music became rougher with the introduction of the electric guitar, the music was wilder and more rebellious . The dance of course reflected the music.

Here is a movie clip from the film Untamed Youth from 1957 where there is a lot of wild swing dancing going on. Mamie Van Doren sings to a song by Eddie Cochran.




When you are swing dancing to rock and roll music, you need to be aware that the music often has 4 bar breaks (and even 8 bar breaks) instead of 2 bar breaks as in classic swing music.

What do you think of the video clip with swing dancing from Untamed Youth? Tell me.

Danny Kaye sings "Ballin' the Jack"

Have you ever wanted to learn to dance Ballin' the Jack? Here is your chance.

Danny Kaye shows you how it's done when he sings "Ballin' the Jack" in this video clip from the movie "On the Riviera" from 1951. The woman looking at him is actress Gene Tierney.



Ballin' the Jack is an old dance that according to the book Social Dancing in America: A History and Reference Volume 2 Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000 (page 7-8) was invented in California around 1901-1905 and then was popularised through the theatre production Darktown Follies in 1911.

"Another popular dance from the Darktown Follies was Ballin' the Jack. Historian Willis Lawrence stated that the term "Ballin' the Jack" was a nineteenth century railroad expression that meant "travelling fast and having a good time"."

If you know of any other sources of information about the dance, let me know.

What do you think of Danny Kaye showing how to dance Ballin' the Jack? Tell me.

Cyd Charisse dances in Party Girl

Cyd Charisse is dancer who certainly knows how to match her movements to the music. Here is a sexy and sultry dance number in this video clip from the movie Party Girl.



Or maybe they matched the music to her movements? When it well done like this it's hard to tell. Cyd Charisse has such precision when she dances, it's a joy to watch.

The film Party Girl is from 1958.

What do you think of Cyd Charisse dancing in Party Girl? Tell me.

Anita O'Day: Honeysuckle Rose

Here is a video clip with another example of Anita O'Day's fantastic phrasing when she sing Honeysuckle Rose (1956) with the Buddy DeFranco Quartet.



At your own risk: Have you ever listened closely to the lyrics of Honeysuckle Rose? It's full of double meanings. A fair warning: if you have done this once, you will loose your innocence.

What do you think of the video clip where Anita O'Day sings Honeysuckle Rose? Tell me.

Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer

Right now the Tribeca Film Festival is going on and one of the movies that has it's premiere there is a documentary about jazz singer Anita Oday called: "Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer".

Take a look at the trailer for the documentary at Anita O'day's official website. If you're at the Tribeca Film Festival you can see the film on Friday and Sunday.

Anita O'day passed away in the end of last year. She will be remembered as a great jazz singer. What I admire about Anita O'day is her marvelous phrasing, one outstanding example of her phrasing can be heard on the following video clip from the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 where Anita O'day sings Sweet Georgia Brown in three different styles .



I especially like the way she presents the line in the lyrics that goes: "I don't lie... much".

The video clip is from the documentary "Jazz on a Summer's Day" from 1960 by Bert Stern.

You can compare her version with the other versions of Sweet Georgia Brown that I've posted.

What do you think of Anita O'day? Tell me.

Swing dj Svante Grundberg at Dekadans

Don't miss swing dj Svante Grundberg at Dekadans tonight. Svante Grundberg lives in Stockholm where he djs a lot. Svante is also an actor who has appeared in Swedish cult movies such as "Göta Kanal" and "Sällskapsresan".

Together with Björn Wallde he had a tv program called "Nattsudd" where they played music clips from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Have you heard Svante Grundberg dj swing before? What do you think? Tell me.

Ella Fitzgerald sings Hard Hearted Hannah

Here is a video clip with Ella Fitzgerald singing Hard Hearted Hannah from 1955.




Another great version of this song can be found on a cd called "The Great Swing Party", a concert recording made by Ulf Johansson Werre where Hard Hearted Hanna is sung by Hanna Hedlund.

Every fall Ulf Johansson Werre put together a large concert with big band which has a certain theme based on different jazz composers each time: Count Basie, Benny Goodman, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington.

On this particular occasion the theme was just "swing". The cd has a great version of It Don't Mean A Thing. At the concert there were also a lindy hop and tap performance by The Harlem Hot Shots.

What do you think of this video clip with Ella Fitzgerald singing Hard Hearted Hannah? Tell me.