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.

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.

Jazz photography: Stockholm Classic Jazz Band

Yesterday The Stockholm Classic Jazz Band played at a concert at Pub 19 in Uppsala.

Pub 19 is a classic stomping ground for jazz listners, a couple of years ago "Katalin and all that jazz" was located here before they moved to the new location right by the central station. The pub really has an intimate feeling. All around the walls there are photos of many musicians that has played there over the years.



Stockholm Classic Jazz Band played good trad jazz and had a really good lineup of musicians. One of them is Bent Persson, the trumpet player. I have one of his cds: Swingin' Straight, when I spoke to him he said that he usually plays other kinds of jazz than what's on that cd. So I guess Bent Persson mostly plays trad jazz.



Jens Lindgren on trumpet and song is another member of the Stockholm Classic Jazz Band. What you might not know is that he and Lennart Westerlund and the dance group The Rhythm Hot Shots started Jesses Jazz Club that was located at Katariahissen (Pryssgränd) where there was dancing every week to live bands. In the early days Jens Lindgren was the MC of the night. One of these days I might go through my old photo albums, I might have some photos from Jesses Jazz Club (or better yet, you send me one!).

When the rent became to high they had to move to another location. The dance night has now transformed into Zackes Jazz Corner which is hosted each Wednesday at the Chicago Dance Studio owned by The Harlem Hot Shots. Chicago Dance Studio is located at Hornsgatan 75 in Stockholm.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission.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

What do you think of Stockholm Classic Jazz Band? Please comment.

Swing i Swaben

This weekend, starting tomorrow Friday, there will be an event called Swing i Swaben.

Good bands, social dancing, dance classes and all sorts of fun.

This announcement comes a little bit late, but if you're a spontaneous person you still have time to join the fun. I wish I could be there. Some of my friends will be there: Emelie & Rebecka Decavita will teach lindy hop and Trina Dobbs (with her company Jigwalk) will sell vintage style shoes.

What do you think of Swing i Swaben? Please comment.

Canal Street Syncopators: Rooftop concert

Tonight the band Canal Street Syncopators will play on a rooftop concert at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, that's smack dab in the middle of Stockholm by Sergels torg. Canal Street Syncopators is a great orchestra, you should see them if you have the opportunity .



At 18 there will be a taster lesson in how to dance charleston taught by Fatima Teffahi from the Harlem Hot Shots. The Canal Street Syncopators will play from 19-22 then The Rhythm Sweethearts will dj until midnight. There will be a dance show by the Midnight Rounders (does anyone know anything about that group?). Tickets cost 150 kr.

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

What do you think of the Canal Street Syncopators? Please comment.

Herräng Dance Camp on TV: Godmorgon Sverige

As I mentioned on Saturday, the Herräng Dance Camp has started and will go on for five weeks this summer. Today the dance camp got some media attention when Åsa Palm and Daniel Heedman from the Harlem Hot Shots visited the morning tv show "Godmorgon Sverige".

Åsa and Daniel are intervjued (in Swedish) and they also show some medium tempo lindy hop (4:10 into the video clip). They talk about the name lindy hop ("Lindy hops the Atlantic") and that there are still things to learn even though one has been dancing 14 years (as Åsa has been doing). They also describe what it's like on Herräng Dance Camp, dancing 24/7.

Take a look at the video clip with Palm and Daniel Heedman from "Godmorgon Sverige".

What do you think of the interview? What was the song they danced to? Tell me.

Harlem Hots Shots in Talang 2007 Final

The Harlem Hot Shots didn't win the final of the talent show Talang 2007 on TV4. Too bad. But then again, performing three times on prime time tv is great exposure both for the dance company itself and for lindy hop in general. Here is the Harlem Hot Shots performance in the final of Talang 2007.



In the introduction of the video clip you can see them dancing and showing of some of their costumes at their dance studio "Chicago" in Stockholm. There was a live band playing Bugle Call Rag, does someone know who was in the band?

If you want english translations of what is said, check out these discussion threads at Yehoodi and White Heat.

Watch their previous performances in the auditions and in the semi final.

What do you think of Harlem Hot Shots performance in the final of Talang 2007? Tell me.

Carling Family Music Video with The Harlem Hot Shots

The Herräng Dance Camp is approaching fast and a couple of days ago I was reminded of that by photographer Jeremy P. Lawrence who was there last year doing a lot of dance photography.

Among the things he photographed was still images of a music video shoot of the Carling Family Band together with the Harlem Hot Shots. The video itself was shoot by Jan Forsell and directed by Chester Whitmore.

Photo by A. Jeremy P. Lawrence. The photo may not be used elsewhere without his permission. Contact him if you want to licence the photo.

Watch the music video!

The place where they dance is 'dansbanan' (a.k.a. The Dance Banana) behind 'Folkets hus' in Herräng.

What do you think of this video clip with the Carling Family Band and Harlem Hot Shots? Tell me.

Harlem Hot Shots dances in TV4 Talang final

Tonight, the swing dance show group The Harlem Hot Shots will perform in the final of the talent show Talang 2007 on TV4. The competition is fierce so be sure to vote for them, so that they can win the first prize of one million swedish crowns.

In the final they will add some extras and one lindy hopper from Uppsala might be seen in the background. I'm also told that there will also be a live band performing the song they will dance to.

Watch Talang 2007 at 20 o'clock tonight on TV4. Vote for lindy hop!

Video clips with Harlem Hotshots: semi final and audition round.

Have you followed Talang 2007 on TV4? What do you think of Harlem Hot Shots chances of winning? Tell me.

Harlem Hot Shots won the semi final in Talang 2007 on TV4

Harlem Hot Shots won the jury's vote in semi final in the talent show Talang 2007 on TV4 last friday. Here is a video clip from the semi final with Harlem Hot Shots number, done to the song Bill's Bounce by Bill Elliott.



This Friday, there will be the last semi final, where the last contestants in the final will choosen. Be sure to tune in next Friday to vote for Harlem Hot Shots. I've heard from my sources that they will add some extra flavor.

Also, check out their lindy hop number in the preliminary round.

What do you think of Harlem Hot Shots number in the semi final in Talang 2007 on TV4? Tell me.

Fatima Teffahi: Swing dj at Dekadans tonight

Tonight, Fatima Teffahi will be the swing dj at Dekadans. Fatima lives in Stockholm and is a member of the swing dance show troupe The Harlem Hot Shots.

Fatima was the first disc jockey I heard that played the song Sympathique by the band Pink Martini. A great song with french lyrics. In the music video below you can learn some french words in the song lyrics. Learn more about Pink Martini.

Before the dance there will be a taster lesson in lindy hop that starts at 19, after the lesson ends at 20 you can stay and dance until 23.



The photo is taken by me and may not be used elsewhere without my permission.

Have you heard Fatima Teffahi dj before? What do you think? Tell me.

TV4 Talang: Harlem Hot Shots dances Lindy Hop

Tonight it's the semi final in TV4's talent show Talang 2007. One of the contestants are the famous swing dance show group The Harlem Hot Shots.

Watch their performance in the preliminary round in the competition where The Harlem Hot Shots performed a dance number to Bugle Call Rag. You can see Hanna Zetterman, Mattias Lundmark, Åsa Palm, Daniel Heedman, Sakarias Larsson and of course Frida Segerdahl.



Vote for them so that they go on to the final, so we get more exposure of lindy hop in Sweden. Hopefully they'll win the first prize of one million kronor. Watch them tonight in Talang 2007 at TV4 20:00.

[Update: They won the jury's vote and will be going the the final in two weeks! Be sure to vote for them then.]

If you were inspired by them to learn lindy hop, you can take classes by The Harlem Hot Shots at their own dance studio in Stockholm: Chicago. If you live in Uppsala, get in touch with Swingkatten.

What do you think of The Harlem Hot Shots performance in the video clip? Do you know what version of Bugle Call Rag they are using? Tell me.

Koop: Come to me feat. Harlem Hot Shots

When you dj, you are often looking for songs that will create a certain feeling or mood on the dance floor. You try to find songs that match that feeling or will lead you along a path towards that mood.

Today it's Sunday, so I'm trying to come up with a blog post that gives you a relaxed Sunday morning feeling. Here is a song that is softly swinging that may get you up from your bed. Come to me by Koop.



This music video for the song "Come to me" by Koop is directed by Marcus Söderlund and was shot at the Beatelund mansion at Ingarö outside of Stockholm Aug 1-2 2006. The song is from their album "Koop Islands"

In this video you can spot several members of the swing dance show group The Harlem Hot Shots doing lindy hop and charleston.

This seems to be a great place to have a party. Location and decoration is important to me when I throw a party. Good music and great people are the most important things but it has to look great as well. Small details can really make a difference.

What do think of this video clip with Koop performing Come To Me? Were you an extra at the video shoot? What was that like? Tell me.