Anita O'Day: Ain't Misbehavin'

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

Let me off uptown - Gene Krupa, Anita O'day, Roy Eldridge

Let me off uptown is one of those classic swing songs, maybe it's not considered a jazz standard, but when it comes to swing dancing, you're bound to hear it every now and then.

The most known version of Let me off uptown is the one above with Gene Krupa, Anita O'day, Roy Eldridge. This was also the very first swing music tip I gave on this blog.

In the middle of the video clip there is a dance sequence, does anyone know who the dancers are?

Maybe you are as silly as Miss D and I: whenever we hear the song on the dance floor, we act out the banter between Anita and Roy.

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

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.

Watch the Birdie - Hellzapoppin

Usually you will hear the song Watch the Birdie sung by Anita O'day but it first appeared in the movie Hellzapoppin'. Here is a video clip from Hellzapoppin' with Watch the Birdie, the song is sung by Martha Raye.



Before I knew about this clip I always felt like there where something more to the story than what was told in the lyrics, now having seen the clip from Hellzapoppin' (1941), the lyrics make perfect sense.

In this clip there is lindy hop dance sequence where Betty (Martha Raye) dances with Dean Collins. When experienced lindy hoppers think of Hellzapoppin they mostly think of another famous dance sequence from this movie with Frankie Manning, Norma Miller and Al Minns and the rest of the dance troupe Harlem Cangeroos. Therefor I thought it would be nice to show some other swing dancing from that movie.

The Anita O'day version of Watch the Birdie is a great one (Gene Krupas Orchestra is playing), but be careful when you are djing it if you got a lot of beginning dancers on the dance floor because it has some tricky breaks in it.

And while we are talking about birds and photography (well, kind of...), I must show you a cartoon that is played at every Christmas Eve on Swedish television at 3 o'clock. It, together with some other cartoons, has been shown for 30 years, it's a modern tradition.



What do you think of Watch the Birdie (both the Hellzapoppin' and Anita O'day version)? Tell me.

Hey Mr Jesse: Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five

It's so pleasant to know that in the beginning of each month I know exactly what I'll be blogging about and that is of course the fabulous podcast Hey Mr Jesse. Here is what I wrote about this show earlier.

The thing that makes this podcast great is that Jesse Miner och Manu Smith each episode invites a swing jazz musician and interviews them. This time they interview Jonathan Stout, the band leader of Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five. This might be the best interview so far. If you haven't listened to the podcast before, now is the time to do it.

Besides being a musician, Jonathan Stout is also a swing dancer and he talks about what makes swing music danceable. He gives music examples of different ways to play swing music and how that affects the dancing. One thing he mention is "dancing to the music", which means that if you listen to the music and are interpreting it, the music gives you huge clues about what moves to do.

One of my favorite expressions is: "The music made me do it". That happens when you have this great dance with a great dance partner and you feel absolutely compelled to do a certain movement because it totally fits to the music. Nothing else would have made sense. Both you and partner smile and say: "Yeah, we nailed that one". That's a total connection between you, your partner and the music. It's like the music is standing beside you with a big sledge hammer and say (in the most friendly but firm voice). "Make that move, or else...".

I think the interview is educational both for dancers and musicians.

Jesse Miner mentions a lot of other stuff also, like the upcoming Frankie Manning biography: "Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop" and the new documentary Anita O'day: The Life of a Jazz Singer.

Check out everything in the show notes for episode number 17 of Hey Mr Jesse.

Download the May episode of Hey Mr Jesse. (50 MB, mp3)

What do you think of the Hey Mr Jesse podcast? 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.

Anita O´day: Let me off uptown

Cd review

Swing music tip of the day: Anita O´day: Let me off uptown

This is a great swing cd with the best of singer Anita O'day. All of the songs are with Gene Krupa and his orchestra.

Here are classics as 'Opus one', 'Boogie blues' and 'Massachusetts' and of course one of my favorites 'Let me off uptown' where Anita sings a duet with trumpeter Roy Eldridge.