Hey Mr Jesse Feb: Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers

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

As usual I wrote in to the show with some music tips, I wrote:

My favorite local jump blues and rhythm 'n' blues band, Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers, has just released their second album called "Turn it up".

I like that Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers have written some more songs of their own, like the title track "Turn it Up". My favorite track is their version of "April in Arkansas".

I just love that call and response between singer Anders Söderberg and the guest artists on that track, the sisters Greta, Stella and Sunniva Bondesson. They have their own group called Baskery.

Mr Jesse played their version of "April in Arkansas" and also talked about their video for the song Chicago Boogie.

My other music tip (that didn't make it to the show):

I'd like to recommend the album "The Jive Is Jumpin': RCA and Bluebird Vocal Groups 1939-1952" (which I got to know about thanks to my friend, the fabulous Miss V.)

This is a great album for anyone who likes vocal groups that swing.

The album has groups as Cats and the Fiddle, The Four Clefs and The Delta Rhythm Boys.

The Four Clefs do a great song called "I Like Pie, I Like Cake" and I like all the Delta Rhythm Boys' songs: One O'clock Jump, I Never Get Out of This World Alive and Take The A-Train.

That version of Take The A-Train was used in a tv documentary about The Herräng Dance Camp called "Swingen anfaller" ("The swing is attacking").

Spuds has for a long time promised to make "theme music" for my contributions to the show, and in this episode it happend. Jesse commented that he thought Spuds must have worn Lederhosen and had a beer in his hand while composing it. I agree with Jesse, this what I call oompa-oompa-music. Thank you Spuds!

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

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

Release party: Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers: Turn it up

Last Saturday the rhythm & blues band Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers had a release party at Katalin to celebrate their new cd Turn It Up.

They played songs from the album, great jump blues as always. What I really like is the fact that the band has written some new songs.

You can buy Turn It Up from their label: Heptown Records.



I only had time to see their first set since I had to hurry back to prepare for the swing night and the vintage fashion show at Grand.

I also didn't have time to pick up the actual cd, a pity since I was really curious about what the booklet inside looked like. I photographed the pictures that is inside, the photos where taken when Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers played at Parksnäckan in June.



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 Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers new cd, Turn it up? Please comment.

The Rhythm Club in Natchez burns down

Last Tuesday I djed at Cats Corner. I played a lot of styles of swing music, so hopefully everybody got some songs that they liked. When I dj I almost never leave the dj booth to dance, djing gets my full attention. However, I couldn't resist to dance two songs with the lovely Miss J.

One particular song I played during the night was "That Night" by Swing Session from their selfentitled album.

"That Night" is a slow and groovy song with fictional story based on a real event: the night when the Rhythm Club in Natchez burned down April 23, 1940 killing many people.

I've found a blog post that gives you much more info on what went down that night in Natchez. Check it out.

What do you think of "That Night"? Please comment.

Nikki Yanofsky's Debut Album: Ella...Of Thee I Swing

Canada's jazz prodigy, Nikki Yanofsky, has just released her debut album: "Ella...Of Thee I Swing" as well as full concert DVD. Take a look at all the songs that are included on "Ella...Of Thee I Swing" and listen to them. You can also buy the cd on iTunes.

As the album title indicates, Nikki Yanofsky sings songs associated with Ella Fitzgerald. I think this is perfect for her first album, especially since Nikki got discovered when she sang Ella songs. It's worth noting that Nikki Yanofsky got discovered at an younger age than Ella Fitzgerald was. Nikki is 14 now, just imagine what her singing will be like in three years.

Nikki's voice has really matured a lot since I first heard her sing Airmail Special. It's still a little bit girlish, naturally, but I can't wait to hear more of her work in the coming years.

In the video clip above you'll find Nikki Yanofsky singing at Montreal Jazz Festival 2008.

What do you think of Nikki Yanofsky and her debut album: Ella...Of Thee I Swing? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse October podcast available

The October episode of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse is just 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. Take a look at what is in the show: read the show notes for Hey Mister Jesse October 2008.

Download the October 2008 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

This is what I wrote in response to the August podcast:

Thanks for a great August podcast. I second Morgan Day's recommendation of the Firecracker jazz band, I wish I had their first self-entitled cd where they have a killer version of "Diga-diga-do".

My swing music tip for September is a compilation album from Japan called "The Very Best of Big Band Swingin' Jive".

Although one might be suspicious to a title like that, it's fairly correct. It got lots of good swinging music.

Seasoned swing djs already have some of the tracks, like "Did You Ever See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball" by Count Basie and "Cole Slaw" by Jesse Stone. But if you don't have those tracks the album is worth picking up just for them.

However, I got some other favorite songs from that album:

The first song is "Jazz o' jazz" by Adrian and his Tap Room Gang. I love the vocals by Jeanne Burns and Wingy Manone. (Adrian and his Tap Room Gang : Wingy Manone (tp,vcl) Joe Marsala (cl,as) Adrian Rollini (bassax,vib, xyl) Putney Dandridge (p,vcl) Carmen Mastren (g) Sid Weiss (b) Sam Weiss (d) Jeanne Burns (vcl) New York, June 14, 1935)

They also do a version of "Nagasaki" that's smokin' hot.

The second song is "Shorty's Gotta Go" by Lucky Millinder.
A groovy handclappin' call'n'response song with attitude, what more could you ask for?

"Shorty's Gotta Go" is also done by Cats And The Fiddle available at "Hep Cats Swing: Complete Recordings, Vol. 2 (1941-1946)"

I also reminded them about the amazing jam sesson scene in the movie Paris Blues with Louis Armstrong, Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier.

Take a look at what I've written about the previous Hey Mr Jesse podcasts.

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

Hey Mr Jesse: September podcast

The September episode of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse is just released. This time the show recorded live at the lindy hop camp Swing Out New Hampshire.

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. Take a look at what is in the show: read the show notes for Hey Mister Jesse September 2008.

Download the September 2008 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

I have some things from the podcast I'd like to comment on:

First of all, Jesse was spot on that the source of the my tip about Calvin Boze in the August episode was from the MP3 blog Be Bop Vino.

Just like Jesse I have mixed feelings about MP3 blogs and I wasn't sure if I should name it as a source so I stayed on the safe(?) side and didn't mention it.

But now that the cat is out of the bag, it's only fair that you, my blog readers, should know about it too: Take a look at the Calvin Boze album: "Havin' A Ball" at Be Bop Vino. Be Bop Vino is a great blog that gives you tips about jazz and blues artists.

Secondly, the September podcast features a good interview with swing dj Rayned Wiles about the photograph "A Great Day in Harlem" by Art Kane. Rayned has prepared a 8 hour (!) show on Yehoodi radio featuring all the jazz musicians in the photograph. I just have to say: wow.

I've had the idea of blogging about that photo since I first started blogging but never got around to do it, so this is a perfect time to at least mention some things about it.

In addition to listening to Rayned's radio show you should see the documentary "A Great Day in Harlem" where you get all kinds of stories about the making of the photograph. You can borrow it at the Uppsala City Library if you like or buy the documentary from Amazon.com.

There are much more in the show but at last I want to mention that Bernard Berkhout and his orchestra has made some video clips available on Youtube. Great stuff. The video clip in the beginning of this post is the song House Hop.

What do you think of the September edition of Hey Mr Jesse? Please comment.

Lisa Ekdahl - Now or never

Lisa Ekdahl's version of "Now or never" fit the mood of a Saturday morning with sunny weather and clear breeze that hints that the autumn is soon here.

This version from the album "Back To Earth" where Lisa Ekdahl sings together with the Peter Nordahl trio has a bossanova beat but it still swings, hard, just listen to the part between 2.10 and 2.30. Oh, yeah!

I like the idea in the music video with a dance contest in the school. Fits perfect as most schools start the autumn semester right now.

The trio consists of Ronnie Gardiner (drums), Patrik Boman (bass) and Peter Nordahl (piano).

What are your favorite songs for a Saturday morning?

What do you think of Lisa Ekdahl singing Now or never? Please comment.

100 Great Records Of The 1920s

If upu are interested in jazz music history, you should check out 100 Great Records Of The 1920s which is a series of blog posts by writer Jonathan Bogart.

This seems to be a terrific starting point to learn about the early jazz musicians (and other pop culture musicians) of the 1920's. You can even hear samples of some songs.

I haven't had the time to read it properly, so let me know if you find an artist that I should take a closer look at.

What is your favorite record or artist from this list? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse: August podcast

The August episode of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse is just released. Hey Mr Jesse is a great monthly podcast where Jesse Miner and Manu Smith (a.k.a. Spuds) talk about swingin' music that matters to dancers.

I'm listening to the podcast as I write this. You can see what is in the show by looking at the show notes for Hey Mister Jesse August 2008. If I find time I'll post more comments about the podcast later on when I've finished listening to it.

Download the August 2008 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

I'm sending swing music tips each month to the show, but since they have picked up more listeners, they also get more feedback that they want to feature. This means that not every tip I send make it into the podcast because they have to edit the show to squeeze in most of the information. That should tell you that is a jam packed show with lots of swinging music. But I'm totally cool with that.

So, if you like my suggestions on the Hey Mr Jesse podcast, be sure to check out the blog as well, because there might be more...

Here is my tips for the August podcast:

Hi Mr Jesse! Hi Spuds!

First tip:

I'm picking up the thread from July where I mentioned Jimmy Sapienza's Five Guys Named Moe who played some Louis Jordan songs.

An artist who was also inspired by Louis Jordan was his contemporary: Calvin Boze. Calvin Boze's most famous song is Safronia B, which you might know by some of the lyrics: "I surrender! I surrender!"

I'd like to recommend a compilation album with Calvin Boze called "Havin' A Ball". It has some really good jump blues / rhythm & blues songs like Lizzy Lou, Fishtail and my favorite: "Beale Street On A Saturday Night".

The song is obviously inspired by Jordan's "Saturday Night Fish Fry" but it got another kind of vibe.

Second tip:

Continuing on the theme "similar but different" I want to mention the pianist and singer Charles Brown. He played in a small group that sounded similar to the Nat King Cole trio.

On the compilation album "Charles Brown 1947-1948" he does a version of "Moneys Getting Cheaper". I like one of his songs that is called "If You Dont Why Dont Ya!".

Bonus tip:

Now that I have been givin credit to two fairly unknown artists, I came to think of another unknown band called Comfy Chair from Berkeley, California.

Confy Chair do a song called "Givin' Credit" where they honor Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington and the other jazz greats. I dont really know how to classify their music style, progressive rock maybe(?), I think they themself call it "slamswing".

Along with this song from their debut CD in 1997, 'Party on the Titanic', is a song about Thomas "Fats" Waller, which is simply called: "Fats". I also really like the song "Renaissance In Harlem".

Here is a video clip with Comfy Chair:



Remember, if you like you can become a fan of the Swing, jazz and blues blog on Facebook.

What do you think of the August edition of the Hey Mr Jesse podcast? Please comment.

Recommendations of swing, jazz and blues books, music and films

To make it easier for you to find my recommendations of swing, jazz and blues books, music and films that I mention in the blog I've set up a bunch of pages where you can browse and buy the things I like.

Check it out :

Swing, Jazz and Blues: Music, books and films for dancers

I will add new products and subcategories as time goes by, so check in every once in a while to see what's new. Be sure to look at the right side of the page to find the subcategories.

I've also added a page with recommendations of Canon DSLR camera gear for those of you who like my photos.

What do you think of my recomendations? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse - Christmas songs

I have no superlatives left to describe the podcast "Hey, Mr Jesse" where Jesse Miner and Manu Swith talks about swing music, so I'll just say: Check it out!

Download the December edition. [42 MB, mp3]

This episode concludes the second year of monthly podcasts. Since it's December and holiday season they feature some swinging Christmas songs. One album they mention is Diana Krall's Christmas Songs. That cd has been on my wish list for quite some time. Another good Christmas album is Yule B Swingin.

Jesse & Manu also listed holiday swing songs last year in Hey Mr Jesse #12. Download.

They feature some of my comments about previous podcasts. They play Benny's Bugle from the band 4beat6 which they describe as

"Man! Smokin'! ... Foot stompin' music ... I just wanna dance."

I couldn't agree more. They also play a clip of Splanky performed by Count Basie at Montreux Jazz Festival 1977. Thank you guys for letting me be a part of the show.

There is so much more, see all the details in the show notes for Hey Mr Jesse #24.

I now realize that I didn't announce the November 2007 edition of Hey Mr Jesse. So if you missed it, download Hey Mr Jesse #23. Then you'll have two hours of swinging jazz music tips to enjoy!

What do you think of Hey Mr Jesse December edition? Tell me.

Play swing music for the best dancers

On Tuesday I dj:ed a set at Cats Corner and I felt it went successfully. Swing dancer Peter Loggins told me earlier this year: "Dj for the best dancers". He meant that if you play swing music that satisfies the best dancers and makes them happy, that kind of music will benefit all of the dancers in the dance scene. On Tuesday I looked out over the dance floor and some of the best dancers seemed inspired so I guess I did a pretty good job.

So, what kind of music did I play?

I was happy to play a couple of songs by the swing band 4beat6 from the Netherlands. I was happy to for the first time introduce the crowd to swing songs sung by Nikki Yanofsky: "Betcha Nickel" and "Lullaby Of Birdland", which she recorded last year when she was 12! Amazing! I can't wait to hear more songs from Nikki Yanofsky.

I featured some songs from the vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross: "A Mellow Tone" and "Twist City" from the great album "The Hottest New Group In Jazz".


It was good to hear the new swing dj, Dietmar, dj for his first time. It's always refreshing to hear someone else's music selections.

When the set (and the swing night) was over I played one song just to amuse the crowd that was still there: "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy" by the Hot Club of Cowtown from a live album called Continental Stomp.

Were you at Cats Corner on Tuesday? What do you think of my music choices? Tell me.

Coleman Hawkins - Body & Soul

It was some time since I last featured late night music, but it's time again to showcase some mellow music that you can enjoy when you come home late at night from a night out dancing.

Tonight it's Coleman Hawkins who plays "Body & Soul". A good album for more late night jazz by Coleman Hawkins is "Sirius".

What are you your favorite late night music? Tell me.

Dean Martin - Forever Cool

Today a new album with Dean Martin called "Forever Cool" has been released. You may wonder how that's possible since Dean Martin died in 1995 but what they have done is to take old tracks with Dean Martin's song and pair them with new arrangements and new duet singers like Robbie Williams, Martina McBride, Joss Stone, Shelby Lynne, Kevin Spacey and bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

The album features classic Dean Martin songs like "Ain't That A Kick In The Head", "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" and "Baby It's Cold Outside".

See a trailer for the "Dean Martin: Forever Cool" album.


Have you listened to the album "Forever Cool" with Dean Martin? What do you think? Tell me.

Jazzreview.com: cd, book and concert reviews

I'm in the process of writing some posts that take a little more time so today I'm going to send you off to another jazz music website:

JazzReview.com

As the name suggests they feature all kind of jazz reviews: cds, books, concerts. They also have a section with jazz concert photography.

Check it out and report back to me if you find something that I should know about.

You could also take a look at my own cd reviews and book reviews.

Did you find something interesting? Tell me.

Review: Best of Van Morrison Volume 3

Katrina Alvarez over at Wiredset sent me the new album "The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3" for review. Thanks!

Van Morrison has had a long career and the songs from this double cd spans the years from 1993 until present. The album has an eclectic mix of music styles.

For me, the initial interest was to hear what Van Morrisons collaborations with blues artists like John Lee Hooker, BB King and Jimmy Witherspoon sounded like.

The album mostly contain what I would classify as soul songs (they somewhat remind me of Sam Cooke songs) mixed up with modern blues songs. A common musical theme through the album is the the use of Hammond B3 organ.

From a jazz (and dance) perspective there are only two songs on the album that are interesting: Moondance and Centerpiece. I've heard Moondance played at dances before and here is an uptempo version of the song. Centerpiece is the most jazzy song on the album and here Van Morrison is joined by singer Annie Ross. Annie Ross was a member of the vocal jazz group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Centerpiece was written by Jon Hendricks and it's my favorite song from the album.

This album is a little bit a departure from the cds I usually write about so be sure to listen to the songs at Amazon before you buy it. If you already are a Van Morrison fan, I think you will like this "best of collection".

Have you listened to "The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3"? What do you think of it? Tell me.

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross sings vocalese

Vocalese is a certain kind of vocal jazz. It's similar to scatting but when you scat you use nonsense words or syllables to imitate the instruments where in vocalese you use lyrics to imitate. The masters of vocalese where the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross consisting of Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross.

Look at this video clip of them sing "Every day I have the blues".

They have taken the arrangement from Count Basie and instead of trumpet, trombone and saxophone they are now singing those lines. The phrasing is still the same as the instrument players would have done it but it's just song.

I can really recommend their album "Sing a Song of Basie" where they do vocalese versions of Count Basie arrangements. They sing songs like "One O'clock Jump", "It's Sand, Man" and "Down For Double". Highly recommended if you like vocal jazz.

What do you think of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross singing "Every day I have the blues"? 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.

George Gee & Jump, Jivin' Wailers - If Dreams Come True

I just wanted to tell you that one of my favorite bands, George Gee & Jump, Jivin’ Wailers has released a new cd called "If Dreams Come True". You can listen to the songs at cdbaby.com or at George Gee's page at MySpace. I'll probably write more about this cd later, for now, just check it out.

What do you think of George Gee & Jump, Jivin’ Wailers and the new album "If dreams come true"? Tell me.

Swing dj Patrik at Dekadans: Photo

Since there is no dance at Dekadans tonight, here is a photo from Dekadans last week of swing dj Patrik Öhrström. One song I really liked from his set was Big Shoe from the Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges album "Side by side".

The photo may not be used elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want licence the photo.

Where you at Dekadans last week? What did you think of the music? Tell me.