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.

Diga Diga Doo - Paolo Conti & Sebastien Ménière

Diga diga doo is one of my favorite songs. Usually you hear versions by Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman, but you have never heard it like this when it's played by Paolo Conti (on slide steel guitar) & Sebastien Ménière (rhythm guitar) in a gypsy jazz style.

I would say that Diga diga doo is a classic swing song.

What do you think of this version of Diga diga doo? Please comment.

Hot Club De Norvege: Photos

Today the band Hot Club De Norvege played gypsy jazz in the style of Django Reinhardt at a concert at Katalin and all that jazz. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

It was a great (grejt!) concert and if you like this kind of music you should see and listen to the band if they are in your neighbourhood.


Hot Club De Norvege consists of Jon Larsen (guitar), Finn Hauge (violin and harmonica), Per Frydenlund (guitar) and Svein Aarbostad (bass).


The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission.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


Were you at the concert with Hot Club De Norvege? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Hot Club De Norvege at Katalin tomorrow

Tomorrow the band Hot Club De Norvege will play at a concert at Katalin and all that jazz. The concert is arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

Hot Club De Norvege consists of Jon Larsen (guitar), Finn Hauge (violin and harmonica), Per Frydenlund (guitar) and Svein Aarbostad (bass).

The band plays what is refered to as gypsy jazz inspired by Django Reinhardt and Quintette du Hot Club de France but with their own twist. They have performed together with members of the Rosenberg Trio.

The concert starts at 14 tomorrow Saturday. If you're younger than 25 years old you'll get in for FREE! Othervise it costs 160 kr (130 if you're a member of Uppsla Jazz Club or has a UNT-card).

Have you seen or heard Hot Club De Norvege before? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Rosenberg Trio - It Don't Mean a Thing

Let's jump start this week with lightning fast gypsy jazz version of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If You Ain't Got That Swing)" performed by the Rosenberg Trio at Jazz Festival of Django Reinhardt.



The Rosenberg trio consists of Stochelo Rosenberg, Nous'che Rosenberg and Nonnie Rosenberg.

What do you think of this version of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If You Ain't Got That Swing)" played by the Rosenberg Trio? 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.