Phontrattarne: Concert photos from Parksnäckan

Phontrattarne is such a great band. I saw their Grand show at Parksnäckan on Thursday and had a blast.

As indicated by the full name of the band: Svenska Showorkestern Phontrattarne, this orchestra is not only there to play solid swinging big band music but also there to perform a show. And what a show it was. I'm so impressed by the band, because almost everyone in the band is also a singer or got acting skills. I really like the expressiveness of singer Lovisa Andersson.

If I wasn't mistaken, the band has made a new arrangement of School days, with a even fuller sound than before. Got to love that song. They played tight versions of One O'Clock Jump and Down For Double.



They did a skit commenting on the tv reality show "Bonde söker fru" (Farmer seeks wife) with new lyrics to Minnie The Moocher. In another number they sang about what women really like about men: their mustash. They had a guest apprearance by the fantastic, stupendous, fabulus and magnificent flute player Mr Bailar, who also seemed to attract the women.



Talking about women, the dancers in the dance troup were great. They got the moves and they are good looking. I lost track of how many costume changes they did. They are hot!

Phontrattarne is right now on tour somewhere in Europe, I don't know where. In fact, when their bus left Uppsala only the tour managers knew where they were going. It will be a surprise for the band members as well. If you happen to see them somewhere on their tour, please let me know.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission.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 Phontrattarne? Please comment.

Phontrattarne at Parksnäckan tonight

Uppsala's absolutely best student orchestra, Phontrattarne, will play their Grand Show concert at Parksnäckan in Uppsala tonight at 19.30.

Expect really good big band music and lots of humour and skits.

Be there!

Tickets are 90 kr.

What do you think of Phontrattarne? Please comment.

Parksnäckan: Summer jazz in Uppsala

There are plenty of jazz concerts this summer in Parksnäckan, the outdoor stage in the City Garden of Uppsala.

The jazz concerts are arranged by jazz promotor Björn Sjödin. The concerts will start at 19:30 and cost 90 kr (70 if you got a UNT-card).

Here is the list of summer concerts:

July 3: Teamwork Big Band featuring Claes Janson and Nina Rydberg.
The concert will celebrate the life of Povel Ramel, a Swedish entertainer and comedian who sometimes used jazz songs.

July 24: Svenska Showorkestern Phontrattarne
Here is another chance to see their Grand show that they produce each year. Phontrattarne is a really good swinging orchestra combined with lots of humour.

July 31: Lars Erstrand Four
Lars Erstrand Four is a swinging quartet consisting of Lars Erstrand (vibraphone), Bertil Fernqvist (guitar), Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Björn Sjödin (drums).

Aug 12: STARDUST by Peter Lind and the Cabaret Band
A musical cabaret with stories and anecdotes about Harlem, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael and the other great stars of the swing era.

Aug 19: Solskensorkestern
A big band that doesn't play jazz but other old time music from the 1930-1940s, a musical style that in Sweden is called schlager.

Aug 21: Good Morning Blues
The oldest blues band in town (41 years!), Good Morning Blues, does their traditional summer performance in Parksnäckan. The band consists of Claes Janson, Bosse Broberg, John Högman, Anders Johansson, Jan Wärngren, Thomas Lindroth and Björn Sjödin.

What do you think of these summer jazz concerts in Uppsala? Which ones would you like to attend? Please comment.

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

Phontrattarne Grand Show at Reginateatern

Tonight it's premiere for Grand Show by Phontrattare at Reginateatern. This show has been done for many years and is one of the best signs that the spring has arrived. The show usually contains a lot of good big band music and a lot of comedy. The band and the dancers have a fondness of picking up old gems of music and writing new lyrics to them.



I encourage everybody that have opportunity to see the show and I'm hoping that I can have the chance to photograph one of their shows.

The shows are each day between May 8th and May 15th.



The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them. They are taken about two weeks ago when Phontrattarne did a concert at Stora Torget in Uppsala.

Will you see Grand Show with Phontrattarne? Tell me.

Valborg tradition: Phontrattarne at Norrlands nation

Today is Valborg, the big celebration of the arrival of the spring in Uppsala, that takes place on the last day of April. There are many traditions during this day but the only one I make sure to attend is dancing in the street outside Norrlands nation at 15.00 when the band Phontrattarne plays. See you there.

Read what I wrote abote the Valborg celebration last year.

The photo with singer Josefine Hägglöf in front of the band was taken last Saturday when Phontrattarne performed at Stora Torget. More about that later.

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

Will you also be dancing in the street today? Tell me.

Svenska Showorkestern Phontrattarne at Uppsala Winter Camp

For the third year in a row the big band Svenska Showorkestern Phontrattarne (or Phontrattarne for short) performed at the big Saturday night dance at Uppsala Winter Camp.
The image above is from the dinner entertainment where the singers who were siamese tripplets performed the song "Me, myself and I". If you look closely you see that they have just one big pair of trousers and a giant shirt.

As you might have figured out from their full name they like to put on a great show as well as playing fantastic. The musicians always do something funny while they are not playing for the moment. Yey for jazz musicians that aren't shoe-gazers. It was a great night.

If you are a student you can dance to the band at Norrlands nation February 15th and March 14th.

I heard that they have a new cd out now, but I didn't have a chance to have a look at it.

Read what I wrote about Phontrattarne last year.



On a dance night at Grand you might have to catch your breath for a while. There a two options at Grand, either the cafe upstairs where you can get all kinds of cakes, tea, coffee and sodas and sink down into a comfortable sofa while listening to slow blues music.

You could also visit the bar downstairs (pictured above) which has plenty of water. Have a quick sip of water and you're out on the dance floor in no time. Just be sure to mark the cup with your name, othervise it will be lost immediately.

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 Saturday night dance at Grand where Svenska Showorkestern Phontrattarne were playing? What did you think of the band? Tell me.

Phontrattarne Grand Show Premiere Tonight

The big band Phontrattarne is having their premiere of their Grand Show at Reginateatern tonight. The show is played between the 10th and the 17th of May. Some of the shows are sold out so be sure to get some tickets while they are available.



Here is some photos of members of Phontrattarne that I took when they played at Uppsala Winter Camp. The photos may not be used elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want licence the photos.

Will you go to the Phontrattarne Grand Show? Have you already seen it? What do you think of it? Tell me.

Phontrattarne at Norrlands nation: Valborg tradition

Yesterday was Valborg in Uppsala, also known as Walpurgis night. At Valborg we celebrate the arrival of the spring and I would estimate that at least 80000 people are out on the streets celebrating.

Uppsala has a lot of traditions this day: breakfast pick nick by the river, raft racing in the river, lunch pick nick in some park, a great ball at the castle and many many more traditions. If you try to do everything I guarantee that you will be exhausted.

One of my favorite traditions that I hardly ever miss is the outdoor concert by Phontrattarne in front of Norrlands nation just after 3 pm. Great energy, good music and dancing in the street. What more could you ask for?



If you want to see more of Phontrattarne (of course you want), you should see their Grand Show at Reginateatern between 10th and 17th of May.

The photos are taken by me and may not be used elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want licence the photos.

Did you see Phontrattarnes concert yesterday? What did you think about it? Tell me.

Phontrattarne: Grand Show preview

Phontrattarne is one of Uppsalas best big bands. On Saturday they held a concert at Stora Torget in Uppsala and gave a preview of what they will perform at their Grand Show at Reginateatern between 10th and 17th of May.



The shows are usually great fun for any swing music lover, this band know how to entertain and have a lot of good singers.



They showed new number based on the song "The Charleston". A fun choreography with all the charleston moves and of course a lot of cute dancers.



Phontrattarnes Grand Show is a must see. Make sure to see it in May. The photos are taken by me and may not be used elsewhere without my permission.

Are you planning on see Grand Show at Reginateatern? Tell me.

Phontrattarne at Uppsala Winter Camp 2007

Phontrattarne is certainly one of the best big bands for dancing in Uppsala. They have played at the Nobel Prize party the last two years.

They played a lot of good songs and I particularly enjoyed their versions of "King Porter Stomp" , "School days" and "Down For Double". Phontrattarne is a fun band because the musicians don't just sit still and play the music, oh no, when there is spare time they get a little animated so they are great band visually as well.

Here is a picture from Saturday night taken by me . The photo may not be used elsewhere without my permission.

Were you at the Saturday dance? What did you think of the evening? Tell me.

The best compliment a swing dj can get

I haven't posted anything the last couple of days because I've been busy doing all sorts of things at the Uppsala Winter Camp, Swingkatten's annual camp with lindy hop and balboa.

About creating energy
Mostly I was in charge of the of the lighting during the evenings and the dinner show at Saturday. I also put together a small light show for the presentation of the instructors Saturday morning. The idea was to give the teachers a rock star welcome and create some energy that would give the camp a good start. I think it went well considering that there was not much time to brief the instructors what was going to happen. If you were there, please tell me what you thought of it. If you happen to have a video clip of it I would be very thankful if you could send it to me.

Saturday night was a blast, the band Phontrattarne was really swinging with a full big band sound. I was inspired by them when I djed the late night shift.

The best compliment
A person that I really respect as a dancer and person came up to me after my set and I got the best compliment a swing disc jockey can get:

"I tried to leave but you kept playing such good music that I had to stay another song, and another, just one more song... Now I will be too tired for tomorrows classes. It's your fault! Thank you!".

Keeping people on the dance floor even though they are too tired, that is one of my ambitions when I dj, when they do, I know I must be doing something right. Creating energy on the dance floor is what it's all about. Hearing comments like that is what keeps me djing.

If you were at the Uppsala Winter Camp and have comments about the songs I played I would be very interested in hearing what you thought of them.