According to Yehoodi, the following was written in NY Times 70 years ago:
NY TIMES
SWING BANDS PUT 23,400 IN FRENZY; Jitterbugs Cavort at Randalls Island as 25 Orchestras Blare in Carnival Trek Begins at 8 A. M. Excitement Only Starts
May 30, 1938, Monday
For a full five hours and forty-five minutes, 23,400 assorted jitterbugs and alligators-more conservatively known as swing music enthusiasts - cavorted yesterday at Randalls Island Stadium to the musical gymnastics of twenty-five swing bands, vainly bucking the lines of police and park officers who were sworn to protect the swing maestros from destruction by adulation.
Take the steam train from the station Uppsala Östra at 11:20. The dance starts at 12:30 and I will be djing until 16:00. The ride and the dance is free. You are very welcome to dress up in 1920-1940s style clothing.
You can buy pie, cakes and soft drinks there. You can also bring your own picnic basket. The dj enjoys all kinds of tasty food if you decide to bring him some ;-).
Swingkatten's regular event Cats Corner takes a break tonight as there are other things scheduled at Uplands nation but there are several other events this week:
Tomorrow Wednesday: Swing Time Sextett featuring Margareta Nordlander at Katalin. Show by MessAround. Dance floor available. 20-22. 100 kr.
Friday: After Work Jazz. Concert with Kari Sjöstrand, tenor sax, flute and vocals, Daniel Lantz, Fender Rhodes and Henrik Voldsgaard Christensen, double bass. Where: The pub Pipes of Scotland/Hotel Uppsala (intersection of st. olofsg./kungsgatan) At 17.30. Free.
Saturday: Outside dance at Kopphagens dansbana in Länna. Celebration of Lennakatten. Show by MessAround. 12:30 - 16:00. Swing dj: Henrik Eriksson (me!). Free. Read more.
Sunday: Swe-dukes playes at Skarholmen. 15-18. 50 kr.
Wow. What a lineup of great events. Be sure to visit most of them!
I've got a Gal in Kalamazoo is a song that I think sometimes come out a little bit flat when I hear it on a recording, but that is not the case here in this scene from the 1942 movie Orchestra Wives.
You actually get two different but equally great versions (in their own way). First out is one with Glenn Miller's band in the background. In the film the name is somewhat modified to Gene Morrison's band, probably good for the budget so you don't have to change all the GM initials on the drums and the other things.
The second version features the fabulous tap dancing Nicholas Brothers. I think their tap dancing influences their singing because I really like how they phrase the words. I think that kind of phrasing is of the same kind as the rhythms they create when they dance.
And, wow, who wouldn't like to be athletic like them? Those splits... :)
Some new swing dance blogs has appeared on my radar screen. I've found some exellent stuff there so check out the blogs and send them a comment with encouragement. Every blogger need that.
I wrote to Jesse and Manu (as always) with some tips:
First tip is the album "With Thee I Swing" with New York singer Terry Blaine and pianist Mark Shane and a bunch of other fantastic musicians. It's a live album from a concert in Hamburg, Germany.
It has songs like "Getting Some Fun Out Of Life", "Mama Don´t Allow", "I Never Knew" and my favorite song from the album: "Why Don´t You Do Right".
Terry Blaine is touring with a new show called "Swingin' the Benny Goodman Songbook".
Second tip is the album "Swingin' with Humes". On this album from 1961 the former big band singer Helen Humes fronts a small group that has a light and laidback style. I like her version of "There'll Be Some Changes Made".
I like the song "Gettin' That Low Down Swing" by the band Modern Mountaineers which has great lyrics.
Manu said that "Gettin' That Low Down Swing" probably was his favorite song ever. What about that! Yehaa! That kind of comments makes a dj happy.
What other things are there in the podcast?
Well, they have a good 8 count countdown of late night blues songs. But the list has a fatal flaw! It doesn't include any Jimmy Witherspoon song. You can't have a list like that without him. It's mandatory. I 've written before about Jimmy Witherspoon and late night blues and his great compilation album Jazz Me Blues in my series of posts called Late Night Music.
Several of the songs on Jazz Me Blues (like "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" and "Bad, bad Whiskey") come from his 1963 album "Baby, baby, baby".
The original abum is worth checkin out because it has many good slow late night blueses like "Rocks In My Bed" and "Lonely Boy Blues". Listen to clips from the album below.
Frankie Manning's autobiography is important in several ways:
The personal story of an influential dancer This is the personal story about one of the most influential lindy hop dancers in the history of swing dancing. Frankie was the first lindy hopper to really use airials (air steps, acrobatic steps) in his dancing and performing. He has had a great career as a dancer both as an innovator in the early years of lindy hop but also as an important person in the revival of the lindy hop in the 1980's.
The evolution of the lindy hop It is the story how lindy hop and swing dancing evolved in the early day. Lindy hop had already gotten its name (by "Shorty" George Snowden, it's said) when Frankie started dancing and the basic structure was there but it was still very much an evolving dance. Frankie Manning tell us about how dance concepts, that now are commonplace, were developed. One of those concepts is the twisting in the swingout by the ladies.
Growing up in the swing era The book tells about how it was to grow up and live in the swing era. Many dancers today are very curious about what life was like in the swing era and it's great to get a first hand account of the life style of a dancer hanging out in the ballrooms in New York in the 1930's.
You also get to know a little bit more about the other great dancers that lived then. Since most of them didn't participate in the swing revival in the 1980's, they have been partly forgotten about but in this book they get their credit. You get more background information about the dancers you've only seen in movie clips.
A dancer's perspective of the entertainment industry Most of the books that has been written about entertainment industry in the swing era have focused on the bands, the musicians and the singers. Therefore it's refreshing to have a new perspective, a dancer's perspective, on the entertainment industry during the 1930s-1950s.
You get the insider story about what went on behind the scenes in the filming of Hellzapoppin. You'll get the stories about preparing for the performances on stage and the tours with the dance groups Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and The Congaroos.
Dealing with segregation There is also a theme in the book about segregation and how people (and Frankie in particular) dealt with it. The famous Savoy ballroom where Frankie spent most of his time dancing was integrated but a lot of places weren't. He talks about segregation during his tours in the south of USA and during his time in the army during World War II.
Facts about the dances and the era Cynthia R. Millman is the co-author of the book and and most of the stories in the book comes from interviews and talks she has had with Frankie. Besides being the person putting the book together she also contributes some texts of her own in the book. She has written fact pages inserted here and there that presents facts about related dances and phenomenons like Charleston, Big Apple, breaks (in the music) or the Cats' Corner.
My thoughts about the book I think this is an important book for anyone who is interested in lindy hop or the swing era. I've heard Frankie Manning's stories when he have visited the Herräng Dance Camp and it's nice to have them collected in written form. Not much is written about social dancing and I think it is important that Frankie's stories are written down so that they don't get altered when being retold.
I find the book pretty complete but I would have liked more information about his experiences during the swing revival in the 1980's and 1990's.
Anyone who have met Frankie Manning can tell you that his smile and his laugh is infectious. I think his positive attitude really comes across in the book.
If you're a lindy hopper, you should own this book!
My name is Henrik Eriksson and I live in Uppsala, Sweden. I'm a disc jockey that plays swing, jazz and blues for dancers. This blog is about music that makes you want to dance. I'll give you tips about music and dancing resources: cd reviews, book reviews, video clips. I also like to do a lot of jazz photography.
If you got any comments, tips or suggestions, email them to me at swing@theheartofgold.org
