Dance picnic with Lennakatten Aug 31st

Join me on Sunday Aug 31st at the annual dance picnic that Swingkatten organizes. We take the steam train Lennakatten out to the station in Länna and walks to Kopphagens dansbana where the band Canal Street Syncopators will play swing in a 1930's style.

The train leaves the station Uppsala Östra (Bergsbrunnagatan 2) at 11.25. The ride costs 45 kr for for swing dancers and the fee for the dance is 60 kr.

There will be hamburgers, lemonade and cakes for sale.

The video clip above is made by me from fotage from the very first picnic in 2005.

We made an extra ride with Lennakatten this spring, check out this video clip to see more of Kopphagens dansbana.



Will you join us on Sunday? What do you think of my promotion video? Please comment.

Outdoor summer dancing: season finale

Tonight is the last time for the summer that there is dancing by the river a.k.a Lindy At the Quayside. The season ends with a BBQ, bring something to eat and dance a lot.

According to the organizers the party won't stop until they run out of battery for the boombox, there are people left, people have to work next day or the snow start falling, whatever happens first.



Speaking of the organizers, what a great bunch of people that has made it possible to dance lindy hop and balboa by the river all summer. Thank you, Lars-Åke, Susanne, Emil, Joakim, Tobbe and Rebecca.



Above is some pictures from this season. The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license them.

What do you think of this season of dancing by the river? 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.

Charles Brown - Drifting Blues

I really like Charles Brown and his song Drifting Blues in this video clip where he also talks how he started playing the blues. I dig this genre of piano based slow blues. Perfect as late night music and for blues dancing.

You can find more of his music in the album Driftin' Blues: The Best of Charles Brown.

I mentioned Charles Brown in my tips to Hey Mr Jesse in August.

Do you also like this type of slow blues? What artist would you recommend? Please comment.

Swing i Swaben

This weekend, starting tomorrow Friday, there will be an event called Swing i Swaben.

Good bands, social dancing, dance classes and all sorts of fun.

This announcement comes a little bit late, but if you're a spontaneous person you still have time to join the fun. I wish I could be there. Some of my friends will be there: Emelie & Rebecka Decavita will teach lindy hop and Trina Dobbs (with her company Jigwalk) will sell vintage style shoes.

What do you think of Swing i Swaben? 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.

I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby: Lino Patruno

I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby is a jazz standard that was written by Fats Waller in 1931. Lino Patruno from Italy and his band interprets "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" in this video clip.

I think my favorite song by Fats Waller is Honeysuckle Rose. What is your favorite Fats Waller song?

What do you think of this version of I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby? Please comment.