Rose Murphy - Busy Line

Rose Murphy had a very special voice and she had a habit of inserting her catch phrase "chi-chi" into songs, that's why she got known as the as the "chi-chi girl".

In this video clip she sings the song "Busy line". If you want to hear her actually singing her trademark phrase "chi-chi" you should check out her version of "I can't give you anything but love".

What do you think of Rose Murphy singing Busy Line? Please comment.

On Revival Day - Terra Hazelton

I always liked the gospel inspired song "On Revival Day", the most played version of the song on swing dance floors is by La Vern Baker.

However, I found a great version of "On revival day" in a video clip done by the Canadian singer Terra Hazelton. I like the way she does the "blues shouting".

Listen to more of Terra Hazelton on her MySpace page.

What do you think of Terra Hazelton? Please comment.

Hey Mr Jesse October 2009

The October show of the podcast Hey Mister Jesse has 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 October 2009 episode of Hey Mister Jesse. (~50 MB, mp3)

Read the October show notes to see what's in the podcast.

Here is my contribution to the show:

Hi Jesse! Hi Manu!

Here is some swingin' tips for October.

In the ongoing series "1001 ways to find swing music", here is item number 154: "Inspiring video clips from competitions"

In the big dance competions the best performers seek out music that inspire them to create new steps and showcase their musicality. Often those tunes work very well for the social dance floor as well.

Here is two recent examples from International Lindy Hop Championship, ILHC 2009:



1) Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl dancing to "Jump Through the Window" with Roy Eldridge.

Frida & Skye really use their musicality to showcase all the accents in the music.

2) Evita Arce and Nathan Bugh dancing to "That's how rhythm was born" by the Boswell Sisters.

This clip instantly gets you in a good mood. How can you avoid being smitten by Evita's bubbly jazz age charm? Impossible!



Last thing: A tip for swing dj's

I know by experience that sometimes it can be hard to ask new people to dance. If you're an experienced dancer you might be busy dancing with the people you already know or if you're a newcomer it's difficult to get the courage to ask the "really good dancers".

If I'm djing a 3 hour set I usally get on the microphone after 2 hours and say "Those of you who would like to, please dance the next song with someone you haven't dance with before". Those who don't want to do it, they simple does whatever they like.

If everybody on the dancefloor does this, well, then 100 people have gotten a new dance acquaintance.

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

Nagasaki - Alice Mei & Thomas Blacharz

Alice Mei & Thomas Blacharz have great musicality when they dance to the song Nagasaki at the International Lindy Hop Championships 2009.

I don't know for sure which artist performs the song, but it sounds like Wingy Manone to me. Do you know?

Update: justafish provided me with the correct artist: Putney Dandridge.

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Beyonce vs Duke Ellington

What do you get when you mix Duke Ellington with Beyonce Knowles and all the single ladies? You get this. Brilliant mashup.

(Via Peter Loggins and Miss S)

What do you think of the video clip? Please comment.

Linda Hopkins & BB King - Every Day I Have the Blues

"Every Day I Have the Blues" is a classic blues song. This version with a duet between Linda Hopkins and BB King must be one of the best versions I heard. Ever. So much energy!

What do you think of Linda Hopkins and BB King singing "Every Day I Have the Blues"? Please comment.

Outdoor dancing season is over

The outdoor dancing season is over in Uppsala, on Tuesday we had the last dance by the river with some barbeque. You could notice that the autumn is here because it got dark much earlier.

We always get an audience who look at us dancing when the big boats passes by on the river.

A big thank you goes to the persons who made it happen: Simon, Mirjam, Emil, Lilian and Johan (and possibly others that I forgot, in that case please let me know).

They have made it possible to dance lindy hop and balboa during the summer. I think it's fantastic that right after our weekly dance Cats Corner ended for the spring season, the outdoors dancing started so that we now have social dancing every week all year around.



The outdoor dancing got the attention of the local newspaper and they published a full page interview with Anna. Anna is a enthusiastic dancer who does a lot of work for dance scene in Uppsala. Her efforts really makes a difference. Thank you Anna!



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 the outdoor dancing by the river? Please comment.