The Mills Brothers sings "Opus One"

Here is The Mills Brothers singing a great version of the song "Opus One".



Hey everybody! I'm back with tips about things that swings! It's good to be back.

What do you think of this version of "Opus One" sung by The Mills Brothers? Tell me.

Computer crash

My computer at home has crashed (Arrrgh!) so I'll not be able to post here until I have a new computer.

In the mean time, take your time to browse through the archives, there are more than 300 posts with good stuff to enjoy.

You can also make suggestions about what you would like to to write about when I get back.

Hey Mr Jesse - Christmas songs

I have no superlatives left to describe the podcast "Hey, Mr Jesse" where Jesse Miner and Manu Swith talks about swing music, so I'll just say: Check it out!

Download the December edition. [42 MB, mp3]

This episode concludes the second year of monthly podcasts. Since it's December and holiday season they feature some swinging Christmas songs. One album they mention is Diana Krall's Christmas Songs. That cd has been on my wish list for quite some time. Another good Christmas album is Yule B Swingin.

Jesse & Manu also listed holiday swing songs last year in Hey Mr Jesse #12. Download.

They feature some of my comments about previous podcasts. They play Benny's Bugle from the band 4beat6 which they describe as

"Man! Smokin'! ... Foot stompin' music ... I just wanna dance."

I couldn't agree more. They also play a clip of Splanky performed by Count Basie at Montreux Jazz Festival 1977. Thank you guys for letting me be a part of the show.

There is so much more, see all the details in the show notes for Hey Mr Jesse #24.

I now realize that I didn't announce the November 2007 edition of Hey Mr Jesse. So if you missed it, download Hey Mr Jesse #23. Then you'll have two hours of swinging jazz music tips to enjoy!

What do you think of Hey Mr Jesse December edition? Tell me.

Benny Goodman theme at Cats Corner

Tonight first time swing dj Per Wirback will make his debut at Cats Corner. His set will have a Benny Goodman theme. Also this night, you will hear swing dj David Kågedal.

Before the dance, there will be a taster lesson in lindy hop at 19, so if you'd like to try, get down there. The whole night costs 20 kr. How about that! The dance starts at 20 and ends 23.

The dance is run on voluntary basis, where small groups takes care of one or two evenings each semester. Every group could use additional persons, so if you'd like to be part of making Uppsala a really swingin town, talk with an organizer (or by all means, send me a mail and I'll forward it) and join us. Of course, you can band together with some friends and form a new group.



I think it's fantastic to be able to have a weekly dance. Had you asked me two years ago, I would have said that it was just a dream. But thanks to many peoples efforts a weekly dance night is now a reality.

One thing that is great about the group system is that the night can be a much or little work as you make it. If you only have a dj that's ok, but you can also have theme nights like tonight. Last time Johan organized a Jack'n'Jill-competition and there have been balboa themes and beginner nights. It's all up to what you like to do.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Do you have ideas about what could be done at Cats Corner? Tell me.

Ondrej Havelka - Beat me, daddy eight to the bar

Once in a while, you come across these absolutely fabulous video clips, this is one of them. The video clip is Ondrej Havelka and His Melody Makers playing "Beat me, daddy eight to the bar".



Ondřej Havelka and His Melody Makers is a band from the Czech Republic who like to play early jazz music. Besides being a musician and band leader, Ondřej Havelka is also an actor and director and you can tell that by the good cinematic quality of the video clip: the angles, the cutting and the acting.

The clip has such energy and humour that it's impossible not to be infatuated by it. Don't we all dream about being swept away to another time and place, where you can dance and enjoy yourself as much as you like and not having to care about a boring job?

Ondřej Havelka is multi-talented and is a good tap dancer, at least those half breaks looks really really good. To find out more about him, read this interview with Ondřej Havelka by Radio Prague.

In the video you can hear and see the vocal group The Swings.

A big thank you goes to band leader and trumpet player Peter Lind who told me about this clip after his concert on Saturday.

What do you think of this video clip with Ondrej Havelka and His Melody Makers playing "Beat me, daddy eight to the bar"? Do you find it as fantastic as I do? Tell me.

Balboa history: Interview with Dwight Lupardus by Peter Loggins

All of you that are intrested in dancing balboa will like this interview with balboa dancer Dwight Lupardus who talks about the history of balboa in southern California. He talks about the dance itself, the dancers and the social context of the dance. He is interviewed by Peter Loggins, a noted swing dance historian.



The interview is about 1 hour long and is divided into 8 pieces on YouTube:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8 (final)

If you want to know more about dance history, check out dancehistory.org which is run by Peter Loggins.

I don't have the time right now to give a summary of what is talked about in each part but if you have the time, please comment this post and write a summary yourself.

What do you think of the interview with Dwight Lupardus about the history of balboa? Tell me.

Martha Raye - Mr. Paganini, You'll Have To Swing It

"Mr. Paganini, You'll Have To Swing It" is a song that is mostly associated with Ella Fitzgerald, but here is an hilarious rendition of that song by actress Martha Raye in a scene from the movie Four Jills in a Jeep (1944).



Watch Martha Raye's slap stick version of "Mr. Paganini, You'll Have To Swing It".

The band behind her is the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.

You might recognize Martha Raye from when she sang "Watch the Birdie" in "Hellzapoppin'".

One unusual fact that I didn't know was that she inspired Anita O'day to be a singer.

What do you think of the video clip from with Four Jills in a Jeep with Martha Raye? Tell me.