Hey, I was wondering if anyone has danced to the band Postmodern Jukebox - the ones that made that Thrift Shop, Grandpa Style Remake that's been viral on youtube lately. Does that song pretty much represent their overall style and repertoire? We're considering them for a gig in Buffalo...…
Lindy hoppers of a certain age will remember how popular modrobes clothes (particularly the pants) were during one phase of the neo-swing era. See this thread for example. I was more of a UFO pants guy, myself. Anyway, the company Modrobes is apparently going out of business very soon…
My first post in a very long time. Something I think about often are the different types of venues for swing dancing. Do you prefer a venue with all of the dancers sitting at tables, a venue where folding chairs are set up around the room or a venue where there are a few tables and chairs…
Seems like it's sold out way earlier than all the other weeks.
Any info you could give me about the blues dancing scene in New Orleans would be tremendously welcome. -- Joshua. joshua@joshuakors.com
Dancer friends turned me on to this article, Why Women Should Not Run. It's an interesting read, attacking the entire notion of sustained cardio (long runs, etc), especially for women but for men as well. The "HIIT cardio" (High-Intensity Interval Training) ideas got me thinking...this…
Happy Birthday, Betty Hutton 1921-2007...Singer, dancer and stage, film and television actress, Hutton was described by the NY Times as a, "brassy, energetic performer with a voice that could sound like a fire alarm." She was raised by a single mother and began singing in the family owned…
Happy Birthday, Bix Beiderbecke 1903-1931...Controversy swirls around some of the facts about Beiderbecke's life but there is no doubt about the influence he had on jazz. Louis Armstrong said about him in 1971, "Every note he blew was so beautiful--I like that "Singing the Blues." Nobody…
Happy Birthday, Georgia White 1903-1980...Her early life is a mystery but by the late 1920's she was singing the blues in Chicago nightclubs. Her first recording "When You're Smiling, the Whole World Smiles with You" was made with Jimmy Noone's orchestra in 1930. Her next foray into the…
Happy Birthday, Jimmy Dorsey Feb. 29, 1904-1957...Son of a coal miner turned music educator and older brother to Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey was a musical child prodigy, playing the trumpet and coronet at local parties with his father at the age of 7. He began his professional career at age…
Remarkable Harlem Historian Delilah Jackson passed away in January: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/delilah-jackson-chronicler-black-entertainment-dies-article-1.1245837 http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/delilah-jackson-record-black-entertainers-article-1.1262531?pgno=1
Happy Birthday, Harry James 1916-1983...His exotic beginnings as the child of an acrobat mother and band leader father for the traveling Haag Circus gave Harry James a strong work ethic and sparkling personal charm. He was playing snare drum for the circus at the age of 6 and learning…
OK, this is possibly the cutest piece of animation I have seen in a long time. Click here! (As I seem to be too inept to figure out how to embed the thing here...)
Happy Birthday Dorothy Donegan 1922-1998...Trained as a classical pianist, Donegan was an eclectic virtuoso who played stride, boogie-woogie, bop, swing and classical piano styles, sometimes all in the same chorus. She started piano lessons at the age of 8 in her hometown of Chicago, taking…
Join us for the Balboa Rendezvous, April 5-7. Swing dance in the historic Balboa Pavilion and Portuguese Hall to the amazing sounds of the Red Skunk Band, the CA Feetwarmers and the Icy Hot Club. Join us for workshops, unbelievable competitions and fantastic memories by registering at…
PRE-REGISTRATION CLOSES IN 2 DAYS on (March 24th) - after that, door prices only. Don’t miss out on the savings. Join us on April 5-7 in San Diego and Newport Beach for the 10th Annual Balboa Rendezvous. This is your chance to dance to where it all began with the Red Skunk Band, CA…
Happy Birthday James Reese Europe 1881-1919...Eubie Blake said of Reese, "He was our benefactor and inspiration. Even more, he was the Martin Luther King of music." Reese earned his praise by being a tireless innovator, not only in his compositions and orchestrations but in his…
Happy Birthday, Shelton Brooks 1886-1975...Brooks wrote some of the biggest hits of the early 20th century. His compositions fueled the era's dance craze and were performed by some of it's best known white singers including Al Jolson and Sophie Tucker. The songs were also popular among the…
Hi, I haven't been in the big city too recently. I understand that on Tues George Gee still plays Swing 46. Is there reasonable social dancing there? What time do dancers normally start to show up? THanks
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