Jimmie Lunceford, "For Dancers Only"
I got lost on the way there and just barely had time to pick a
song... this covers any base you care to name.
Cootie Williams, "Block Rock"
Something slow and simple, with super obvious beat, for the
beginners to cut their teeth on.
Benny Goodman Combo, "Flyin' Home"
But it had been an ECS lesson, so I kicked it back up
Count Basie, "Jive At Five"
One of my favorite Basie tunes. Very relaxed, but
starting to get fast
Charlie Barnet, "Lumby"
Technically "fast", in that it's 190+, but very mellow, and
the crowd was still digging it
Benny Goodman, "Swingtime In The Rockies"
This dropped the floor down to about 25% of the folks there,
which I'd expected. Those who danced this needed a fun fast song.
Fats Waller, "Chant Of The Groove"
A great blend of high energy and relaxed. Crowd was
starting to get a bit worn-out.
Lucky Millinder, "Apollo Jump"
Blues Brothers, "From The Bottom"
Because I wanted a break from Big Band
Sam Cooke, "Talkin' Trash"
Because apparently I always play Sam Cooke :) This song
has become one of my clichés, but I didn't have any other Sam handy.
Duke Ellington / Johnny Hodges, "No Lament" (AKA "Don't Get Around Much
Anymore")
Big Band can be slow... people forget that sometimes
Fats Waller, "Dry Bones"
This is a cool, Cotton Club-spooky sort of song. I still
haven't figured out how to set it up so a crowd will get it. It may be
better as a song for parties or very small dances. Only a few couples
danced this one.
Benny Goodman, "Benny Rides Again"
I wanted to strike a difference and get people back out.
The band's interaction with Cootie Williams is just great. Floor was back
to 80%+ of couples there.
Tommy Dorsey (Duke Ellington on piano), "Minor Goes Muggin"
Another of those tunes that I expect to get better response
than it actually does. I'm not sure about this one - the floor was at
about 60% of available couples, but it feels to me that there's so much great
stuff to play with here, I'm loathe to pull this out of rotation entirely.
The Buddy Rich drum solo is one of my favorites.
Kermit Ruffins, "Wake Up, Neesie" (edited to end the song on the friggin'
tonic)
Oh, my... is the floor at 95% of couples? I thought
so...
Albertina Walker, "Born Again"
I wanted a bit of Gospel, partly as a plug for Revival Day
Aretha Franklin, "Soulville"
The timbre matches the previous song, but the rhythm in this
just doesn't quite work. I should've gone with something like "Won't Be
Long", instead
Temptations, "Ain't Too Proud Too Beg"
Another floor-packer. Made a brief announcement about RD
following this, and then got going again with...
Les Brown, "Bizet Has His Day" (edited to include snippet of classical piece
as intro)
Benny Goodman, "Mahzel (Means Good Luck)"
Apparently I'm on a BG kick. This song rocks my face
off, though.
Count Basie, "Thursday"
One of the early Decca sides, solid if not exceptional.
The vocal sounds a little dated on first listen, but she plays rhythmically and
prevents it from being lame.
Duke Ellington, "Main Stem"
The rhythm section here isn't as driving as on the recording
from the Blanton-Webster era, which is what I should have played. Only a
handful of couples danced (although it's decently fast, 215 BPM).
Django Reinhardt, "Minor Swing"
An uptempo song for everyone. One of the Django numbers
that actually swings.
Oscar Aleman, "Dolores"
Marc from Asheville found this gem, and I've been rocking it
since. Very, very tasty.
Count Basie, "The Spirit Is Willing"
A great song for closing. But bloody exhausting in the
way that only New Testament Basie can be.
