Alright let's get some real swing talk, Top five artists

Alright everyone, I'm really curious as to what kind of bands everyone is listening to, so I thought I'd start a post about it.

(based on overall peformance including but not limited to musical talent, swing emphasis, entertainment, on stage performance and just plain ole awesomeness)

My top 5 local bands:
5. Steve Lucky and the rumba bums
4. Lavay Smith and her red hot skillit lickers
3. Stompy Jones (aka Swing session)
2. Indigo Swing
1. Lee Presson and the Coffin nails

My top 5 bands:
5. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
4. Atomic Fireballs
3. Bellevue Cadillac
2. Indigo Swing
1. Lee Presson and the Coffin nails

Alright well, those are my favs if you want you're more than welcome to post your favs to. I'm really curious as to what everone likes.

feetwarmers
mora

*those would be my two favorite live acts.
mmhm

This post has been edited by nocturne on Dec 4, 2003 02:55 PM

here are my choices (no specific order)

1. Mora's Modern Rhythmists

2. Stompy Jones

3. The Blue Room Boys

4. Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums

5. Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers

6. The Hot Club of SF

7. Natural Gas Jazz Band

I really loved Bill Elliott's group when I heard them on the Hornet a while back!

I've heard some really cool things about them but I've never seen them live. I hear they're a force to be reconned with.

1) Stompy Jones (they put on a great show every freakin week)
2) Deke Dickerson
3) Bill Eliot
4) Mora's Modern Rythmists
5) Big Sandy

This is specifically dance related. I can't sit down during any of thier shows.

Modern stuff?

1. Campus Five / Jonathan Stout Big Band
2. Stompy Jones
3. Bill Elliot Swing Orchestra
4. Mora's Modern Rhythmists
5. The Hot Club of San Francisco

If you people haven't heard the Hot Club of San Francisco, you have no idea what you're missing:

The Hot Club of San Francisco Web Site

In case you haven't heard, which you probly haven't based on your screen name, there is real music being played out there, recreating the music that was played when the thing you do, Lindy Hop, was created.

It is called Swing Music.

Bands like Mora's Modern Rhythmists and The Jonathon Stout Orchestra play tunes that started it all. They play selections from Count Basie, Duke Elington, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, to name a few.

Now, bands like Belvue Cadillac, Indigo Swing, etc... Those are not Swing Bands. They play what is called Jump Blues. Music inspired by Louis Jordan and Roy Milton from the 50's. --Completely Different--

Heck even your local band, The Mood Swing Orchestra is better than Belvue Cadillac.

BDK's alive! :o

And UOP, I do think that it's good for you (and everyone) to really listen to as much as possible. When you travel, pay attention to what is played, talk to DJs, borrow CDs, listen to clips on Web site. If you belong (or want to belong) to a quality, legal streaming music service (Rhapsody, MusicMatch, Napster, etc.) listen to as much as you can.

God does this have to be a pissing contest? Do you guys really have to get on here and wave your dicks at someone who's just trying to talk about music? Yes you two know WAY more about swing music than anyone else EVER. Good. There. Can we mere mortals talk about stuff we like without smelling your balls?

:lol: :lol: Damn I'm laughing on swingtalk again. sigh.....

I guess that's a compliment. :huh:

Anyway here's my list.

1. The band formerly known as Swing Session.
1 1/2. Indigo Swing
2. Mora's
3. Campus 5
4. Bill Elliot
5. Hot Club of SF
6. Hot Town Jubilee
Mood Swing Orchestra ROCKS!!

This post has been edited by Gogo on Dec 9, 2003 12:12 AM

Swing is such a range, how can you declare one specific type of swing as the definition of swing? There's rockabilly, lindy hop, big band, lounge, jazz, all of with have swing rythm and you can swing to. I don't understand how you can put limits on swing. There are so many different types of swing. Is Brian Setzer swing? Or rockibilly? What about Big Sandy? These bands may not be the exact definition of swing but they are what many would consider swing. But what is? The big band sounds? Is that the only thing that will qualify, what we hear on Swing Kids? Okay, not every swing band is going to redo the old songs, some are going to come out with a few new ideas and a few new songs. Does that mean they aren't swing? My theory is if you swing to it then it's swing to you. I don't think you can limit swing as a specific genre of music. It's everywhere, if you listen to hard core rock guess what that's recreated swing. Swing only was revived because a few hard core punks started trying it again and rediscovered their roots. Royal Crown revue the leader of the swing revelution, started as a bunch of punks. Scottie Morris...punk, Cherry Poppin Daddies...punk, Squirrel Nut Zippers...rock, . Swing has made a full circle. And what it picked up over the past fifty years to get here is incorperated into it. Swing can't go back to the exact same thing, there are different things that have become incorperated into it. It's a new brand of swing and in includes alot. If you've ever tried to sit to Bellvue Cadillac's "Black and White" then you don't have a pulse. It's so awesome to dance to and the song screams swing. Who says a swing band has to recreate in order for it to be swing? I say it can do what it wants, when you limit creativity you limit progress. These bands make awesome swing music by my standards at least.

This is a discussion that's as old as the swing revival.

Neo Swing = Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Big Bad VooDoo Daddy is not swing. It's just not. It may have a swing rhthym, but it's not swing. It's jazz influenced syncopated rock music. The dance that I have chosen to do doesn't really mesh well with this type of music either. Not to say that I don't actually enjoy some Neo music... it's a guilty pleasure from time to time.

Rockabily is pretty much the same, but has a bit more of a base of 50's tradition. Same deal here... it's not really something you "Lindy Hop" to...

Swing music, which I won't even attempt to define, but includes original swingers like Basie, Ellington and Goodman is what Lindy Hop was created from.

however, you can "Swing dance" to all of the above. You just dance different to the music, unless you're not paying attention to the music. So have fun. Everyone has their opinion as to what makes you want to move. There's a lot of hated "Neo" music that actually does make me wanna dance... so what?

Having said that, beyond the few catchy Bellevue Caddilac tunes, I'd have to agree with BDK and say that it just doesn't do it for me. I regret buying a CD of theirs long ago. One song out of a whole album isn't worth it.

PS.... I sounded like you 4 years ago... i argued with people that it's all swing music. I was just being defensive... let it go, and just accept you like to "swing dance" to music that has a swing beat, but it's not "Swing" music. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, and if someone says otherwise, their just being a jerk.

UOP-

Those are great points that you make about what is swing and what is not. Unfortunently you are wrong with all your information, except that Cherry Poppin Daddies were punk....oh no wait, they were Ska.

As Gem stated, there is music that swings and then there is swing music.

Try this test...

Go get a CD by Count Basie and get a CD by any of your current favorites. Listen to each of them and then ask yourself which ones swings. If you have listened correctly you will discover that Count Basie swings and the other just has a bass and a drum kit.


Now, with those two same CD's listen really carefully to the drums and the bass. You will discover that in the Basie tracks the bass is hitting just a tinge after the drum kicks. this is what is called Rhythmic Displacement. now listen to you CD, I bet you wont be able to distinguish between the drum and bass. (exceptions do exists, but are rare). Rhythmic Displacement is what makes something swing, basie had a very large amount of RD, that is why his stuff is said to swing hard, where as goodman didn't have as much, and was described in some tracks as have a driving beat because of where the drum and bass were timed.

again, to agree with Gem, in time you will discover that what you are listening to, while exciting to dance to, is only swingin music, and not swing music. I admit that at one time, and even now, I like a CPD song (No mercy for swine) However, I have grown to appreciate the difference between a rock band in suits (RCR) and jazz musicians in suits (Basie).

Hope this helps.

Please post your findings

and Roxan, this is not a sword fight, keep your pent up bitterness to yourself, it is really annoying sometimes

Oh. My. God. I see ice! I once saw fire, but now I see ice! Right next to the devil!

It's a cold day in hell, and BDK, I fully agree with you! :blink:

UOP, I love your enthusiasm, and I'm really happy to see you posting here and I look forward to meeting you in person someday.

With that said, I must respectfully agree with BDK and Gemzombie in that there are definite distinctions -- technical or otherwise -- between music that is swing and music that is not.

BBVD, RCR..., at least IMHO these bands are not "real swing," their music is not real swing. This does not make them bad bands (though admittedly, they're not my style). It just means that, at least by my opinion (and BDK's and GemZombie's, etc.), they're not really swing bands. As a musician for many, many years (and, frankly, as a former jazz musician), it's one of those things that I can't even really describe, but -- like Ed Meese said with porn -- I know it when I see it. Or feel it. Or rather, don't feel it.

BDK, that's very interesting about rhythmic displacement. Playing in rhythm sections of jazz bands in high school and college (as a pianist), I learned a lot about jazz theory and such, but I don't remember hearing the term 'rhythmic displacement.' Thanks for the info. :)

Roxan, odiferous genitalia aside, I think much of stuff in this thread came about 'cause UOP mentioned "real swing" in the thread title. Well, if you're going to get specific... :D

thanks for the props adam



(wow, i never thought I would say that) :P

rhythmic displacement might not be a technical term, but it is the best combination of words that i have found to describe 'swing' it is almost self-explanitory

Carefull Adam, you're seeming to agree or sympathise with me a lot lately ;)

Dear Dear Dear BDK,
There is no pent up bitterness. If said bitterness were "pent up" it wouldn't be out here to annoy. Thank you very much. I respect you for saying like it is and sometimes like it isn't (just to be crass). I won't ask you to not post things that annoy me nor am I trying to "sword fight" I was just saying like it is. I'm not sorry if it annoys you.
P.S.
I did learn some interesting facts from your dick waving.

current:
Jules Broussard Trio
Lavay Smith & her RHSL
Home Cookin' (w/ Brenda Boykin)
all of Steve and Carmen's bands
Pearl Django
Mora's Modern Rhythmists
Swing Session
Hot Club of San Francisco
Jim Cullum Jazz Band
Bireli Lagrene Gypsy Project :music:

So, I guess next time I'll listen to them, I'll listen more carefully. But BDK, could you say a few words about RD and the band formerly known as Swing Session? I just can't like that band. They don't want me want to dance, but hop. As if there is no floor to press down on. I guess, that's why it is called jump swing. But anyway, I was wondering if Swing Session has RD and if it doesn't, is that why I don't like them, maybe?

Anyway, I'll be down there next weekend and hopefully dance to your swing music. My arm is the real test these days. I f..ed up my right arm, shoulder and arm and I feel like dancing only when the music is better than the pain treshold.

p.