DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #155: Cou Cou

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Erin McKeown Coucou

This is a song that swings but I still wouldn’t call it a typical swing song. However, it works for dancing and it’s a nice one to spice up your DJ sets. Erin McKeown Erin McKeown (*1977) is an American folk/rock performer, writer, and multi-instrumentalist. She began her folk career by performing in local clubs and coffeehouses at night. By day, she attended Brown University to study ethnomusicology, a field that would eventually fuel the diversity and depth of her own music. In 1995, McKeown entered the mid-Atlantic song contest held by the songwriters’ association in Washington, DC, and finished [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #154: You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

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Humphrey Lyttelton You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

How many European Jazz artists do you know? I have to say I don’t know that many. That’s why I’m looking all the time for European musicians I’ve never heard about before. One of these musicians I recently discovered is this English man with born into a wealthy family Humphrey “Humph” Lyttelton Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (May 23, 1921 – April 25, 2008) was a English trumpeter, bandleader, composer, record company owner, cartoonist, writer and radio host. He was born in Eton College, where his father was a famous housemaster, and where he was subsequently educated. He formed his first jazz [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #151: Joe Louis Stomp

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Bill Coleman Joe Louis Stomp

Let’s go back to the Swing era! Bill Coleman William Johnson Coleman (Aug. 4, 1904 – Aug. 24, 1981 in Toulouse) was a mellow-toned swing trumpeter with a distinctive sound and a lyrical style who spent most of his career in Europe. Scott Yanow writes in : “It was ironic that he was born near Paris, Kentucky, for he would spend a lot of time in Paris, France, throughout his life.” Bill Coleman started early on to play in different bands and in 1927, he went to New York and worked with Cecil and Lloyd Scott. Two years later, he joined Luis Russell‘s orchestra (1929-1932). In 1933, he [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #148: Tu Vuò Fà L’Americano

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Quadro Nuevo Tu Vuo Fa L'Americano

Currently, I’m at The Snowball in Stockholm Sweden and I’m one of the main DJs here. Most of the times, I’m DJ’ing for Balboa dancers. This song is quite new in my library and always when I spin it, a few dancers wanna know the details about it. I’m more than happy to share it in my weekly series. My thanks go to David Knoll, a swing and tango dancer in Zürich, who brought this tune to my attention. Tu Vuò Fà L’Americano About the song, taken from Wikipedia: “Tu vuò fà l’americano” (English: “You want to do American”, or more idiomatically, “You’re [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #147: Mele Kalikimaka

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The Puppini Sisters Mele Kalikimaka

I was wondering if I should feature a Christmas song. Because when you’re listening to the Spotify playlist “DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week” during the year, then you probably don’t want to listen to Christmas music. But hey, it’s a nice swinging tune, there is some ukulele in it, so I decided to choose this one anyways: Mele Kalikimaka Here is what I found about it on Wikipedia: “Mele Kalikimaka” is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song written in 1949 by Robert Alex Anderson. The song takes its title from the Hawaiian phrase, “Mele Kalikimaka,” meaning “Merry Christmas”. The phrase is borrowed directly from English but since [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #144: Swingin’ In The Promised Land

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Edgar Hayes Swingin' In The Promised Land

If you are a Balboa dancer, then this tune is familiar to you. Maybe you don’t be aware of the title or the artist but I’m sure you have heard it countless times on the dance floor. It’s “Swingin’ In The Promised Land” by Edgar Hayes & His Orchestra. Edgar Hayes Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1904 – June 28, 1979) was an African-American pianist, arranger and bandleader. He never became a major name but he worked steadily throughout his long career. Hayes graduated with a music degree from Wilberforce University. From 1931, he played and arranged for six years [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #139: Blue Skies

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Cyril Blake Blue Skies

I’m pretty sure you know the song “Blue Skies“. It was composed by Irving Berlin in 1926 for the musical “Betsy“. The show was a disaster and closed after only 39 performances but the song was an instant success. On October 6, 1927, the first feature-length motion picture with sound “The Jazz Singer“ starring vocalist Al Jolson premiered and “Blue Skies” was one of the nine tunes performed by Jolson. The film was a huge success and brought the song to the attention of millions. Ever Since, “Blues Skies” was a success in several other films and it was recorded countless times. One of [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #138: Minor Jive

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Roy Eldridge Minor Jive

It’s time again for a fast Balboa tune. Let’s bring back David Roy Eldridge (Jan. 30, 1911 – Feb. 26, 1989). Roy “Little Jazz” Eldridge Roy Eldridge started out playing trumpet and drums in carnival and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a bit of attention by playing a note-for-note re-creation of Coleman Hawkins‘ tenor solo on “The Stampede.” Inspired by the dynamic playing of Jabbo Smith (Eldridge would not discover Louis Armstrong for a few years), Eldridge played with some territory bands and in New York (where he arrived in 1931) he worked with Elmer Snowden (who nicknamed [...]

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