DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #44: Lover Come Back To Me

Written by on · Leave a Comment
DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week: Lover Come Back To Me | Shuffle Projects

After taking some time off from music, British musician and songwriter Bryan Ferry (born 26.09.1945) – most known as a founding member of re-reformed Roxy Music and as a solo artist – returned in 1999 to perform a mix of 1930s songs and songs of his own. As a result, he recorded the album As Time Goes By, which was nominated for a Grammy award. Ferry has the ability to cover standards in a way, you could think these are his own songs. His whispering and breathing way of singing reinforces this feeling. My favourite song of the album is [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #43: Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me

Written by on · Leave a Comment
The Fabulous Sidney Bechet

It was in Herrang in 2006 when I heard that song by Sidney Bechet the first time. Skye Humphries used only this particular song the whole week in his classes and pretty soon, the DJs played it also during the nights. I remember when I was asking for the title: “Blues my naught… what???” Such a long bizarre title was hard to memorise, but eventually I made it and I bought the song right after the camp. Meanwhile, Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me probably is overplayed on the dance floor but in this case, I don’t care. It [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #42: Baby, Baby

Written by on · 2 Comments
DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week: Baby, Baby by Rose Murphy

Because she sang “chee chee” in her high-pitched voice in almost every number somewhere, Rose Murphy (07.05.1913-16.11.1989) became famous as “the Chee Chee Girl“. She started her career in the late 1930s playing intermission piano for artists such as Count Basie. Although she was a highly talented pianist, she was best known for her eccentric singing. She combined scating, giggling, percussive sounds and squeals to a unique style. Indeed, it’s a challenge to listen to a full album by Rose Murphy in one go, it could be annoying… No matter I love weird stuff! Baby, Baby is my favourite tune [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

“Three Perfect Minutes” Blog

Written by on · Leave a Comment
Three-Perfect-Minutes

Recently I discovered a very interesting blog by Brian Mangum called Three Perfect Minutes. Especially as a Swing music fan and dancer you might be interested in this blog as well. On a regular basis, Brian is writing about what he is considering as Milestone Recordings in American History. His latest post from November 28th for example is about trombonist and bandleader Glenn Miller. Brian gives us a short biography about the artist and features three records from 1939 with additional informations: “Little Brown Jug”, “In The Mood” and “Moonlight Serenade”. To enhance the experience, he suggests additional tracks to [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #41: Cherry

Written by on · Leave a Comment
The Stanley Dance Sessions: Billy Strayhorn & Johnny Hodges

William Thomas “Billy” Strayhorn (29.11.1915-31.5.1967) was a composer, arranger & pianist and especially known for his successful collaboration with Duke Ellington. His most famous composition probably is “Take the “A” Train“. Strayhorn only led few sessions throughout his career. 1959 he (only) recorded his second full-length album called Cue For Saxophone* as the Billy Strayhorn Septet . Actually, the main star is altoist Cue Porter – who was nobody else than Johnny Hodges – while Strayhorn (who plays piano on the seven songs of the album) only co-wrote two basic tune with Hodges and played a fairly minor role. Cherry is one of my favourite songs, almost six [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #39: Te Reo o Papatuanuku

Written by on · Leave a Comment
Jazz Around The World (Putumayo)

Just recently I discovered another interesting CD by the Putumayo Label: Jazz Around The World Especially one song caught my attention, it’s by Kataraina Pipi from New Zealand. I suppose the song is in Maori language, my first thought was: it sounds similar to Hawaiian. I was googling and found out: “Hawaiian is most similar to Tahitian, Marquesan, and Maori, but it has cognates in other Austronesian languages as far east as the Philippines and Malaysia.” Source: http://www.hawaiian.saivus.org Not music related, but interesting anyway! The song is quite slow, lightly swinging and the voice has got an echo. Maybe a [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #38: Vol Vist Du Gaily Star

Written by on · Leave a Comment
Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart Vol Vist Du Gaily Star

This week’s song is Vol Vist Du Gaily Star by Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart. A groovy tune with strange lyrics! What kind of language is it? Is it Yiddish or Spanish? According to the article “Who’s Yehoodi? – Scat, Jive, and Yiddish, 1938-1953” by Jonathan Z.S. Pollack, much of the song is in fake Spanish (“maña, maña, lambelo”). At the end of the song, Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart have a brief exchange as the song is fading out: Slim: Hey! Boy! Slam: What’s the matter, man? Slim: What’s that “Vol Vist du Gaily Star” mean? Slam: Man, I [...]

[ Click to Read more ]

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #37: Singin’ The Blues

Written by on · Leave a Comment
Bix Beiderbecke Singin' The Blues

With Louis Armstrong, Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbecke (10.03.1903-06.08.1931) was one of the most influential jazz cornet soloists of the 1920s. Bix taught himself to play cornet by ear, he never learned to read music well. Unfortunately he drank himself to an early death. He first recorded with the Wolverines in 1924, after which he played briefly for the Jean Goldkette Orchestra before joining Frankie Trumbauer’s Orchestra in 1926. In the same year, Beiderbecke and Trumbauer both joined Goldkette. The following year, Trumbauer and Beiderbecke left Goldkette to join the best-known and most prestigious dance orchestra in the country: the New [...]

[ Click to Read more ]