DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #123: Russian Rag

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DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week #123: Russian Rag by Tuba Skinny

Tuba Skinny from New Orleans are very productive, at least recording wise. Every year since 2009, they are releasing a new album. After “Tubaskinny” in 2009, “Six Feet Down” in 2010 and “Garbage Man” in 2011, Tuba Skinny just recently released their brand new album “Rag Band”. We don’t learn that much about the fourth album Our newest album “Rag Band” is done! After many many months of recording and re-recording, we are happy to say our new album “Rag Band” is finally complete. Thanks for your patience! The short statement on Tuba Skinny’s website. They recorded the album in October 2011 [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #53: Comes Love

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Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns - Lucky Devil

The first song of the second year brings us once again to New Orleans. In the last few years many musicians and dancers moved to the city in the south of the US to live their passion and to help enforce traditional jazz music and dance to a thriving revival. Meschiya Lake “fell in love with and felt immediately embraced by the culturally rich and one of a kind city of New Orleans” while touring with a circus troupe. In 2007, she started singing with the Loose Marbles on the French Quarters Royal Street. Soon after they toured the US [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #48: Wild Man Blues

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Johnny Dodds The Very Best Of New Orleans Clarinet

This is one of my absolute favourite songs: Wild Man Blues by Johnny Dodds in the version from 1938 (not to be confused with the 1927 version, which sounds totally different). I’m not exactly sure why, but it gives me the creeps whenever I hear this (main) melody! Johnny Dodds (1892-1940) was one of the greatest clarinetists in the 1920s beside Sidney Bechet and Jimmie Noone and he worked with the greats of that era. He was in Kid Ory‘s band in New Orleans, worked on riverboats and moved to Chicago to play in King Oliver‘s band. Together with his [...]

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

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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 [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #23: Muskrat Ramble

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Louis Armstrong Hot Five Muskat Ramble

For the first time Herräng Dance Camp offered a Swing Orchestra class, taught by the Carling Family (Carling Big Band). I attended this class as a rhythm guitarist and we all had a very inspiring week! Hans Carling, father of the family and one of our teachers, mentioned different recordings, which are eminent in jazz history and which are references for all the following generations of jazz musicians. The early jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five belong to this collection, they have been a revolution in jazz history: here we hear for the first time improvisation. Before [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #17: Blue Drag

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New Orleans Jazz Vipers

I discovered this version by the New Orleans Jazz Vipers on the compilation “Swing Around the World” by the Putumayo World Music label, in fact it’s taken from there first album, recorded and released in 2002. (BTW Linnzi Zaorski did some lead vocals on this album!) The Band was founded back in the 90s in New Orleans by Joe Braun (sax), John Rodi (acoustic guitar) and Robert Snow (acoustic bass). With the time the band evolved to a seven-man-formation. They mostly played in the traditional way without amplification. In 2009, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers morphed into two new bands [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #11: Blue Horizon

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The Best Of Sidney Bechet

This week’s song is dedicated to Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) on the occasion of his birthday and day of death on 14th May. Bechet, originally from New Orleans, was one of the most important soloists of the early Jazz period. At the beginning of the 1920s, Bechet discovered in London the straight soprano saxophone and developed his unique vibrato style. Sidney Bechet performed and recorded with all the Jazz Giants in those days, such as Freddie Keppart, Clarence Williams, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington ect., to name but a few. After being very popular at the Festival International de Jazz 1949 in [...]

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #2: When I Get Low I Get High

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linnzi zaorski hotsy-totsy

Somewhen in autumn 2006, I signed up for myspace (anyone remember?), it was my first step into social networks. Right from the beginning, I got tons of invitations by musicians and bands to listen to their music and become friends. It was great! It was an amazing source (and probably still is) to discover new and independent bands. When I Get Low I Get High After a short while browsing, I heard this version of the song “When I Get Low I Get High” and I loved it from the very first moment. On the one hand because of the New Orleans [...]

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