Search Results for: chrisbe song of the week lindy hop

After 3 Years and 300 Posts: Back To The Roots

01.03.2013 by Chris

Hey gang!

It's crazy. Three years ago, Shuffle Projects (the blog) was born in Sydney Australia.

Happy Birthday Shuffle Projects!

300 posts later, it's still existing and that surprises myself the most.

When I started Shuffle Projects (the blog), there were not many blogs about Swing dancing, they almost could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That has completely changed over the last few years.

The fact that there are countless Swing dance blogs nowadays made me think a lot about my own one and that's why there will be some changes from today on.

But before I talk about these changes, I would like to do a short year-in-review, covering the last 14 months. It replaces the end-of-year review 2012, which I couldn't write because of technical problems in December (I couldn't reach my WordPress dashboard anymore).

Year-In-Review 2012

For those, who love numbers:

General Statistics

Published posts: 87 (2011: 108)
Unique visitors per month (peek March): 4'470 (2011: peak 1'780)
Page views in 2012: 64'200+ (2011: 34'900)

Highlights

In January, I published the 100th DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week.

Then in March, my visitors statistics went crazy and I had my first real post going viral: 33 Tips & Actions How To Become A Better Swing Dancer, a typical list post which is still one of the most read articles on this website.

Inspired by the 33 tips post, Musicality for Swing Dancers: AABA 32-bar Song Form followed in April and is another popular article.

Then in July, I started the 30 Day Lindy Hop Challenge as a weekly column. It abruptly stopped after 20 weeks (in November) and it still needs to be completed.

By that time, I already worked on another project:

Swing DJ Resources

As I mentioned earlier, there are now tons of blogs out there writing about swing dancing. I don't see me as a writer and even less as a philosopher about swing dancing.

I realized, that Swing music and DJing and everything related to them are the topics I'm most interested in and they need its own home.

At the same time I noticed, that there are almost no websites about Swing music and Swing DJing in particular. The idea of Swing DJ Resources was born.

On September 4, Swing DJ Resources, the new reference website for Swing DJs and music lovers, launched and was well received.

DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week is leaving Shuffle Projects

As a consequence I made a decision: I'm moving the popular series DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week.

Starting from next week, you'll find it on Swing DJ Resources, what is for sure the perfect home.

I haven't decided yet if I will move all the previous songs as well or not.

2013: Back To The Roots

Well, what's happening with the blog now?

Shuffle Projects is the hub for all my activities in the Swing dance scene, locally and abroad. So is the blog.

I go back to the original idea and that's what you can expect: articles, reviews, clips, but also announcements of events, classes and DJ gigs.

My main goal stays the same: to provide excellent content which is either inspiring, entertaining or educating.

With that said, I'll take the pressure from me to post something every week.

Finally, I would like to gently redesign the website and separate the activities (and languages) more clearly.

Thank You!

It means a lot to me that you follow and share my work. I appreciate every single feedback I get from you.

This is such a great journey.

Thank you for being a part of my community!

-Chris

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #156: She’ll Keep The Devil Dancing On Your Heart

25.02.2013 by Chris

Note: This will be the last Song of the Week on this blog. From the following week, DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week will be published on Swing DJ Resources. Learn more about this transition in a separate blog post on Friday (March 1, 2013).

An add on Twitter by Little Kim brought my attention to a Belgian western swing & hot swing jazz band and their music on Bandcamp.

Little Kim & the Alley Apple 3

Little Kim & the Alley Apple 3 play swing music in the broadest sense of the word. They love all kind of old time roots music, be it the sensuous swing jazz of the roaring twenties or the piercing lyrics of the fabulous Hank Williams.

They first met in 2007 when Kim placed an online ad, stating she was looking for a new touring band that played the music styles she loves: jazz, honky tonk, swing, …

By the time Tom responded to her ad, he had already gathered two wonderful musicians to play along: Patrick Cattoir on lapsteel and Selim Meiresonne on slappin› double bass.

They went on rehearsing for a year which resulted in a first self titled EP «Little Kim & the Alley Apple 3» (2008).

It got so many good reviews that a lot of concerts in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany followed. Convinced they had something good in hand, they started working on their first full album «Riding the Rails», which hit the streets in 2010.

Not satisfied with the idea that music should be labeled or confined to narrow boxes, they started writing new songs, that were meant to sound totally different to the songs on «Riding the Rails».

The writing process was finished in August 2011 and with the help of Kristof Maes of the Closed Session Studio they started the long journey of recording the album.

She’ll keep the devil dancing on your heart

“She’ll keep the devil dancing on your heart” (2012) turned out to be a much more elaborate record than their firstborn. With the bunch of friends they invited to appear as guests on this album they opened to path to a future that is as exciting as it is diverse.

Lyrics

She’ll keep the devil dancing on your heart

O you might, o you might, o you might as well
Throw your bible down the well
‘Cause she’s a work of art, her spell will tear you apart
And keep the devil dancing on your heart

She’ll take your gold, sell your pearls and wants nothing in between
They call her Two Faced Tawnee of New Orleans
‘Cause she’s a work of art, her spell will tear you apart
And keep the devil dancing on your heart

I don’t know what you’re looking for
But if you need a hand out of this ditch
Better think twice … she’ll pass you like a hat in church
And won’t even give a twitch

O you might, o you might, o you might as well
Throw your bible down the well
‘Cause she’s a work of art, her spell will tear you apart
And keep the devil dancing on your heart

Little Kim & the Alley Apple 3 - She'll keep the devil dancing on your heart

Title: She’ll keep the devil dancing on your hea rt
Artist: Little Kim & the Alley Apple 3
Released: 2012
Album: She’ll keep the devil dancing on your heart
Tempo: 104 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop

You can find all the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist.
Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

What do you think about Little Kim's music? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Now Check Out

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

18.02.2013 by Chris

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 as a semi-finalist. With proof that others believed in her talent, she worked hard to found a label of her own, where she could record her music free of outside constraints.

After creating TVP Records, she enlisted help from other artists to record her debut album.

In 2006, she returned to the studio to record a standards album, Sing You Sinners.

Source: iTunes/Rovi

Cou Cou

From that album is the song Cou Cou. Sorry for the cheesy YouTube clip (it was not released by the artist herself)

I like the atmosphere in this song, and her accent singing the lyrics. 😉

Title: Cou Cou
Artist: Erin McKeown
Released: 2007
Album: Sing You Sinners
Tempo: 169 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop, Balboa

You can find all the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist or on 8tracks.
Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

Do you like Erin McKeown's version of Cou Cou? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Now Check Out

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

11.02.2013 by Chris

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 band in 1948, after spending a year with George Webb’s Dixielanders, a band which pioneered New Orleans-style jazz in Britain.

Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band, with Wally Fawkes on clarinet, soon became the leading traditional jazz band in Britain, with a high reputation in Europe gained through many Continental tours.

In 1949, he signed a recording contract with EMI, resulting in a string of now much sought-after recordings in the Parlophone Super Rhythm Style series.

Prior to that, the band had already made records on his own London Jazz label, and had accompanied the great Sidney Bechet in an historic session for Melodisc in 1949.

It was for Parlophone that Humph recorded his own ‘Bad Penny Blues’ which, in 1956, was the first British jazz record to get into the Top Twenty.

Source: humphreylyttelton.com

You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

This is a live version of that popular song from the 1930s.

I don't know exactly when it was recorded, but I like it better than the studio recorded version on other albums.

Title: You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me[/easyazon-link]
Artist: Humphrey Lyttelton & His Band
Recorded: 1956/1957 (?)
Tempo: 164 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop, Balboa beginners

What is your favorite tune by Humph? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related Songs:

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #153: Ain’t Misbehavin›

04.02.2013 by Chris

Ain’t Misbehavin’ was composed by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks with lyrics by Andy Razaf in 1929. It's an early swing tune with the 32 bar AABA structure.

The song was the opening number of the all-black musical revue «Hot Chocolates» at Connie's Inn in Harlem. It was such a success that it moved onto Broadway, premiering at the Hudson Theatre on June 20, 1929, and running for 219 performances.

Ain't Misbehavin› has become a jazz standard.

Albert Nicholas

Albert Nicholas (May 27, 1900, New Orleans, Louisiana – Sept. 3, 1973, Basel, Switzerland) was mainly playing clarinet.

He studied with Lorenzo Tio, Jr. in New Orleans. Still a teenager, he in the 1910s with Buddy Petit, King Oliver, and Manuel Perez. After three years in the Merchant Marines and then joined King Oliver in Chicago and played ther from 1925 to 1927, recording with Oliver's Dixie Syncopators.

After spending one year in East Asia and Egypt, he returned to New York City in 1928 and joined Luis Russell for five years. He also played there with Red Allen, Charlie Holmes, and J.C. Higginbotham.

In 1937, he rejoined Louis Russell with the Louis Armstrong Orchestra, playing until 1939. In the same year, her was recording with Jelly Roll Morton (Nicholas already recorded with Morton in 1929).

Then in 1941, when there was not much work as musician, he took a job as a guard on the New York Subway. With the Dixieland revival of the late 1940s, he returned to music in 1945, playing with Art Hodes, Bunk Johnson and Kid Ory. In 1948, he had a regular gig with Ralph Sutton.

Following Sidney Bechet's example, Nicolas moved in 1953 to France (returning to the U.S. for recording sessions in 1959 and 1960) where he remained for the rest 20 years of his life.

Live In Baden Switzerland in 1969

If you can, buy the full album. Every single song is great for swing dancing – slow or fast. Or just download the light-footed version of Ain't Misbehavin›, not too slow but very relaxed.

Title: Ain't Misbehavin›
Artist: Albert Nicholas with the Henri Chaix Trio
Recorded: 1969
Tempo: 171 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop

What do you think about this tune? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!