August 25, 2021: Heck Yeah, Bagpipes!

I know the title may be Bagpipe Blues, but this is really bagpipe swing, baby!

Gunhild Carling is my new discovery, so along with a couple tracks from her (and her big band) we’ve got Rugcutter Dance Orchestra, Dandy Wellington, Tacla, Shirt Tail Stompers, Posey Royale, and lots, lots more!

No really, bagpipes. In swing. It works, I swear ….

June 9, 2021: Too Fast, Too Slow

Lots of great swing and jazz and blues tunes this week – as per the norm! – but kicking things off with something a little different — some of my favorite video game music!

Yeah, you heard me. Supergiant Games makes amazing games and those games are filled with amazing music, thanks to their music director and all-around inspiring musician, Darren Korb, not to mention vocals by Ashley Barrett. And no, you don’t need to know anything about the games to enjoy the music, I promise, it’s just good on its own! Watching them perform live is amazing, too.

Anyone who has played Hades knows …

Okay, okay, you’re here for the swing, I know! I’ve got new (to me) music from Beppe Pilotto (in various groups), from Marbin, from Marina & the Kats, from Duved Dunayevsky, from Hot Club du Nax, and lots more! There isn’t quite a focus, but as the title intimates, there are some nice slow songs to sink into, and conversely, some nice fast songs especially for any Balboa lovers out there.

Enjoy!

May 26, 2021: Gender is a Masquerade

Cats & Dinosaurs make great swing music, and they’re also not afraid to include some serious social commentary in their songs, as the title of this week’s show can attest.

Check them out over on Bandcamp, and enjoy some more great music including some more Swedish swingers, Gentlemen & Gangsters, along with bands out of Turkey, Tel Aviv, Luthuania, France, and lots of other cool places!

Il faut que ça swing!

May 12, 2021: Band(camp)ing Together

I heard a rumor that it might be the final Bandcamp Friday on May 7 so I went a little nuts! This rumor seems unfounded, though, based on posts from Bandcamp, where it looks like they may continue all the way through 2021. Or, at the very least, until live performances resume. Ah well, more music for me, anyway!

Among the new (to me) tunes include albums I didn’t already have from Tcha-Badjo, Blue Moon Marquee, and The Schwings Band, as well as new (to me) groups like Jacob Zimmerman, Thrift Set Orchestra, and Tatiana Eva-Marie.

And it all adds up to another great two hours of swing, jazz, and blues. Enjoy!

May 5, 2021: If You See My Mom

It doesn’t sound quite as cool when it’s not in French, I suppose. Still a classic, swinging tune from Sidney Bechet, written back in 1952, with lyrics by Jean Broussolle. I wasn’t able to track down a downloadable version of the jam I really wanted to play, but since this is the internet, right here, I can point you to a YouTube link!

So good.

As for the show itself, kicking off with a great instrumental version of said tune from the Midnight in Paris soundtrack, with Patrick Bartley on clarinet, and then playing another tune from Avalon Jazz Band (to kind of make up the difference) and then it’s a really, really good two hours of tunes this week.

No really, this show is killer, you should listen to it. Happy listening and happy dancing!