Uptown Jump - Glenn Crytzer's New Swing

If you’ve been a Lindy Hopper for any length of time you’ve imagined what it must have been like to attend an event at the Savoy - the joy of dancing to a live Count Basie tune in 1937 or anticipating hearing the first performance of a new song by Chick Webb’s Orchestra. Outside of a very specific time frame, the composition of new Swing Jazz music specifically for dancers is very rare and the idea of waiting for that next new release of brand new, never heard before music, is not a feeling we’re used to.

Even among the recent resurgence of bands and composers so many stick to covering the classics, and it makes sense why. Dancers like their standards. Musicians learn the standards and perform the songs that get people out of their seats. Creating new authentic Swing music is a risky undertaking, especially in the aftermath of the neo-swing era. You’re setting yourself up to be compared to the great original composers and dissected by a very critical audience.

Enter Glenn Crytzer’s newest album, Uptown Jump. Eighteen original compositions made for dancers and swing jazz connoisseurs alike. Yes, eighteen!

The overall sound quality and instrumental composition are very similar to Crytzer’s previous recordings. That is to say that although the songs might be brand new, there’s a comfortable familiarity to the uncompressed tonal quality. Maybe this is due to my regular use of his previous recordings, but these recordings feel like they belong turned up over the main speakers at your local swing dance.

There’s a wonderful variety among these eighteen songs. In regular Crytzer fashion he mixes into the bulk of instrumental pieces the occasional vocal number and avoids the sin of each song sounding too much like the previous. For example, What Did I Do? (An Ambiguous Love Song) is a solid mid-tempo vocal number. Next they throw it down with the up-tempo Uptown Jump - perfect for a jam circle. And then comes Le Fantome de Saint Bechet, which is not only a great name but a wonderful bluesy jazz piece.

There’s a playful, fun soul beneath this entire album. Crytzer is never too self-serious, yet Not Far to Fargo and Mrah!, just to name the first two that come to mind, are begging for a talent greater than mine to choreograph an awesome routine to.

Just like the albums before it this is a must buy for every swing dance DJ or vintage swing jazz fan, and the excitement of good brand new swing jazz music just can’t be ignored. Available on Bandcamp. Also, check out Glenn's other work.

Lindy Hop Mini Workshop 6/1/14

We've been working on controlling where we end up - maintaining the dance in cardinal directions.

This is part of an ongoing theme with our lessons about being more and more intentional with the movements we choose rather than just letting ourselves fall upon the same old habits.  It's tough and takes practice, but with more and more control comes more tools for artistic expressions and musicality (and not bumping into other people).

Plus, everything you can do forward you can do backwards.

Lindy Hop Mini Workshop 5/25/14

Last week was all about knowing where you're going and being intentional about your directionality.  Is that a word?

This is all part of a greater concept about being intentional with your movement and learning to control additional aspects as you develop as a dancer. 

Lindy Hop Mini Workshop 5/18/14

More side passes!

We reviewed last week's side pass exercise and added in this new "sliding doors" move.  It's both fun to do socially and also a good way to practice connecting and changing directions.

Give it a try and join us next weekend for more fun stuff.

Every Sunday at the Zendah Grotto, 6pm.  www.swingang.com for more info.

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop Recap 5/11/14

Hurray for working video again!

This week we did side pass drills and added in a reverse swingout.  We even tested out our follows by having them close their eyes to focus on trusting the connection and continuing through with their momentum during the drills.

See you next week at the Zendah Grotto - 6pm - Free with entry.

www.swingang.com for more info.

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop Recap 5/4/14

And we're back!

Last week we didn't have a recap because it was review week.  We did add some Texas Tommy variants, but that was all of the new content.

This week you'll have noticed that I don't have a video at the top of this post.  We recorded a recap in which you would have seen Jennifer Lai, guest instructor extrodinaire, and myself showing the variety of connection drills we did and how these make sense inside your swingout.  But there was a malfunction and Jen's internet fame will just have to wait.

So, I've included some clips below from some other people who I don't know showing something similar to what we did.  It's the next best thing, plus there's also other content we didn't do.  Enjoy.

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop 4/20/14

Sometimes things get busy and you forget to do a recap video before the next lesson.  And sometimes you end up having to try to dance on asphalt in the parking lot while planes take off over-head.  You can tell by the pine trees in the background that we're definitely in Florida, haha.

So, this isn't the best rendition of this move, but hey, this is about helping everyone remember what we taught and not about showing off.  Mmm, this humble pie is pretty good.

Alright, here's the deal.  This move requires a combination of things we focused on with both previous lessons - directional momentum and rotational momentum.  Without both functioning correctly you won't hit the turns at the right time and you're not going to make it back around (kind of like how our move ends a little short with me sucking up all the movement and leaving Melissa in place.)  In a more ideal rendition we both would have captured the rotational momentum and moved around together.

Next week we're doing a recap lesson where we will go back over anything we've taught so far this year, so bring your questions and ideas because this one is about what you would like to work on!

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop 4/13/14

I think we might have exploded some brains this week with the concept of extending the swing out by adding extra beats in the middle.  The video shows a simple version of this where we add extra "5, 6's" to create a longer 10 count swingout.

We also played with rotational momentum and continued to nail down the concept of efficient use of energy and movement.  Last week it was directional movement, back and forth, this week it was rotational.

Join us a again next week, 6pm at the Zendah Grotto, for more!  www.swingang.com

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop Recap 4/6/14

Last week we discussed sending out the follow in different directions.

In exploring this concept our class discovered that we need to focus on where our energy is moving and make it more directed back and forth down the line of dance.  Our scene has a tendency to move circularly and to short cut the directional energy in our swing outs.

It was a very eye opening exercise and I hope everyone was able to take something new away from it.

As usual, we'll have a new lesson this week at 6pm with a whole new set of fun things to share!

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop Recap 3/30/14

We've been working on traveling, consistent motion in a direction and while spinning, and redirecting energy. All that adds together into this fun combination.

Come join us next week at the Zendah Grotto for more!

www.swingang.com for more info.

"All Of Me" - Sydney Bechet

If that opening piano section doesn't make you want to dance I'm not sure that you have a heart. And if the following section doesn't get you moving I'm also curious about the existence of your soul. 

The more I listen to Sydney Bechet the more I begin to understand his genius and the talent of his musicians.

This song along with other dance hall favorites like "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me" and "Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho" seems to stand right on that dividing line between Hot Jazz and Swing.  The songs swing, for sure, but the instrumentation feels more like Hot Jazz with a melody and counter-melody dancing around each other. It makes for a playful combination of two instruments that you don't get in much swing music with larger bands and written instrumentation.

"All Of Me" makes me want to dance slowly, smoothly, expressively. Those of you who know me know that I enjoy fast Lindy Hop and Balboa and usually pass on the late night Blues events, but if those same late night blues events played more Jazz like this and less of what they normally do, I'd be much more willing to stay out late.

Let's bring back the "Slow Jam" and request a song like this again soon, circle up, and take turns killing it, slowly, smoothly, expressively.

Aww yeah.

That's my Jam!

Youtube's of the other songs mentioned:

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop Recap 3/23/14

This week we had fun with pop turns and inserted one into the middle of a swingout on the 5 and 6!

Come join us every Sunday at 6pm at the Zendah Grotto for more lessons!
Visit www.swingang.com for more info.

"Down South Camp Meeting" - Benny Goodman

That's My Jam!

When two guys as brilliant as Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman put their heads together, you get songs like "Down South Camp Meeting."

You might be more familiar with Benny Goodman.  He was, after all, the King of Swing and helped to bring Swing Jazz into public acceptance. This was the 1930's and conservative whites were not comfortable with their children listening and dancing to what they considered to be "colored people's" music. Benny Goodman began a trend that happened again and again in every generation of the 20th century - he was the white guy playing the black people's music who helped bridge the gap. Some would consider him the Elvis of his time.

What you might not know is that the musical genius behind the scenes who composed much of Goodman's music was a man named Fletcher Henderson who did not happen to be white. Together Henderson and Goodman would influence the entire progression of popular music.

If you pull up my Great Lindy Hop and Balboa Playlist on Spotify and sort by artist you'll see a whole bunch of songs by Benny Goodman. "Down South Camp Meeting" stands out to me because of just how dance-able it is.

First, it swings. It swings hard. The syncopations fall right into the pocket. It's one of those songs that just feels right. It feels comfortable. It rises and falls. It grows and shrinks. The themes repeat, but with enough variety that they are playful and familiar, not annoying or dull. It's a tune that makes you want to move your feet.

If you're interested in learning more about Henderson and Goodman I'd recommend checking out Ken Burn's documentary "Jazz" which is on Netflix currently, or the BBC documentary "The Swing Thing" which I've posted below. Both touch on this topic among a host of other awesome stories about swing.

Zendah Grotto Mini Workshop Recap 3/16/14

At the beginning of the year I started teaching a weekly 6pm mini-workshop class on intermediate Lindy Hop concepts at the Zendah Grotto.

The class is open to anyone who is comfortable socially leading swing-outs and using basic Lindy Hop techniques in their dancing.

The premise is to create an atmosphere where we all feel comfortable working on our dancing together, learning together, and generally growing in excitement for the dance we all love.

If you're in the Tampa Bay area I'd love for you to come on out and jump into the lesson.  Invite  and challenge your friends to come learn with you.  The more we lean together the better we'll all retain the information and get to use it on the dance floor.

The video above is a short recap from the lesson Melissa Reilly and I taught last week.  I can't wait for all the fun things we have planned!

See you on Sunday!

"Diga Diga Doo" - Artie Shaw

That's My Jam!

What's my jam for this week?  A little song with a lot of versions.  Searching Diga Diga Doo on Spotify brings up a long list of songs.

Many artists have taken a swing at this song over the years, but none of them sound more dance-able than Artie Shaw's version in the clip above.  You can check it out here on Spotify too.

This version swings so hard.  The beginning horns are like a siren's call to the dance floor.  The rhythm section is seated right behind the beat, right in the pocket.  Everything about this song is inviting the listener to get up out of their seat.  Also, if you listen carefully, you can hear what sounds like a "Hey!" from a band member right at 1:09.  The band is just jamming this out.

Another version of note is Duke Ellington's (original?). It contains aspects of Hot Jazz with a rhythm section emphasizing the bass on 1's and 3's but not the 2's and 4's for most of the song.  The beat feels more vertical and staccato.  Of course you can force dancing on anything, but it doesn't feel as natural as Artie Shaw's version.  It's also a less comfortable tempo.



What about more recent versions?

I've searched around and there are a few, but none of them have the same spirit and feel as Artie Shaw's.  Many push the song way faster, or take it back to a Hot Jazz feel, which make it less enjoyable for dancing.

Usually I stay away from mentioning Neo-Swing bands as a general rule.  They rarely play actual Jazz with most songs being dressed up Jump Blues or just Rock-n-Roll with horns (which, because of accenting the back beat, the 2's and 4's, are less comfortable and effective for Lindy Hop, and evolve dancer's movements in a different direction.  Think Boogie Woogie or Jive.), but I thought it would be interesting to shortly (or maybe longly) discuss Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's version.  Give it a listen.




I try to be fair and scientific.  I like to test things out and see the evidence before determining a judgement.  So how do the Big Bad's fair?

Well, they're all over the place.  I do find a common theme or feeling in a lot of their music.  It's as if they and the whole genre has the effect of feeling like it's trying too hard to be the cool kid - it's as if the band is more interested in showing off musically and being cool than actually catering to dancers and creating a solid and pleasant foundation.  There's also this strange feeling about the faux-vintage look.  It's as if they dress and present a false image of the past, similar to how you can pull up an 80's movie about the future and it doesn't really look like the actual future, more like the future of the 80's had trends never changed.

I'm a bit torn though because there are pleasing elements.  When the song gets past the overly complex and showy intro and into the first sung verse the rhythm chills out and breathes, giving a nice solid 4 on the floor beat with slight piano accents on 2 and 4 - which isn't overbearing.  It's actually kind of nice.  Then the trumpet solo comes in, which actually hearkens back melodically to the chorus, which is, again, surprisingly nice as a dancer.  The rhythm morphs again into more of a Hot Jazz feel, but it's better than a heavy snare back-beat.

Then the scat section happens, and there's a heavy snare back-beat.  Sigh.  Well, I thought we were staying away from Rock-n-Roll with this one since it is a Jazz standard, but I guess not. Modern drummers just can't seem to stay away from the snare drum.

The song continues to change feeling at every new section.  At one point you can feel an almost Electro-Swing influence.  They just can't make up their mind.

In my opinion, what might make for interesting and creative listening decisions removes some of the appeal for social dancing.  And although you could argue that the song as a whole "swings" it doesn't do so in a pleasing and uniform way.

Some of you might argue just the opposite, that a song like this gives you fun changes to play with and the rhythm differences keep the dance interesting.  But how many of you know 3 or 4 different dance styles to use to match the changes as they come?

Let's compare this to Artie Shaw's version.  The song structure sticks with the classic AABA Jazz structure.  The horn section holds out notes, the melody is less sharp and flows better, there aren't large and overbearing breaks between song sections - they just flow together.  The rhythm is just SOLID and swings consistently the whole way through.  Even the drum solos are short, unique and interesting whereas BBVD's drummer does that stereotypical low tom drum thing that all the New-Swing bands do.  There's a rise and fall to the overall song and the climax toward the end keeps it's cool.  The BBVD version gets abrasive and chaotic.

Though the recording of Artie Shaw's version is old, it's still clear enough to hear the elements (and people yelling "Hey!" in the background during the performance).  It's also not overly "compressed" like many of today's recordings.  Horns, especially, don't sound as good or natural with modern compression.  The BBVD version is harsh, loud, and compressed.  Yes, you can hear everything, but you hear it all at the same volume at the same time.  There's no space between the sounds - no individual volumes to different instruments.  Plus I generally prefer instrumental vs vocal songs for dancing if given the choice.

In many ways these versions are opposites.  The very things that draw me, as a dancer, to Artie Shaw's version are not present in BBVD's which they, in tern, replace with the very things that push me away as a dancer.  I would argue that Artie's version is actually better for both new and seasoned dancers at the same time.

In short, Artie Shaw's version works as a strong foundation with which to place your dancing on top of, to showcase what you can do to jam with the music with you and your partner's bodies.  The BBVD version takes all the jamming room for themselves and makes you, as the dancer, bend to them.


As always, check out The Great Lindy Hop and Balboa playlist on Spotify for more wonderful tunes for dancing!

"When I Grow Too Old To Dream" - The Cats and the Fiddle

I've decided after some time off from the blog that I'd start this baby back up with some new ideas.  The first of these is a semi-regular series where I highlight a specific song or artist.  I think we'll call it...

That's My Jam!

So what's my jam this week?



"When I Grow Too Old To Dream" by The Cats and the Fiddle.

I recently included this in the Advanced J&J Prelims a few weeks ago at the Zendah Grotto.

In my mind there is a category of song that screams, "Swing Out!" and this is clearly one of those songs.  Even if you can't exactly dance at the moment just listening to it makes me tap my feet and want to move.

Now, I'm no expert on this group, and very little is revealed in their Wikipedia article about what these guys were like, but I have my suspicions.  

As many musicians know, you spend a lot of your time hanging out and just jamming on the songs you know. This recording feels like the hundredth time they played this song - they've got this thing down and they've experimented with a hundred different ways to improv vocally and instrumentally with this, and now this song is all feel.  It just jams out.  It's been boiled down to it's primal instrumental groove, and the melody dances around the remnant of the original.

For contrast, here's Nat King Cole's version recorded a good decade plus later.

It's slower, groovier, and the melody is a lot straighter.  And it's still a good song.

An additional fun note.  Many of you will know of Lindy Hop instructor Mike Faltesek.  His band, Falty and the Defects, just recently released their first album and this song is one of their Jam's too.  Check it out at Reverb Nation and give them a like on their Facebook page.  Who knows, maybe someday we'll get them to come play down here in Florida.

How Do You Explain This Hobby?

I travel a lot for work. I meet lots of people. We usually spend most of our time discussing work stuff. How this part of our company works. How these are the things that we can do to help you your company accomplish x and y. But whether it's with new people working for our company or the individuals I meet at other companies, inevitably if I spend enough time with someone we start to breach the topics of what things we enjoy doing outside of work. And this worries me.

No, I'm in no way ashamed of dancing Lindy Hop - just the opposite. I just know that the words I use won't paint the correct picture in their heads, and it's not their fault.

First, if I say I like to do "The Lindy Hop" or "The Balboa" most people younger than 50 haven't really struggled with the meanings of those words - especially the later. So I say that I like to swing dance, but I know what this does. This conjures images of Dancing With The Stars, poodle skirts, sock-hops, everything the media has done to effectively destroy and alter the original meaning of the phrase. And I know that there's no REAL way that I can combat this in a short, polite conversation among acquaintances.

Second, I'm not a dancer's dancer. I'm a Lindy Hopper. I don't do the Cha-Cha or Tango, I'm not the type of person who just has to get on the floor as soon as the booty music comes on at a wedding, and I certainly have no great appreciation of ballroom. What I do have is a love of what jazz and jazz movement bring to my life. There is a very specific way that this music makes my soul come alive. There's also a very specific thing that happens in the brief 3 minute story a couple dancing together creates that will never exist again in exactly the same way.

I've learned that saying that I enjoy Swing Dancing creates a picture in someone's head that is about the furthest thing from the reasons I deeply enjoy Lindy Hop.

So take a look at this video because sometimes old cliches are true - and this is a moving picture, so how many words is that?

What Laura and Mike do here is to completely encapsulate why I love this dance. There's joy, playfulness, creativity, coordination, and a respect for the music.

Maybe I should just cut the conversations short from now on and just send them this link with a note that says - this. This is what I do outside of work.

Now to continue the joyful struggle to dance as well as they do.

Glenn Crytzer's Savoy Seven - Focus Pocus - Capturing That Old Magic Feeling

Glenn Crytzer's career is a testament to the power and joy found in 1930's Jazz.  What else could entice such a talented musician, writer, and band leader to focus his efforts on this labor of love?

It's not a huge secret that if you want to become a wealthy musician you don't focus on early 20th century niche genres. Instead of spending hours working on arrangements, practices, and hunting down grand pianos you instead focus on sampling, compression, and auto-tuning. To make the big bucks you do what everyone else has been doing.

Glenn takes exactly the opposite approach, and on his brand new release, Focus Pocus, he manages to create something both old and yet brand new.

The 7 songs on this album are all original compositions. The live energy and recording quality capture the feeling of classic Jazz recordings and fit in right next to these old songs at DJ'd dance events.

Glenn and his Savoy Seven manage to add just the right ingredients into their magic cauldron, creating Jazz that works perfectly for dancing and listening. I'm sure that this is intentional as Glenn and other members of the band are also Lindy Hoppers and understand the dynamic connection between the music and the dance.

All of Glenn's recordings do a good job of spanning tempos and moods. All That I Can Give You Is A Meloday has a Drag Blues feeling, perfect for a late-night, while Focus Pocus has more of a Balboa feel. The other songs fill in the tempos in between and all of them tell me to swing out.

For those of you familiar with his last release, Skinny Minne, the song The Grass Is Always Greener (If You're High) returns rerecorded and is, in my opinion, the superior version.

If you're into 1930's style Jazz or any of the vintage dance styles, do yourself a favor and try out Glenn's newest concoction. I'm sure you'll fall under their spell too.

For more info check out their Facebook page, or hit up CDBaby to purchase the new album.

The Big Apple - September at The Lindy Connection

During September at The Lindy Connection we are teaching a version of a late 1930's dance that swept the nation, but few people remember today.

The Big Apple might sound familiar due to the similarity to the nickname for New York City, and although dancers from New York helped to make the dance famous, it's history is much more complex and interesting.

The Wikipedia article is a good place to look for a little history about the dance, which may have come from African-American dances as far back as the 1860's.

The version of the dance we will be focusing on is a routine choreographed by Frankie Manning based only on a description in a telegram. Some would argue that this makes the dance less authentic, since Frankie had not seen or participated in doing The Big Apple before creating his own version.  However, Frankie's version created it's own place in history, was captured in the film Keep Punching, and has been danced among the swing revival scenes across the world for the last three decades.  

Today's Lindy Hop scene has been informed by the moves and feeling of this performance, so it's a great addition to your dancing vocabulary. 

Here's the clip from Keep Punching.



If you happen to live in the Tampa Florida area or within driving distance come join us for the next 4 weeks to learn The Big Apple.  Here's the link to our Facebook Event.

We'd love to see you out!

Smokey Feet 2013 - Teacher's Jam

You absolutely must watch this all the way through.  I get this somewhat competitive feeling between some of the teachers at the beginning, but then it just gets sillier and sillier.

I bet our scene could work toward social jams like this.