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.

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.

Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators - Skinny Minne - A Review

There's a new jam I've been listening to with my ears, and my feet are getting jealous.

Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators released a live album just this last weekend and it hasn't left my playlist - now we just need to work some of these sweet tunes into the set list this Saturday at The Lindy Connection!

It's hard to decide which of the 17 tracks I'd like to dance to first.  The uptempo tunes like Bottoms Up, Grabtown Grapple, and Yacht Club Swing immediately grab my attention, but the more I listen to some of the slower jams the more I'm just not sure.

They've managed to capture a great mix of songs from their live performance at Midwest Lindy Fest.  There's a broad range of tempos, a mix of vocal and non-vocal numbers, and a wide pallet of instruments and tones.  There isn't a single dud on this album.

The song choices, the tempos, the rhythms, and especially the natural fluctuations throughout each song succeed in feeling just right to my dancer's ears.  After listening through the album a few times I begin to understand why they play so many national Lindy Hop events.  Glenn's band is first and foremost a dancer's band with a very high level of musicianship.  

By releasing a live recording they have managed to capture two very key things.  They've bottled the live energy of a band playing for a live dancing audience, but they've also managed something a little more subtle - this recording is not a perfect studio performance with auto-tuned horns, click-track drums, and a sterilized over-compressed sound stage - and I can't stress how wonderful that is.

This recording breathes, moves, feels authentic and alive - just like the old recordings we're so accustomed to listening to at every DJ'd dance.  This possibly minor detail makes a huge difference, and places them closer to the ranks of Sydney Bechet or Count Basie than any modern electro or neo-swing recording.  Of course, actually playing Jazz is probably the bigger and more noticeable component that sets them apart, but I digress.

All this is to say that they've put together a great recording that would fit perfectly into any Swing DJ's collection.  It hits all the key bullet points for a great new Swing Jazz album, contains a great mix of new and old tunes, and I know that I can't stop playing it in my car.  And my feet keep complaining.

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Check out song previews at bandcamp.com and let these awesome musicians know how much we appreciate their music by purchasing the album for only $12.

Also, send them a "like" on their facebook page and tell them Lindy Hop Weekly sent you!