:: Music Guide ::

Shopping Tips

If you live in Philadelphia, I strongly suggest shopping at:
Jazz Sounds
15 S. 11th Street
Phila, PA 19107
Phone: 215-925-3150

If you go, you will see a cheesy looking audio store; go in and go up the stairs in the back.  When you get upstairs, turn left and walk past the cash registers; on the left you will see another set of stairs going up to the next level (or just ask someone).  Go upstairs and enjoy.

Whether you call or visit, ask for "Craig" in the jazz department.  Craig is an oasis of cool, Craig is God.  He'll suggest cd's for you to try based on what you already like. He's like a Google ad that got into your brain! He has been there for 20 years and is super-friendly and knowledgeable; mention me since Craig likes meeting my friends.  :) --Greg

On buying music anywhere:
As seen on the left, there are links to lists of music that you can use as a guide to help you start your collection. However, if everybody buys from the same list and goes no futher, we will all have the same music - and given the tastes and trends in dancing, we will all start to play the same "favorites".

Although what's popular in the swing scene is usually also pretty good music, I believe it is incumbent on DJs to bring fresh music (fresh as in from the 1920s and on).

With this in mind, I'd like to offer some suggestions for music shopping:

1. Buying CDs versus downloading songs.

While I certainly down load music legally, I have to say that owning a CD is a richer experience.

When you do buy a CD, I'd like to humbly suggest you read the liner notes. These notes provide a history and an education in jazz and blues. They tell you stories about the sessions, musicians and the music itself in a way that a book just can't do: album by album, you'll learn about the evolution of jazz and some of its luminaries.

Liner notes not only give you insight into what you are listening to, they often point to other purchases by bringing your attention to particular music or musicians. By listening to the music and paying attention to the soloists, you will gain a richer understanding of how the music is put together and how musicians contribute as individuals to the sound of any band. As you start to have your own "favorite musicians", you can start to track these musicians through their careers. Using the internet, you can find out whether they have recorded on their own or with others.

A classic example of this would be getting to know Johnny Hodges through the music of Duke Ellington. When Hodges joins the Ellington band in 1928, he stands out as a talented young musician, but under Ellington's influence and tutelage, Hodges develops a unique sound that makes him immediately identifiable - so that by the time he records on his own in the late 1930s, he is bringing "Ellington's sound" into almost every album he plays on right up to his final recordings in the 1960s. Don't just take my word for it; listening to the music will confirm my opinion, but reading the liner notes and seeing who else plays in these bands will broaden your experience and understanding.

2. How do you get started collecting CDs?

Getting started is easier than ever. In the age of cable and DSL, you can quickly sample lots of music to get a basic sense of the different flavors of jazz, blues and the music that makes you want to dance. Your first job is to relax and spend lots of time enjoying the process of l istening to music. In fact, unless you are DJing a dance next week, I would sugggest that you think less about 'collecting' music and instead spend that energy listening to music.

It is important to understand that the evolution of jazz is not a linear progression; it is more like the branches of a tree with many offshoots and changes in direction. Before the introduction of modern jazz in the late 1950s, "swimg music" and consequently "dance music" was probably jazz's greatest single influence and identifying feature.

In my humble opinion there are three swingin' giants of jazz who survived the changes in recorded jazz from its beginnngs in the 1920s to the late 1950s (and beyond). These three artists are Louis Armostrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. Yet, if you compared their earlier recordings to their later recordings, there is a huge difference in their music and tastes. What makes them special is that they were able to adapt to - and even direct - the changes in jazz music and popular tastes in jazz.

For this reason, I believe that these artists and the musicians who played with them are a great way to start your collection of jazz music for swing dancers. You can begin by buying collections of their music and reading the liner notes on the CDs. By noticing which style of their music attracts you, you can then branch out and find other artists and songs you will enjoy. If you pick some songs you like, you can go online to listen to other versions of the same songs or other songs that the same musicians played on. For example, listening to Basie's different versions of "Oh, Lady be Good" from the "1939 Classics Collection" CD (with an orchestra) and contrasting it to his 1974 version on "For the First Time" (an album made with a trio) might help to determine whether you like the jaunty, on-the-beat feel of Artie Shaw's version from the "1939-40 Classics Collection" CD or the stretched out, laid-back version by Ray Brown on his 1983 "Red Hot Ray Brown" CD.