Back in New Orleans

      I finally got back home after all the flight delays and cancellations, thanks to Iceland's friendly volcano. Balboa on the Promenade was a nice event, the floors spoiled me, as i had forgotten momentarily how easy dancing is on nice floors.

      I was quickly reminded of how horrible the floors can be here, throw that in with the harsh conditions and lack of etiquette and we have a completely opposite world of dancing. The obvious difference is, between entering into a bar where the majority of people are tourist, or entering a dance, where the majority (i think it's safe to guess 100%) is there to dance with partners.

     The nice thing about going out within the swing scene, be it, Lindy, Balboa, Blues or Swing dances is the floors are always nice, normally there is room to do whatever dance it is your at, and of course you get whatever music the owner of dance chooses, (this can be good but it's most often bad in my opinion), and lastly, you can meet like minded people at these "dances" where dance is the focus. 

     As i was hanging outside the Spotted Cat, while one of the bands went into a barn burner i quickly grabbed a girl and squeezed into the front of the band stand. It was a hot humid night, the Tourist were loud, drunk and screaming as the band went from chorus to chorus, I couldn't help but think of all those years hanging out at the Derby in Hollywood.

The Derby had 2 places to dance, the front room which was a tiny floor like the Spotted Cat (at least the Derby had a good wood floor!) and then there was a back room as well which fit a few hundred , but that would be standing room only as well.

This was at a time in my life when dancing was all about showing off, and i needed space to do all my tricks and stretch out my dancing like the old time Jitterbugs did. Coming, up so to say in this atmosphere is something i look back to as being the most awesome learning process a person can have. It didn't take long for me and my friends, to work the crowd, knowing how to make space, dance small, and because it was live music we also knew how to dance a long time.

This was nothing like going to a dance sponsored or put on by a dancer, this was different, this was, well...the "Real world", as opposed to the "Dance world"of everything made perfect with nice floors, nice music, nice mirrors, nice lockers, nice people, nice dancing, nice nice...


I guess it's fine and dandy for some people to have this sporting type environment, but one thing is for sure, i would have never of been interested in the first place , let alone learned how to dance in that atmosphere....however, the Spotted Cat or DBA , now those are places to learn! Cramped, all tempo's, mixed rhythms, obnoxious people in the way...yeah! Now we talking!

Like my earlier days, we didn't take lessons, instead we would show up nightly and stake out our little corner of the floor, and that's it...mess around all night. Night after night, tourist pack the clubs coming to see New Orleans Jazz, and in the 90's for us, it was Swing Music, a disgusting comparison to say the least, But the parallel for someone going out to dance in a overly cramped bar in a sea of drunk tourist is undeniable.

What Challenged the dancers in the 90's was the amazing tempo's some of these bands could play, although we had no idea how to dance properly, hell if we didn't try! more often then not in those days i was just running as fast as i can around my partner, or holding her close and frantically kicking.

The styles of music changed through out the week, from Jump Blues, 1920's bands, New Swing, Be Bop and various Rockabilly styles of bands, something we were lucky to have and embrace, allowing us the chance to learn various historical dances and actually use them while out having fun.

As i travel around the world, i rarely see anything that resembles that environment and if there is some type of place it's not often, and certainly not 7 nights a week, and then add another club...and another...Those Hollywood years of dancing among tourist is long gone...

 A night on Frenchmen street, here in New Orleans brings those years all back, especially after arriving home from a Balboa Festival.

The bands in New Orleans don't need tempo's to challenge a dancer, their rhythms alone can be a roller coaster of call and responses and breaks, blues, and latin's...the crowds tend to be drunker then the tourist in Hollywood but they can just as easily be corralled, and the floors...well, even if you get a small section of wood at DBA, expect beer all over it.

Lastly, and the most important is knowing how to dance, it's really not so much an ability, as it is an etiquette or knowledge. We see great dancers show up all the time and simply fall into the category of reckless, and while everyone enjoys a good time , it's that "everyone" part, that some forget, starting with the person they are dancing with and ending with those around you.

One of the responsibilities of a knowledgeable dancer is controlling the floor to protect the musicians, from drunk dancers, and wild dancers showing off. Most commonly protecting the trombone player, and at places like the Spotted Cat the Piano player as well.

While this can be the ultimate atmosphere to learn how to dance, it's certainly not ideal for "Lindy Hoppers", who tend to need more space to dance, and have troubles knowing where their feet are. 

Remember a Tourist is just that, someone coming through for some entertainment, normally they get drunk, often extremely drunk, and it's not surprising when they do something stupid, it's almost expected...but dancers are different, regardless if they are coming through town, local or otherwise, for the simple fact they already have a respect for the music and those that play it.

well, i'd expect they would...however, not all dancers feel like this, and those that don't fall into the "tourist" category, while other dancers fall into "musicians" category, being they are there for the music, they dance to the music as one of the musicians and are aware of the surroundings.

Musicians see they have someone on the floor looking out for them and can feel more relaxed, instead of being scared and jumping every second someone does something flashy in fear of slamming into their instrument and splitting their lip. 

Unfortunately, things happen, bottles break, people fall, it's all in fun...and then someone kicks the tip jar...not cool. Tourist, ok, whatever...expected,  but, but a dancer? There is no excuse for dancer, to kick the Tip Bucket, and aside from scrambling to collect the money, the first thing you should do is buy everyone in the band a drink.

This happened at Preservation Hall, and the dancers where blind to the fact they even did it. The situation was discussed, and while the Band decided to continue to allow dancing, it was clear what type of dancer was to blame and the type of dancing. Thanks to who ever that was, we were reminded on why there would ever be signs that say "No Lindy Hopping".

If you want to learn how to be an exhibition dancer, that's good for you, but don't be surprised when a big Jarhead beats the shit out you after you accidentaly kick him. It might be fine to kick each other at dances, studio's and festivals but in the real world all bets are off....

Lucky enough, this atmosphere is the best to learn, and while teachers can show you what they do, it's best to let the music tell you or guide you, and the more time you spend on the floor the better, that's the real teacher. With the music here, and the amount of dancing you can do, anyone can get great at dancing in no time...... if they have the will to do so.

The most valuable lesson on being respected in the real world has nothing to do with skill, it's purely etiquette...

In the real world, nobody cares if your a beginner dancer, expert, fireman or doctor, republican or Hippie, everyone is just in the Bar celebrating Jazz Music....and the only thing nobody likes are people kicking over the Tip bucket.

Need i not remind you New Orleans is probably the most famous place on planet earth for drunk, barfing, stumbling Tourist...all it takes is one, well....you know.

The smokey Bars, tiny amounts of space, the concrete floors.....ah, yes, obstacles....all kinds, i love em all...and i haven't even mentioned the music yet..... that is what makes this place the greatest place on earth.

I mentioned earlier, "The real world" , as opposed to the "dance world" (dance studio, events and festivals, where everyone can get together and do the same standardized dance) and the truth is, very few people on the planet get to dance in the real world, and i don't mean just visit, I'm talking on a daily basis...and that is what makes this place so Amazing.  Damn, it's great to be back....!!!!

I'll end this ramble with a joke:

Q: "whats the difference between a Lindy Hopper and a drunk tourist dancing?"
A: "Drunk Tourist dancing don't kick over the tip Bucket!"

Class Music!

As promised, This is a List of the CD's used for class's...

Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, Lucky Devil
The Palmetto Bug Stompers, Live @ DBA
The Palmetto Bug Stompers, Ol' New Orleans Home
Tuba Skinny,(Self Titled)
The Loose Marbles, The Recession session
The Loose Marbles, Gum Shoe
The New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings, (self Titled)
The New Orleans Jazz Vipers, Hope your coming home
The New Orleans Jazz Vipers, (self Titled)

the Loose Marbles "The Recession session" can be purchased here:
http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com

 You can get all the Palmetto Bug Stompers here...
http://www.washboardchaz.com/palmetto-bug-stompers.html

New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings:
http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-New-Orleans-Cottonmouth-Kings/138586414289

New Orleans Jazz Vipers Here:
http://www.jazzvipers.com/

Tuba Skinny CD's just email:
tubaskinny@gmail.com

Keep checking Louisiana Music Factory as well,
they support and offer local musicians an outlet to sell CD's.
http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/

I'll update this Post as i get a for sure links, or other places turn up to purchase these CD's!!! or comment below, and we can make sure you get what ya need!!!!

March to April....

It's been a long month, German, Spain, Solvenia and Lithuania, tonight being my last big night in Vilnus but i have classes tomorrow and will probably celebrate one last night, although it will be chill.
I've meet some extremely amazing people this month that have been nothing but kind, who shared their homes, food, family and friends making my job so much more rewarding for without them it certainly would be a much more difficult task.

Aside from teaching i did 3 lectures, Spain being difficult for the obvious reasons with the language barrier, however it was very well received being it was during the Terressa Jazz Festival.

Slovenia is always a blast, being my 3rd time there, the people are layed back and seriously know how to party, having been there before it's always easier to lecture and to speak my mind on issues that perhaps i would not go into as much deep if it was a more academic or professional crowd. That night, our band was able to play for the ballroom, being that they brought in the other members for the weekend, amazing week for sure. Aside from the horse burgers my special favorite is the Green Rabbit Absinthe bar, the owner was nice enough to give me a Bottle and exclaim "New Orleans is the home for Absinthe!".

This is my first time in Vilnus, Lithuania and all i can say is wow! the first night i got to see one of the local bands on home turf, some of which I've know for a few years, called the Rhythm Junkies. They were amazing, a touch a Gypsy and dixie mixed together with powerful and amazing vocals by Milda, Jazz is no doubt alive here.

My lecture here was a big larger a good crowd of over 200 packed the room, which was sponsored by the American Embassy. Their representative was a really great guy who was from Kansas city and  made things extremely comfortable, in this very professional setting. Last night they brought in the Carling Family band from Sweden, which are one of the best bands you can hear anywhere in the world. They are playing again tonight later on after we get to hear the Lithuanian Military band, which I've been told will have 40 pieces. This i can't wait for, i can only image the power they are going to throw at the dance floor.


It's been a long journey and i look forward to heading back home to New Orleans, with lectures and demo's and performances to be done at French Quarter Festival next weekend, and the New Orleans Jazz Festival the weekend after.

anyways, I have many articles started which i will finish upon my arrive back to the states, so stay tuned. and hope to see you in NOLA or on the road!

TUBA SKINNY CD REVIEW

How lucky I am! Just after the recent amazing release of the new Cotton Mouth Kings, another awesome CD comes out by one of the newer local New Orleans Bands.

The Tuba Skinny Band is one of bands that loves busking on Royal street, and seeing them will leave you speechless!

Vocalist Erika Lewis fronts the band with Todd, or "Tuba Skinny" handling some of the musical direction, yes, from his Tuba.

The band is no doubt a team, a team of friends who create not only a music of a by gone era, but also a very individual sound.

The new self titled CD, TUBA SKINNY, is an amazing mix of tempo's all well rooted in early blues and jazz.

Handling the strings is Alynda on Banjo and Kiowa playing the Guitar and vocals, with the horns handled by Barnabus ,Trombone and Shaye on Cornet.

Lastly, we have Robin on washboard, who's dynamic playing inner weaves with the band which should no doubt cause you to start stomping your foot!

As i mentioned above, you can find this group playing on Royal street in the French Quarter and you can expect some great dancers performing with them as well. when they hit the street. At night the band attracts the best dancers in town and from around the world when visiting New Orleans.

This CD Captures this amazing energy perfectly, and I'm sure that there will be more then a few tracks being played at dances, and by teachers around the world.

One last tid bit before I leave you to run off and GET THIS CD.

 In this mix of 13 tracks, There is an original written by Erika, However, I'm not going to tell you which one it is…it fits in in between the classics so well I know you'll be blown away!

The New Cotton Mouth Kings CD!

The self titled CD "the New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings" has been a couple weeks now, and for many reason's I continue listening to it, if not for pure pleasure, then to take notes on the concept of this amazing band.

The style of music alone is something to ponder, taste, digest and yes, relish in the after taste. I've heard the members claim the style as being "New Orleans Swing", a description which I have thought a lot about, and drawing the only possibly conclusion...I couldn't agree more!

Before I get into the CD,  Let me share just a tad of history. This  band goes back about 10 years and was originally called the "New Orleans Jazz Vipers".  Last summer the band reformed under it's new name 'New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings'.

This is their first CD under this name and I'm really excited about the tracks they selected, so I'm going to mention a few of vocal tracks just so you can get the idea of music in store for you...

On Guitar we have John Rodli, known to many as the voice behind the "Blue Drag" on the Vipers recording. John's Vocal fans will be pleased to hear him once again on "I wished Upon a Moon" and "Pennies from Heaven".

No doubt one of my favorites from this band for awhile now is their rendition of "Nagasaki". A song that features Matt Rhody, who not only swings the group with his vocals but also sends the room on his Violin solos. Thanks for including this track fella's!

The big surprise for me on this CD was the Harlem Hamfats song "Delta Bound" , sung by Tom Saunders, a Jazz 78 collector who plays the Bass Saxophone. This version is a bit faster giving it a new fresh feeling that certainly will bring a smile to anyone who likes a new twist on old things.

Charlie Fardella's Vocal's on songs like "Corrina Corrina" is a great example, the band takes a new sound with the band backing the vocals with Matt's Violin leading the way before Charlie finally punches through with his Trumpet.

On another vocal, Bruce Brackman singing their "Gospel Medly" which is actually 3 New Orleans standards, combined perfectly, the band is obviously having fun recording these as you can hear on this track.

Bruce's Clarinet playing is most powerful and exciting sound I've ever witnessed, Charlie packs more then just a punch with his trumpet, I only wish everyone could stand in front of them at DBA or the Cat on one of their regular gigs and witness this group of players who truly enjoy playing first and foremost.

None of this could not happen without bass man Robert Snow, perhaps best described as a swinging time machine….if your dancer, he is the one that is driving your feet.

The groove Robert lays down is infectious and from there the layers of each instruments fit like a puzzle propelling the rhythm in amazing time.

As it says on the CD, it's Smoking Swing from New Orleans….no doubt a must have for any Jazz and Swing enthusiast…

Peter Loggins Feb, 2010
http://neworleanscottonmouthkings.com/

anon comments

Aside from being difficult responding to multiple users named anonymous, if i'm to take the time to share or respond to someone. i'd at least like to know the person is real, or at least has real intentions.

so I'm laying down some type of comment security, logging in, or something....thanks to everyone that reads! 

So again, feel free to post or comment, however...use your darn name, so we can have some normal communication between us...

Dancing Hot and Sweet: New Orleans Jazz in the 1920s

 I came across this article in the special collections
at Tulane University which I've linked at the bottom.
I met Bruce a few years back in Moscow, Idaho at the
Lionel Hampton archive.

His knowledge is amazing, and this article along with
many others has helped me to further research specially
on the history of dance.

So, I hope you enjoy it...without people like Bruce,
reseaching, putting the peices together and writting,
it disappears...

Dancing Hot and Sweet: New Orleans Jazz in the 1920s
 by Bruce Boyd Raeburn

"The story of music in New Orleans must begin
with dancing:
Henry A. Kmen, Music in New Orleans: The
Fomlative Years, 1791-1841.


New Orleans has always been a dancing
town, and it is no wonder that jazz entered the
local scene -feet first-, as a dance music.
Whether on the streets in the -second line, at
neighborhood dance halls, on the riverboats, or
for "script" dances at Tulane University, jazz
musicians sought to move an audience in the
most direct sense, making dancers part of the
action and feeding on the energy.

This dynamic came early, as trombonist Bill
Matthews affirmed in his recollections of Buddy Bolden for the
Hogan Jazz Archive: -Everybody was crazy about
Bolden when he'd blow a waltz, schottische or
old low down blues. He was the sweetest
trumpet player in the world... Bunk Johnson got
his style following Buddy with his sweetness, but
could never play rough and -loud like Bolden:
Unlike later jazz critic') who praised -hOT- and
scorned -sweet-, New Orleans musicians valued
the difference because the dancers wanted
variety.



In a given night at Odd Fellow'S Hall,
Bolden might offer waltzes, polkas, and
quadrilles to his early crowd; upon their
departure (usually around midnight), the music
would turn rough and rowdy for the nightpeople
who preferred slow drags, shags, and belly
rubs.


The mixed fare performed by Bolden's proto-jazz band
and the less than legitimate style in which it was
rendered were characteristic of the New Orleans
musician's desire to give the public what it
wanted. Also apparent, however,
was a divergence of taste between young and old
as a new generation demanded greater freedom
and excitement in music and dance. The
formalism of the nineteenth century was yielding
10 a vigorous vernacular sensibility, evident in
the demand for novelty and a Willingness to
experiment in order to achieve it.


When the popular dance learn of Vernon
and Irene Castle published Modem Dancing in
1914, they could scarcely have foreseen what the
Fates held in store for Terpsichore in the years
to come. As notable dance authorities, their
intention was to provide a 'state of the art"
manual of dance etiquette for the average
American as a means of 'preserving youth,
prolonging life, and acquiring grace, elegance,
and beauty" If the Tango, the Castle's newest
sensation, degenerated into "acrobatic display or
"salacious suggestion" it would be "the fault of
the dancers and not of the dance..


A decade later, the "naming youth" of the Jazz Age had
much to answer for as they flaunted the Shimmy,
the Charleston, and the Black Bottom, choosing
unrestricted self.expression over propriety.
In this transition, New Orleans jazz bands
played a major role. But music suited to local
dance styles did not necessarily translate readily
in other towns.


Cornetist Ray Lopez, with Tom
Brown's Band from Dixieland at Lambs Cafe in
Chicago in May 1915, remembered some
awkward moments: "Our debut was pitiful.
Those Yankees wouldn't listen or dance. We
look turns talking to the customers. 'Folks this is
New Orleans music, HOT music People down
South dance, Come on and try "Have fun".

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band was more
successful in January 1917 at Reisenwebers in
New York, but as Nick LaRocca recalled, the
response to the band's opening number was "Tell
those farmers to go home!" Only after the
proprietor had explained to the customers that
the music was for dancing did the situation
improve. Gradually, the ODJB succeeded
because they worked to adapt their "rough and
ready" style of playing to the fox trot rhythms
which appealed to dancers in places like Chicago
and New York.


Another New Orleans outfit, the Original Creole Orchestra,
had been the first to leave the city in 1914 but sought fame on the
vaudeville stage, thus eliminating a dancing
audience. The ODJB's draw as a dance band led
to their famous recordings for Victor in 1917,
which heralded the dawn of the Jazz Age and
rejuvenated a boom in record sates which had
begun four years earlier with the popularity of
the Tango.


Between 1914 and 1921 annual production of records jumped from 25 to 100
million, owing largely to the desire of Americans
to test new dance steps in the privacy of their
living rooms before venturing out in public.
Whereas the dances of the nineteenth century
had required certain minimums of deportment
and training, utilitarian steps like the fox trot
were comparatively more versatile and accessible.
One did not necessarily have to be svelte to fox
trot, and it was not by coincidence that the dance
came to be known as "the businessman's bounce."
From the fox trot to the Charleston, jazz dancing
had something for everybody, and the dance mania
which swept the nation in the 19205, with
attendence, record sales, seemed to prove it.

New Orleans jazzmen factored dance into
their repertoires in various ways. On the
Streckfus steamers, members of Fate Marable's
bands were actually tested by company officials
on their ability to execute dance tempos
precisely; "Captain Joe Streckfus was very
particular about music on the excursion boats.
He would attend rehearsals, tap his feet with his
watch in his hands, and if the band failed to keep
the proper tempo (70 beats per minute for fox
trots and 90 for one steps) somebody got hell.


The New Orleans Owls took a more relaxed
approach. As leader and saxophonist Benjie
White explained, during rehearsals at the West
End Roof Garden half the band would rehearse
while the other half danced with college girls.

Albert Nicholas joined King Oliver's Dixie
Syncopators in Chicago in 1926, a band made up
mostly of New Orleans men. In his interview
with Richard B. Allen for the Hogan Jazz
Archive in 1972, Nicholas described how Oliver
would instruct the band to play softly in certain
passages to incorporate the sounds of dancer's
feet for percussive effect.

Each in its own way, these bands sought to cater
to the dancing public for fun and profit
Demand for "hot" and "sweet" dance bands
did much to improve economic conditions for
New Orleans musicians, especially when
debutante balls on Charles Avenue began 10
rely heavily on the services of AJ PiTon's New
Orleans orchestra, the New Orleans Owls, and
Celestin's Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra.

Piron's reputation as a dance band leader was
such that he received an offer to accompany the
Castles (which he declined). After two trips to
New York to record for Victor in 1923 and 1924,
the band returned to become one of New
Orleans' favorite society dance orchestras at
venues like the Pythian Temple Roof Garden
(which Piron bought with royalties from his
compositions and recordings) and Suburban
Gardens.

In a similar vein, trombonist William
~Baba" Ridgley of the Original Tuxedo Jazz
Orchestra remembered how his income increased
from $1.50 per night in Storyville to $25 for a
debutante ball, another indication of how social
acceptance of jazz as a dance music helped it to
rise above earlier connotations of vice and
poverty.


Ironically, it was the road to broad social
acceptance that ultimately spelled the end of the
dance connection for jazz. By the late 1930's jazz
critics were organizing concerts, such as John
Hammond's Spirituals to Swing" extravaganzas
in 1938 and 1939 at Carnegie Hall, in an effort
to place jazz on an equal footing with classical
music. The advent of bebop and progressive jazz
in the mid-1940s accelerated the trend toward
"jazz as an," and when Bunk Johnson's New
Orleans Band debuted at the Stuyvesant Casino
in New York in the fall of 1945, its musicians
wondered what they were doing wrong when the
assembled jazz intelligentsia just sat and listened.
Today, from Lincoln Center to Preservation Hall,
jazz is regarded primarily as a concert music, but
its history as a dance music reminds us that even
an art form can be fun when invested with the
right spirit and rhythm... by Bruce Boyd Raeburn

http://specialcollections.tulane.edu/Jazz/jazz_archivist.html