The 24-Hour Cancer Dance-A-Thon is coming up soon on March 13-14, 2010 in Irvine, CA, and a team of San Francisco swing dancers is heading down to dance all day and night, while collecting sponsorship funds to support the all
The Inimitable Buster Smith
Thick. That’s how I would describe the heavy-hitting sound of alto saxophone player Buster Smith. He was instrumental in developing, along with Count Basie & Lester Young, what came to be called the Texas Sax Sound. Buster’s contribution to this
Artie Shaw – King of the Clarinet
Artie Shaw was an American jazz clarinetist, composer and bandleader. He started out playing the saxophone when he was 13, but by age 16 had switched to the clarinet, the instrument for which he became famous. During the 1930s he
The Andrews Sisters
LaVerne, Maxene and Patricia Andrews were three sisters from Minnesota who developed a harmonic style of singing and specialized in swing and boogie-woogie styles, and rose to international fame during the WWII era. With Laverne singing contraalto, Maxene singing soprano
Una Mae Carlisle
Una Mae Carlisle was a singer, pianist & songwriter, who like Fats Waller, enjoyed success playing in a boogie woogie/stride piano style and incorporating comedy into her act. She did in fact collaborate with Fats Waller who first discovered her
Slim & Slam
Okay, here’s a set of music that is essential to any serious lindy hopper’s music collection: Slim & Slam. Slim & Slam was a 1930s musical partnership formed by Bulee “Slim” Gaillard (vocals, guitar and piano) and Leroy Elliott “Slam”
Julia Lee: Kansas City's First Lady of Blues
Okay, I found a great CD that I think you will love: Julia Lee was an American Blues Singer who grew up and performed in Kansas City. When I think of the Kansas City jazz sound I think of grounded,
Fats Waller
Fats Waller (1904-1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer and comedic entertainer. Widely recognized as a master of stride piano — Waller was one of the most popular performers of his era and was also a prolific songwriter. A
The Deep River Boys
I recently stumbled upon this group while listening on pandora.com, and after reading their bio on wikipedia and seeing that they were popular in Sweden too, I couldn’t resist mentioning them. From the Wikipedia: The Deep River Boys were an
Pure Genius: Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American pianist and singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. He brought a soulful sound to country music, pop