If you liked the music for our Gospel Night at Cat’s Corner, then I’ll bet you’ll enjoy music by Sister Rosetta Tharpe: From Wikipedia.org: Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was a pioneering Gospel singer, songwriter and
Larry Clinton
Larry Clinton (August 17, 1909 – May 2, 1985) was a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader. His practice of rearranging the works of famous composers like Debussy and Tchaikovsky and adding lyrics was known as “swinging the classics”.
George Gee & His Jump, Jive & Wailers
This past Thursday (March 27, 2008) at the 9:20, San Francisco dancers experienced the classy and powerhouse sound of one of the great contemporary big bands: George Gee and His Jump, Jive & Wailers. It was an interesting contrast to
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. “Hamp” ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who’s who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy Rich to Charlie Parker and Quincy
Bunny Berigan
Rowland Bernard “Bunny” Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter who rose to fame during the Swing Era, but whose virtuosity and influence were shortened by a losing battle with alcoholism that ended in
Never No Lament: Duke Ellington Dance Tracks
Believe it or not, I was initially unimpressed by Duke Ellington when I first started collecting swing music; since then, I’ve learned the error of my ways. The Duke had such a long music career that spanned decades and many
Northern California Lindy Hop Champions: Nathan and Yon!
Wiebke took some great photos of Yon and me dancing at the 2009 Fillmore Jazz Festival. We won first place in the Northern California Lindy Hop Championship!
Teaching and dancing at Lavay Smith Concert
Lavay Smith recently invited me to teach a short beginner dance lesson right before she performed a free outdoor concert at Jessie Square at Yerba Buena Gardens on July 2nd. I had so much fun! The crowd was upbeat and
Lindy Hop Class Music Favorites
Some of my Cat’s Corner Lindy Hop students asked me to share the names of some of the tunes I often play in our classes, and I am happy to oblige! I was lucky enough to find most of them
The Mysterious Mechanics of Frame: Part 1
Frame — which refers to a quality of flexible rigidity in one’s body while dancing — is an important concept in Lindy Hop and many other dances, especially partner dances. Dance teachers talk about it all the time and when