Band Spotlight: Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five

In light of the fact that I am leaving for Lindyfest today I want to feature the band that will be playing there, Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five.

I first stumbled across the group while cruising itunes (I don’t remember exactly what I was looking for) and immediately purchased some of their stuff.  I started playing some of their tracks at the venue I dj and got a decent response (I really liked them but their style wan’t something the dancers were used to).  Some of my favorite tracks of theirs include

• Half Tight Boogie
• Shoo Fly Pie
• Lester’s Bebop Boogie

I haven’t played them much lately as I’ve been really getting into the New Orleans feel but they are a great band and I look forward to dancing to them this weekend.

Check out their website.

I’ll come back and update you with what I thought about dancing to them live after Lindyfest.

SotD: “Lavender Coffin” by Lionel Hampton

The song of the day today is a favorite oldie of mine.  Not all of Hampton’s tracks are danceable but this one definitely is and I try to work it in fairly often.

The track is “Lavender Coffin” by Lionel Hampton from the album “The Lionel Hampton Story Disk 4.

Find it on itunes or amazon.

Lemme know what you think.

Non-Traditional Song: “Come So Far” from Hairspray (Motion Picture)

Here is my first non-traditional for you.

I heard this played at a dance I was at last year and I was left quite literally the only person not dancing.  That’s right, by the time I got back from getting water (not even 20 seconds into the song), everyone had paired up.  It is an extremely fun song to dance to, a bit out of the ordinary but not a huge leap.  I would categorize it as novelty swing: a super fun song to play every once in a while, but not something to play frequently.

The song is “Come So Far” from the Motion Picture Soundtrack of Hairspray.

You can find it on amazon or itunes.

SotD: “Ochi Chornya” by Wingy Manone

I discovered this song while dancing at Lonestar this year.  It really inspired me to dance, I however did not get a chance to go over and talk to the DJ.  Luckily, it was played again during the weekend and I was able to Shazam it.

The track is “Ochi Chornya” by Wingy Manone, the one handed trumpet player.  According to Wikipedia (practically the Hitchhiker’s Guide) he lost an arm in a car accident but used his prosthesis so naturally that most of his audience never noticed.

This song appears to now be open source and can be accessed for free here.

Look for the first non-traditional swing song to come out tomorrow.

SotD: “Bye and Bye” by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Lately I’ve been jiving on the small live band “New Orleans” feel and recently stumbled on this gem.

The track is “Bye and Bye” by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a name initially bestowed on the group of musicians that performed at Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Find the track on itunes or amazon.

Let me know what you think of it in the comments.