by Degen Pener
www.jazzkc.org.links/jazzsocieties.htm
Kansas City Jazz Ambassador magazine: Includes a comprehensive list of jazz societies around the United States.
http://garywoooi.simplenet.com/bigband.html
GaryWooois Official MIDI Homepage: A nice collection of downloadable standards by such artists as Count Basie, Louis Prima, Duke Ellington, and Tommy Dorsey.
Usenet Groups
Alt.music.swing: A swing scene discussion forum.
Rec.arts.dance: Chat group with postings about swing dancing.
E-mail Lists
www.barflies.net
Barflies: Royal Crown Revue’s discussion list for all things swing.
www.newswing.com
Swing Foundation: An organization promoting the heritage of swing. It also runs a newsy swing list.
Lingo
www.vex.net/~ buff/slang.html
Twists, Slugs, and Roscoes: A Glossy of Hardboiled Slang: William Denton’s lingo list, derived from pulp and detective novels.
www.swingordie.com/slang
Lee Press-on and the Nails: This band’s Web site includes slang, from the jive of Cab Calloway to the lingo of the Rat Pack.
Fan Sites
http://www.angelfire.com/il/SgrDdyBoogie
SugarDaddy’s Rockabilly and Swing: A portal to many wonderful swing and rockabilly links.
http://members.tripod.com/swing_time
It’s Swing Time: Not only links but also advice on swing etiquette and recipes for the best cocktails.
www.sarahwilliams.com/swing
Get into the Swing: Features listings of the best swing records, nightspots, swing history, and links to important swing sites.
Fashion Sites
www.bleyer.com
Bleyer: A source for stylish and comfortable spectators, developed by and for Lindy Hoppers.
www.daddyos.com
Daddy-O’s: Collectibles inspired by fervent fifties nostalgia, including two-tone wingtips, bowling shirts, crinoline petticoats, and Betty Page Zippo lighters.
www.elpachuco.com
El Pachuco Zoot Suits: A virtual zoot frenzy, this site out of Fullerton, California, offers custom-made elegant suits with all the trimmings.
www.geocities.com/wellesley/2457
Marci’s Retro Style: This page features information on hair styling and setting techniques from a bygone era.
www.katstyle.com
Katstyle: Shoes, clothing, and collectibles, including a “white trash belt buckle” and “rearview mirror shrunken head.”
www.kstarre.com
Starre Designs: In addition to dressing Michael Andrew, the lead singer of Swingerhead, Starre boasts a colorful collection of bloomers, ties, and adorable women’s dresses.
www.murrayontravel.com/carolnolan
Men’s Vintage Fashions: Designer Carol Nolan offers custom-tailored “accurate reproductions of the fashions of the 20s, 30s and 40s.”
www.stacyadams.com
Stacy Adams Swing: One of the premier manufacturers of quality spectators; their “Dayton” style is a favorite of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Royal Crown Revue members.
www.suavecito.com
Zoots by Suavecito: This Denver-based zoot suit designer offers sales and rentals of zoot suits, swing dresses, and accessories.
www.tumblindice.com
Tumblin’Dice Creations: Retro-style shirts in leopard, zebra, two-tone, and flame designs.
www.zootsuitstore.com
Zoot Suit Store: The name doesn’t lie. This site, presented by Siegel’s Clothing Superstore, offers scores of zoot suits, in custom fabrics, and lots of accessories.
http://www.panix.com/~tontoi/darrow/darrow2.html
www.davenportandco.com
www.geocities.com/~ avintagec/
www.rustyzipper.com
www.tastefully-bizarre.com
www.thewasteland.com
www.vintageblues.com
A virtual mall of on-line vintage clothing stores.
Shopping — General Sites
www.anythingswing.com
Anything Swing: Selling reproduction clothing (zoot suits, seamed stockings), notecards, music, videos, and books.
www.dancestore.com
Dance Store: Clothes, Bleyer shoes, Frankie Manning videos, and Sears thirties and forties fashion books.
www.ebay.com
eBay: Sit back, put on some swing, and prepare to empty your wallet. Thousands of vintage items for sale by auction.
www.thejazzstore.com
The Jazz Store: A huge selection of books, CDs, posters, and more.
www.savoystyle.com
SavoyStyle: Featuring everything from Lindy Hop instructional videos to T-shirts, books, and shoes. Also includes the Archives of Early Lindy Hop, with bios and information on Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.
Movies and Videos
www.flashvideo.com
Flashback Video: Sales of soundie compilations; one features Jean Veloz’s Groovy Movie.
www.starlightroof.com
John Cooper’s Starlight Roof: Rare and classic videos specializing in such genres as swing dancing and Christmas movies.
www.moviesunlimited.com
Movies Unlimited: Hard-to-find movies, including Killer Diller and Hellzapoppin’.
RETRO MAGAZINES
Atomic: Living in the Age of Cool. Glossy, well written, and stylish, a great new guide to the swing life. $16.00 a year, four issues. 350 Third Avenue, Suite 255, New York, NY 10010. 212-448-9877. www.atomicmag.com
Blue Martini Pages: The Who’s Who and the What’s What of the Swing Revolution. A passionate fanzine. $3.00 per issue. 4877 W. Berkeley Road, Phoenix, AZ 85035. 602-415-1992.
Lo-Fi: Easy Living for the Cool Moderns. Covers swing, surf, rockabilly, and more. $3.95 per issue. P.O. Box 42, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10113-0042. 212-462-3250. www.nyc-swing.com
Modern Lounge: Fashion, Cocktails, Music, Cigars. LA’s slick new swing scene chronicle. $2.95 per issue. 17328 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 164, Encino, CA 91316. 818-779-2100. www.modernlounge.com
Swivel magazine. Designed like a forties rag, with cool tips on retro living. $18.00 a year, six issues. 2695 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102. 619-595-0935. www.swivelmag.com
SWING ON FILM
They’ve got great clothes and unbeatable music, but what’s with the plot? Swing movies that you’ll want to rent just for the storyline are few and far between. That’s because many films from the big band era were put together just to showcase the musical and dance talent. “They would often just get four or five groups and throw them in a movie and hope people would want to go see the music part,” says Claude Trenier, leader of the early rock ’n’ roll group the Treniers, who appeared in a number of movies, including The Girl Can’t Help It. While most of these movies are readily available on video, some aren’t in widespread video release. Check out the Web guide for a short list of companies that sell both hard-to-find classics and compilations of soundies (which were the music videos of their day). So for the nights when you’re not out dancing, sit back and get a view of how Hollywood portrays the world of swing.
Ball of Fire (1941, ill min.)
In this early forties Howard Hawks comedy, a burlesque dancer (Barbara Stanwyck) moves in with eight professors (including Gary Cooper) to explain the idea of “slang” to them for their new encyclopedia. Sad to say, the movie company, in order to show the movie in the South, cut the scenes showing black trumpeter Roy Eldridge playing with the Krupa band.
The Benny Goodman Story (1955, 116 min.)
Gene Krupa, singer Martha Tilton, and Lionel Hampton cameo in this drama about the rise to fame of the bandleader (played by a stiff Steve Allen). The story is so-so, but watch this film for the music.
The Big Broadcast (1932, 87 min.)
A crumbling radio station is saved and rejuvenated by a millionaire who stages an all-star show, featuring Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, the Boswell Sisters, and the Mills Brothers. Calloway performs “Minnie
the Moocher” and “Hot Toddy.”
Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936, 102 min.)
The third installment of the Big Broadcast series, featuring Benny Goodman (in his first film role), Jack Benny, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. The plot’s thin: a radio station owner has trouble with sponsors.
The Blues Brothers (1980, 130 min.)
This John Belushi/Dan Aykroyd classic is about two brothers getting together their old band in an attempt to save the orphanage in which they were raised. Great music, including appearances by Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and James Brown.
Boardinghouse Blues (1948, 90 min.)
The tenants of a troubled boardinghouse put on a show to save their home in this all-black musical. Moms Mabley and Dusty Fletcher star, with performances by Lucky Millinder’s band, Bull Moose Jackson, Una Mae Carlisle, Stump and Stumpy, and more.
Boy! What a Girl (1946, 70 min.)
This mid-forties musical comedy features an almost all-black cast in a story about a group of producers trying to win financial backing for their show. Lots of titillating jitterbugging, actor Tim Moore in drag, and appearances by Gene Krupa, Slam Stewart, and Mary Lou Williams.
Buck Privates (1941, 84 min.)
An Abbott and Costello army comedy featuring dancer Dean Collins and the Andrews Sisters singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
Cabin in the Sky (1943, 100 min.)
This Vincente Minnelli-directed musical (his first feature) stars a brilliant black cast including Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington, in a story about angels and devils duking it out for the soul of Little Joe (Eddie “Rochester” Anderson). Although uncomfortably racist, the film includes such gems as Ethel Waters singing “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” and Leon James as one of the devil’s minions.
The Cotton Club (1984, 127 min.)
Francis Ford Coppola’s look at the vibrant nightlife of gangsters and swinging music of Harlem in the early part of the century. Wonderful soundtrack adapted from Ellington and Calloway.
A Day at the Races (1937, 111 min.)
In this Marx Brothers comedy, the slapstick siblings help out a girl who owns a sanitorium and a racehorse. Featuring their typical brand of hilarity and one of the wildest Lindy Hop scenes on film.
DuBarry Was a Lady (1943, 101 min.)
A nightclub owner (Red Skelton) headed for trouble lusts after a beautiful singer (Lucille Ball) in this comedy. Watch for Tommy Dorsey, with drummer Buddy Rich, performing “Well, Git It,” plus singers Dick Haymes and Jo Stafford.
The Fabulous Dorseys (1947, 88 min.)
Tepid biography of the brother bandleaders nonetheless features a wonderful jam session with Art Tatum, Charlie Barnet, and Ziggy Elman.
Follow the Boys (1944, 110 min.)
An all-star cast (Marlene Dietrich, Orson Welles, Jeanette MacDonald) rounds out this picture about a man (George Raft) organizing a World War II-era USO show. Enlivened by performances from the Andrews Sisters, Sophie Tucker, and MacDonald.
The Gene Krupa Story (1959, 101 min.)
Weak biopic, starring Sal Mineo, on the life of the successful jazz drummer covers his drug-possession conviction and fall from grace.
The Girl Can’t Help It (1956, 99 min.)
Jayne Mansfield’s killer hourglass figure (exaggerated by bullet bras) is one of the attractions in this comedy about a press agent trying to hype the girlfriend of a gangster. Called the best rock ’n’ roll movie ever, it’s got tons of amazing performances by such artists as Abbey Lincoln, Fats Domino, Julie London, the Platters, Eddie Fontaine, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, and best of all, the Treniers.
The Glenn Miller Story (1954, 116 min.)
A huge hit when it was first released, this convincing biopic stars James Stewart as the patriotic bandleader and includes music from Krupa and Louis Armstrong.
Going Places (1938, 84 min.)
Silly musical about a sporting-goods salesman posing as a jockey nonetheless features Maxine Sullivan and Louis Armstrong doing “Jeepers Creepers.”
Groovy Movie (about 1945, short)
This instructional movie is the best place to watch Hollywood-style Lindy dancer Jean Veloz cut a rug.
Hellzapoppin’ (1941, 84 min.)
The famous Broadway show is translated by Hollywood, featuring Martha Raye, Ole Olsen, and Chic Johnson. Watch this for its phenomenal Lindy scene, which has never been topped on film.
Hi-De-Ho (1948, 70 min.)
Cab Calloway stars as a bandleader caught between rival gangs.
High Society (1956, 107 min.)
This fifties remake of The Philadelphia Story stars Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly (her last film role), Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, plus renditions of Cole Porter’s “True Love,” “You’re Sensational,” and “Did You Evah?”
Hollywood Canteen (1944, 124 min.)
Bette Davis and guest stars such as Joan Crawford, Ida Lupino, Eddie Cantor, and Barbara Stanwyck appear in this comedy that also features Jack Benny and the Andrews Sisters.
Hollywood Hotel (1937, 109 min.)
Benny Goodman and his band, including the famous quartet, perform classic numbers such as “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Mel Tormé once said it was a major inspiration. As a youth, he went to see it “no less than five times.”
International House (1933, 70 min.)
An odd film with George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Bela Lugosi in a story about a TV experiment bringing a host of strangers to a hotel in Shanghai. Cab Calloway does a classic “Reefer Man.”
Jam Session (1947, 77 min.)
Musical about a showgirl (Ann Miller) trying to make it in Hollywood, with music provided by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glen Gray, the Pied Pipers, and the Charlie Barnet Orchestra.
Jammin’ the Blues (1944, 11 min.)
One of the few respected swing era jazz films, this short includes performances by Lester Young and Harry “Sweets” Edison.
Killer Diller (1948, 73 min.)
Moms Mabley, Nat King Cole, Butterfly McQueen, Andy Kirk, the Congeroo Dancers, and a host of others put on a real show in this vaudeville-style all-black musical.
Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944, 99 min.)
While not a musical, this film is nevertheless required viewing. Often called the best slapstick comedy ever, this outrageous Preston Sturges feature is about a woman (Betty Hutton) who attends a party, becomes pregnant, and then can’t figure out who the dad is.
Mr. Lucky (1943, 100 min.)
Cary Grant plays a Greek gangster type who falls in love with a virtuous woman (Laraine Day). Retro designer Savoia Michele recommends it as “a great flick about ties and one of the best films for clothing.”
New Orleans (1947, 89 min.)
Fictionalized account of the birth of jazz, featuring Louis Armstrong, the Woody Herman Orchestra, and Billie Holiday. Holiday, who thought she’d be playing an entertainer, was forced to play a maid; she sings “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” with Armstrong and an all-star band.
Ocean’s Eleven (1960, 127 min.)
Five Las Vegas casinos. An eleven-man group of scam artists headed by Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra). One great crime comedy. Catch the Rat Pack in action.
Orchestra Wives (1942, 98 min.)
Glenn Miller is featured in one of swingers’ favorite retro movies about a small-town girl who marries the trumpet player of a traveling band. Songs include “Serenade in Blue,” “At Last,” and “I’ve Got a Girl in Kalamazoo,” and performances by Tex Beneke, the Modernaires, and the Nicholas Brothers.
Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955, 95 min.)
This film re-creates the 1920s jazz age in a story about musicians who get involved with a gangster. Features Ella Fitzgerald, Janet Leigh, and Peggy Lee, who was nominated for an Oscar.
Ragtime (1981, 155 min.)
Milos Forman directed E. L. Doctorow’s semifictionalized account of America circa 1906 with an all-star cast, including James Cagney, Debbi
e Allen, Mary Steenburgen, Howard E. Rollins Jr., and Elizabeth McGovern.
Ride ’Em Cowboy (1942, 86 min.)
This Abbott and Costello flick about two hot dog vendors on an Arizona ranch features Ella Fitzgerald singing “A Tisket a Tasket,” plus dancing from Dean Collins.
Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964, 123 min.)
The Rat Pack (along with Bing Crosby and Peter Falk) is in full force once again in this story of a gang leader (Frank Sinatra) in Chicago in 1928. Music includes such songs as “My Kind of Town,” “Style,” and “Mr. Booze.”
Rock Around the Clock (1956, 77 min.)
See this film about the birth of rock ’n’ roll simply for the performances by Bill Haley and His Comets, the Platters, Tony Martinez, and Freddie Bell and His Bellboys.
A Song Is Born (1948, 113 min.)
This flat remake of Ball of Fire stars Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo as the male and female leads; the film is buoyed by musical appearances by Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, and Tommy Dorsey
Springtime in the Rockies (1942, 91 min.)
A load of frivolity, this film about a feuding Broadway duo stars Betty Grable and John Payne, with hilarious numbers by Carmen Miranda (doing “Chattanooga Choo Choo” in Portuguese), bandleader Harry James, and the wonderful Helen Forrest singing “I Had the Craziest Dream.”
Stage Door Canteen (1943, 132 min.)
This wartime romance between a soldier and a nightclub hostess boasts a staggering number of cameos. Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Kay Kyser, Tallulah Bankhead, Ray Bolger, Helen Hayes, Harpo Marx, Ethel Waters, Katharine Hepburn, Ethel Merman, Paul Muni, and Gypsy Rose Lee all pop up.
Stormy Weather (1943, 77 min.)
Lead actress Lena Home sings the bluesy title song, Fats Waller does a devilish rendition of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers show up too.