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Current mood:  rushed Category: Sports
I'm doing what I can to escape the mania that is the older members of my family gradually moving towards senility and the younger members of my family gradually driving me insane.
So, headphones in, Complete History of the Green Bay Packers DVD in the computer and Kung-Fu Panda the movie on the TV I'm trying to avoid, I figure I can get a swing dance set in while I have a chance.
We turn the clock back to Nov. 13 today and a set I really wanted to nail. Soccer season had been over for about a week and a half at this point and I still kind of had a sour taste in my mouth from Halloween. Wanting to really send a message and wow the crowd, I put a little extra time into the set and made sure I had plenty of new material picked out. I also focused in my prep on what I would need to do if the night went in certain directions and how I could potentially change course if people were looking for either faster or slower music.
The result was what I was looking for: While the night had some dry spots, I was prepared for them and I was able to lure people back out on the floor when I felt the mood was going in a direction the crowd didn't like. For the most part, the set was very fresh, consisting mostly of songs I hadn't played before, and I was able to keep the tempo right where I expect it to be most of the time.
Sometimes, when the set is just up-and-down solid, there isn't much more I can do than just post the songs. With that in mind, here they are:
Smooth Sailing - Ella Fitzgerald
Corrine Corrina - Big Joe Turner
One O'Clock Jump - Les & Larry Elgart
Standin' on the Corner (Whistlin' at the Pretty Girls) - Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
Put a Lid on It - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Jumpin' at the Woodside - Count Basie & Benny Goodman
Rhythm - Casey MacGill
Dinah - Lionel Hampton
Push Out - Benny Carter
Corner Pocket - Count Basie
Let's Take a Walk Around the Block - Ella Fitzgerald
Fever - Ray Charles & Natalie Cole
On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) - Lou Rawls
I Love New York In June - Stephane Grappelli & Michael Petrucciani
Transition: Winning - The Natural Original Soundtrack
Tain't What You Do - Jimmy Lunceford
The Way You Look Tonight - Radio King Orchestra
On the Atcheson, Topeka and the Santa Fe - Bing Crosby with Six Hits and a Miss
Shake, Rattle & Roll - Bill Haley
Sweet Georgia Brown - Harry James
My Guy's Come Back - Bert Kaempfert
What Now, My Love - Lou Rawls
Broadway - Count Basie
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead - Ella Fitzgerald
The Game of Love - Santana featuring Michelle Branch
Roam - The B-52's
Hazel Eyes - Bellevue Cadillac
Texas and Pacific - Louis Jordan
Give Me a Kiss (Just One Sweet Kiss) - Van Morrison
Jumpin' with Symphony Sid - Lester Young
Out of this World - Ella Fitzgerald
Meet Me, Midnight - Renee Olsted
Cherokee - Les & Larry Elgart
Come to Baby, Do - Nat King Cole
Hard-Hearted Hannah - Ray McKinley & His Orchestra
Lullaby of Birdland - Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald
Taking a Chance on Love - Renee Olsted
All of Me - Billie Holiday
Turn Me On - Norah Jones
End of Night: The Closing Song - Red Peters
Happy Trails - Roy Rodgers & Dale Evans
A few little things from a night that was just very cohesive overall: I kind of started to take to asking the crowd what they were looking for near the end of the night. When there's a crowd of loyal dancers around, and you want them to stay, you might as well just ask them what they want to hear. When the answer is "something fun," that usually means pop. When the answer is rather blah, then mid-tempo is usually the way to go.
I was a week removed from a visit to Madison for this night and I asked at the end of the evening if the crowd was OK with hearing The Closing Song, which they played at the end of the Friday late-night dance in the capitol. The Closing Song has a refrain that has a ... well ... check the lyrics. I made sure to ask and I didn't think I offended anyone. But, it was worthwhile to note that one of the older dancers gave me a bit of a back-handed compliment earlier in the night ...
"You know, I don't usually like your sets, but I liked yours tonight."
... and I noticed he was still in the building when I played that one. My guess is he won't say that to me again.
I'm running out of time before we start the New Year's festivities, so I've got to cut this short. My next set posting will be from The Turkey Jive, our pre-Thanksgiving party. Enjoy it when it comes.
Happy New Year, all.
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