USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Dance Fever ~ March 18, 2003

March 18, 2003 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

Dance Fever ~ Canteen Style

"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" (Duke Ellington)

"Swing music is pedestrian music. When you hear It, it makes you want to move."
(Clarence Clemons)

The first known swing dance, which dates back to 1913, was called the Texas Tommy. This dance later became the Mooch and Sugar in 1916, and by 1919 was called the Breakaway.     

Swing had its beginning in the 1920s and kept on going strong for many decades.  In 1926 the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York opened its doors and began to host bands and dancers from all over. 

Swing dancers were not only doing the steps, they were naming and inventing them as well.  In 1927, Shorty George Snowden coined the term Lindy Hop to describe his dance style.  It has been known as such ever since.

In 1935, Frankie Manning, one of the greatest Lindy hoppers ever, created the first air steps.  Since then, dancers have been trying to duplicate and recreate them.

Swing continued into the 40s and 50s with the big band and rock & roll eras.  The music changed and the dancing developed.  Check out the important dates below!

1920s - Early Charleston and Lindy Hop begin                                                

1926 - Savoy Ballroom in Harlem New York opens

1927 - Shorty George Snowden coins the term Lindy Hop   

1930s - The role of the band leader changed; they no longer just conducted the band, they were musicians who alternated between leading and soloing    

1934 - Cab Calloway records "The Jitterbug" and the Jitterbug dance craze takes off.

1935 - Frankie Manning creates the first air steps             

1941 - Whitey's Lindy Hoppers appear in Hellzapoppin'

1950s - Swing dancing becomes known as "rock and roll" dancing

1960s - Partnered or "touch" dancing declines as Chubby Checker's "Twist" sweeps the nation.

2002 - Swing is still very much alive and well in the 21st century.  It seems as though most dancers are trying to get back to basics, experimenting with the Lindy Hop, Shag, Balboa, and Charleston.  Today's dancers are not only learning the dances, they are adding their own unique styling and inventing new moves as well.  Swing may not be the most popular thing in 2002, but for those who fell in love with it... it will never go out of style! 

GLOSSARY OF COMMON MUSICAL TERMS
As you read the BigBands Database, some expressions may be
unfamiliar. Hopefully, you can find their meaning here.

ALLIGATOR: Musician's used to refer to each other as 'Alligators'.
          Today, the word has been shortened to just 'Gator'.
          Louis Armstrong is often referred to as 'Gate Mouth',
          - from the same source.

BACK LINE: Musical slang for 'rhythm section'. Any combo of drums, bass piano, banjo, guitar. (Early bands would also use a Jug (glass/clay, gallon size) and washboard.) The expression stems from the early Jazz bands which often were just 5 - 7 pieces. The Melody instruments would stand out in the 'front' line while the Rhythm - piano, drums, banjo, and tuba/bass fiddle - would be the 'back line'. See also, "Front Line" below.

BEBOP: Another word for 'Bop'. See 'Bop" below.

BLUE NOTES: The lowered 3rd, 5th and 7th tones of a major scale. Often referred to as the 'flatted 5th', etc., by jazzmen.

BLUES: 1) A sad ballad type of song, often sung by a female moaning about a lost/uncaring/mean/etc lover. 2) A sad song sung mainly by black singers, - male and female. The traditional structure is 12 bars divided into 3 four bar measures. The "song form" (see below) is almost always AAB. (See "Jazz Overview" Link on the Main Page for more information.)

BARRELHOUSE: (Also called "Fast Western".) A style of piano playing popular west of the Mississippi before the 1900's and into the 'teens. So named because the piano players were usually working in the crude cabarets that served whiskey directly out of the barrel.

BOOGIE WOOGIE: An "Eight beats to the Bar" Ostinato. The left hand plays a repetitive riff throughout the song.

BOP: Originally, a style of music that used the changes (chords) of a well known song, but with a wild (sometimes recognizable and sometimes not) improvisation on the original melody. The expression has racial overtones. Dizzy Gilespie said that blacks developed Bop to "exclude "lesser" (meaning - white) musicians".

For more, click on the graphic:

SWING ERA AND MODERN COLLOQUIALISMS

---

 "Swing", like most fields of endeavor, also has it's own
special lexicon. Once used mostly by the musician's
themselves, the slang has now become a part of the greater
society. And, what is even more remarkable, is the way the
language has prospered. It is still widely used today, AND
growing.

---

18 Karat        "Pure Gold"
                Ex: "He's 18 karat."

Ace One dollar; Dollar's worth, one, first rate Ex: "He's 'Ace' with me. Ex: "Slip me an Ace, Gate." (Let me have a dollar.)

Air-check An actual radio or television performance caught on tape; as opposed to a work done in a recording studio

Alligator Originally, a slang term for "Musician". Very early in Jazz history, musicians referred to themselves as "alligators". Now it simply refers to any Swing Devotee (abbrev. 'Gator or Gate) Note: Louis Armstrong is often called 'Gate Mouth', from the same source. Ex: Cat 1: See ya later, alligator. Cat 2: After while, crocodile.

Axe ANY musical instrument. Ex: Man, - what do you think of my new Axe?

Ball To enjoy Ex: We had a 'Ball' when Tommy Dorsey played.

Big Apple New York City. Ex: He's working at Roseland Ballroom in the Apple.

Baby A term of endearment. (for either sex.) Ex: Say, "baby," I got us some bread, let's "move" downtown.

Bad Good Ex: That dude does some "bad" ass playing.

Bag One's own special interest. Ex: Man, - Tommy Dorsey's "Well Git It" is my "Bag".

Balloon lungs A Brass player with good breath control. That cat has "balloon lungs," he held that note for one complete minute!

For more, click on the graphic:

Click and dance to the music:







Movies to watch:

Additional information
(click on the graphics):

[tomkow6]

My fat cat is telling me it's time for bed; soooooooo:

Good night, all!

May God bless all who come to the Canteen.

May God bless & keep safe all our troops & their famlies!

Dear Lord,
There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.

We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

God, Bless America!

[Dubya]

1st customer: . . . I'll have tea.

2nd customer: . . . Me, too. And be sure the glass is clean!

( The waiter exits, and then returns after a while. )

Waiter: . . . Two teas. Which one asked for the clean glass?

[Dubya]

A passenger jet was suffering through a severe thunderstorm.

As the passengers were being bounced around by the turbulence a young woman
turned to a minister sitting next to her and with a nervous laugh asked,

"Reverend, you're a man of God, can't you do something about this storm?"

To this he replied, "Lady, I'm in sales, not management."

[LaDivaLoca]

Hi there, E.G.C.! Wanna dance?

[LaDivaLoca]

Our Troops are looking good! God bless them!

[Dubya]

We celebrate this Holiday of Purim because our Bible tells us, thousands of
years ago, the God of Israel wrought a tremendous miracle to save the
Jewish People from annihilation.

May it be His Will to once again look kindly upon us in these days when the
Road Map promises our sure destruction, that He perform yet another Miracle
in our Promised Land
to save us from our "friends" and enemies.

A Joyous Purim (5763) for one and all.


Jerusalem, Purim, March 18, 2003
Ruth and Nadia Matar
In behalf of all of our members and supporters of Women in Green

[snippy_about_it]

LOL, ewww!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Thanks again for today's thread!
I've got a lot of catching up to do!

[Dubya]

A six-year-old son, calling his mother from his friend's
house, confessed he had broken a lamp when he threw a
football in their living room.

"But, Mom," he said, trying to brighten the conversation at
least a little bit, "You don't have to worry about buying
another one. Charlie's mother said it was irreplaceable."

---

Did you know you are irreplaceable in God's sight?

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of
them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,
and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when
he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and
neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have
found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more
than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance. -Luke 15:4

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

[snippy_about_it]

Good night Canteeners.

Good Night to all our Armed Forces Brave men and women.
God Bless you all.

Good Night Tarawa LHA-1

[LaDivaLoca]

Hello, Johnny!

[Dubya]

It can be discouraging at times when we work our heart out for the Lord
and yet our efforts seem to go unnoticed. It is very important that we
recognize our role in the body of Christ and know that each job we have
makes a difference even though others may not realize it. Never allow the
enemy to discourage your efforts and make you feel as if your work is all
in vain. The simplest of tasks accomplishes more than you might ever think
or imagine. (1 Corinthians 12:18-24) (Isaiah 55:10-11) (Ephesians 3:20-21)

This is a good story that shows in illustration form how God's Work is
affected when a member of His body gets discouraged and quits. If you are
feeling down and want to give up in the area where God has placed you, then
I hope this story will encourage you and rekindle the fire within your spirit.


THE TOE-TAPPER

One day a wise man came to a small town. He needed a place to stay so he
went to the first church he found. Inside, a small group of people argued
about how they could best please God.

"I'll help you," the man said, "but you must promise to use what I give
you to glorify God."

"Oh, we will," the people assured him. "We will."

He gave each of them gifts--one was to be a pianist, another a flutist. To
one he gave a cello, to another a violin, and to yet another he gave the
role of toe-tapper.

The people worked long and hard to prepare a song of praise for the church.
The music became more and more beautiful.

One afternoon during practice the violinist said to the pianist, "I'm so
glad I have the important job of playing the violin. I'd sure hate to be
only a toe-topper." The toe-tapper was so hurt that he went home.

The next day, when the group met to practice, nothing came together right.
Finally, the flutist said, "Without that toe-tapper here I don't know when
to come in for my part." They started over time and time again, but the
music sounded terrible.

It was then that the violinist spoke up in a very sad voice. "I'm sorry.
This is all my fault. I thought I was so important that I didn't need the
help of the toe-tapper. I was wrong!"

So he led the way to the toe-tapper's house and asked him to come back with
them. The toe-tapper agreed and once again the music was beautiful.

Then, one Sunday, they play their music in church. God looked down and
smiled. I think He even winked at the toe-tapper.

By Joan

The Lord has a special position for each of His children. There is no one
part that is more important than the other. Whether our job is to drive the
church bus, to orchestrate the choir in the church service, or to preach
the Gospel to the lost; our position must be looked at as a service unto
the Lord and not something where we seek glorification. It is important
that we always give God all the Glory for the work that we do because it is
not in our power that people change and are impacted, but it is by the
Spirit of God, and that's why He always deserves the Glory, the Honor and
the Praise. (Romans 12:4-10) (Isaiah 42:8) (Zechariah 4:6)

I hope you have found some refreshment in this message to never give up in
the area where God has called you, but rather to continue on and stay
faithful in that task no matter how hard the enemy may try to discourage
you. You are loved by the Lord greatly and only in heaven will you know the
reward for being God's faithful servant. (Jeremiah 31:3) (Matthew 25:21)

[zip]

As the old WW2 song goes "I don't get around much anymore". lol

[radu]

Dang, just missed you! I didn't eat supper fast enough.
Good night, tom, sleep well. See you tomorrow at Camp!

[LaDivaLoca]

LOL! Watch the men in the Canteen react to your post. If tomkow6 sells you his burka, don't buy it.

[LaDivaLoca]

Hello, blackie! Hope to catch you here more often at the Canteen. If tomkow6 sells you his burka, don't buy it.

[radu]

Good night, snippy, sweet dreams. See you tomorrow.

[LaDivaLoca]

PAW, you are doing great with the graphics! Keep up the good work and soon you'll be posting pics/graphics like crazy like the rest of us. LOL!

[LaDivaLoca]

THANK YOU for the comic strip, Yankeedame! It's so cool.