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):

[LaDivaLoca]

This DIVA!

[LaDivaLoca]

Good night, Tom! Sleep well. Looking forward to your thread tomorrow. I'll bring my burka.

[HiJinx]

I'd sure like to give it a try some time, but I'm afraid my back wouldn't let me. Sooo, I just sit back and enjoy watching others swing.

OTOH, in a cyber-Canteen, we can do anything! Wanna cut a rug??

[LaDivaLoca]

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

LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Which one asked for the clean glass?

GROAN!!

[LaDivaLoca]

My pleasure, Tonk!

[LaDivaLoca]

Good night, Snippy! Rest well. And THANK YOU again for everything. You ROCK, girl! I'll see you tomorrow night. Bring your burka.

[Dubya]

For all military people from around the world that joins with us in the fight for freedom we salute you and include you in our prayers!
MAMA ROCKS GOOD URL

[LaDivaLoca]

You are most welcome, my friend! I don't get to post at the PB but I do read the poems whenever I get a chance. You guys are AWESOME!

[LaDivaLoca]

Hi,CGC! Glad you were able to join us and we hope you will hang out at the Canteen more often and join in the fun. Tomorrow is Tomkow6 turn so you won't want to miss it. But if he tries to sell you his burka, don't buy it.

[LaDivaLoca]

awwwww! Radu, what a cute kitten!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thank you, snippy, for being Brian's conduit to the Canteen. Here, have a cookie.

[LaDivaLoca]

Swing it, Radix! LOL!

[LaDivaLoca]

Thanks, Kathy, for my samoas. This weekend, I will hunt down those GS so I can buy my own. They usually have a table at the grocery where I go to. Note to self: buy Samoas.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

[Dubya]

Leaving Home Behind -- The Emotional Conflicts of War
His name may be familiar, because Chaplain Nowland is the man who made it possible for more than 20,000 letters to be delivered this past year to troops overseas through the American Family Association's "Dear American Soldier" campaign. He and Liz live in Ft. Hood, Texas, with their three children: Shelby; five-year-old Abby; and two-month-old Clayton.

[LaDivaLoca]

LOL! Hello Luis. You mean LaDudeLoco? LOL!

Thanks for dropping by the canteen. BTW, I've read a couple of your posts and you are AWESOME, man! Very articulate and to the point.

[Dubya]

Bauer: Anti-War Rhetoric Rooted in Nation's 'Blame America' Education

By Fred Jackson, Jody Brown, and Bill Fancher
March 18, 2003

(AgapePress) - A leading pro-family advocate suggests the anti-war movement demonstrated across America in recent weeks stems from a public school system that has fostered a "blame America first" attitude.


Gary Bauer
Gary Bauer says the derogatory remarks from the Dixie Chicks singing group about President Bush (see below) last week are just the latest evidence of a "self-loathing hatred" that has taken hold in America. He points to other examples -- such as a recent anti-war protest in California where the demonstrators ripped apart a memorial to those killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and an editorial from author Tom Robbins who suggested that the worst thing about a war with Iraq is that there is no chance America might lose.

Bauer believes the seeds of the "blame America" attitude have been sown in the nation's schools. He says during his presidential bid a few years back, he was confronted in classrooms by kids as young as 10 or 11 who had been taught every one of America's flaws -- and nothing about their country's greatness.

Bauer says it is time to "re-arm the hearts and souls of our children ... by teaching them to love God, to cherish this good and decent land, and to appreciate the spilled blood and the patriot graves."

Got Tact?
The Dixie Chicks singing group is facing the wrath of a lot of angry fans after lead singer Natalie Maines began a concert in London last week with these words: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."

Maines, a native of Lubbock, Texas, issued an apology on Friday for the apparent anti-war comment. "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect," Maines said.

Despite the apology, though, many fans and the radio stations which play the Dixie Chicks' music are not in a forgiving mood. Some stations are boycotting the group.

One station in Kansas City has set out garbage cans so people can throw away their Dixie Chicks CDs. And in Bossier City, Louisiana, a few hundred protesters brought in a 33,000-pound tractor to crush their CDs.

Is Anybody Listening?
Meanwhile, the anti-war rhetoric continues to increase -- especially in Hollywood, where liberals are attacking the president and the impending war with Iraq.

Black entertainer Harry Belafonte recently called the president an "evil" man. He has also labeled Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice as "house slaves" of Mr. Bush.

American Renewal director Richard Lessner says while stars like Belafonte, Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, and Barbra Streisand have the right to speak what they feel, he trusts the common sense of the American people.

"I don't think most Americans expect [celebrities] to have expertise [on the subject]," Lessner says. "I don't think anyone seriously looks to Barbra Streisand for guidance in their political thinking."

As more and more stars speak out against the war, a few like former Senator Fred Thompson are voicing support.

[Soaring Feather]

Tonkin wow how impressive!!! This is great! I love the pic of you on the boat !!


Thank you so much Tonk!

[Dubya]

Great post thanks.