tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12599484127632072772024-03-12T19:46:17.067-07:00Social Dance MusicListening, dancing, sharing.Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-87383795688950165892010-01-22T23:59:00.000-08:002010-01-23T12:22:11.790-08:00Friday Night Waltz Set List<iframe height='550' width='100%' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tgTqzWMP_BIxD83Tr9opnDw&single=true&gid=0&output=html&widget=true'></iframe>Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-29024442086391122632009-08-14T21:00:00.000-07:002009-08-14T21:00:00.754-07:00Dancebreak Set List<iframe width='100%' height='550' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tKedpuKOGb6es_YShBVpucQ&single=true&gid=0&output=html&widget=true'></iframe><br />
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What did you think of the music? Leave a comment!Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-41762481518708430212009-06-17T10:59:00.000-07:002009-06-17T11:00:57.966-07:00Up<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Up/dp/B002A4ZN1A/socialdancemusic-20"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61xH-GMcU5L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" width="200" align="left" style="padding-right:10px;" /></a> I finally got to see "Up" last night, and it was excellent. If you haven't seen it yet, do so. Michael Giacchino's soundtrack (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Up/dp/B002A4ZN1A/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.lala.com/#album/432627039558448836">Lala</a>) was also good, especially if you sit through the end credits to hear all the danceable parts. <br />
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The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A4XSMQ/socialdancemusic-20">Up With End Credits</a> track starts off with a waltz (the main Ellie/house theme from throughout the movie), blends nicely into a mellow cha cha, then something kind of bluesy, then a quieter, slower return to the waltz. You could probably edit out specific dances, but it might also be interesting to just dance it as a 7.5-minute medley.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A4UG7G/socialdancemusic-20">The Spirit of Adventure</a> is a fun little one-step-able (110 bpm) song. Or if you take it as 220 bpm, you could make a fast charleston or something out of it. It's amusing, and also happens to be the song that comes on when the music credits show up (which is always interesting to notice).<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A53IES/socialdancemusic-20">The Married Life</a> has another 4 minutes of the waltz theme with some different tempos and moods. It could perhaps be edited a bit and used on its own, or maybe spliced into the waltz from the end credits? I haven't tried playing around with that yet.Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-39055380920579661262009-04-17T20:55:00.000-07:002009-04-17T20:55:00.906-07:00Friday Night Waltz Set List<iframe width='100%' height='550' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pRtZQVfkfSBFF5NtXoZ9DfQ&output=html&gid=0&single=true&widget=true'></iframe><br /><br />What did you think of the music? Leave a comment!Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-8827329984093899632009-03-01T14:01:00.000-08:002009-03-01T14:01:00.550-08:00Waltz Night in BozemanI'm in <a href="http://www.bozemandancing.com/">Bozeman, Montana</a> this weekend for my friend Antonia's birthday. In honor of the occasion, she's hosting an evening of dancing at the Emerson Ballroom, where I'll be teaching a cross-step waltz lesson and DJing. The event was inspired by <a href="http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com">Friday Night Waltz</a> so there are a lot of waltzes in there. The proportions are a bit different, though, since we've only got two hours, and I'm trying to fit in a variety of other dances as well, including a contra dance and a circle mixer. Anyway, here's the music!<br />
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<iframe width='100%' height='550' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pRtZQVfkfSBHYa8pkFdroJA&output=html&gid=0&single=true&widget=true'></iframe><br />
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What did you think of the music? Leave a comment!Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-12391826895223933812009-01-24T14:16:00.000-08:002009-01-24T14:24:07.055-08:00Country West Coast Swing<img src="http://www.doublegv.com/ggv/artfolder/adjtddancers.gif" align="left" style="padding-right:10px;"/>At recent Faster Polkas and Friday Night Waltzes, Bob and Richard have played some fun west coast swings, reminding me how much I like country songs for west coast. My family listened to a lot of country music when I was younger, so I may like it more than most people, but even country western skeptics should enjoy dancing to these songs. Unlike my earlier <a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/03/west-coast-swing.html">list of west coast swing songs</a>, which was more pop heavy, these songs are generally less bouncy and more slinky.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.reba.com/" target="_blank">Reba McEntire</a> : Why Haven't I Heard From You? (111 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Why-Havent-I-Heard-You/dp/B000V64MPC/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Reba+McEntire/_/Why+Haven%27t+I+Heard+From+You" target="_blank">Last.fm</a><br />
This one has a great swingy beat; a no brainer for dancing.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.marychapincarpenter.com/" target="_blank">Mary Chapin Carpenter</a> : I Feel Lucky (121 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138DCVC/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Mary+Chapin+Carpenter/_/I+Feel+Lucky" target="_blank">Last.fm</a>; and Shut Up and Kiss Me (120 bpm)- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shut-Up-Kiss-Album-Version/dp/B00136RL0W/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Mary+Chapin+Carpenter/_/Shut+Up+and+Kiss+Me" target="_blank">Last.fm</a><br />
Great voice, great lyrics. Both of these are faster and longer; mostly they're fine as is, but I did cut off about 20 seconds of the latter when I played it at <a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/11/friday-night-waltz-set-list.html">Friday Night Waltz</a></li>
<img align="right" src="http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/11/web/2951000-2951999/2951254_1.jpg" style="padding-left:10px;" width="200"/><li><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.collinraye.com/" target="_blank">Collin Raye</a> : My Kind of Girl (115 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Kind-Girl-Album-Version/dp/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Collin+Raye/_/My+Kind+of+Girl" target="_blank">Last.fm</a><br />
At just shy of 3 minutes long, this one is a perfect tempo and length.</li>
<li><a href="http://draft.blogger.com/www.mattea.com/" target="_blank">Kathy Mattea</a> : 455 Rocket (122 bpm) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/455-Rocket/dp/B000WGROTM/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kathy+Mattea/_/455+Rocket" target="_blank">Last.fm</a><br />
I've never heard this one played, but it's one of my mother's favourite songs. The title refers to the 455 cubic-inch rocket V8 engine found in 1970s Oldsmobiles.<br />
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</ul>Want more? StreetSwing has <a href="http://www.streetswing.com/4cwswng.htm" target="_blank"> a great list</a>.Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-36679308459010620952009-01-08T13:06:00.000-08:002009-01-13T08:58:50.917-08:00Waltzing with the KGB<a href="http://www.kgbmole.com/kgb/redlightcover.jpg"><img src="http://www.kgbmole.com/kgb/redlightcover.jpg" width="150" align="left" style="padding-right:10px;" /></a> <a href="http://www.kgbmole.com/kgb/">KGB</a> is a trio from Seattle that plays music for contra dances, English country dances, and couple dances. If you're in the SF bay area, you should come and hear them live <b>this Saturday,</b> the 10th. They'll be playing at the Oakland <a href="http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com/">Friday Night Waltz</a> (yes, on Saturday) and doing a mix of contra dances and couple dances. It'll be great.<br />
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Most of <a href="http://www.kgbmole.com/kgb/recordings.html">their albums</a> have a lot of contra dance music on them (which is great), but they also just recently released a new CD with a solid hour of original waltz music: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Red-Light-of-Evening/dp/B001OHG2BO/socialdancemusic-20">The Red Light of Evening</a>. It's a lovely album, with a nice range of tempos for different types of waltzes. Richard Powers played a couple of them at FNW in December, though I don't recall which ones. These are some of my favorites after my first listen:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OHIQEK/socialdancemusic-20">Speak of the Deverills</a> - Rotary waltz, 162 bpm<br />
I like the way this one slides between different moods. </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OHG2CS/socialdancemusic-20">A Field of Shooting Stars</a> - Cross-step waltz, 126 bpm<br />
Might be good to slow this one down a tad, though I haven't tried actually dancing it yet. </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OHKPCG/socialdancemusic-20">Birdsong Spring</a> - Rotary waltz / Redowa, 165 bpm<br />
This one really does spring along in a very birdlike way in places. It would probably be fun to redowa to. </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Clock-Stopped/dp/B0016NYB5A/socialdancemusic-20">The Clock Stopped</a> - Cross-step waltz, 112 bpm<br />
This one is actually on their "Contra-Intelligence" album, but it's worth including here as long as we're talking about KGB waltzes. If you go to FNW around here, this is the tune that's always played for the cross-step mixer. </li>
</ul><strong>Update:</strong> The dance on Saturday was fantastic. If you ever get a chance to dance to KGB, take it.Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-37791116071702668102008-11-24T14:01:00.000-08:002008-11-24T14:03:19.699-08:00Laura Light<a href="http://www.lauralight.com/">Laura Light</a> is a fiddler, singer, and composer from Virginia, to whose music I had the pleasure of contradancing a few years ago. (She snuck in a swing tune as well, which was a fun surprise.) For those of you in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving, she'll be out here again this weekend, playing at the <a href="http://www.bacds.org/series/contra/palo_alto/">Palo Alto Contra Dance</a> on the 29th. Come dance off the extra calories!<br />
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I've got her album <em>No Gravity</em> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5KB9O/">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.emusic.com/album/No-Gravity-No-Gravity-MP3-Download/10824795.html">eMusic</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=4593001&s=143441">iTunes</a>), which has a lot of good fiddle tunes and a few good couple-dancing tracks to call out: <br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5NNXU/socialdancemusic-20">Two Rivers</a> - Cross-step Waltz, 121 bpm<br />
This is probably my favorite of the batch. Really lovely.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5JZ6E/socialdancemusic-20">This Was Meant to Be</a> - Swing, 145 bpm<br />
"How can I explain this incredible feeling? / Feet on the ground, I'm dancing on the ceiling...."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5JZDC/socialdancemusic-20">Mid-Winter Waltz</a> - Rotary Waltz, 174 bpm<br />
A great <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/larryedelman/Personal7.html">Larry Edelman</a> tune that I remember from one of the first cassettes of "real" music I ever owned. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5NO2U/socialdancemusic-20">The Last Waltz of the Millenium</a> - Cross-step Waltz, 111 bpm<br />
Probably won't be relevant again for a while, but it's a waltz, nonetheless. :-)</li>
</ul>Also, in the process of writing this post, I found that she has another album, called <em>Katchemak Bay Waltz,</em> which is entirely waltzes. Unfortunately, I can't find anywhere to buy MP3s -- it looks like you can only <a href="http://www.lauralight.com/recordings.html">buy a CD here</a>. So I haven't listened to most of it yet, though there are a couple sample MP3s on that page. (Including an interesting version of "Scarborough Fair.")Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-58186287828561554452008-11-21T21:00:00.000-08:002008-11-21T21:00:01.133-08:00Friday Night Waltz Set List<iframe width='100%' height='550' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pqFYT7u_CoSR5yUW4f9f9Zg&output=html&gid=0&single=true&widget=true'></iframe><br />
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What did you think of the music? Let us know in the comments!Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-14743895874498773512008-11-12T11:05:00.000-08:002008-11-12T11:10:54.501-08:00Vermillion Lies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprUcXp8NoyIMIhygXKuSSZtHFC4EGLmhCyuwiFNeH_RG0rnR6YkZbHB_mFjyzJNxx0-Hg_snVzTD4jn6Ey9e8cpJcVrR1zr916m2fEEUi5HTwz5bxIHmI1hTkpnJOIfl-Jp7iOkXRb_rB/s1600-h/vermillionlies.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprUcXp8NoyIMIhygXKuSSZtHFC4EGLmhCyuwiFNeH_RG0rnR6YkZbHB_mFjyzJNxx0-Hg_snVzTD4jn6Ey9e8cpJcVrR1zr916m2fEEUi5HTwz5bxIHmI1hTkpnJOIfl-Jp7iOkXRb_rB/s200/vermillionlies.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://www.vermillionlies.com/">Vermillion Lies</a> is my latest jackpot find from my random Last.fm browsing. They're one of those bands that has such a delightful variety of styles and sounds that you never quite know what you're going to hear next. Their press page talks about their "unique brand of beauty, silliness, and creativity," and "songs ranging from lyrical folk ballads to raucous circus marches." I've been listening to their two albums on repeat for the last day or so, and I was also glad to find a number of danceable songs, so here they are.<br />
<ul><li><b>I Should Fly</b> (Rotary waltz, 160 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Should-Fly/dp/B001BY4ZBY/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vermillion+Lies/_/I+Should+Fly">Last.fm</a><br />
And if you can't fly, you should waltz. :-) Good contrast between verses and chorus, which is always nice to have for dancing. </li>
<li><b>Shady</b> (Polka, 130 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shady/dp/B001BYBQRU/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vermillion+Lies/_/Shady">Last.fm</a><br />
Nice mandolin part in this one. Would need some shortening and maybe a little slowing down for dancing purposes, though. </li>
<li><b>Blue</b> (One-step, 112 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue/dp/B001BKYGK8/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vermillion+Lies/_/Blue">Last.fm</a><br />
One of the sisters can do a vocal style that reminds me of Ingrid Lucia (of the Flying Neutrinos), or maybe Billie Holiday, which gives it a very vintage sort of sound with the swing guiter. Plus, there's a kazoo!</li>
<li><b>Done Wrong</b> (Polka, 122 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Done-Wrong/dp/B001BL0E1C/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vermillion+Lies/_/Done+Wrong">Last.fm</a><br />
Similar style to "Blue," but the instrumentation makes it sound more polka-y. </li>
<li><b>Bone Yard</b> (Cross-step waltz, 118 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Yard/dp/B001BL0EE4/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vermillion+Lies/_/Bone+Yard">Last.fm</a><br />
Sort of a dark one, and with a lot going on the arrangement which could potentially muddy things, but I think the piano keeps the beat consistently enough to dance to. </li>
<li><b>Global Warming</b> (Rotary waltz, 155 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Global-Warming/dp/B001BL0DYU/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vermillion+Lies/_/Global+Warming">Last.fm (free download!)</a><br />
This one is probably better for listening than dancing, but I wanted to include it just for general amusement and silliness. "Everything's going swimmingly."</li>
</ul>Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-78260245765944918612008-10-27T16:16:00.001-07:002008-10-27T16:16:48.949-07:00Laurent FourgoSpecial bonus today: The music in this post is not only purchasable and downloadable, but go-hear-them-live-able as well. (Assuming you live around the Bay Area.) <br />
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I had dinner last Friday at <a href="http://www.mandaloun.biz/">Mandaloun</a> in Redwood City, to the music of <a href="http://www.fourgo.com/">Laurent Fourgo & His Ensemble</a>. Lots of good, standard swing stuff, with the added interest of having French versions of lots of the lyrics. In fact, the CD (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013QP7SK/socialdancemusic-20">Amazon MP3</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Laurent+Fourgo/Half%2Band%2BHalf%2B%252F%2BMoiti%25C3%25A9-Moiti%25C3%25A9">Last.fm</a>) appears to be entirely bilingual. Anyway, they're perfectly danceable, and if you sit in the right spot you can have a little bit of floor space to hop into and dance when the mood strikes. (As long as you watch out for passing waiters, not to mention the clarinetist who would sometimes get loose and start wandering around on his solos.)<br />
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They seem to have been a hit with the rest of the customers and the management as well, since they announced that they now have a regular gig there, twice a month. Keep an eye on their <a href="http://www.fourgo.com/calendar.html">calendar</a> to find out when those will be. The restaurant itself was good as well, so all in all it makes a quite recommendable outing for a Friday evening if you're stuck without an FNW or other dancing (or even a Friday evening on your way to other dancing).Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-6215675166601695122008-09-19T15:50:00.000-07:002008-09-19T16:24:38.301-07:00Box of [Fast] Ghosts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://www.brave.com/bo/">Brave Combo</a> has been to Stanford once or twice to play for a Dance Week, and they're an absolute hoot to dance to. A partial description from their website: <br />
<blockquote>Brave Combo is America's premier contemporary polka band, and a Grammy winning one at that. In the same breath, to name some but hardly all of the colors found on Brave Combo's musical palette, one can describe them as a groundbreaking world music act, a hot jazz quintet, a rollicking rock'n'roll bar band, a Tex-Mex conjunto, a sizzling blues band, a saucy cocktail combo, a deadly serious novelty act, a Latin orchestra, and one of America's dance bands par excellence.</blockquote>One of their albums I particularly like is <i>Box of Ghosts</i> (<a href="http://www.brave.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=47">Brave Combo's store</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Box-of-Ghosts/dp/B0010SEBYC/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon MP3</a>), a collection of famous classical pieces, rearranged for accordions, horns, and dancing. A number of the tracks are danceable, but here are my favorites: <br />
<ul><li>Mozart - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010SKCW2/grahaspageofs-20">Rondo a la Turca</a> - polka (160 bpm)<br />
Pretty fast. Richard pulls this one out when he's teaching people to do a turning two-step polka (as opposed to galloping) to fast music. </li>
<li>Chopin - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010SIBI4/grahaspageofs-20">Waltz in C Minor</a> - waltz (203 bpm)<br />
Any of you classical types out there will recognize this as Op. 64 No. 2, which is actually in C-<i>sharp</i> minor, but nobody else will probably care. If you thought that last one was fast, try this one. I love it.</li>
<li>Rossini - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010SKD80/grahaspageofs-20">William Tell Overture</a> - polka (108 bpm)<br />
Okay, okay, here's one that's not so crazy fast. In fact, I'd probably speed it up a bit for dancing (and trim some of the ending as well). </li>
</ul>Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-44718002851645258472008-09-11T21:39:00.000-07:002008-09-11T22:22:57.284-07:00Redowa IIILooking at the categories on the right here, it's clear we've written more about waltz music than any other type. However, since the last three posts have been other dance music, I figure it's time for another set of good redowa songs.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.hevia.es/" target="_blank=">Hevia</a> - <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=265158578&id=265158116&s=143441" target="_blank">Entremediu</a> (152 bpm)<br />
I first heard this at Big Dance in 2006. It's a bit like the Corrs' "Erin Shore" (featured in my first <a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/05/redowa-i.html" target="_blank">redowa post</a>) in that it's dramatic, Celtic, and has an energetic percussion section perfect for redowa. What "Entremediu" has that "Erin Shore" lacks, of course, is bagpipes :). The link is to the Spanish iTunes store, which probably isn't very helpful, and I'm feeling nice because I spent forever trying to find this song and ended up buying the CD online, so here's an <a href="http://hevia.mylivepage.com/file/55/136" target="_blank">easier option</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kevinburke.com/" target="_blank">Kevin Burke</a> - La Partida (161 bpm) - <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=265158578&id=265158116&s=143441">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.emusic.com/album/Kevin-Burke-Open-House-MP3-Download/11013207.html" target="_blank">eMusic</a><br />
Picking up the tempo a bit, here's an instrumental waltz tune which Graham introduced me to. It's very bouncy and has some fun syncopated parts which lend themselves well to redowa and pivots. <a href="http://dancefiddler.com/" target="_blank">Mary Lea</a> also has nice version, and I just found out from her website that this is a Venezuelan waltz, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-KZpSZVSJ4" target="_blank">YouTube</a> further informs be that it was originally a piece called "Queiro ser tu sombra" (I want to be your shadow).<br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.chantalonline.com/" target="_blank">Chantal Kreviazuk</a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time/dp/B000SGX6TS/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Time</a> (170 bpm)<br />
And now for something completely different. Well, okay, not completely. I love waltzing to this song, and while it's a bit on the fast side and doesn't have an obvious 'redowa break,' the energy is high enough to support a bit of leaping. I'd suggest, however, cutting it down by about a minute. Take a listen and see if the opening measures don't just make you want to waltz:</li>
<object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/vjBXP0EjeK/aus=false/"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/vjBXP0EjeK/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="110" wmode="transparent"></embed><a href="http://www.imeem.com/lemagnifique/music/8BV09WYg/chantal_kreviazuk_time/">Time - Chantal Kreviazuk</a></object></ul>Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-63544110587749262222008-08-27T21:27:00.000-07:002008-09-11T22:28:13.345-07:00Bollywood SchottischesSeveral years ago, someone in the Bay Area dance community (maybe <a href="http://www.redowa.org/" target="_blank">Deb Henigson</a>) had the brilliant insight that the rhythms of bhangra, a folk music and dance from India, and schottische, a Bohemian dance popular in Victorian ballrooms, were the same. So here's some schottische music from India. It's worth noting that all three songs are, in true Bollywood fashion, over 5 minutes long. They're also fast, so I'd advise both shortening and slowing them down for dancing.<br />
<ul><li>Sadhna Sargam et al - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maahi-ve/dp/B000QOIZTI/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Maahi Ve</a> <br />
I was introduced to bhangra at <a href="http://www.decadance.org/" target="_blank">Decadance</a>'s Spring Show 2005, where they performed a bhangra-schottische fusion to "Maahi ve." That piece is still one of my favourite Deca numbers, and you can see it at around 1:20 in <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7363221913557834263" target="_blank">this video</a>. After checking out the music video for "Maahi Ve" on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhLm_IZpnP0" target="_blank">YouTube</a> and finding out that it was from the film <i>Kal Ho Naa Ho</i>, I actually watched the whole movie to see this colourful, extravagant production in context.</li>
<li>Shankar Mahadevan - <a href="http://www.mumtazworld.com/movieSongs/KalHoNaaHo/PrettyWoman.mp3" target="_blank">Pretty Woman</a><br />
Turns out out most Bollywood films are long (we're talking over 3 hours) and chock full of singing and dancing. Here's another song from the <i>Kal Ho Naa Ho</i> soundtrack, and I definitely recommend watching the clip(below) if you want a taste of how over-the-top these song-and-dance numbers can be. Graham did a nice edit of "Pretty Woman" which we <a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/06/friday-night-waltz-6202008.html" target="_blank">played at Friday Night Waltz</a> in June.<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Hdjp1lEeWU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Hdjp1lEeWU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></li>
<li>Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Mahalaxmi Iyer - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rock-N-Roll-Soniye/dp/B00138EE5U/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Rock N Roll Soniye</a><br />
This is the "Bollywood schottische" that Richard Powers plays most often. I think "soniye" means something like "pretty girl" or "my love" -- it's a term of endearment.</li>
</ul>Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-73512381056831344392008-07-26T15:20:00.000-07:002008-07-26T15:23:42.888-07:00Swing Music from DublinThere's nothing to connect these two songs except that I first heard them when I went <a href="http://www.boogiebeatswing.com/">swing dancing in Dublin</a> last year. I was editing the first one this morning and it made me think of the second.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.lisa-stansfield.com/">Lisa Stansfield</a> - Why Do We Call It Love? (180 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Swing-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B00000JJJ3/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon CD</a>) <br />
My favorite part of this one has got to be the horns popping in mid-chorus. I also heard this one last week played as a quickstep for a ballroom competition on PBS.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.eileenivers.com/">Eileen Ivers</a> - The Rights of Man (128 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Rights-Of-Man/dp/B000S40MBA/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon MP3</a>) <br />
Leave it to Eileen Ivers to turn an Irish hornpipe into something you can swing to. Maybe more of a bluesy swing, but still. </li>
</ul>Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-90766846578430381922008-07-08T09:57:00.000-07:002008-08-20T16:51:45.773-07:00West Coast Swing Favorites<a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/stanford-dance-weekend.html">Speaking of</a> the <a href="http://socialdance.stanford.edu/danceweeks/danceweekend.htm">Stanford Dance Weekend</a>, I made a point of taking all of <a href="http://www.michelledance.com/index.html">Michelle Kinkaid</a>'s West Coast Swing classes there. I didn't pick up any specific new songs to dance to, but it's as good an excuse as any to post a few of my favorites I've had waiting around for a while in a draft. These are all ones I first encountered when I took some WCS classes at the <a href="http://www.thedancespectrum.com/">Dance Spectrum</a> several years ago.<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.robbenford.com/RobbenFordMain.html">Robben Ford & the Blue Line</a> - Start It Up (126 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Start-It-Up/dp/B000VZWSTA/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a><br />
I remember Richard Kear teaching a whole class on different things to do to the breaks in this song. (Previously seen on Rowyn's <a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/03/playlist-leap-day-2008-22908.html">Leap Day set list</a>.) <strong>Update:</strong> Here's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX_R9vC5YL4">a video</a> of Richard dancing to this song. Well worth watching, in addition to letting you hear the whole thing.<br />
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.cakemusic.com/">Cake</a> - Short Skirt, Long Jacket (122 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Short-Skirt-Jacket-Album-Version/dp/B00137IDUS/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a><br />
This one is interesting because the timing of the "short skirt and a long jacket" line is different every time around. Really keeps you on your toes.</li>
<li>Chris Anderson and DJ Robbie - Last Night (122 bpm) - <a href="http://music.yahoo.com/release/25486688">Yahoo</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Night-Chris-Anderson/dp/B000060O6B/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3v0u_last-night">video</a><br />
If you like wacky, unintelligible vocals -- and I do -- this song has 'em. (At least on DJ Robbie's portion of it.) </li>
</ul>Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-31368091455370312832008-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:002008-07-02T20:36:01.379-07:00Stanford Dance WeekendThis past weekend was the 2008 <a href="http://socialdance.stanford.edu/danceweeks/danceweekend.htm" target="_blank">Stanford Dance Weekend</a>, a total immersion in social dance — "waltz, swing, salsa, vintage dances, club dances and more." In addition to learning new moves and dancing with nice people, we also picked up some new songs to waltz to!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.tsuumi.com/en/?link=tsuumi&amp;amp;sublink=tsuumisoundsystem" target="_blank">Tsuumi Sound System</a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hotas/dp/B00157V0AG/grahaspageofs-20" target="_blank">Tuulin ja Hannun häävalssi (Wedding waltz)</a> (140 bpm) This is a lovely Finnish waltz which <a href="http://danceforjoy.biz/instructors.html" target="_blank">Lilli Ann Carey</a> played in her class on musicality. It has some nice syncopations which I imagine would work well for canter pivots.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.petergabriel.com/" target="_blank">Peter Gabriel</a> - Down to Earth (117 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Down-to-Earth/dp/B001B0A2LA/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.imeem.com/people/Wj9eveh/music/s7BolFAp/peter_gabriel_down_to_earth/" target="_blank">imeem</a>) This new cross-step waltz comes fresh off the soundtrack of Pixar's new film <i>Wall-E</i>, which opened last Friday. Richard Powers played it for the first time this weekend in his cross-step classes. There's a few bars in 4/4 time in the middle which need to be edited out, and it's too long to play as is, but otherwise it's a fun new song to dance to.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kepajunkera.com/webhiri/ingles/entrada.htm" target="_blank">Kepa Junkera</a> - Santimamiñeko Fandangoa & Ioaeoe (130 bpm before editing) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Santimami%C3%B1eko-Fandangoa-Ioaeoe/dp/B000QO88R2/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kepa+Junkera/_/Santimami%25C3%25B1eko%2BFandangoa%2B%2526%2BIoaeoe" target="_blank">last.fm</a>) New to my collection, though Richard's been playing this lively, cheerful waltz for a while. He speeds it up and plays it as a rotary waltz which also works for redowa. I haven't tried it editing the song yet, but it probably needs to be shortened even after increasing the tempo.</li>
</ul>Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-91279483332880327872008-06-26T22:05:00.000-07:002008-06-26T22:30:51.985-07:00Redowa IILast month I shared some <a href="http://socialdancemusic.blogspot.com/2008/05/redowa-i.html" target="_blank">favourite redowa songs</a>, but if you attended <a href="http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com/" target="_blank">Friday Night Waltz</a> in Palo Alto last week you may have noticed that we didn't play any of them! Here are the ones we did play:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nordmanclub.se/" target="_blank">Nordman</a> - <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=68311607&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;id=68311518&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;s=143456" target="_blank">Stormens Öga</a> (170 bpm): I love this song. It lacks the extra-salient percussion that graces some redowa tunes, but it's so energetic that you'll probably want to redowa anyway. The link is unfortunately to Swedish iTunes store, which probably isn't very useful, so you can get the album on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nordman/dp/B000A06W1Q/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or listen to a full preview on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRTUhkRFybI" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mangogroove.co.za/" target="_blank">Mango Groove</a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/2-Hearts/dp/B0012EHNLW/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Two Hearts</a> (150 bpm): At a much mellower tempo than the other two, this up-beat Afropop hit let's you stretch out those long steps on beat two. Though fairly obscure to American listeners (I couldn't find the song by searching for the lyrics when I first tried and also turned up no full previews online), the band is apparently a "household name in South Africa."</li>
<li><a href="http://www.solasmusic.com/winifredbio.htm" target="_blank">Winifred Horan</a> - Giants Fall (180 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QO7U9E/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.emusic.com/album/Winifred-Horan-Just-One-Wish-MP3-Download/10725253.html" target="_blank">eMusic</a> | <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkm0o3dFjWw" target="_blank">YouTube</a>) New to us a few months ago, this is a <i>fast</i> waltz -- I recommend cutting it down at least a minute or it'll tire out most dancers. Love the fiddle and the driving beat!</li>
</ul>Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-63802523817929745862008-06-20T21:00:00.000-07:002008-06-21T11:41:30.421-07:00Friday Night Waltz Set List<iframe width='100%' height='550' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pRtZQVfkfSBH7p1izg8HIPQ&output=html&widget=true'></iframe><br /><br /><strong>Update:</strong> Due to technical difficulties, the order of the two schottisches was reversed. Also, we found time for a bonus one step (Belleville Rendez-Vous) in the last set. If you liked or disliked anything in particular, please let us know. Thanks to everyone who came and danced in that icky heat!Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-15762744583560646102008-05-29T11:14:00.000-07:002008-06-17T12:36:51.709-07:00Vienna TengA lot of us Stanford-types are fans of <a href="http://viennateng.com/" target="_blank">Vienna Teng</a>. If you're in the area, she's performing in San Francisco this Friday and Saturday (<a href="http://viennateng.com/tour/">details</a>). Here are some of her songs you can dance to:<br /><br /><strong>Waltzes:</strong><ul><li>Anna Rose (121 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Rose/dp/B000QOWXQE/grahaspageofs-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, full preview on <a href="http://www.imeem.com/people/iq_yBx/music/kQHhF4h0/vienna_teng_anna_rose/" target="_blank">imeem</a><br />A lovely cross-step.</li><li>Between (135 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Between/dp/B000QOYB8C/grahaspageofs-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, full preview on <a href="http://www.imeem.com/mehkai/music/62f5yIWA/vienna_teng_between/" target="_blank">imeem</a><br />Blue Caravan (136 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Caravan/dp/B000UDPX86/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a>, full preview on <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vienna+Teng/_/Blue+Caravan" target="_blank">last.fm</a><br />A couple in-between tempo waltzes. You might slow "Between" down a tad for cross-step, or just deal with it (especially if you want to keep the title accurate). "Blue Caravan" might sound good sped up slightly to rotary tempo. I haven't actually danced to it yet. </li><li>Recessional (145 bpm, sort of) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Recessional/dp/B000UDS2BG/grahaspageofs-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, full preview on <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vienna+Teng/_/Recessional" target="_blank">last.fm</a><br />The tempo is approximate because it has a lot of fermatas and ritards and tricky things like that. Beautiful song, and a good challenge for <a href="http://blog.whistledance.net/2007/08/recessional.html" target="_blank">paying attention to the music</a>. </li><li>Drought (157 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drought/dp/B000QOWPMQ/grahaspageofs-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, full preview on <a href="http://www.imeem.com/nyanya/music/u2SL6WSo/vienna_teng_drought/" target="_blank">imeem</a><br />An honest-to-goodness rotary waltz. </li></ul><br /><strong>Rhumba:</strong> <ul><li>Unwritten Letter (140 bpm) - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unwritten-Letter-No-1/dp/B000QOSWNM/grahaspageofs-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />Not being a rhumba-er myself, I'm taking this one on faith. :-)</li></ul><br />In addition to the Amazon links above, some (but not all) of her albums are available on <a href="http://www.emusic.com/artist/Vienna-Teng-MP3-Download/11573742.html" target="_blank">eMusic</a>.Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-44595425391847272522008-05-22T13:12:00.000-07:002008-05-22T13:12:15.843-07:00Some Favorite BluesI'm planning on going to <a href="http://beyondblues.com/fnb/">Friday Night Blues</a> tomorrow night. I haven't been before (since there are usually more convenient and more Graham-compatible dances on Friday nights) but I'm looking forward to it. So to get myself into the right frame of mind, here are a few blues songs I like:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.delbert.com/index2.htm">Delbert McClinton</a> - Everything I Know About the Blues (73 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everything-I-Know-About-Blues/dp/B000VMKB8S/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.emusic.com/album/Delbert-McClinton-Room-to-Breathe-MP3-Download/10878177.html">eMusic</a> | <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Delbert+McClinton/_/Everything+I+Know+About+The+Blues">Last.fm</a>)<br />One of the first blues songs I recall dancing to. It had me from the first line: "I learned to swim when Daddy threw me in the river."</li> <li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Turner">Ike Turner</a> - Cold Day in Hell (72 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Day-In-Hell/dp/B000S43B1S/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a>)<br />Seven minutes long and no vocals, but the instrumentation is fascinating. </li> <li><a href="http://www.etta-james.com/">Etta James</a> - The Sky Is Crying (64 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Sky-Is-Crying/dp/B00137ZFHW/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Etta+James/_/The+Sky+is+Crying">Last.fm</a>)<br />I've heard a few versions of this song, but this one is my favorite so far. I love it when her voice sort of goes underwater at the end of the scat section.</li> <li><a href="http://www.celinedion.com/">Celine Dion</a> - Le Ballet (85 bpm) (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Le-Ballet-Album-Version/dp/B001382RFE/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/C%C3%A9line+Dion/_/Le+ballet">Last.fm</a>)<br />"The ballet is almost over, and real life will begin."</li></ul>Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-62309344841275583572008-05-15T19:49:00.000-07:002008-05-15T19:58:17.077-07:00Ray BierlI'm back from my latest travels, so here's some traveling music for you all. <a href="http://raybierl.com/">Ray Bierl</a> (a member of <a href="http://hillbilliesfrommars.com/">The Hillbillies from Mars</a>) came out with a great new solo album last year, entitled <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Any-Place-Hang-My-Hat/dp/B0017T5AEE/grahaspageofs-20">Any Place I Hang My Hat</a>.</em> It's full of songs, as he puts it, "about hitting the highway, riding the rails, lighting out for the territory," and is overall an excellent piece of work. I have several favorites, but for dancing, I recommend the following: <ul><li>Down and Out (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017T3CSU/grahaspageofs-20">buy</a> | <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Ray+Bierl/_/Down+and+Out">listen</a>) - Swing, 145 bpm. <br />"Brother, can you spare a dime? Buck for a beer wouldn't be too bad...."</li><li>Tramps and Hawkers (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017TAXWI/grahaspageofs-20">buy</a> | <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Ray+Bierl/_/Tramps+and+Hawkers">listen</a>) - Moderate waltz, 137 bpm. <br />Five minutes long, but worth it.<br />"Like ghosts we roam without friends or home, these tramps and hawkers and me."</li></ul> If you're in the Bay Area, there are lots of opportunities to hear him <a href="http://raybierl.com/calendar.html">perform live</a> as well.Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-39408023667630102672008-05-03T22:30:00.000-07:002008-06-18T09:42:11.284-07:00Redowa IApologies for the delay between posts -- Graham's been out of the country and work has been keeping me quite busy.<br /><br />Notes on some of the redowa music from Richard Powers' <a href="http://socialdance.stanford.edu/discography.htm" target="_blank">Social Dance Discography</a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.esposthumus.com/" target="_blank">E.S. Posthumous</a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nara-Theme-to-Cold-Case/dp/B000X06GHI/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Nara</a> (152 bpm). You can hear a full preview on their <a href="http://www.esposthumus.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. If you've been to a Jammix or <a href="http://www.fridaynightwaltz.com/" target="_blank">Friday Night Waltz</a> you've probably heard this. It's a great redowa in terms of both tempo and musicality. I love the tension in the piece and the way it builds in great swells of music. The original, however, is almost five minutes long, which is tiring for a redowa. I'd suggest cutting it down to 3.5 minutes or less for social dancing, unless you have strong calves and good endurance.<br /><br />Dae Jang Geum - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dae-Jang-Geum-Yeong-ae-Lee/dp/B000657QUG/socdanmus-20" com=" target=" _blank="">Yun Bap</a> (160 bpm). The link is to the CD on Amazon because I could not find anywhere to download an mp3, but you can find a WMA version linked from <a href="http://showdjgonbbc.blogspot.com/2006/04/dae-jang-geum-soundtrack-beautifully.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I first heard this song, which is from the soundtrack of the Korean TV drama <i>Dae Jang Geum</i> (or <i>Jewel In The Palace</i>), in Richard's "History of the Waltz" social dance class at Stanford. It has a fantastic percussion section which just begs for redowa. I spent hours and hours trying to track down an mp3 version online and eventually resorted to creating a membership on a special-interest "Asian OSTs" site so that I could access a private download link on their forum. I'd suggest using the WMA link above or asking me to send you the mp3 rather than duplicating my quest. But back to the song: it's quite dramatic and has cool eastern-sounding instruments that I can't identify (how crass).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thecorrswebsite.com/" target="_blank"> The Corrs</a> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Erin-Shore-Instrumental-LP-Version/dp/B00122YYX4/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Erin Shore</a> (160 bpm). The "last waltz" at Jammix. This is the only full instrumental piece on The Corrs' album <span style="font-style: italic;">Forgiven, Not Forgotten</span>, though it isn't the only waltz. It's based on a traditional Irish tune which is often sung with lyrics about "Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore." I found a number of different versions of the lyrics online, but here's the chorus of the one I like best:<blockquote>So, fare thee well my own true love<br />I'll think of you night and day<br />A place in my mind you will surely find<br />Although I am so far away<br />And when I'm alone, far away from home,<br />I'll think of the good times once more<br />Until I can make it back some day<br />Here to Paddy's green shamrock shore<br /></blockquote>Like both previous tunes, this needs a bit of editing to be good for dancing, as the original is over four minutes long. I think Richard cuts some of the build up to the extra-redoway drum solo.Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-55243239295279737512008-04-19T15:17:00.000-07:002008-04-19T15:17:00.426-07:00Idan Raichel: Mi'Ma'amakimI've got <a href="http://tali-bali.blogspot.com/2007/11/idan-raichel-project.html">Tali</a> to thank for introducing me to <a href="http://www.idanraichelproject.com/">The Idan Raichel Project</a>. Idan Raichel is an Israeli keyboardist and vocalist who works with many other artists on his "project," mixing Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, and other styles of music. <br /><br />I love the sound of the whole album, but my favorite track just happens (surprise!) to be in waltz time, at a zippy 180 bpm: Mi'Ma'amakim (Out of the Depths). (Download from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/MiMaamakim-Out-Of-The-Depths/dp/B000QMO2D8/grahaspageofs-20">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.emusic.com/album/Idan-Raichel-Project-The-Idan-Raichel-Project-MP3-Download/10967617.html">eMusic</a>, or <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=Oog2oxY8kDg&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D201637126%2526id%253D201637002%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">iTunes</a>; hear a <a href="http://www.idanraichelproject.com/en/audio.htm">sample</a>; <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=NBkH0wEksXQ">see a video</a>). It has gorgeous Hebrew lyrics, interspersed with parts of an Ethiopian song called Nanu Nanu Ney (for which I'm unfortunately unable to find lyrics or translation).<br /><br />Of course, at nearly 6 minutes long, it needs a bit of editing so you don't die dancing to it. After (regretfully) hacking it up a bit, I got it down to about 3:30. I removed a duplicate verse and associated chorus, one of the three consecutive choruses at the end, some of the bridge, and some of the intro. The cuts were trickier than I expected: while the song seems to have a pretty consistent sound, the background vocals and instrumentation are actually changing enough to make it easy to introduce discontinuities if you're not careful. Anyway, I got Bob to play it at Faster Polka this week and it worked pretty well. The lyrics on the verses anticipate the beat a lot, so you have to be careful to follow the bass and percussion there, but overall it's good, and fun practice for fast waltzing. <br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idan_Raichel">Idan Raichel's Wikipedia page</a> says there's actually a whole album titled "Mi'Ma'amakim," but I haven't been able to track down any other info about it. <br /><br />An excerpt from the translation of the <a href="http://www.idanraichelproject.com/he/swf/lyrics/03_02.htm">lyrics</a>:<br /><em>Who is it that calls to you tonight, listen<br />Who sings aloud under your window<br />Who stakes his soul just for you to be happy<br />Who'll lend his hand to build you a home<br />Who'll lay his life down under your footsteps<br />Who like the earth at your feet shall live on<br />Who'll love you better than all of your lovers<br />Who'll save you from the rage of the storm<br />Out of the depths</em>Tandavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00180822287717157663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1259948412763207277.post-30260813871933152522008-04-15T22:41:00.000-07:002008-06-13T08:53:32.291-07:00West Coast Swing<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I5_%28girl_group%29" target="_blank">i5</a> : <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00123LOJ0/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Ladidi Ladida</a> (116 bpm)<br />I first heard this song at the <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1667087627593880697" target="_blank">Decadance spring show 2004</a>. It made an impression on me both because <a href="http://www.decadance.org/" target="_blank">Decadance</a> does compelling choreographies and because it's a catchy song. The lyrics aren't particularly interesting, but the song has a good beat -- clear triple steps -- and some interesting background instrumentation, which I can't identify.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rachelstevensofficial.com/" target="_blank">Rachel Stevens</a> : <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=258057244&id=258057237&s=143441" target="_blank">Sweet Dreams My LA Ex</a> (130 bpm)<br />Another catchy pop song. It's bouncier than "Ladidi Ladida," but also has nice percussion. Having never danced to the version I have, I only just realized that it's too fast for a comfortable west coast swing dance, especially given that it's 3:30 minutes long. I'd recommend slowing it down by at least 6% and cutting the second verse-chorus pair, which is about a minute of music. The resulting length is around 2:40, which is a good length for the still-fast adjusted tempo (120-123 bpm depending how much you slow it down)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jgeils.com/" target="_blank">J. Geils Band</a> : <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Centerfold/dp/B000VO6ELE/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Centerfold</a> (114 bpm)<br />Also bouncy, but a much more comfortable tempo for dancing. My edited version is almost a minute shorter than the original, but I forget what I cut. It took me a while to find this song after I first heard and liked it. I originally mis-heard the word "centerfold" as "semaphore" (multi-threading on the brain, perhaps?) and couldn't figure out what the song was about. The <a href="http://lyricwiki.org/The_J._Geils_Band:Centerfold" target="_blank">actual lyrics</a> are cute, though.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lisaekdahl.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Ekdahl</a> : <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=251691858&id=251690956&s=143456" target="_blank">Vem Vet</a> (126 bpm)<br />Hmm this song is on the fast side as well. It's the most mellow of this lot, with a jazzy feel; the trumpet at the beginning and end are particularly nice. In fact, it might be better as just a regular triple-count swing (lindy hop). I've never heard it played anywhere, but presumably it has been danced to because I got it from someone else's dance music collection. Anyway, it's a lovely little Swedish swing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jossstone.com/" target="_blank">Joss Stone</a> : <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Me-Bout-It/dp/B000TDI7VM/socdanmus-20" target="_blank">Tell Me 'Bout It</a> (110 bpm)<br />I think it's fun to have a bit of fresh, popular music in a dance set, and this song was a big hit on the radio last year. Not only do the tempo and beat seem like a natural fit for west coast swing, but it also has an <span style="font-style: italic;">attitude</span> that works well in my mind for this style of dance. Dancing as a follow, it makes me want to almost strut the two forward steps of a sugar push :).Rowynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02182572154954220925noreply@blogger.com0