New York DJ

A Sexy, Groovin’ Blues Tune for All Kinds of Events: Sunnyland Slim, “She Got a Thing Goin’ On”

If you’re rather unfamiliar with the genre, you might think blues music, by definition, wouldn’t be the most suitable for an upbeat event like a cocktail party, wedding reception, fashion show, or other kinds of events where the point of the music is to keep the energy high. While a great blues tune might be full of passion and accomplished musicianship, it’s easy to see why the often slow pace of the songs, or their subject matter – such as hittin’ the booze, there not being any more booze, women who done the singer wrong – would be too much of a downer to add anything to the mood, or could take away from it.

Of course, this will depend on your guests – if they tend to enjoy blues music a bit, you’ll likely be able to get some hips movin’ to some John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, or other classic blues artists and the often downbeat subject matter won’t be as noticed, or will be appreciated. But even if you’re unsure of the crowd’s affinity for blues, you can still often play a little at any event.

This is because, in addition to the biggest theme of blues tunes being, well, having the blues, another, common strain of blues tune is when a bluesman lays down a rollicking rhythm to simply being amazed at a sexy woman in his presence. Whether this blown-away and sometimes even intimidated exhilaration comes from not gettin’ any for awhile, an overactive libido, or simply having some long-needed good fortune, we've seen that this kind of blues song adds a dose of vintagey sexiness to any event.

A great example of this kind of a song is by the Mississippi-born blues legend Sunnyland Slim (his real name was Albert Luandrew). To those who aren’t familiar with the blues, his name might not be in the first tier of bluesmen such as Hooker, King, or Muddy Waters, but it’s not for a lack of talent.

With "She Got a Thing Goin' On" - which likely appeared in its original version on the album Really Chicago's Blues in the late ‘60s - and many other faster-tempo tunes he recorded during his long life, the longtime Chicago resident creates an infectious mix with his exclamatory vocal lines and his groovin’, backroom-of-the-bar, boogie-woogie piano playing. You’ll find it hard not to tap your toes to the swingin’ rhythm created by a deft mingling of percussion, guitar, piano and harmonica, as well as the joyful vocals. And as a bonus, you can’t go wrong with a song that celebrates a woman’s sexiness – it makes the girls feel good, and when they do, the guys tend to feel good, too.

Sunnyland Slim - She Got a Thing Goin' On

Try These Jamaican R & B Tracks to Warm Up Any Winter Event: Rico & the Matador All-Stars, "Continental Shuffle" and Owen Gray & the Jets, "Nobody Else"

With the holidays over and the two coldest months of the year ahead, now is the time when winter in New York City and much of the country quickly loses its romantic appeal and instead becomes, to be polite, a real drag. Sorry to remind you, but remember, the weather doesn't really get consistently nice around here again until around the time we have to get our taxes in.

So, to “tropicalize” the atmosphere of events that you may have planned in the next two or three months of our annual struggle through blizzards, slush, and 37-degree rain, here’s two songs that are sunny, cozy, and fun. Both are Jamaican rhythm and blues tunes. If that genre sounds unfamiliar, don’t be surprised. It’s a rather small and obscure style, but fortunately some of its best songs recently have been made much more accessible for those of you who don’t have the time or interest to spend digging in record crates for hours a day by the release of the excellent compilation Trojan Jamaican R & B Box Set. Both songs here are available on the box set, as well as a few other less comprehensive compilations.

Jamaican R & B, born in the late ‘50s, is both like everything and nothing you’ve heard before. It combines shuffling jazz beats, the upbeat horns of what would soon become ska, festive Trinidadian-accented vocals of calypso, and a bit of the sultriness and gritty attitude of rhythm and blues and early rock ‘n’ roll. Most people are familiar with each of these styles, but put together in the right amounts, they create a sound that feels new and fresh and most of all, cozy and friendly.

Both these mid-tempo songs here have pleasantly catchy melodies that will get your snow-stained shoes tapping at any sort of event. “Continental Shuffle,” by Rico and the Matador All-Stars, a brief but swingin’ instrumental with masterfully mellow, pre-ska "skank" of a horn riff, immediately seems to brightens the mood of any room when we play it. The same reaction happens when we spin “Nobody Else,” by Owen Gray and the Jets. With its sturdy piano, its warm, fuzzy saxophones and its sweet calypso-inflected vocals, the song sounds like what Ray Charles might have recorded if he got his start in Kingston.

Have a listen to both; I think you'll agree they'll make things feel a little less "January-ish."

Matador All-Stars - Continental Shuffle

Owen Gray & the Jets - Nobody Else

Tired of the Same “Auld” Thing On New Year’s Eve? Try These Two Versions of “Auld Lang Syne” That Warmly Return the Song to its Roots

Along with champagne, the countdown, and kisses at midnight, a staple of New Year’s Eve celebration is hearing or singing the song “Auld Lang Syne.” Over the years many singers, bands, and probably many a bad cover band playing a New Year's Eve gig  have tried to update the sound of the song by grafting onto it a modern style like jazz, rock, hip-hop, and many more.

But in the past several years, two artists put a really unique and striking twist on this old holiday staple, and they did it by being old school about the style - really old school, in that they recorded the song much like it was performed when it was written in the late eighteenth century by Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Each of these recent versions have kept the original melody (the poem was originally set to one), most of the original lyrics, and have given the song minimal instrumentation. Both arrangements are quite elegant and beautiful, and each brings out the melancholy of the poem more than typical more modern renditions of “Auld Lang Syne.” But also, because of the unusual sounds of the old English words and the near-acapella of the vocals in these two versions, there's a cozy, storytelling-around-a-campfire quality to them that’s hard to not to like - whether you're at a small dinner party or at a huge New Year's Eve bash and decide to suddenly cut the high-energy party anthems for a moment at midnight and play one of these songs.

The first version, by Mairi Cambpell and David Francis (together calling themselves The Cast), from their album The Winnowing, was originally recorded in 1993 and in 2008 gained some popularity by being featured in the movie version of Sex and the City. This version features the more authentic and imtimate feel, from using only a simple acoustic guitar over Campbell’s vocals to not altering any of the words for modern ears.

The second version, by popular (but sadly rather unheard of in the U.S.) Scottish singer Eddi Reader, and is from her 2004 album Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns. This version is a bit more user-friendly in that it alters a few words of the poem for easier understanding, and also gives the tune a more sweeping, cinematic touch, due to Reader’s lush voice and to the violins that build throughout.

Have a listen to both below, and, because this song often confuses the heck out of people, here’s the rough modern English translation (the chorus is sung after each verse, and the title basically means “for old time‘s sake”):

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup
and surely I’ll buy mine
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
                                                               
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend
And give us a hand o’ thine
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis - Auld Lang Syne

Eddi Reader - Auld Lang Syne

Fresh Oldies: Nappy Brown, "Little By Little" & Ella Mae Morse, "Give a Little Time"

At most kinds of events at which we perform, we’ll often mix in some bouncy “oldies” from the 50s or 60s, whether the genre is a major one like rock, soul and jazz, or is another, slightly lesser-played style, such as calypso, doo-wop or rockabilly.

We find that when we play these oldies, the songs tend to pleasantly surprise people and give the vibe of the event a touch of sentimentality and fun, as often it’s not just those in the crowd who remember when these the songs were released that will respond, but also those younger as well, as they may recall these classic songs from films or may simply enjoy the spirit of the time that the song evokes.

However, many oldies simply can feel stale due to decades of being overplayed, or from being overused in films and commercials. Sadly, one of the best examples of this is James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)." When you hear that song these days, it probably brings to mind images of mundane household products like a Dustbuster instead of a vision of an awesome hip-shakin' concert in the mid '60s at the Apollo Theater. And while we find at events like weddings or corporate parties, yes, crowds tend to respond more to songs they know, there’s always room – especially at cocktail hour and dinner – for spinning a few oldies that are more obscure, as long as they have a great rhythm and melody.

Two lost gems from the mid-50’s that were ahead of their time and that sweeten the atmosphere of any event where there’s a bit of sentimentality involved like weddings, birthday or anniversary parties, and even some types of fashion shows, are “Little By Little” by Nappy Brown, and “Give a Little Time” by Ella Mae Morse. Both songs are short, fun bursts of bouncy melodic pop that measure up to any of the better-known rock and R & B classics of the time, and will make you think you’re suddenly hearing an undiscovered classic from, in the case of the former tune, a Caribbean-sounding Ray Charles, and, in the case of the latter, a rockabilly Ella Fitzgerald.

“Little By Little,” with its upbeat lyrics about a guy slowly but steadily falling in love, effortlessly blends touches of blues, gospel and R & B to come quite close to the sound of what in several years would become soul music. And while this early version of a soul-ish sound is impressive, on top of it, Brown and his musicians add in a touch of Caribbean calypso to the song, giving it a sunniness that makes it not just a soul precursor, but something all its own.

“Give a Little Time” (later titled “Give a Little Time to Your Lover”), a sassily-delivered piece of advice for the guys out there, also seamlessly fuses genres that at the time were just beginning by other artists to be blended into rock and roll. In this song, there’s a dash of swing backing rhythms, barbershop-quartet style crooner pop, R & B vocals, and even a revving up of some rockabilly-ish guitars here and there. What really makes the song memorable, though, is Morse’s smooth, silky, but at the same time crisp and powerful voice. When you hear how she belts out the chorus to the tune, you’ll wonder why she wasn’t ever a household name.

Have a listen to both…

Nappy Brown - Little By Little

Ella Mae Morse - Give a Little Time

Spinnin’ Country Music in the Big City – And Some Vintage Country Tunes to Make Any Event More Festive (and Perhaps Even a Little Badass)

Of all the music genres that come up at meetings with clients, country is the one that people we meet with are most scared of including at their event. Often it’s not because they hate it, but because they like it – some a little, some a lot – but are afraid to admit it. We’ve found that most people don’t lead with their affinity for anything country because they don’t have much confidence that it could be added to an event’s playlist in a way that won’t “kill” the party. They think that as soon as a country song is played, the guests are going to rush from the dancefloor, fearing the MC will begin an annoyingly enthusiastic announcement on how to do square dance moves as he puts on a red gingham western shirt and a cheap plastic cowboy hat.

It's understandable. Most people who only know a little about country fear that obnoxious, campy, Hee-Haw image and the corny country sound that they associate with it, one of blistering banjoes and hillbilly drawls. But from DJ-ing events for many years, we're familiar with country both old and new and know that there's plenty of great country tunes out there - especially vintage ones (some you've likely never heard, some you've likely forgotten you liked) - that have nothing corny about their sound at all. Instead, the much more understated twang of these country songs can add a charm and some can even add an edgy, badass feel to celebrations.

While it is true that in and around New York City country isn’t the most popular type of music requested or played, most clients we work with usually have a few country artists they want to hear. These tend to be vintage country artists whose songs and reputations have aged well, like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, or artists that have some “indie cred” or have veered into pop music, like Lyle Lovett or Ryan Adams. But often, too, we get the request for full-on, pure country – from the intimate, unpolished heartache of Patsy Cline, to the big, slick sing-a-long anthems of Alan Jackson.

Just because clients around our metropolitan area tend to be selective about their taste in country music, however, doesn’t mean it has to be quarantined to a single song played at a slightly lesser volume at a time in an event when a particular song choice is less noticeable, like a cocktail hour or dinner. At most events, a few country requests both old or new can be played at any time – even during the prime dancing time of the event.

But with country music, at least here in New York City, consider your guests a bit if you’d like to hear more than a few songs here and there. If you’re thinking you’d like a lot of country at your event and you’re not sure if your guests are also country fans (and country isn’t an overt event theme), it likely will exclude more guests than other more generally universal genres of music such as Top 40, indie pop/rock, hip-hop, Motown, or soul. So, just make sure to think about your guests' tastes, and, if you have and you’re still not sure, do a little field research and ask them if they’d enjoy it. You might find more country fans that are coming to your event than you thought.

If, like many clients we work with, you want only a few country songs of varying intensity played throughout the night (say, a few sentimental, and a few that are more danceable), you should not be shy to insist these be on your playlist. They key here is, unlike with types of music that are more universal in the city and the surrounding area, make sure to ask the DJ if he or she is comfortable DJ-ing country. Ask the DJ if they know it well, and if they know a certain country music era more than another. Some DJs know newer, very popular country “party” songs, but know little of vintage country tunes that can also get a crowd movin.'

If you have a DJ who does know country, he or she will know what other country songs (or, sometimes a bluegrass song, an alt-country song, a southern rock tune, or even a pop song with a country influence) to put around it in the moment they're playing it so that you and your crowd will be pleased and the song(s) won't sound out of place. If your DJ doesn’t know country as well as you do (and if you know how your guests will react to certain songs), you may have to do a little coaching, such as dictating what songs on your list you want played approximately when. For example, you might explain that certain country “flashback” songs from the '70s work great for dancing toward the end of the night, when people have had some drinks and have loosened up, but these won't go over that well at the start of prime-time dancing - at least around these here parts.

Another thing that prevents clients we've met with from including country in their events is they simply don't know enough of it that they like beyond a few songs. So, to help introduce you to some accessible, fun, and often simply just cool and badass country music, I've made an iMix of 30 songs of vintage country tunes that contains a wide variety of artists and moods from the genre, from roughly 1950 to 1980. (A post about, and a list of, newer country songs will be coming soon.)

I’ve tried to exclude songs you already probably know would go over well for guests, like many hits of Johnny Cash (“Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line”) and Hank Williams (“Hey, Good Lookin’”), Tammy Wynette (“Stand By Your Man”) as well as some later hits that are often played at events, like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band. But some of the aforementioned artists’ lesser-known songs are included in the mix, such as Cash’s rockabilly-tinged “Get Rhythm,” the ramshackle swing of Williams’ “Move It On Over” (which would be covered more aggressively later by George Thorogood), and Wynette’s equally sly, sweet and sexy “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” the chorus of which I hope will pleasantly stick in you head and make you wonder with me why it’s not a more of a first-tier country classic. But there's also some songs are from artists you may not be very familiar with, like Faron Young or Buck Owens, but don't let that scare you. These lesser-known songs have been carefully picked because I think they'll be very instantly likeable to even non-country fans - most of these tight retro tunes have a rockabilly or pop influence, and will grab you right away since they have fun lyrics, catchy melodies, and infectious rhythms.

Now, anyone who is even remotely familiar with country knows that it has a long and proud history of capturing, among many other things, lovin' gone bad, cheatin' hearts, the truck drivin' life, lamenting crappy jobs, and the solace found in drinkin' until your tears drop into your beer. In this mix, though, I’ve tried to keep those subjects - that, not suprisingly, result in largely downbeat songs - to a minimum. This mix showcases country songs of a variety of upbeat moods - whether it be swingin,' rockin,' tender, whimsical, jubilant, and some that blend some of these moods together.

That said, it's hard to put together a list of country songs and not include any songs about break-ups, infidelity, 18-wheelers, ungrateful bosses, and beer, so these subjects do make their appearance here and there – but with a tempo that will make you tap your toes or dance. Rest assured, though: In this mix, there are no ballads about the loss of a beloved pet dog, loving one’s truck more than a woman, or, most fortunately, ballads about the loss of a beloved truck.

Finally, I've included, especially toward the bottom of the mix, some vintage country songs from the early to mid '70s that we've found work great for dancing during the end of events, often at ones even where country music isn't featured much. Keep in mind, though, that the end of an event is the time when you have had a few (or more) drinks, have been bonding with friends or family or both for several hours, and it’s often the late evening. All this tends to take away the desire to act cool and aloof, and instead makes it easier for some guests to get in touch with their childhood love for Smokey and the Bandit when they hear a certain theme song about heading eastbound, or to display their inner hoe-downer when the fiddles of a famous bespectacled singer from Colorado kick in and he starts expressing his gratefulness to the Lord that he's a rural youth. 

Overall, hopefully this mix will introduce you to - and maybe re-introduce you to - some excellent, very likable vintage country songs that will add just the right dash of sexy drawl, festive twang, and outlaw attitude to your event.

Listen to the mix here.

Remixes of Big Band, Swing & Early Rock 'n' Roll Classics: A New Way to Freshen Up a Theme Party, or Any Event

On New Year's Eve, we had an excellent time ushering in 2009 by DJ-ing a huge party at a venue in lower Manhattan that featured a Roaring Twenties theme. (You can see some photos of the party below, and a photo slideshow of the night at Dan's blog, located at www.discjockeynyc.com)

Most guests brought a lot of Jazz Age spirit with them, and it was cool to look out into the crowd and see many of the women sporting stylish flapper hairstyles and the guys adjusting crisp fedoras. The event featured bands playing Dixieland-style jazz, a burlesque show, and even a group performing a fire-throwing routine (not exclusively 1920s, but it does get your attention!).

For our part in adding to the atmosphere, we played original and remixed versions of big band and swing tunes from Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Louis Prima, Cab Calloway and revivalist swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, along with rockabilly and rock 'n' roll that had a swing-style rhythm to it, like Bill Haley, Elvis, and revivalist rock 'n' roll bands like the Stray Cats. Even though space was tight, everyone seemed to find enough room to dance, and the sexy vintage mix really went well with the retro Bacchanalia of the evening. And it was great to see the crowd sharing a sentimental moment to the swingin' big band version of "Auld Lang Syne" that we played the moment the clock hit midnight.

DJ-ing theme parties is great fun, and gives you and your guests a chance to delve deeper into genres than you usually can, and if the crowd is into these genres from the beginning, it can be an amazingly unique experience. But, being locked into a few genres for the whole event can also get boring quickly unless you have ways to freshen things up. This is especially true if the theme only involves a single genre or just a couple kinds of music, and if some of the crowd are neutral in their feelings toward the genre(s) that are featured.

Keeping things lively, though, can be done in many ways, such as playing lesser-known songs in these styles that still have a great rhythm; playing more cover versions of well known songs in the specific styles; throwing out a few mash-ups of songs; or finding related music that might not be instantly obvious to play, and stretches the borders of the theme a bit while still feeling right - in the case of our New year's Eve party, this was the "newer" (from the '90s and '80s) swing- and early rock-influenced artists I mentioned above, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the Stray Cats.

The most venerable way, though, for the DJ to liven things up and extend the party when spinning at a theme or any event is the remix. And while remixes have been used to extract maximum sweat from dance floor patrons since the disco era, for music from the first half of the 20th Century, this really hasn't been much of an option (save for that irritating version of "Puttin' on the Ritz" and its remixes done by Taco in the mid '80s). But recently, there have been more remix versions being made of big band, swing and rock 'n' roll songs from the '20s, '30s, '40s and '50s. Most of the good remixes of this type add thicker, modern-sounding beats to carefully, stylishly re-assembled versions of the original songs. (An album cover of a compilation of these remixes, Big Band Remixed & Reinvented, is pictured above.) At our New Year's Eve party, being able to sprinkle these songs in our set was a welcome addition, as it gave the crowd something that was at once both familiar and accessible, but also new and different, and our crowd really responded well to this fresh vibe.

We'd definitely suggest including a few of these remixed vintage songs at your event - whether your event is a theme party featuring vintage music only, or if you simply want to feature a set of songs from these older eras at a non-theme event. Ultimately, this emerging kind of "vintage remix" is great to have available, as it re-energizes older genres that can sometimes sound tired to many ears, yet are often wanted or needed at events that feature multiple age groups. Better yet, there's a range of moods to these remixes as well - some more suited for a lounge atmosphere, some for the heavy dancing part of the event that usually comes later on.

See what you think. Here's some samples of these kind of remixes: the first takes the Gene Krupa version of the swing classic "Bugle Call Rag" and attaches to a set of sexy, late-night beats; the second tune is a high-energy, swinged-out remix of the even more classic "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley. If you want the full range of these remixed songs, go to our complete iTunes mix, located here.

 

An Excellent Bluesy Soul Number for Your Event's Cocktail Hour or Dinner: Mel Torme, “Comin’ Home Baby”

When it comes to events that include a cocktail hour or dinner in which jazz standards by classic male vocalists are wanted, clients often eagerly suggest either Sinatra, Dean Martin, or Tony Bennett. The name Mel Torme, a contemporary of these others, doesn’t often come up, though. I think it’s because in the casual listener’s mind - a mind that's not familiar with Torme's entire range of musical moods - his vocal style is considered a bit too showy or cutesy, and therefore might pose the risk of giving the event a schmaltzy air.

It’s unfortunate. In a gentler world, you’d be able to play a tender, lullaby-esque Torme song like “Brooklyn Bridge” at the early part of an event without fear that those under 65 will think you’re lame or a wimp, but for now, we’ve got to keep most of these playfully sweet vintage songs (come on, a lot of you like listen to them now and then) confined to our headphones, car stereos, or Valentine’s Day.

Mel Torme recorded a lot of albums during his career, though, and there’s a good amount of his songs that aren’t light and cute, but sexy and swingin.’ And some songs even veer into soul territory. The best example I’ve found of this is his hit from 1962, “Comin’ Home Baby.” The song kicks off with a bluesy piano riff and a gritty, smoky vocal that makes you think you’re listening to Ray Charles. Because Torme abandons his velvety romantic croon for this more soul-esque sound, coupled with the female back-up singers sultrily calling back in response to his singing, you get the impression in this tune that Torme isn’t interested in comin’ home to sweetly give you flowers and a peck on the lips, but that instead, when he arrives he'll take his girl right into the bedroom and - well, you get the idea.

We’ve played this song before during cocktail hour at events, and once a man asked who did it. When I told him, he looked surprised. I recall he seemed to expect me to say it was someone like Ray Charles or Otis Redding. But I think he walked away with a more impressive image of Mel Torme. Hopefully you will as well.

Mel Torme - Comin' Home Baby

All Kinds of Off the Beaten Track Christmas Songs

It’s a few days after Thanksgiving, and, like most everywhere else in the country, in New York City the usual Christmas songs are starting to be played at establishments everywhere there's a sound system, from the tiny bodegas to the biggest department stores.

We know there’s plenty of you out there who don’t want to hear that same old, one-size-fits-all mainstream radio template of holiday songs that essentially boils down to a heavy dose of mid-century crooners with a splash of Paul McCartney or Mariah Carey thrown in now and then. So, we’ve put together an iTunes mix of about 40 excellent Christmas songs, most of which you likely haven’t heard at all. While some of these tunes are traditional Christmas songs that have been covered by newer artists and others are original Christmas songs that have received little or no mainstream radio airplay, taken together, all these songs cover a very  wide range of genres. The only criteria for the mix was that the songs be memorably well-performed, rather unfamiliar or underplayed, but also accessible. In other words, this mix is comprised of music you might hear at a party where the DJ is playing fresh Christmas songs to satisfy all kinds of musical tastes.

To that end, we’ve arranged the mix like you’re arriving at the start of a party: We begin with some ambient tunes, then things pick up from there, building intensity as we move through alt-country, indie pop, loungey electronica, jazz, soul, reggae, soca, salsa, meringue, Latin pop, hip-hop, and rock. Hopefully, after you’ve listened to the mix, you’ll feel good that there’s a lot of fresh Christmas music out there of many styles, and by artists you might not have known had risked potential embarrassment to record Christmas songs!

Some highlights of the mix include the Cocteau Twins' dreamy take on "Frosty the Snowman," which manages the difficult task of sounding ethereal and otherworldly while remaining faithful to the song's simple melody; a remixed version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" that uses thick beats and well-placed horn samples to do a great job of sexing up this often-played song (featured on the album Merry Mixmas that's pictured); and Soca General's "Santa Bring de Soca," a quick, happy burst of tropical-sounding festiveness that will surely get you to look for a place to put your winter coat if you hear the song while anywhere near a dance floor.

So, throw some of the songs from this mix on your iPod, and you might even be able to get through the whole season without even hearing "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

You can listen to the mix here.

A Warm, Sweet Serving of Vintage Jazz Vocals: June Christy, “Sing Something Simple” & “You’re Making Me Crazy”

Whatever the event, if there's a dinner component to it, clients usually want the energy of the music to be lowered a bit so they don’t need to "fight the songs" to have a conversation. At a corporate event, clients tend to request tunes that are light and playful; at weddings, we often get requests for more sentimental and romantic songs; at private parties the music during dinner depends on the reason for the celebration, but often it's a mixture of both aforementioned styles. And while we get requests for the softer side of many different genres of music, everyone almost always wants to hear a few jazz vocals.

Of course, being in New York City for your event naturally brings out a desire in many clients to hear some Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday or Frank Sinatra (for my previous post about our favorite Sinatra tunes, go here). But, since the dinner part of an event is less about particular songs being played than establishing a specific kind of lively but gentle atmosphere, we like to mix in jazz vocal songs that aren't as familiar as the first tier of famous male and female jazz vocalists. Sometimes we play some newer jazz vocalists, like Madeleine Peyroux or the vintage-sounding, loungey electronic jazz of Koop, but sometimes we spin lesser-known vocalists from the mid-century heydays of Sinatra and Ella.

One of my favorites of these artists is a jazz vocalist named June Christy. Popular in the mid-'50s to mid-'60s, Christy shares the clean, crisp, slightly husky vocal style of Keely Smith or Ella Fitzgerald. But in Christy’s more swingin’ and playful songs – such as the two sampled here, “Sing Something Simple” and “You’re Making Me Crazy” – her vocals come across not as smoky or sultry like these other great female voices often do, but instead as simply warm and sweet.

It’s as if when Christy sings these songs, you can imagine her walking down a city street or a country road as colorful animated birds flying around her – like she’s singing nursery rhymes for adults. Yet since she doesn’t have a high or a tiny voice, things never feel too precious or “cutesy.” Because of the touch of huskiness and depth to her vocals, the sweetness of these songs take on a rich, lush quality that’s rather lovely and unique. And, of course, goes great with whatever you’re having for dinner.

Download 04 Sing Something Simple.m4a (4316.8K) Download 04 You're Making Me Crazy.m4a (2336.7K)

A Vintage Instrumental to Get Your Hips Shakin While Drinkin': Freddie King, "Sen-Sa-Shun"

At events when we spin music for cocktail hour - be it at a wedding, corporate event, private party, fashion show, cruise, or virtually any other kind of gig - there may not be any expectation to build a dance vibe, but there definitely is a subtle craft to DJ-ing music while people are having drinks. The time when people arrive and mingle at an event before a dinner, presentation, or a reception is a time, we believe, where the vibe should be upbeat and bouncy and often, just a little bit sexy. On the other hand, the music shouldn't be too loud or "in the way" that guests have to yell while conversing. Basically, when we spin at a cocktail hour, we want people to mingle comfortably, but we also like it when we see a few heads bouncing, or somebody's hips moving a bit as they wait at the bar for a drink.

Often we like to play fun, uptempo instrumentals at a cocktail hour, from the '60s soul-jazz of Ramsey Lewis' "Wade in the Water" to the mellow hip hop of a piano version of Soul II Soul's "Jazzie's Groove" to the Latin-tinged lounge electronica of Nicola Conte. But rarely do we find an instrumental that fits into as many genres as "Sen Sa Shun" by blues guitar legend Freddie King (pictured). I recently discovered this fun, infectious track and I anticipate adding it into our cocktail set immediately. Like many of King's more well-known instrumentals like "Hide Away" and "The Stumble," he doesn't have a wasted lick in the roughly three minutes of the song, a song that seems to dare you not to move some part of your body to its gritty, pleasant rhythm. What I think is so impressive about this tune is how it has distinct echoes of so many genres in it: blues, soul, early rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, surf music, and even a twang of country. And it's all blended together so perfectly, just like a great cocktail.

Listen!