'Early in the Morning' - C.W. Stoneking

"Well I'm never goin back, to that country again,
If I live for a long, long time,
Where my guitar played itself, leanin by the wall,
It give me a worried mind"

The first song by C.W. Stoneking I remember hearing was The Marching of the Drum, a song that was popular in Ann Arbor for ballroomin' (also elsewhere, but I'll keep to immediate experiences). I always assumed, based on the 'faded' quality of the recording that C.W. Stoneking was some obscure artist who recording in the 40s. As usual, my initial assumptions were incorrect. The ragged, weary voice and mournful plucking of the guitar that comes through on 'Early in the Morning' is actually that of a contemporary Australian. He varies how he records his music to get that almost stereo-typically vintage sound of his album Jungle Blue, of which 'Early in the Morning' belongs.

I enjoy 'Early in the Morning' for two reasons. The first, it is simply a unique song to dance to, and secondly, it falls under a 'crossover' category in my DJ brain. As a dancer, I appreciate this song for its overall simplicity with rhythmic subtlety. Instruments come in almost in a round and the song ends the same way, with first the vocals, percussion, bass, and finally the guitar fading into silence. In my own movement this inspires light traveling, moments of suspension, and if my partner is feeling it with me isolation exploration with the banjo line.

As a DJ, I appreciated the versatility this sound brings to the floor. The picking in the banjo keeps a delta/country feel to my ear pervasive throughout the song. However, the bass line is a tuba-possibly sousaphone-chugging underneath the voice and guitar. These elements combine to make a song that allows me to shift gears to go deeper in a delta/country blues feel, or Jazzier as the case may be. It's a song that is hard not to DJ too much, lest it become stale.

C.W. Stoneking himself, as said before, is Australian. He was first introduced to blues by rummaging through his father's music collection and listening to Living With The Blues, an early blues compilation album. In the biography section of his website, Stoneking writes:

“When I first heard it I thought it was kinda funny music”, he told a Dutch interviewer a few years ago, “because it was so deconstructed and not really adhering to any rules that I’d been told music [should] fit into. And the more I listened to it, I just liked it more and more.”

C.W. Stoneking received many ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Award nominations for Jungle Blues', eventually winning 'Best Blues and Roots Album' for Jungle Blues.

I was reminded of the Blues Dance World Podcast episode on the history of BluesSHOUT with Sara Cherny. She was musing on how blues dancing and the music has spread from the United States and been embraced the world over. Larger portions of the attendance of BluesSHOUT are made up of international dancers from European countries, Australia, and South Korea to name a few. Blues music and dance is appreciated the world over, and a young Australian really digging into that sound fits into the larger pattern.

I couldn't find any covers of this song, as it is an original composition.

Sources:
http://www.allmusic.com/song/early-in-the-mornin-mt0018683736
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._W._Stoneking
http://www.cwstoneking.com/
http://bluesdanceworld.com/2016/12/31/january-1st-2017-blues-dance-world-podcast-season-2-ep-09-a-decade-of-shout/

On Movement Cross-Training

Cross-training is largely beneficial both for social dancing and competition. Socially, I feel more aware as a lead and better able to respond. Competition-wise, I feel better prepared to take certain risks, more confidence in my ability to move, and regardless of tempo or duration dance without fatigue. This is not to say that anything goes. I want to draw these points this way because I think of cross-training as distinct from Fusion as a philosophy/dance. Cross-training gives rise to options, abilities, and inspirations that accomplish better blues idiom dancing.

In reading Steppin' on the Blues by Jacqui Malone, cross-fertilization is discussed in reference to music: "Many African American musicians developed their artistry by composing and playing in several different, but mutually enriching arenas , including back minstrel bands, military bands, dance bands, marching bands, and bands that performed in traveling shows and musical theater”[emphasis mine] (pg. 144). Further, "many jazz musicians merged their vernacular training with the education they received from women and men schooled in European music." Historically, there has been cross-training within the music, and I do not think it is a stretch to suggest, given the writer's emphasis on the closeness of music and movement (in the same section the emphasis of cross over between military drill groups and dancers) that a person wouldn't just do one dance or kind of dance, rather participate in a range of dances and movement styles. While dancers have the ability to move in a number of ways, that movement is expressed based on the music supports..  

I'm defining cross-training as training in other movement sets outside of a primary set of movements and/or aesthetic. Granted, this is pretty general, so I turned to Wikipedia, which defines cross training as 'athletic training in sports other than the athlete's usual sport. The goal is improving overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of one training method to negate the shortcomings of another.' Dictionary.com offers a similar definition, though with the caveat of 'to learn different, usually related, tasks, skills, jobs, etc.'

In our modern blues scene many of our leaders, teachers, and organizers have multiple dance backgrounds while still being grounded in blues idiom movement. Looking at the BluesSHOUT 2016 All-Star JnJ in particular, most of the finalists have backgrounds or experience in addition to the modern iteration of blues dances. Our competition formats are interesting in that dancers are expected to know and adapt their movement to the genre of blues that is being played (see competitions like Nocturne’s 2016 Challenge Strictly and Snowbound Blues’ All Star Strictly).

I'll divide this into two major themes: cross-training as ability and cross-training as inspiration. I think of these ideas as two broader categories that have intersections, but I will provide few examples for each from my own and other’s experiences.

Cross-training as ability (CTaA)

CTaA I think of as getting access to strength, stamina, or movement I wasn't capable of doing before, mostly coming from non-dance activities like weight lifting, running, yoga, martial arts, etc. This might be in terms of flexibility, ability to dance for longer periods of time, or in my experience comfort with weight sharing. An aspect of the personal and group training I have done at my gym is strength training. We don't skip leg day. I've found that the number of people I can do various forms of weight sharing movements with has increased, more comfort and security in lunges, basing, and other kinds of supported forms. This kind of cross-training ultimately makes me feel like I can keep up or simply be more physically present, both in social dancing and competition.

Another, less physical, example of CTaA would be musical training. Do you have an ear for what the rhythms are likely to do? Laura Chieko, for example, has an ear for clarinet tonality as well as a marching band background. She cites this as her first movement style. Marching band, for those who may be less familiar, is basically about being on beat and keeping up with the tempo of the music.

Cross-training as Inspiration (CTaI)

CTaI I think of as pulling ideas from other dance styles. This could come in two models: the surprise 'hey this thing my body knows how to do works here' or the calculated 'I wonder if I can make this fit here'. Damon Stone gave a talk on the history of Struttin' and Lonestar Strut 2016 in Austin, TX and made a comment about a dance changing naturally over time versus specifically trying to change the dance from the inside.

One example of the 'surprise' idea for me is balboa footwork in Struttin'. This can be tricky, because struttin' has a particular aesthetic, the drop and roll through the hips, whereas balboa is more upright, moving as a unit without the isolation of the hips or torso. One idea I have pulled naturally into my blues movement from balboa is moving through the entire foot, rolling from the ball to the heel or side to side. Certain triple step ideas can be modified as well. These ideas make sense with a certain kind of music. Since these things have sprung up into my dancing I can reflect on how the movements appear within aesthetic and make modifications. These aren't tactical decisions when they happen the first time, but generally happy accidents that can be refined. Early incorporation of Argentine Tango ochos and similar movements into our shared vocabulary might also fall under this framework.

An example of the calculated approach is an idea to reimagine the Dean Collins Shim Sham in the blues aesthetic, humorously dubbed the Blues Collins Shim Sham. A group of us were exploring different choreography ideas and I happened to be learning a Balboa routine at the time which involved learning the whole Dean Collins Shim Sham. The whole break at slow tempos kept inspiring me as I collected under my left foot to drop further into the ground, breaking lines and engaging my hip in a more bluesy kind of way. We came up with a modified take on the line dance thinking about how grounding, posture, and musical structure (12 bar phrases versus 8) impacted how the dance. That was a very targeted and calculated approach when drawing inspiration.

Stepping outside of our normal movement routines can be a great way to get out of a dance rut. If nothing else, spending some gym time with a workout buddy or personal trainer can be a good way to correct movement technique and protect the all important knees. Try the fencing class, some running, yoga, or something else. Ultimately, our understanding of how we move can be informed by working another skill set and give us a different kind of ability and inspiration.

"It's Love Baby (24 Hours Of The Day)" - Ruth Brown

While in Grand Rapids in October I was inspired to dig into artist Ruth Brown thanks to a phenomenal swing & blues DJ, Andi Hansen. A song Andi loves to listen to is Ruth Brown's "It's Love Baby (24 Hours of the Day)". As a consequence, I really enjoy it too.

Ruth Brown first signed with Atlantic records. Throughout the fifties Ruth Brown had hit after hit on the Billboard R&B chart. According to Wikipedia, between 1949 and 1955 records by Brown stayed on the R&B chart for a total of 149 weeks: 16 top 10 records, along with 5 number one hits. During the sixties she receded from the public view to care for her family. In 1975 she came back to a musical career that eventually included winning a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical as well as a Grammy for Best Female Jazz Artist.

Other notable awards include:  recipient of the Pioneer Award (1989), inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame (1992), inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993), and another Grammy nomination for R + B = Ruth Brown (1997).

Ruth Brown had hosted a program carried by NPR affiliates called BluesStage. I wasn't able to find any recordings of the program itself, but I did find an interview she did with NPR from 1993. In this interview Brown talks about her early life, admiration for Billie Holiday, and she sang as well while the host, Marian McPartland, accompanies on piano. One quality Ruth Brown highlights is the joy she injects into the songs she sings. In discussing Fine & Mellow she says she can't help but add more life and playfulness to the song than the Billie Holiday version, similarly with the song that got her inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "Mana, He Treats Your Daughter Mean".

According to Second Hand Songs the song itself was originally recorded by Louis Brooks and His Hi-Toppers in May of 1955. Brown's version was released in August of that year. I enjoy this song because of the energy. It's a driving song with a consistent rhythm section and a playful saxophone. There is a buoyant quality to her version that makes me want to dance (it's now going in the practice rotation).

Some Additional Versions:

It's love Baby - Earl Gaines with Louis Brooks & his Hi-Toppers

The Midnighters - It's Love Baby (24 Hours A Day)

Earl Gaines - It's Love Baby 24 Hours A Day

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Sources
https://secondhandsongs.com/work/34960/originals#nav-entity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Brown
https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/ruth-brown
http://www.npr.org/event/music/358587932/ruth-brown-on-piano-jazz

Signmark: Attending a Deaf (Literally) Rap Concert

On Sunday I attended an event I never thought I would attend.  I went to a deaf hip-hop/rap concert given by Signmark, a deaf rapper.  My friends and I also danced while at the concert (a mix of lindy hop, blues, and west coast) to his music.  It was a great deal of fun for us.  Signmark is a high-energy performer, made even more so by using ASL (American Sign Language) to communicate the lyrics.  He has a counterpart who does the vocal lyrics, but Signmark composes the lyrics and writes the beats himself. 

The crowd itself seemed to be half hearing and half deaf.   It was surprisingly quiet.  I was surprised at the variety of people who knew ASL or used it to communicate.  The six foot five man in the biker jacket with the long white beard and American flag bandana spoke only with his hands.  A knot of older women all signed quietly to each other, no sounds.  Faces are also part of ASL grammar.  It’s a very open language.   You cannot hide what you’re trying to say, and if you do try, you’re being rude. 

One thing you, my reader, may wonder is “how do deaf people enjoy a concert they can’t hear?”  Interesting question, and one for which I have an answer.  Firstly, the speakers.  They were powerful and very, very loud.  For some in the deaf community, it isn’t so much about hearing the music as it is about feeling it.  They can feel the vibrations, especially of the bass.  Additionally, many people at the concert, both hearing and not, had balloons.  A balloon amplifies the vibrations from the speakers.  Holding the balloon makes it easier to feel the music.  I highly recommend giving it a try. 

The lyrics themselves were really clever.  He rapped about deaf culture and deaf life, about problems communicating, but also celebrating the culture and the benefits of belonging.  I’ve included two videos of his songs below. I thought it was a great event and a great experience. 

Edinburgh Bluez Cruize, 2011

Following my trend of dance posts, I decided to mock up a video of the blues exchange I went to last summer in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the Edinburgh Bluez Cruize, still one of my favorite exchanges. It was my first exchange since WCLX 2010, the previous year.

I met a lot of great people who reminded me why I should get back to dancing. I do in some sense owe them for the fantastic weekend I had in Ann Arbor.

Edinburgh Bluez Cruize 2011 from Ross Blythe on Vimeo.

Pirate Swing: The Rundown

I didn’t want this blog to be a diary, but I do want to mention my weekend and how it fit in with some thoughts of mine.

As I mentioned in my last post (http://rethinkmundane.blogspot.com/2012/03/meaningful-calendar-years-dancing.html) dancers often travel to other cities for workshops, social exchanges, etc, to meet new people and improve their dancing (or just party, because, well, do that, too). I had the opportunity to do all three this past weekend by going to Pirate Swing in Ann Arbor, MI. It was a five-hour drive from where I live to the event. I was fortunate to have a great traveling companion who put up with my pseudo-lectures about music, dancing, relationships, and secular life (she was of my basic metaphysical persuasion, so it was a comfortable topic).

Upon arrival, Friday, we jumped right into a class on socially acceptable ways to lift a partner in a dance. Immediately following we jumped into three hours of life music, then one hour of late night blues. Tired, we went back to our host’s house to sleep and clean up for the rest of the weekend: the workshop portion.

In the morning I tried out for the advanced track classes. I was excited to make it in, on the last dance no less. The advanced classes were, well, advanced! Even if I remembered only one thing from each class, I feel I became a much better dancer than before the class. For that day, Saturday, I took over 6 hours of classes, followed by 6 hours of dancing in the evening.

For Saturday evening we were graced by the music of Christabel and the Jons (http://christabelmusic.com/). I highly recommend this band, especially for their blues songs. Also, because it was Pirate Swing, there were people dancing in pirate costumes, some more functional for dancing than others. One of my favorite dances of the evening came at about 3am, to “O Mary Don’t You Weep”, the cover by Bruce Springsteen. But I can honestly say I didn’t have a bad dance the entire weekend. Everyone was wonderful. The people were fantastic.

Sunday was our last class, followed by dancing at Guy Hollerin’, food, drink, and dancing. I can’t think of a better combination. Unless it is food, drink, dancing, and good company to do it with. There was a Sunday late night party with blues and booze. It was a great way to unwind after a tiring but amazing weekend. I was reminded of why I love dancing in the first place and why I need to travel more than I do.

Another lesson we seculars can learn from religious calendars: the weekly stuff can get boring, but every now and then there is a festival occasion that reminds us why we stick around. Pirate Swing felt like one long party, even when it was work, because we love what we do. Dancing isn’t why I breathe, but it sure helps.

Two Videos of Dancing

This is my dance partner and I dancing in a basement. We did this partly to see what we're doing that we don't notice we do (I promise that made sense somehow. We teach a dance class and we're trying to find out habits that we do that are detrimental). The other part of that is just wanting to have some footage of us dancing incase we decide to try teaching else where besides our local scene.

Fusion Dance to "Steppin' Out" from Ross Blythe on Vimeo.

This first video is a mix of Lindy Hop and blues to a song that is not traditionally a Lindy song.

Blues to "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" from Ross Blythe on Vimeo.

This video is more ballroom and drag blues. The connection is closer than previous video. It's more about feeling the dance than getting from point A to point B.