Book Description
Now updated for a new generation of swing enthusiasts, reissued to coincide with the release of "The World of Swing" CD from Columbia/Legacy This monumental history of big band jazz, documented through interviews with forty leading musicians, has been updated with a new introduction and discography by Dan Morgenstern. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An essential work --"I would rather be dead" than not swing!
The people interviewed in this book are leading Swing musicans. They may not be well-known to the neo-swingsters, or those whose idea of swing is big band white swing groups that were essentially pop oriented parasites on Black music, nor are post swing proto rock and rollers misidentified with Swing like Louis Jordan or Louis Prima featured.

However, if you interested in serious swing musicians who were at the center of the jazz swing music, African American pioneers, and jazz oriented white musicians this is your book.

Dance is a great interviewer here and in his other world of books. He gets behind the common places to points that MUSICIANS really want to know about the player's experience.

An example is the interview he did with Elmer Snowden in which a dying Snowden allows him to use his secret that he used guitar strings on his banjo is precisely for those of us who recognize Snowden as a major Jazz banjoist, a major band leader, a senior stateman of Jazz, even though he may remain unknown among white yuppie swing wannabes (or has another fad captivated these know-nothings?).

Dance also interviews enough of the great arrangers--a group neglected by everyone except musicians and serious swing fans--that we get a pictures of their contributions.

This book is not narrow. There are lots of connections from the Swing world of the 30s and 40s back to earlier forms of Jazz and forward to bop, R & B, and even rock and roll here.

My favorite part of the book is where he takes a poll of all his interviewees. My favorite part is where the musicians are asked what they would do if they were not musician. We see a bunch of interesting alternatives that help you gauge the personality and background with their alternatives.My favorite is the player--I will let you discover who he is--who says "I would rather be dead" than not play music!I've used that as a watchword not only for music but for the better things in life morally, artistically, and every other way.

Some pretty obscure folks???
Now when I ordered this book I was under the assumption it would be about Big Bands and Swing (isn't that pretty much the title?).Now when most people think of Big Bands they think of Miller, Dorsey, Shaw, Herman, Thornhill, or even famous sidemen from these bands such as Conrad Gozzo for example. But this book is filled with some pretty obscure folks, ie: Lawrence Lucie,Billy Mackel,Eddie Locke and of course famous ones that you'll recognize such as Erskine Hawkins, Cozy Cole, Chick Webb etc..but for those fans thinking it will be about possibly there favorite band leader or about the music that was played or by who they will be sadly mistaken. Not that the book is un -interesting, it's just not what I was expecting when I ordered it. So buyer beware ..... ... Read more

Book Description
Step-by-step lessons from the basics of the Foxtrot to the nuances of the Argentine Tango are presented in detailed description and over 1300 informative full-color photographs, illustrations and diagrams. Beginners and advanced dancers alike will find the lessons easy, fun and a novel way to spend time with new partners, add spice to mature relationships or find a new dance mate.

This book covers an immense selection of styles for every kind of music from the Electric Slide, the Hustle and the Chicken Walk to the Viennese Waltz, the Slow Foxtrot and the Modern Tango. Specific dance moves like Spot Turns, Hip Twists and Feather Steps will make any couple an instant sensation on the dance floor.

Full of footprint diagrams, style tips, music suggestions and hints on getting started, this big book has everything that you need to explore the exhilarating world of ballroom and club dancing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

BEAUTIFUL BOO K - ALMOST USELESS INFORMATION
BEWARE:This book describes the International Style of ballroom dance. NOT the American style. Perhaps 10% of American dance students are learning International.

EXAMPLE:THE WALTZ

American Waltz:
The basic figure is a square in which the man starts by stepping forward with the left foot and the dancers return to the starting position in 6 beats, making a square.

International Waltz:
The basic figure is a zig-zag. The man starts with the RIGHT foot and the dancers travel around the dance floor in a zig-zag pattern.

It would be great if Paul Bottomer would write a similar beautiful book for American ballroom dancers.

Dave Palmer

good complement for beginning international dancers
Many of the dances taught in this book are international style. If you plan to dance in the USA, you should know that social dancing is mainly American style for beginners.

The book is richly illustrated with photos. However, the angle of the photos changes randomly. So if you see a dance couple facing different directions in consecutive photos, maybe they have turned, or maybe the photographer moved. You have to read the accompanying text to tell.

I think this book is a good complement for beginning to advance-beginnning international dancers. You cannot completely rely on the book to learn techniques because while it does touches on them somewhat, it mostly concentrates on dance patterns. It will give you a rough idea of what a particular step looks like and give you the name of the step. If you have learned the step before, this would serve as a good review.

Can't learn how to dance from this book.
It's a good reference book if you know how to dance. If you're a beginner and try to learn from this book, you're in deep trouble. Unless you can translate "move you left foot to left, reflex your right knee, shift your weight on to the left on beat 3" description into movement right away, you'll go through one basic movement in hours. If you want to improve your dance skill, it may be helpful. Since I'm a total beginner, I can't say that for sure.

Good overview of ballroom dance
This book outlines most of the ballroom dances from a pictorial point ofview with the assistance of footstep illustrations. Its virtue is it ispretty comprehensive, with most of the ballroom dances discussed. Even somedances considered a little risque, such as the lambada, are discussed inthe book. No doubt that professional instructors will find areas ofdisagreement in the advice and the patterns developed, but no book cancover all the idiosyncrasies of styling that exist in ballroom classes.Agood book to have when learning ballroom, and the price is very reasonable.

Disapointed
Disappointed

It looked like a very easy reading book, and it turned out to be a very confusing bunch of steps and pictures. And by the way, I have asked my swing instructor about the steps and he had found some mistakes. ... Read more

Book Description
The third in the Quickstart dance series deals with the most popular dance in the world from America's most popular author of books on the topic of dance.

100 Swing Variations with Applications in the following 4 Rhythms:

1. Single - Street or Club
2. Double - Jitterbug
3. Double - Kick
4. Triple - East Coast Swing

This text is presented in a logical, easy to understand, cumulative format that includes all the basic and advanced skills necessary for the successful learning, partnering, and teaching of Swing dancing.

Quickstart to Swing is written with Jeff Allen's noted kinesiological approach along with the mental and physical attitudes and philosophies that will make any level dancer successful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Lots of room for improvement
I used to do a fair amount of swing dancing (east coast) when it was very popular in the late 90's and am a bronze level (i.e., novice) ballroom dancer.I wanted a bit of a refresher and a way to expand some of my swing dancing patterns.So despite the negative reviews, I had high hopes for this book.First, the positive.Allen is very focused on the technical aspects of swing dancing and the book is filled with detailed instruction on how to do the little things correctly -- this is essential because it allows you to dance with anyone familiar with swing dancing (as opposed to the club style of dancing which is very idiosyncratic and only allows you to dance effetively with those who are familiar with the particular club's (or area's) style).Unfortunately -- as other reviewers have noted -- his writing is extremely weak.There are frequent grammatical errors and his prose is very, very difficult to follow.In a book that is geared toward instruction and teaching, this -- of course -- is a huge weakness.If you're very patient and focused, and don't mind really working through his explanations, you'll probably get something out of the book.Realistically though, it would be much easier and quicker (and only slightly more expensive) to learn basic swing dancing by finding a good instructor for group lessons.

Trustworthy - Absolutely!
Not only is this book loaded with the best technique from the beginner through advanced level, but the author will actually help you with your dancing through the email process!As suggested by a former reviewer I called and did in fact reach the author. He said that the 800# was used primarily for sales and for hiring him as a coach or a teacher.All books can be returned through the store from which they were purchased in a reasonable amount of time but NOT after they are used.

My Swing dancing has improved exponentially since applying Allen's techniques.I also learned that you may substitute several rhythms of Swing interchangeably while dancing without disrupting your partner - what fun!!The flick - ball - change is a fabulous substitute for the Swing Rock!Steps like the "Jig Walks" and all kinds of pretzel variations to make dancing exciting with much less boring repetition. Good work, great book.

Confusing & False Advertising
I have only read a little bit of this book, but from the very beginning it is very confusing.Also, it seems to have many typographical errors.

At the beginning of the book there is a "Warning-Disclaimer" which states, in part, "there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content."At the end of the Warning-Disclaimer, it states in bold letters, "If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may return this book to the publisher, in marketable condition, for a full refund."

I called the publisher about this.The author himself, Jeff Allen, answered the phone.I said that I wanted to return it in accordance with the Warning-Disclaimer, but he absolutely refused.

I feel that this book is DEFINITELY NOT FOR BEGINNERS and contains what you could more or less call FALSE ADVERTISING.

This Book Delivered for ME!
I bought this book three years ago based on one of favorable reviews by the party known as Dance Reviewer. Without fear of contradiction I would like to mention two points: 1. I have yet to have a dance teacher that had the knowledge or the ability to disseminate that knowledge, as found in this comprehensive Swing manual.2. The more I learn about Swing dance specifically and dance in general I grow to appreciate the contents of Jeff Allen's book.Buy it if you have any interest in Swing dance!

You'll Cherish It
While there may be some grammatical flaws in this book, there are absolutely none in the dance technique discussed and taught by Allen.If you're a dancer you must own this book.If you're a Swing dancer you have to have this book.If you're a NEW dancer you need to have this book, I promise all three categories you'll cherish it in the long run!There are paragraphs that are so chock full of dancing pearls that they are worth the price of admission by themselves. ... Read more

Book Description
Lee Evans' snappy arrangements of 12 swingin' standards: Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy) * Ballin' the Jack * For Want of a Star (La Comparsa) * I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now * Let's Dance * Lollipop * Mah-Na, Mah-Na * My Gal Sal * My Shawl * Paper Doll * The Peanut Vendor (El Manisero) * Port-Au-Prince. ... Read more

Book Description

Ever since her 1981 nomination to the Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has consistently provided the "swing vote" between a four-justice bloc of liberals and a four-justice bloc of conservatives. Rarely in the minority on any case, her position in 5-4 splits has usually prevailed. Swing Dance looks at her key role in the 2003 controversial University of Michigan affirmative action cases, which spelled out a new approach to how race may be used in admissions. These contentious decisions preserved affirmative action but applied it less strictly, without assigning any numerical advantage, or extra points, to minority applicants, as Michigan had done in the past. Many now believe they will serve as a model for how other public universities can seek to create diverse campuses in a constitutionally permissible way.

Product Description
Price and book guide for 78 RPM records but the best part of this great book is the rare label info and the Mini Biographies and pics of the Big Band and Swing Band Leaders and members. B&W Photographs Oversized Paperback Wow, I'm in the mood ! ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on February 29, 2004. The length of the article is 783 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dance, cry, swing with Eileen Faxas.(singer's sound recording, upcoming concert)(Entrevista)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 29, 2004
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 10Issue: 574Page: S3(1)

Article Type: Entrevista

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
In a world dominated by teenagers, it is easy to forget that popular culture once catered to adults. A countercultural "Gen-X" writer shows in his new book that the rise of rock and roll and the suburbanization of America have produced a narcissistic society drained of joy and hope. Yet in the spreading revival of swing dancing-an artifact of a more sophisticated and convivial way of life-he detects a harbinger of cultural renewal.

Mr. Judge recalls the Washington neighborhood of Shaw, birthplace of Duke Ellington and once a stylish hub of black culture, which was suddenly devastated by riots and radicalism in the 1960s-a fate emblematic of urban America in general. Suburbia's simultaneous conquest of America delivered the death blow to adult culture. Without the traditional "third place"-the tavern, dance hall, or corner post office where neighbors once met-civic life withered and families retreated into domestic cocoons.

The rock-and-roll culture that replaced the ballrooms of Shaw is adolescent, narcissistic, and humorless to the point of suicide. And despite its pretense of rebellion, rock has become the establishment-elitist, intolerant, and hollow. Mr. Judge finds true rebellion in the exuberant, breezy, joyful world of swing, a world where people are not afraid to have fun. With its emphasis on elegance and maturity, practice and skill, and complementary roles for men and women, it is an antidote to our demoralized popular culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hitting the Nail on the Head!
How refreshing to find someone, in a world that tells us over and overthat good's bad and bad's good, who can see and is willing to declare theemperor's nakedness.Mark Judge describes himself as a former left-wingradical who, through tough personal experiences, came to reject his ownleftism.(Why is it almost always thus, and not the other way around?)Bythoroughly and convincingly tweaking the precepts and icons of the left onthe subject of our current American culture, he's undoubtedly invoked theire and disdain of the literary establishment.So be it - the changes thathe chronicles, centering around the Swing Revival in Washington DC inrecent months, would never have occurred anyway had not thatestablishment's campaign of suppression and misdirection against ourcultural life already begun to collapse into its own vacuum.At 118 pagesit's a quick and easy, yet provocative, read; its rich set of referencesinvites further study.If I were to pick a bone with Mr. Judge, though, itwouldn't be at all about his analysis and conclusions - for me they hit thenail right on the head!It would be about his somewhat pessimistic viewthat those of us with the common sense to be able to distinguish beautyfrom trash should be prepared to settle for a secret cultural life underthe vast ocean of putrescence that styles itself as today's Americanculture.Remember the little boy who told the crowd what the emperor wasreally wearing?Take heart - we only need one plain voice being heard bymost Americans to break this vast and entrenched spell against our betternature.After reading "If It Ain't Got That Swing," I'mpersuaded that Mark Gauvreau Judge is now, and will continue to wax heavyas a key chord in that Voice.Thanks for a great book and keep swingin',Mr. Judge -they've wishfully pronounced Swing dead, but they ain't seennothin' yet!

The music one listens to actually matters
I don't see how one could read Mark Judge's book with any care and then write that in his ideal world "there would be a lot more BrittanySpears and N-Sync."He makes a solid argument that the kind ofpopular music people listen to has an effect on the tone of society.Hegoes on to argue that the popular music of 50 years ago was associated witha healthier social life than we have now.That is not "mindlessnostalgia".Judge may or may not be right in his interpretation ofthe evidence (and I have my own doubts about swing music), but his bookcannot be dismissed as a "boring, self-righteous rant against humanexpression and substance in art". Indeed, the thrust of his argumentis precisely that the "substance" of art matters. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on April 13, 2003. The length of the article is 899 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A swing through Eugene.(Entertainment)(The touring version of the Broadway musical ``Swing'' - a song and dance revue of feel-good hits from the '30s and '40s - features an Oregon native)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: April 13, 2003
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: L3

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent book for dancers at all levels
This book does not attempt to teach steps.It is clearly written with lots of graphics.It is the best book I've read on the principles of couple dancing. The author does a great job of distilling dance concepts. ... Read more