Music
Hot Swing Combo
The Hot Swing Combo was created for the sole purpose of providing dancers the opportunity to be as expressive, creative and innovative as possible while dancing to a group of less than 8 musicians. Big Bands with their excellent arrangements and strength in numbers were/are an obvious choice for dancers. But what if a smaller swing combo, able to incorporate multiple genres including hot Gypsy jazz and sexy Cabaret vocal stylings, could offer dancers varying tempos, inspiring solos, and an endless supply of energy combined with some non-jazz material that shouldn’t work?
The musicians in the combo are the real deal. Previous performances include Midwest Lindyfest 2005-2007, Washington DC Lindy Exchange 2007, Cowtown Jamborama 2007, Hawkeye Swing Festival 2008, Twin Cities Rhythm and Jazz Revival 2008 and of course the birthplace for the group - Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown 2004-2008. Some of the finest musicians in the Twin Cities are seen with the HSC, including members from the Twin Cities Hot Club and the Southside Aces. This combination of musicians with their shared respect for tradition and need for innovation is spectacular.
"All of the live music kicked ass but the band on Friday was seriously the best band I've ever seen in my entire life." —DJ Ryan Swift
DJs
Head DJ, Allen Kerr, Washington DC
Allen has been ravenously collecting music since 2005 and found he has a knack for finding music that delights and inspires dancers. He has Djed many national events, including All Balboa Weekend, Bal Jam, Eastern Balboa Championships, Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout, and International Lindy Hop Championships. Allen also spins regularly for DC's Bal night, the Jam Cellar, and numerous other local dances.
Laura Windley, Chapel Hill, NC
Laura began DJ’ing in Greenville, NC in 2001 for the yet-to-be-formed ECU Swing Dance Club, chosen by default because she had the most swing CDs (which, at the time, was about 10). Since then, her music collection has expanded greatly to become a joyous selection of swinging music. She loves female vocalists, bouncy instrumental tunes, songs with lyrics that make her laugh, and, above all, hot trombone solos.
Katie Gumpertz, Minneapolis, MN
Katie's musical style can be summed up in two words: "syncopation junkie." To her, there's nothing better than a bass plucking down the scale, saxes repeating a riff, and trumpets "blip blipping" on top of the whole thing. Expect to hear some Chick Webb, Earl Hines, Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong--as well as many modern takes on trad jazz, gypsy jazz, and, of course, classic swing. Katie has DJed at the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, Midwest Lindyfest, Pazaz Dance, a hoppin' night in Toulouse,and many other places. She had a lot of fun DJing the 2008 Twin Cities Balboa Festival and is looking forward to this year’s event.
Mary Freitag, Los Angeles, CA
Mary Freitag, also known as DJ Friday, began DJ'ing sweet sweet swing music in her college town of San Luis Obispo. After graduating, she moved back home to LA and has been DJ'ing it up at bunches of venues and Balboa events all over. Mary loves playing the music that inspires her to dance, and can usually be found playing good old classic swing with gypsy jazz sprinkled on top - yummy.
more to come...