Austin Lindy Hop also offers a range of Disk
Jockey services that can either accompany our performance and special event
services, or be offered on its own. Our interest in dancing has sparked a
uniquely passionate interest and appreciation of music that has made us a
recognized authority on Swing music. We have disk jockeyed events as large
as giant Lindy Hop extravaganzas with thousands of dancers in the Grand Ballroom
at Navy Pier in Chicago, and as small as rinky-dink dances for a small group of friends in
someone's living room. Our Disk Jockeys also regularly spin at weekly dances
held in Austin.
Our Swing, Blues, and Jazz music selection is unrivalled in Austin, with a
catalogue of tens of thousands of songs from hundreds of artists.
Our standard rates begin at $180 for
4 hours (minimum), and $45 per hour thereafter. Please e-mail
Lawrence for more details on availability and sound equipment options.
The genres of music in which we specialize include the
following:
-Big
Band Swing Music
Count
Basie (pictured with orchestra), Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Artie Shaw, Harry James, among
others. Typified by an explosive, upbeat, rhythmic sound that can float
gracefully or groove funky depending on the song. Some of the richest,
most vibrant and complex music around that can superficially uplift you or even
profoundly move you, depending on your level of appreciation or interest.
-Blues
From local greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, W.C. Clark, and T.D. Bell to
Bluesmen from across the country like Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Muddy Waters,
this music is the vibrant godfather to all popular music in America. Hard
rocking (Stevie Ray) or smooth and rolling (Gatemouth Brown), this music is the epitome
of good-time fun. (Snooky Pryor pictured to right.)
-Jump
Blues
Louis
Jordan (pictured with the Tympany 5), Jimmy and Joe Liggins, The Cadets, Etta James, Willie Brown, Louis
Prima, Ella Mae Morse, Roy Milton, among
others. This music is the precursor to Rock and Roll: Bluesy, but with a
light, simple swing rhythm that gives it an upbeat feeling and energy. Great for party dancing or Lindy Hop.
-Vintage
Pop Vocalists
Frank
Sinatra (pictured), Nat "King" Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Tony Bennett,
Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, among others. This genre includes
"swank," mostly jazz rooted music from the 1940s-1960s, where the
vocalist fronted the band and took center stage. It ranges from fun,
rhythmic Swing tunes to crooning ballads to smooth, velvety, martini-lounge
tunes.
-Mainstream
Swing Jazz
Oscar
Peterson, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young (pictured with Billie
Holiday & Ben Webster), Ben Webster (pictured), among
others. This sound is typified by a softer, more sophisticated feeling,
yet is still rhythmic and danceable. Ideal for "cocktail party"
feeling or background dinner music, yet not as bland, dull, or sleepy as modern
"Smooth Jazz" can get. Great for slow dancing or slow Lindy
Hopping.
-Hip Hop, Rap, Funk
Not
always associated with Swing music and Swing dancing, Funk, Hip Hop, and Rap
music are the modern "street-music" descendants of Swing, causing just
as much of a rucus among stodgy attitudes as Swing music once did in the 1930s
and 40s. From the 70s Funk of The Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, and
Rick James to the modern music of Coolio, Tupac, and even Will Smith, this music
always seems to get a party going.
-Modern
Jazz (BeBop, Hard Bop, Cool)
Charlie
Parker, John Coltrane (pictured), Miles Davis (pictured), Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Stanley
Turrentine, Sonny Clark, among others. This
music is more for listening than for dancing, but it provides a dynamic
listening experience that can elevate the cultural feeling and richness of an
event.
-Neo
Swing
Big
Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Revue (pictured), Brian Setzer, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Ray
Gelato, among others. This music borrows elements from Jump Blues, Rock,
and Big Band Swing to create a frenetic, up-tempo dance music associated with
the Neo-Swing fad of the late 1990s.
Please contact us for details and pricing, depending on
the size and needs of your event.
