The following article is reprinted from the online edition Pipe Dream, the Binghamton University student newspaper.

Swing Dancing at the Susquehanna

The band really shined with its renditions of 'Kansas City" and the Frank Sinatra classic, "Fly Me to the Moon."

by Matthew Kensey - Staff Writer

Instead of seeking some 3-dollar-at-the-door frat party or hitting the books, about sixty students came to the Susquehanna Room Saturday night in search of a little swing music.

Swingin' Jive Patrol, a nine-piece band from Ithaca College's School of Music, laid down the law with its classy horns and strong, unstoppable rhythm section. The Patrol performed in the way any decent dance band must: play a lot of good, danceable music, and do it loud.

The band's set began at 9 p.m., following a basic jitterbug lesson. The lesson started out in shambles, as SASU, the event's promoter, did not anticipate so many people. A microphone might have helped to ease the communication barrier, as the unavoidable noise forced moves to be shown twice, at different ends of the room. With some effort, many beginners picked up the classic "rock-step step step" pattern and the usual inside and outside turns.

The music made ample amends to the sluggish hour-long lesson. The band jumped into the smooth sounds of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. If you closed your eyes for a second you might picture yourself in some 1940's ballroom, gliding along with your partner from "Tuxedo Junction" via the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo."

"The band was hot; it was really genuine swing," said Gary Su, vice president of the Ballroom Dance club. "This really brings it back to the swing era."

Few modern swing groups realize the purpose of the music they perform; it is not an art for listening, but for dancing. Neo-swing bands like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies or Big Bad Voodoo Daddy play too fast or excruciatingly slow; they ignore that comfortable, relentless, mid-tempo groove that is Swingin' Jive Patrol's bread and butter.

Dan Shaut, the band's tenor saxophonist and lead vocalist, could be seen stealing a few dances to the recorded music played between sets. A Lindy Hopper himself, Shaut's selections were clearly chosen with a dancer's sensibility.

The band really shined with its renditions of 'Kansas City" and the Frank Sinatra classic, "FIy Me to the Moon." Staccato vamps and elusive stops in "Kansas City" created a dancer's playground perfect for improvisation and playful suggestion. Joey Devassey's brash trombone solo contributed the much-needed guts element; you never really wanted the song to end.

"Fly me to the moon" stood out for a different reason. The swaggering melody and Iyrics are impressive when sitting still, but when dancing, they take on a whole new dimension. It felt like you could really fly to the moon and the band's hard work paid the one-way ticket.

"They could really get the crowd moving," said John Chang, a grad student in the School of Management. "They mixed it up with the jazzy swing and faster jive."

Most of the tunes came from the World War II era of swing and featured a somewhat light, yet still jazzy, backbeat. The Patrol would benefit from a few ventures into earlier swing with bluesy numbers like Louis Jordan's 'Choo Choo Ch'boogie," or "Caldonia." The shuffle-step beats and perfectly timed stops would make for great variety to Benny Goodman's airy consistency. Nonetheless, Swingin' Jive Patrol brought a brand of classy entertainment to Broome County's usual cultural wasteland. Kudos to SASU for promoting the event so inexpensively; the band was worth a $5 cover charge, but organizers only asked for 50 cents at the door. Maybe next time the music could persist past midnight; by the time the musicians packed up their horns, the dancers--and arguably, the band--were just warming up.

© 1999 - pipe dream - All Rights Reserved




		The following article is reprinted from the online edition Pipe Dream, the Binghamton University student newspaper. Swing Dancing at the Susquehanna The band really shined with its renditions of 'Kansas City" and the Frank Sinatra classic, "Fly Me to the Moon." by Matthew Kensey - Staff Writer Instead of seeking some 3-dollar-at-the-door frat party or hitting the books, about sixty students came to the Susquehanna Room Saturday night in search of a little swing music. Swingin' Jive Patrol, a nine-piece band from Ithaca College's School of Music, laid down the law with its classy horns and strong, unstoppable rhythm section. The Patrol performed in the way any decent dance band must: play a lot of good, danceable music, and do it loud. The band's set began at 9 p.m., following a basic jitterbug lesson. The lesson started out in shambles, as SASU, the event's promoter, did not anticipate so many people. A microphone might have helped to ease the communication barrier, as the unavoidable noise forced moves to be shown twice, at different ends of the room. With some effort, many beginners picked up the classic "rock-step step step" pattern and the usual inside and outside turns. The music made ample amends to the sluggish hour-long lesson. The band jumped into the smooth sounds of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. If you closed your eyes for a second you might picture yourself in some 1940's ballroom, gliding along with your partner from "Tuxedo Junction" via the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo." "The band was hot; it was really genuine swing," said Gary Su, vice president of the Ballroom Dance club. "This really brings it back to the swing era." Few modern swing groups realize the purpose of the music they perform; it is not an art for listening, but for dancing. Neo-swing bands like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies or Big Bad Voodoo Daddy play too fast or excruciatingly slow; they ignore that comfortable, relentless, mid-tempo groove that is Swingin' Jive Patrol's bread and butter. Dan Shaut, the band's tenor saxophonist and lead vocalist, could be seen stealing a few dances to the recorded music played between sets. A Lindy Hopper himself, Shaut's selections were clearly chosen with a dancer's sensibility. The band really shined with its renditions of 'Kansas City" and the Frank Sinatra classic, "FIy Me to the Moon." Staccato vamps and elusive stops in "Kansas City" created a dancer's playground perfect for improvisation and playful suggestion. Joey Devassey's brash trombone solo contributed the much-needed guts element; you never really wanted the song to end. "Fly me to the moon" stood out for a different reason. The swaggering melody and Iyrics are impressive when sitting still, but when dancing, they take on a whole new dimension. It felt like you could really fly to the moon and the band's hard work paid the one-way ticket. "They could really get the crowd moving," said John Chang, a grad student in the School of Management. "They mixed it up with the jazzy swing and faster jive." Most of the tunes came from the World War II era of swing and featured a somewhat light, yet still jazzy, backbeat. The Patrol would benefit from a few ventures into earlier swing with bluesy numbers like Louis Jordan's 'Choo Choo Ch'boogie," or "Caldonia." The shuffle-step beats and perfectly timed stops would make for great variety to Benny Goodman's airy consistency. Nonetheless, Swingin' Jive Patrol brought a brand of classy entertainment to Broome County's usual cultural wasteland. Kudos to SASU for promoting the event so inexpensively; the band was worth a $5 cover charge, but organizers only asked for 50 cents at the door. Maybe next time the music could persist past midnight; by the time the musicians packed up their horns, the dancers--and arguably, the band--were just warming up. © 1999 - pipe dream - All Rights Reserved
	© Daniel Shaut & The Swingin' Jive Patrol - All Rights Reserved \| Design by Opticfire