Jill Barber - Oh My My

A few years ago, my wife got excited for a concert at the Jazz Festival here in Ottawa.  This is actually quite rare, as she doesn't generally go to concerts and only gets stoked for a handful of artists.  I don't go to concerts often anymore, so I jumped at the chance and we headed to the Jill Barber show.

I only heard a few of her songs before, but I really did like her music.  Her sultry voice throws you back to an era where men wore hats and radio was king.  Songs like 'Chances' and 'Never Quit Loving You' express a warm love that cuts through all irony and cynicism, leaving behind genuine romance.  This is what I expected from the concert that night, and Jill delivered in spades.  What I didn't expect, was she also had some great swinging songs that were incredible.  It's no secret that I love swing music, and Jill closed out the show with her song "Oh My My".  This has become one of my favourite swing songs to date, and I admit that I was tapping my feet to a syncopated lindy hop at the show.

Stompy Jones - Mondine

Back in University, I took up swing dancing when my friend wanted to get into it.  It remains one of the few extra-curricular's that I've ever done including all sports teams and dances (except prom).  We both got into it, but he ended up dropping out and I stayed for the next couple years learning a few moves here and there.  My joy of swing was doubled by the great music and I gained a real appreciation for swing and blues music.  This led me to the discovery of the San Francisco based retro band Stompy Jones.

I'm going to be honest, I don't know all that much about these guys.  I did, however, fall deeply in love with this song 'Mondine'.  The ragtime piano and brass hits make bopping around to the song irresistible.  This reminds me that I should sift through some of their songs and remake my swing playlist...