Help my friend plan a dj set focusing on pre-50s pop music. Lounge? Swing? BigBand? Tin Pan Alley?

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he's DJing a corporate event and some knucklehead said "let's have some 40s fusion music like Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Combustible Edison". what the fuck is 40s fusion music?!

i'm not really sure what to tell him: esquivel, martin denny. maybe some Les Paul & Mary Ford? Django Reinhart? Frank Sinatra? Billy Holiday?

i'm kind of at a lost when it comes to this stuff. any suggestions? good songs? albums? collections? i don't even think he has to dj. he can just make a few mix cds and sit back and drink free coctails.

― jaxon (jaxon), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:40 (twenty years ago)

Esquivel and Martin Denny are predominantly 50s artists aint they...?

I would think pre-50s pop = swing/big band, but who knows what this joker is referring to (sounds like the 90s easy listening revival bands)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:45 (twenty years ago)

wait is this in SF..? He should just hire Project Pimento or Lavay Smith.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:46 (twenty years ago)

COUNT BASIE

― deej.. (deej..), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:47 (twenty years ago)

i don't really care what time the artists actually came out in, just sort of an old timey feel. dude that suggested the tone of the music is a) a chump b) doesn't know anything about music and c) isn't really in charge of anything, but now that he suggested it, it's become the tone of the party

― jaxon (jaxon), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:54 (twenty years ago)

Louis Prima, Louis Jordan...

― Radio Free Albemuth (DocMartensBoots), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:55 (twenty years ago)

I'd stay away from exotica then - just throw on a few old Tommy Dorsey/Duke Ellington/Count Basie/Benny Goodman swing comps and I doubt anyone will complain.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 20:56 (twenty years ago)

some knucklehead said "let's have some 40s fusion music like Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Combustible Edison".

Tell your friend to come armed.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 21:10 (twenty years ago)

Maybe I'm having kind of a bitterman moment here, but these threads (tell me what I should play at X DJ gig) always mystify me. If you don't know what music to play, how did you get booked anyway? Shouldn't a person just turn the gig down if they aren't already conversant? I guess DJing is a LITTLE bit more than just knowing the tunes, but not really THAT much more, surely?

― tylero (tylero), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 22:28 (twenty years ago)

you know what, I take that back. I was just having a bitterman moment.

― tylero (tylero), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 22:29 (twenty years ago)

It doesn't sound like it matters as long as it's vaguely swinging loungey retro stuff.

― R_S (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 22:31 (twenty years ago)

40's fusion would obviously be stuff like the Egytpain Asmahan's song with Hawaiian steel guitar (probably written by her brother Farid, though I'm not sure).

― R_S (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 22:32 (twenty years ago)

Play some early Sun Ra! See what happens.

― R_S (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 22:35 (twenty years ago)

i dunno when it's from, but play that Santo & Johnny tune just cause it's awesome.

― sublime frequency (sublime frequency), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 01:57 (twenty years ago)

oh & also, 'always in my heart'... dunno who's it is, but i have glenn miller doing it & it's great.

― sublime frequency (sublime frequency), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 01:58 (twenty years ago)

Andrews Sisters!

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 02:09 (twenty years ago)

Maybe I'm having kind of a bitterman moment here, but these threads (tell me what I should play at X DJ gig) always mystify me.

it's not as bad as "i want to make a mixtape to impress this girl, tell me what to put on it."

HI DERE SEMI-RETARDED COWORKER IN ROXANNE

― your daughter is one (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 02:32 (twenty years ago)

re: bitterman, I think these threads should be tolerated, they are not much different from an S/D thread, or an innocent Tell Me About X thread. And in this case, I don't think the DJ can be faulted for not knowing how to program a "40s fusion music" set.

― todd (todd), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 03:25 (twenty years ago)

Those "R&B Years" comps from Secret Records are really good. I believe they have a 4 CD box for each year from 1946-50, 100 tracks each & not very expensive--lots of Louis Jordan, etc. I've only got the 1947 set because I love 1947!

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

Concurrence on the Louies (Jordan and Prima.) Also, this is a great CD if you can find it:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:ebduak2kgm3b

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:20 (twenty years ago)

jack hylton, elsie carlisle, ambrose & his orchestra, andy iona, sol hoopii, felix mendelsohn, lew stone, al bowlly, gus viseur, dick stratton, bob wills, ray noble, al shaw, paul whiteman, paul specht, ray noble...

― -- (688), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:42 (twenty years ago)

Hank Williams and "Rocket 88"

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:43 (twenty years ago)

get some western swing comps!

― disappointing goth fest line-up (orion), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:46 (twenty years ago)

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