Blog Archives
Video: “Watch the Birdie” at Hot Rhythm Holiday
Check out this video from Saturday night at Hot Rhythm Holiday, from some brave soul navigating the dance floor during our performance of Watch the Birdie (with an arrangement inspired by Martha Raye’s version from the movie Hellzapoppin’) – enjoy!
Video: Hot Rhythm Holiday 2019 – Balboa and Collegiate Shag Strictly Competitions
It’s always exciting to compete to music provided by a live band and we’re happy to provide the backdrop for these amazing competitors at Hot Rhythm Holiday 2019! Here are the Collegiate Shag Strictly and Balboa Strictly competitions, with the Mint Julep Jazz Band:
Video: Old Man Mose
Our tenor player Keenan McKenzie has a fancy new camera and he put it to work at our performance at Glen Echo Park on January 26, 2018 – here’s the band performing Old Man Mose:
DCLX’tra Dance at Glen Echo
We are back at Glen Echo’s Spanish Ballroom on January 26, 2018 for a DCLX’tra swing dance – come swing out with us at this beautiful historic Art Deco ballroom! There will be at beginner Balboa lesson from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and we play three swinging sets, from 9:00 p.m. to midnight.
Consider this a warm-up for our return to DC in April to perform at DCLX proper!
MJJB Music Featured on isolobalboa.com Video
World-renowned Balboa dancer Olga Marina is launching a new website this month called isolobalboa.com, which will feature more than 100 videos, demos, exercises for both for leaders and followers in the pure Balboa and Bal-Swing dance styles. We’re delighted that Olga featured the Mint Julep Jazz Band’s recording of “You Can’t Live in Harlem” in her promotional video for the website, which showcases her incredible footwork and joyous energy! Follow her Facebook page for more updates on videos and the website.
Album Reviews
If you’ve purchased either of our albums – Durham on Saturday Night or Battle Axe – consider leaving us a review! We’d love to hear your thoughts on our music and I know people who may be considering picking up a copy would love to hear your thoughts, too.
Here are some helpful links:
Durham on Saturday Night –
iTunes
Bandcamp
Amazon
Battle Axe –
iTunes
Bandcamp
Amazon
Or leave one wherever else you may have purchased – thanks so much! We love you madly!
Live and Local in September
Fresh off Camp Hollywood, we’re ready for a couple of live shows on our home turf! Catch us on these two dates:
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 12 AND 15 ARE CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE FLORENCE, CARY’S PARK AFTER DARK SHOW IS RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 3
From a past performance for TSDS at the Carrboro Century Center, courtesy of Tiffany Brantner.
October 3, 2018 (rescheduled from the cancelled September 12, 2018) at The Town of Cary’s Park After Dark, Cary, NC – our first performance for the Town of Cary, we’ll send out the summer outdoor concert season in style. We’ll be performing a free concert at Cary’s Downtown Park from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., bring a picnic dinner or pick up food from one of the local vendors at the event. For more information about food, parking, and weather updates, visit https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/events/special-events/park-after-dark.
September 15, 2018 at Triangle Swing Dance Society dance, Carrboro, NC – always happy to be playing on for dancers on the best dance floor in the Triangle, at the Carrboro Century Center. Free beginner swing dance lesson at 7:00 p.m., we play from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For more information, visit the TSDS website at www.triangleswingdance.org.
Camp Hollywood 2018
West coast friends and beyond, please join us Labor Day weekend 2018 at Camp Hollywood in Los Angeles for our west coast debut! We’ll be performing at the Friday evening dance (August 31) at Camp Hollywood at the LAX Marriott from 9:00 p.m. to midnight and the theme for the night is a tribute to the classic Hollywood film Cabaret, so come in your 1920’s/cabaret/chorus girl/emcee/Bob Fosse finest. Camp Hollywood is one of the largest and longest-running swing dance camps/competition weekends in the United States and it’s an honor for us to be invited to perform! For more information and to register, visit the Camp Hollywood website.
One Girl and Two Boys
One of the signature tracks from our first album Durham on Saturday Night is the song One Girl and Two Boys, a classic tune performed originally by NC native Kay Kyser’s orchestra in the 1944 film Swing Fever. We love songs that tell a story, and so do dancers – it’s fun to see how people will put their own spin on this tale of a love triangle, so here are a few interpretations through dance choreography using MJJB’s recording of this song:
One of our favorite chorus girl troupes, New York City’s The Bathtub Ginnys:
A “Dance Wars Spectacular” with dancers Lisa Pearson, Dave Saylors, and Craig Johnston in the signature roles:
And, finally, the winner of the 2013 Jazz Dance Film Fest (and unofficially our first music video), spearheaded by and starring Seattle dancer Jennifer Lee:
Music U Interview with Keenan McKenzie
The UK-based music and ear-training website Music U interviewed our reed man Keenan McKenzie about his musical origins, his work in the swing dance community, and his new album of original swing music, Forged in Rhythm – check it out and learn a bit more about the man behind the tenor saxophone in the Mint Julep Jazz Band…
