MarkH's New CD from Dancer/DJ's Perspective: Mark Hummel Unplugged

Mark Hummel's latest: Mark Hummel Unplugged: Back Porch Music (Just came out after Retro-Active)

First of all, As a harmonica player, Mark Hummel, 'nuff said

As a dancer: The most important thing he has is something that makes it great as listening music and for dancing: It has that thing that is greater than the parts: expression. I love the way Wikipedia quotes from musicians describing swing, "when the music creates a visceral response such as feet-tapping or head-nodding---pulse" (Pulse is extremely important to Blues Dancers. They talk about it and look for it all the time.) Benny Goodman called swing "free speech in music." It's music "in the pocket." It hits the sweet spot. Mark's music does that.

Here's what I thought of Mark Hummel Unplugged: Back Porch Music from a dancer and DJ perspective:

As I collect blues music and study it, I notice that maybe 25% of it is danceable to todays popular dances (slow blues dancing, Lindy Hop, and West Coast Swing) Out of 15 songs, 10 are slow blues dancable, which is quite incredible. (some are brisk, some gut bucket-dancers call that "jukin'", some ballroomin'--a more elegant form of blues dancing that imitates ballrooming, may have a feel of a waltz in 4/4 time, or an elegant fox trot, but still has some grit to it. "jukin'" or gut bucket dancing is all grit and get down)

Here's how they break out:

Have You Ever Been in Love: brisk BLUES DANCE 110bpm 3:59
Living with the blues: ballrooming BLUES DANCE 100bpm 3:53
Ease My Mind:toe tapping, too fast and hook not for any popular dance today 171bpm 4:56
My Little Machine: BLUES DANCE-jukin', or as musicians say "gut bucket" 89 bpm 4:44
Shake Your Boogie: Jitterbug or Lindy 150bpm 3:24
But I Forgive You: BLUES DANCE (gut bucket--jukin') 80bpm 4:06
I Just Keep Loving Her: toe tapping, maybe boogie woogie (very fast jitterbug) 174bpm 3:23
Can't Hold Out Much Longer: slow BLUES DANCE (gut bucket) 61bpm 4:25
Evans Shuffle:toe tapping, not for today's popular dances, maybe boogie woogie 169bpm 3:27
Love in Vain: "fast" slow BLUES DANCE or West Coast Swing (dance that is) 96bpm 4:21
She Moves Me: BLUES DANCE (gut bucket-jukin') 62bpm 5:27 (little long for djing)
Let Me Go: brisk BLUES DANCE, slow lindy, or west coast swing 102bpm 2:51
Learned My Lesson: BLUES DANCE (ballroomin'), slow WCS 95bpm 3:53
Worried Life Blues: BLUES DANCE (gut bucket) 67bpm 4:35
Step Back Baby: good brisk lindy, brisk WCS 146bpm 3:00
See See Rider: ballroomin' BLUES DANCE 88bpm 5:46 (again, lot of djs won't play over 5 minutes)

Are there any musicians out there interested in playing for dancers? Is this info helpful? Even if you don't, you might want your music to have that je ne sais quoi thing that makes people WANT to move, even if they stay in their seat.

Anne Marie
SF dancer and DJ