The Internet has become a great gathering place for swing dance organizations, who are fueling some of the swing resurgence. It’s also a good place to see just how international swing music’s appeal really is. Here are just a few of the many sites on the World Wide Web where you can find out what’s happening in swing dancing.
In Oregon is Willamette Valley Lindy Hop News (http://www.peak.org/~clarkm/LindyHop/). The group sponsors dances, meetings, etc. There are even some ratings of big bands.
South Florida Swing Dance Society, Inc. (http://www.dynasite.com/swing/) provides an extremely good overview of the various styles of swing dancing, plus some anecdotes about where the term Jitterbug may have originated (a few are quite amusing). They also list phone numbers for several dozen swing clubs in the U.S., as well as an extensive calendar of events for 1997 throughout the U.S.
Brisbane, Australia’s Swing Tuit Dance Society has instruction in Lindy Hopping, and is involved in putting on dances and classes (http://www.dstc.edu.au/AU/staff/martin-chilvers/SwingTuit/home.html).
And for those who buy the old stereotype that the Swiss only make clocks and yodel, you’ll find that they’re Lindy Hopping at the Swiss Swing Dance Society (http://www.swing.ch/).
His radio show, Swingin’ Down The Lane, originated in 1983–almost 800 airings ago, and in the last few years it has been in syndication on 40 NPR stations. David Miller is an enthusiastic collector of Swing Era music who started out with a simple love of music and eventually became the owner of over 4,000 discs from his favorite era.
He calls his style of show "edutainment," teaching while entertaining with great music. "I consider that I have two audiences to my program," says David Miller. "One is nostalgic, and the other is ‘I’ve just found this music, and please tell me more about it.’ A man called a couple of weeks ago and said that he enjoyed the program, and wished that I would provide the date at which recordings were made. He said that he was 40 years old, and loved the music, but was still learning about it and that it would be helpful. I thought it was a good point, and since then I try to indicate when a recording was made. That’s part of what I consider my job: to educate a segment of the public that’s thirsty to know more about big bands."
David produces a quarterly newsletter, Swingin’ Down The Lane, which is available for $10.00 a year from David Miller Enterprises, Inc., 3 Greenview Ct., Little Rock, AR 72212 USA (1-800-888-BAND). He also puts the newsletter, which includes news and dissertations on jazz luminaries, online at http://www.bigband-era.com
The International Association of Jazz Educators has a site online (http://jazzcentralstation.com/jcs/station/musicexp/educatio/iaje/mar97/index.html) in Jazz Central Station. They exist in the real world at International Association of Jazz Educators, P.O. Box 724, Manhattan, KS 66502 USA; (913) 776-8744.
Hepcat Corner (http://www.hepcat.com/) is tied to Hepcat Records, a distributor for swing and neo-swing discs, among others. They do provide some coverage of swing musicians.
Check out Swing Time Magazine, a quarterly that covers what’s going on in swing music. Subscriptions cost $16.00 per year (30 Baker St., Ste. E, San Francisco, CA 94117). They also have a web site (http://www.hooked.net/users/jlindsay/).
Find info about Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and hear samples of their music at http://www.bbvd.com
Learn about the Squirrel Nut Zippers at http://www.mammoth.com/mammoth/bands/snz/