Tuesday Dance Trivia: What jazz standard is also the name of a dance
by Alain Wong
Last week’s answer
Why do Balboa followers wear high heels?
ANSWER: Here’s a quote from an original master of the dance, Willie Desatoff, taken from BalboaNation: “Question—Why highheels? I’ll try to keep the answer on a simple plane—several reasons why heels were worn —among which is basically the kind of shoes worn by Balboa dancers—the heels gave the lady a natural (with knees straight and good posture) forward lean to the balls of the feet. Flats and tennies just do not show the real Balboa!!! High heels were the fashion of the day and still worn by dancers. Many’s the time that I said exactly the same thing that my good friend Maxie did—Bless him!!” Willie Desatoff (1921-2005)
Lila completed his answer with, “Also Willie has told me VERY OFTEN, that the high heels accentuate the calves, and make them look sexier. I’ve been there when Willie has not only complained about the gals not wearing high heels, but also the length of the skirt is supposed to come to the middle of the knee, so you can see the “knee-action” that is an intrinsic part of the Balboa. He even has “yelled” at the guys for wearing “baggy pants” for the same reason. You can’t see the footwork or knee action if you’re wearing a tent!”
This Week’s Tuesday Trivia Question: A jazz standard that is also the name of a dance
Name the jazz standard that is also the name of a dance. Bonus: name the creators of this dance. Super bonus: name the team that performed to this jazz tune at the American Lindy Hop Championships.
Know the answer? Let everyone know and comment.
Charleston composed by pianist James P. Johnson
Out of curiosity, what about “Truckin”? Is it a “dance” in the same way the Twist is a dance?
I’m going to refer to the wikipedia definition of a jazz standard. “A jazz standard is a jazz tune that is held in continuing esteem and which is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire.”
Martynas: great guess! It was the first song that came to my mind when I thought about a dance that was also the name of the song. However, I’m not sure “Charleston” would be considered a jazz standard, as it hasn’t been performed or recorded as part of standard jazz musical repertoire.
Sam: yes I would say so. It’s known today as a dance step and was also considered a dance back in the days. You can check out a discussion about truckin’ in the comments of Marty Klempner and the Big Apple at ILHC 2008. However, as in my response to Martynas, I’m not sure “Truckin’” would be considered a jazz standard.
Keep the guesses coming!
So long as we’re throwing out incorrect answers, here’s mine: Ballin’ the Jack.
Yes, I would say say Ballin’ the Jack from Leonard Reed and danced by the Silver Shadows.
Well there could be a few… Here are some guesses, though no one of these is really more famous as a jazz standard than is ‘Charleston’, but they are in the various books of standards, as is ‘Charleston’.
1- La Samba : by Ray Obiedo / Andy Narell. I’ve never heard it played, but it is in the New Real Book Vol. 1.
2- Quickstep: by Gig Gryce
3- Jive Samba: by Nat Adderley
4- Boogie Woogie (the Original): by Clarence ‘Pine Top’ Smith
5- Waltz : by Pat Metheny
6- cha cha cha: by Tito Puente
7- Mambo No (fill it in): Perez Prado
How About:
- West Coast Blues : by John L. ‘Wes’ Montgomery.
This is definitely a jazz standard, but do people dance ‘West Coast Blues’ ?
There’s also
Ballet : by Michael Gibbs, played by Gary Burton
Not much of a standard, but it is in Real Book Vol 1
[...] Last week’s answer Name the jazz standard that is also the name of a dance. Bonus: name the creators of this dance. Super bonus: name the team that performed to this jazz tune at the American Lindy Hop Championships. ANSWER: The jazz standard is Carioca. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers performed a choreographed dance to the song in the movie Flying Down to Rio (1933), which was the first time the two were paired together for a movie. The Carioca was essentially a stylized ballroom version of the Samba, mixed with Maxixe, Foxtrot, Rumba and Tap. There has been debate as to whether this was a new dance at all, but following the success of the movie, people wanted to learn it, and so dance instructors started teaching “The Carioca”. The distinctive feature of the dance, as seen in the clip, is the partners’ touching of foreheads. [...]