Song of the week by Ninja Dax Hock
by Alain Wong
This song of the week is brought to you by Dax Hock, fellow Ninja and partner in crime of last week’s contributor Max. He and dance partner Alice Mei are world travelers, teaching next in Italy, Slovenia, France, Russia and Finland. Visit the wonderfully illustrated Dax and Alice website.
Where does Ninja-Max find all this good music? 
Well as it has been pointed out, I love music with the BoomChakka. Driving rhythm is the heart of my dancing but Rhythm ALONE doesn’t make great swing. Every heart must have a soul, and that is the X-factor… the undeniable feel that is harnessed in certain old swing tracks. Something that makes your body just want to do some luscious lindy hop– this is what I am talking about!
Musicians: Freddy Taylor & His Swing Men from Harlem
Song: Blue Drag
Album: Viper Mad Blues: 25 Songs of Dope and Depravity
The song I would like to share is called Blue Drag, by Freddy Taylor & His Swing Men From Harlem
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Also, for those of you who play music, you can find the sheet music for a version of blue drag in the Django Fake book. Once you dance to it, take the next step and learn to play it, then share the love.
The easiest way to get this song in on the album Viper Mad Blues: 25 Songs of Dope and Depravity
If you would like to find out more information of Freddy Taylor please visit this man’s blog. It is the most comprehensive information I have been able to find.
Thanks Dax!
Browse past songs of the week. If you are interested in submitting your own pick, email us at info@lindybloggers.com
I’m envious of Freddy Taylor’s life. Apparently he was a dancer first.
Biography by Eugene Chadbourne
Coming out of New York City’s Cotton Club scene during the outset of the ’30s, Freddy Taylor was a skilled dancer. Like many from the vaudeville era, he was also likely to branch into comic skits and other forms of on-stage distraction. Lucky Millinder’s 1933 tour of Europe initiated a residency abroad that gobbled up much of the decade. During the Millinder trek, Taylor also wound up getting some trumpet lessons from the great Bill Coleman. He didn’t stop there when it came to creative skills: references such as John Chilton’s Who’s Who in Jazz credit him with this impressive quartet: vocalist, trumpeter, guitarist, dancer. Bandleader could be added — but despite the activities of the Freddy Taylor Orchestra, this artist’s discography consists largely of appearances on Django Reinhardt records. In this context he is obviously controversial, although listeners all seem to agree that Taylor’s vocals match real American know-how to Reinhardt’s savoir-faire.
Beyond that, a Taylor vocal might be reviewed as “throwaway” by one pundit, “superb” by another. On guitar, he sat back and let Django take the solos. At any rate, he had not only the time but the place to interact with the Gypsy jazz master, Taylor’s projects during his hiatus in France including taking over running a club in the artsy Montmartre neighborhood. Taylor’s own group was also based for a period out of Rotterdam; he was also known to leave the band behind and work as a soloist throughout the Continent. During the ’40s, Taylor came back to the United States. He is known to have continued performing through the late ’60s. His versatility dazzles discographers to the point where he is commonly regarded as two different people, both of whom did all their recordings in the ’30s. His orchestra was also known as Freddy Taylor & His Swing Men from Harlem.