Solomon Douglas

Order your copy of Swingmatism, the new CD by the Solomon Douglas Swingtet

The very first CD by the Solomon Douglas Swingtet, titled Swingmatism, was released on November 15, 2006. The Solomon Douglas Swingtet is a ten-piece dance band whose repertoire is rooted in those of the Basie and Ellington bands, with other big-band standards and classic jazz tunes thrown in as well. This CD mixes it up with a variety of tempos that will please lovers of up-tempo classic swing music, those that prefer slower groovier jazz, and everyone in between.

Please order your copy from the fabulous online independent music store CD Baby for USD$17 plus S&H, or download the entire album (high-quality MP3 files with no DRM) for just USD$10:

Buy the CD from CD Baby

There are 15 songs on the album, all of which are instrumental numbers arranged by Douglas. You can listen to each track by clicking on the appropriate Ogg or MP3 link in the table below. (The Ogg files are smaller and sound better than the MP3 files.)

titletimetempolisten
1.For Dancers Only2:34159bpmOggMP3
2.Johnny Come Lately2:49164bpmOggMP3
3.“Big Apple Contest”2:57211bpmOggMP3
4.Black and Tan Fantasy5:0685bpmOggMP3
5.Shiny Stockings5:43125bpmOggMP3
6.Indiana3:55250bpmOggMP3
7.Good Bait2:53156bpmOggMP3
8.Swingmatism2:33182bpmOggMP3
9.Cherokee4:18242bpmOggMP3
10.Moonglow5:1485bpmOggMP3
11.Cherry Point4:16117bpmOggMP3
12.Alfie’s Theme4:18123bpmOggMP3
13.Stolen Moments4:52118bpmOggMP3
14.There Will Never Be Another You3:31235bpmOggMP3
15.Funky Blues7:1262bpmOggMP3

Some of these are closely based on the classic versions, and some are entirely original arrangements, never before recorded. The “Big Apple Contest” number is especially interesting — transcribed from soundtrack of the movie Keep Punching (1939), it’s the song from the famous film clip where Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers performed Frankie Manning’s Big Apple choreography. This song has never before appeared on CD.

You may have heard the Solomon Douglas Swingtet at the Philadelphia Lindy Exchange, June, 2006; Camp Jitterbug (Seattle), May 2006; the Portland Lindy Exchange, Mar. 2006; the Killer Diller Ball (Seattle), Dec. 2005; the Emerald City Blues Festival (Seattle), Oct. 2005; the Seattle Lindy Exchange, Aug. 2005; Swing Out Northwest (near Seattle), Dec. 2002 and Dec. 2004; the All-Balboa Weekend (Cleveland), May 2003; the Detroit Lindy Exchange, May 2003; and the Toronto Lindy Exchange, Oct. 2002. Between September and December, 2006, Douglas toured as the pianist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Be among the very first to own a copy of the début CD of the Solomon Douglas Swingtet!

“A very good album! Very danceable, mixed tempos, and a variety of songs. I like it. I’m not just saying that, either. The band plays together very, very well.”  —Frankie Manning, originator of the Lindy Hop (New York, NY)

“Good band. They play for dancers. That’s important.”  —Dawn Hampton, dancer and musician (New York, NY)

“Swingmatism highlights Solomon’s expansive knowledge and passion as dancer, musician and arranger. I will be spinning this CD often!”  —Jesse Miner, Swing DJ (San Francisco, CA)

“Very impressive, very professional and tight. I am blown away by the work and by the musicians picked. It is nice to have a swing CD made by a dancer.”  —Virginie Jensen, Lindy Hop instructor (San Francisco, CA)

“I recently bought Swingmatism, the great new CD by Solomon Douglas, on CDbaby.com. It’s a wonderful album with great arrangements and great musicianship. I’m always interested in hearing contemporary musicians who capture the spirit of my favorite Jazz and Blues artists, and Solomon does just that. The album is great for listening, but you’ll want to dance to it too. It also includes many classic tunes that are among my personal favorites, such as ‘Swingmatism,’ ‘Johnny Come Lately,’ ‘Cherry Point’ and ‘Good Bait.’ Do yourself a favor and get this CD!”  —Chris Siebert, Piano Player & Bandleader for Lavay Smith (San Francisco, CA)

“This CD hits the mark for dancers. Swings hard, and hits you in the gut, especially when Solomon is on the keyboard. Get it, listen to it, dance to it!!”  —Bill Borgida, Lindy Hop instructor and Swing DJ (Austin, TX)

“Really fantastic. Vastly superior to 99% of big band stuff produced in the last 20 or 30 years. Good to dance to and great to listen to.”  —David Mortensen, Swing DJ (Seattle, WA)

“Great tunes, great musicians, great arrangements—a very stimulating and enjoyable listening experience, and swinging!”  —Larry O’Brien, musical director of the Glenn Miller Orchestra

“I’ve danced to Junior Mance, Ray Bryant, Clark Terry, Barbara Morrison and more, and Solomon’s swingin’ group ranks right up there with the best of them for dancers.”  —David Jacoby, Swing DJ (New York, NY)

“Not every day you find a band that can play traditional as well as modern jazz. The Solomon Douglas Swingtet has all those ingredients. And all I can say is that they are really solid.”  —Chester Whitmore, jazz historian and choreographer (Los Angeles, CA)

“I have praise all around for the musicianship and for the musical élan in this CD. I have CDs a bunch—way too many to travel with—but this one goes with me in the motor home this winter.”  —Allen Hall, traveling Lindy Hop dancer and music expert (South Haven, MN)

“This band is one of the best swing bands in the country right now. We are so lucky to have someone who is truly recreating the side of jazz that makes us want to swing out within the true essence of Lindy Hop.”  —Tonya Morris, Lindy Hop instructor and event planner (Los Angeles, CA)

“One of the best new recordings I’ve heard in a while... I love dancing to these guys, they have an authentic style and great energy.”  —Nina Gilkenson, Lindy Hop instructor (Washington, DC)

“Swingmatism sounds great! Nicely recorded, clean, right, bright, swinging. In the words of Cheong Liu, ‘right on!’”  —Alex Pangman, musician (Toronto, ON)

“If you are looking for a CD with some very good vintage-sounding swinging music, this is one to get!”  —Mary Ann Devries, Swing DJ and organizer (Cleveland, OH)

“These are some of the best renditions of some of my favorite songs. I still can’t decide what is better: the fidelity and tone of the CD and band itself; or the fact that a modern swing band has so much obvious soul.”  —Andrew Slac, Swing DJ, Lindy Hop instructor, and organizer (Portland, OR)

“This is one of the best CDs in my collection. From a modern-day artist, it’s tops. This CD is completely filled with songs that fill the dance floor, night after night. Buy it because the CD freaking rocks!”  —Joshua Keroes, Blues and Swing DJ (Portland, OR)

“You’ve got the best swing band in the nation! You’re true to the roots of Jazz... which is to... SWING!”  —Clark Goodloe, musician (Sacramento, CA)

“I have to say you did a great job and your guys are really tight! I’ll definitely be playing tracks from it on Tuesdays on a regular basis. Really nice job!”  —Mike Ringer, Swing DJ (Sacramento, CA)

“I often tell people that if they want a CD that combines great musicianship with a variety of styles and tempos, Solomon’s latest CD is a great choice, especially if you’re just starting to build your swing music collection.”  —Byron Alley, dancer, Swing DJ, and organizer (Ottawa, ON)