Solomon Douglas
Order Live at the Legion and Swingmatism,
two exciting CDs by
the Solomon Douglas Swingtet
The Solomon Douglas Swingtet has two CDs available. The exciting second CD by the Solomon Douglas Swingtet, titled Live at the Legion, was released on June 15th, 2009. The new CD was recorded live in concert at the Stomp it Off! dance, at the Grandview Legion, in Vancouver, BC. Click here to listen to clips from the new album.
The first CD, Swingmatism, sounds just as awesome today as it did when it was released in 2006.
The band on the new album is an all-star lineup including Vancouver trumpet sensation Bria Skonberg, legendary Seattle drummer D’Vonne Lewis, New York trombone wiz-kid and recording engineer Eric Heveron-Smith, and Portland sax player (and a great bandleader in his own right) Pete Petersen, with Solomon Douglas himself leading the band, playing the piano and writing all the musical arrangements. The beautiful oil painting on the cover is by Seattle artist Brecca Smith.
Click here to listen to tracks and to order both CDs from the wonderful online music store CD Baby. You can have them shipped to you physically, or you can download them digitally. Also available: t-shirts!
Canadian residents: please order from Darren at Jungle Swing. The special Canadian price is CAD$16.00 (plus taxes and shipping). Darren says, “You can get your copy by emailing darren@jungleswing.ca and letting me know how you want to pay and where you live. If you’re in the Vancouver area, we can arrange to meet up.”
Praise for Live at the Legion
“I loved it from the get-go. I love everything about it: I love the tunes, I love the solos, I love the arrangements, I love the production. It's great. It's excellent. You did good. It's a super album.” —Larry O’Brien, musical director of the Glenn Miller Orchestra
“I think the album is fabulous. You do an incredible job on downsizing those arrangements, that’s for sure—all that 30s money wasted paying all those unnecessary sidemen...during a depression! Oh well, I suppose it kept them off the streets. Maybe the big bands would still be around if you’d been writing the charts. And your band really swings. It’s a great combination of driving and laid-back.” —John Fautley, trumpeter and music teacher (Peterborough, ON)
“Your disc is excellent, perfect for dancing. Congrats on releasing an exceptionally good recording.” —Jim Wheatley, swing DJ (Atlanta, GA)
“This is an awesome CD, y’all. Totally worth it just for ‘New Orleans,’ ‘South,’ and ‘East St. Louis Toodle-Oo’ alone!” —Breanna Perry, swing DJ (Nashville, TN)
“This is a marked improvement over the first CD. Mix-wise, and just the whole feel of it, I love it. The blues songs especially are my particular favorites, probably because they seem to go to the strengths of the group and the size of the group. This CD has a lot of character to it, and it sounds very natural; you guys did an excellent job of picking up the sound of the room. The way you mixed it makes it sound very natural.” —Michael Strickland, swing dancer, musician, and audio engineer (Tallahassee, FL)
“HOLY SCHMOLY! This is a wicked awesome CD! I highly suggest you all get it now! DANG, Solomon, you out-did yourself on this one! Thumbs up!” —Jeff Miller, swing DJ (Virginia Beach, VA)
“I just got mine, and I'm telling you guys, doesn't matter if you like Blues or Bal, there are songs that's great for everyone. Go get it!” —Patty Holmes, swing DJ (Houston, TX)
“Last night at the weekly Penn State swing club meeting, we danced to several tracks from Solomon’s new CD. Each one was a big hit with the dancers, getting everyone out on the floor! At first the DJ mixed Solomon’s tunes in with others, but the club members were so excited to hear the new CD that it was decided to just let it play. The variety of tempos, the quality of the arrangements, and the talent of the performers involved kept everyone excited both to dance and to listen. But how can you not be itching to dance to such great stuff??” —Annabel Truesdell, swing dancer (State College, PA)
“This is a fantastic CD. The production quality is amazing and the musicians are so tight. Get it, enjoy it, give it as a gift. You won’t tire of listening to Live at the Legion, the newest album from the Solomon Douglas Swingtet.” —Darren Scherck, event planner (Vancouver, BC)
“This is a really good CD. Its not often that a single CD has so many good tracks on it. Not just the standard fare, there is some really well thought out selections and some real emotion in the music on here. This is even better than the previous CD. DJing from an album with this production quality and energy is the next best thing to a live band. It’s definitely worth having for anyone who DJs, or as a CD to practice to.” —Dan Newsome, swing instructor and DJ (Seattle, WA)
“We DJ’d your new CD at Penn State. I’m not sure if we intended to let the entire CD run, but Isaac played one, and then I had to hear ‘Shorty George’ and ‘Jumpin’ at the Woodside,’ and it just snowballed into an awesome night of music and dancing. So, the new CD is great.” —Daniel Repsch, swing dancer (State College, PA)
“This is a pretty nice CD. It’s the sort of thing I’d recommend particularly to someone who’s just getting into ‘music for swing dancing’: it covers a few iconic swing songs in a few styles, it’s live so the energy is great, it’s a good quality recording so it’s nice for DJing, it’s a range of tempos. It’s also the sort of CD I’d recommend to someone who’s not really sure they like ‘old school’ swing—it has a few jumpy olden dayes songs, but in a context that’s a bit more accessible than 6-pack of scratchies. It’s also a modern band which caters specifically to dancers, and I think it’s worth supporting real, live bands whenever we can.” —Sam Carroll, swing DJ (Sydney, Australia)
“The reviews are in...drum roll please...YES,
“Infused with energy and a unique passion for vernacular jazz, Live at the Legion successfully captures the feel, the vibe, of these remarkable and classic tunes. Filled with fabulous solos and swinging rhythms, I can't sit still while listening to this album, even if all I can move are my toes.” — -topher Howard, swing instructor and DJ (Seattle, WA)
“Great CD, Solomon! Gonna add it to my DJ list for sure!” —Andie Gill, swing dancer (Hilo, HI)
“I have a complaint about your new CD! When I play it in my art studio I can't work—I just have to dance!” —Martha Castillo, clayprint artist (Palo Alto, CA)
“A mighty fine follow-up to Swingmatism. In listening to jazz, I always ask how has a particular arranger or soloist made it their own. In Live at the Legion we have a strong collection of incredible songs that Solomon has made his own and that he’s shared with us for our dancing pleasure. A must for any DJ’s or dancer’s collection.” —Justin Lee, swing dancer (Winnipeg, MB)
Praise for Swingmatism
“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)