Swing Swing Swing

This pick starts with the big band era and doesn't apologize for a second — Goodman, Ellington, Basie, Miller, Sinatra, Prima, all the usual suspects doing what they did better than anyone has since, and then it opens up into some of the deeper cuts that don't get enough daylight. I've been an amateur ballroom dancer for years, emphasis on amateur, and there is nothing quite like a good swing tune for reminding your feet what they're supposed to be doing even when your brain disagrees. The playlist runs from the classic radio names through some of the neo-swing revival acts that proved the whole thing still had a pulse, and stripping away the nostalgia for a second, this music just moves — it's built for a room full of people who want to have a good time and aren't overthinking it.

Swing Swing Swing

01 Les Brown - Leap Frog

02 Benny Goodman - Sing, Sing, Sing (with a Swing)

03 Glenn Miller Orchestra - In The Mood

04 Duke Ellington - Take The A Train

05 Dean Martin - Who's Got The Action

06 Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (Means Your Grand)

07 Dinah Washington - Christopher Columbus

08 Count Basie Band - Shiny Stockings

09 Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)

10 Dean Martin - Who Was That Lady

11 Louis Jordan - Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't (Ma Baby)

12 Louis Prima - Just A Gigolo-Ain't Got Nobody

13 Joe Liggins - The Honeydripper

14 Blue Plate Special - Night Out

15 Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Blue Skies

16 Dem Brooklyn Bums - Baseball Bat Boogie

17 Fly-Rite Boys - Rosetta

18 Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums - Jumptown