The venue’s website: https://www.breakawayswing.com/
This was a set played during The Juniper Jazz Band’s band break during the Breakaway’s monthly live band night. Because it was June, I wanted to challenge myself to only play songs that were (a) performed with at least one LGBTQ+ artist in the band or (b) written or arranged by a LGBTQ+ artist.
| Song | Artist1 | Original Record2 | BPM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gal from Joe’s | Billy Strayhorn & Johnny Hodges | Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra (1962) | 140 | |
| Take the “A” Train | Duke Ellington | RCA Victor 27380 (1941) | 168 | |
| Begin the Beguine | Artie Shaw | Bluebird B-7746 B (1938) | 139 | |
| Nice Work if You Can Get It | Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday | Brunswick-8015 (1938) | 161 | |
| Anything Goes | Count Basie with Tony Bennett | Count Basie Swings / Tony Bennett Sings (1959) | 145 | |
| Sei mal verliebt | Steffi Denk | Sei mal verliebt (2016) | 128 | |
| Too Darn Hot3 | Ella Fitzgerald | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956) | 158 |
I also put together a Spotify playlist of a large portion of my pool for this set.
As I note in the description (which may or may not be displayed in the widget above), this isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of LGBTQ+ artists, composers, or arrangers, but simply a launching board for your own exploration.
- I use the main artist credited in the record, cutting off “…and His Orchestra” for brevity. I include the vocalist when known. [return]
- I move from label catalogue numbers to album names once full albums start getting produced in the mid-50s. I use the session year instead of the release year when relevant. I’ve also attempted to find streaming links where possible, but YMMV on region blocking and audio quality. [return]
- Played for the jam [return]