DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week #144: Swingin' In The Promised Land

This article was originally published on http://shuffleprojects.com

If you are a Balboa dancer, then this tune is familiar to you. Maybe you don't be aware of the title or the artist but I'm sure you have heard it countless times on the dance floor.

It's “Swingin' In The Promised Land” by Edgar Hayes & His Orchestra.

Edgar Hayes

Edgar Junius Hayes (May 23, 1904 – June 28, 1979) was an African-American pianist, arranger and bandleader. He never became a major name but he worked steadily throughout his long career.

Hayes graduated with a music degree from Wilberforce University.

From 1931, he played and arranged for six years for the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, which was taken over by Lucky Millinder in the meantime.

During 1937-1941, Hayes led his own orchestra including sidemen such as Kenny Clarke among others. In the spring of1938, they toured through several countries of Europe and Asia.

An interesting fact is, that Hayes' band was the first to record Joe Garland's composition “In The Mood” on February 17, 1938 for Decca. This tune became a swing classic, when Glenn Miller recorded it more than a year later.

In the same session, Hayes recorded their most popular title “Stardust” which became a surprise hit.

He disbanded the orchestra and moved to California in 1942, where he formed a quartet called his “Stardusters” and played throughout the 1940s, then he performed mostly solo into the 1970s.

Swingin' In The Promised Land

Because of the tempo, it's also often used for Balboa competitions.

[easyazon-image align=”left” asin=”B001VJYIES” locale=”de” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512AjY3VsUL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]Title: [easyazon-link asin=”B001VJYIES” locale=”de”]Swingin' In The Promised Land[/easyazon-link]
Artist: Edgar Hayes & His Orchestra
Recorded: November 14, 1938
Album: [easyazon-link asin=”B001VK5MMO” locale=”de”]Complete Jazz Series 1937 – 1938[/easyazon-link]
Tempo: 233 bpm
Dance: Balboa

Click the link to download the song from: iTunes ･ [easyazon-link asin=”B001VJYIES” locale=”de”]Amazon DE[/easyazon-link] ･ [easyazon-link asin=”B001VDS0C0″ locale=”uk”]Amazon UK[/easyazon-link]

You can find all the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist or on 8tracks.
Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

What do you think about this song? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.