During 2000-2004, I was member of a performance troupe in Zürich Switzerland called “punkt8.”
One song we used for a group choreography was “Big John's Special.” But because we practiced that much with that song, I rarely used it as DJ, I considered it overplayed :). However, it's a great song that belongs in every collection.
Big John's Special
This tune was written by Horace Henderson (Fletcher Henderson's younger brother), like “Hot And Anxious.”
There's also a version by Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra. They start directly with the theme while the version here has an intro.
Mills Blue Rhythm Band
This is the third song by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band in the series and I wrote about them in Song of the Week #180.
Personnel recording session 11/20/36 NYC:
Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Red Allen (t), George Washington, J.C.Higginbotham (tb), Crawford Wethington (cl,as), Gene Mikell (cl, as,bars), Tab Smith (as), Joe Garland (ts,bars,arr), Billy Kyle (p), Lawrence Lucie (g), John Kirby (b), O´Neil Spencer (d), Chuck Richards (v), Lucky Millinder (v,dir).
Title: Big John's Special
Artist: Mills Blue Rhythm Band
Recorded: November 20, 1936
Tempo: 204 bpm
Dance: Lindy Hop, Balboa
You can find all the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist.
Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw
Which is your favorite version of “Big John Special”? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Harry James version from “Harry James Big Band on Armed Forces Radio” is also a good one. But Mills is until know my favorite for sure.