Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesFriday MP3 Shuffle: Happy Birthday Louis Jordan Edition

Today is the birthday of Louis Jordan, the singer, sax player and one of the most successful bandleaders of the 1940s and 1950s. At a time when big bands were beginning a downward trend in popularity and musicians like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis were taking Jazz into bold new directions, Jordan kept the faith with the crowds who still wanted to dance. With his band the tympany Five, Jordan enjoyed a huge amount of success with segregated Black and White audiences, writing and performing arrangements for smaller groups that would serve as the fundamental building blocks of what would become R&B and Rock ‘n’ Roll. In addition to being a fantastic performer, he never let the crowd forget that music is fun.

Help celebrate Mr. Jordan’s birthday by take your MP3 player, pressing the "shuffle" button, and sharing the first 10 songs that play:

1. Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians – Gloria in Excelsis (Have a Merry Christmas): Only ½ year until Christmas!

2. Hannibal – Vide Cor Meum (Hannibal): Some lovely Classical music from the soundtrack to one of the worst movie sequels ever made

3. Benot Charest – The Return of the French Mafia (The Triplets of Belleville): [COMMENT]

4. Dinah Washington – Baby Get Lost

5. Glose – Wake Up Winborn

6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Fire (What Hits!?)

7. Ray Algere – You’re Drivin’ Me Crazy (Confessing: Deep Soul from New Orleans)

8. The Cure – Other Voices (Staring at the Sea: The Singles)

9. Vee Dee – Midwest Tet (Maybe Chicago): A great album of songs from Chicago’s ‘90s Punk and Hardcore scene

10. Pandelis Karayorgis – Blue Line (Circuitous)

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