Hot Club Swing
181 Roundhouse Mews V6Z 2W3 Vancouver, BC, Canada

Dear Dancers, The Vancouver Swing Society stands in solidarity with the black community and in support of the dance and music industries coming together for #BlackOutTuesday and #TheShowMustBePaused. Lindy hop and jazz are both art forms born from the African American experience. We can not ignore the origins of this dance and music while enjoying, participating and bringing it to our local community. The VSS will take the time as individuals and a team to listen, reflect a...nd educate ourselves. Black Lives Matter #BlackOutTuesday #TheShowMustBePaused

Dear Dancers, The Vancouver Swing Society stands in solidarity with the black community and in support of the dance and music industries coming together for #BlackOutTuesday and #TheShowMustBePaused. Lindy hop and jazz are both art forms born from the African American experience. We can not ignore the origins of this dance and music while enjoying, participating and bringing it to our local community. The VSS will take the time as individuals and a team to listen, reflect a...nd educate ourselves. Black Lives Matter #BlackOutTuesday #TheShowMustBePaused

(Video from 9Dec2019) This year Frankie’s birthday celebrations may look a little different and it might feel like ages since your last swing out. We don’t know when exactly the next in-person socials might but we’re grateful for this dance community- our dance family and friends- that we get to share all the jazz and Lindy Hop magic with. We look forward to the next time we see a dance floor and everyone there to dance together again. So until then, Happy World Lindy Hop D...ay! Go get your Shim Sham on! #happybirthdayfrankiemanning #worldlindyhopday #worldlindyhopday2020 #frankiemanning #globalshimsham #vancouverdance #dancevancouver #dance #lindyhop #lindyhoppers #swingout #dancecommunity #charleston #balboa #lindyhopvancouver #swingdance #swingdancers #partnerdance #jazz #vernacularjazzdance #socialdance #dancecommunity #dancefamily #dancefriendsarethebestfriends See more

Bandcamp is back Friday, May 1st, waiving their revenue shares. If you missed out the last time or have spotted some new albums, it’s a fabulous time to get some new music and support your local or international musicians at this time - or you can gift albums to others! For all 24 hours of May 1st (PST), 100% of what you pay for music on Bandcamp will go to the artist! We’ve compiled a list of local swinging jazz artist and their Bandcamp pages: https://docs.google.com//1...WXKzEpfpWg4CnEKU76llN4Z_pd/edit Or check out this international list that now boasts over 100 swing musicians! https://docs.google.com//16e_WUl_hVBcMpUVFuA27UsOV2K/edit

Jack Ray is an Australian guitarist, banjoist and vocalist who has performed and recorded with some of Australia’s and the world’s finest musicians including, JoJo Mason, Angus and Julia Stone, Kevin Louis, Jim Elliot (The Cruel Sea), Amanda Brown (Go-Betweens), Harpdog Brown, Casey McGill, Lloyd Arntzen and many other great artists. Jack is currently based in Vancouver, BC and is in demand as a leader and sideman. He leads the group The Milk Crate Bandits as well as perform...ing regularly with JoJo Mason, Steph Wall, and The Jen Hodge All Stars. He also founded the online-learning platform Jazz Banjo Academy. You can buy the two EPs The Milk Crate Bandits recorded in New Orleans here https://milkcratebandits.bandcamp.com/ Jack also releases many videos on tenor banjo playing on his youtube channel and covers of all the hot jazz favourites https://www.youtube.com/user/jr136100

Bonnie Northgraves is a brilliant Vancouver-based vocalist, trumpeter and pianist. She plays swinging jazz standards from the 20s, 30s and 40s and composes her own original music. You can hear her leading groups in her name or as part of groups such as Company B Jazz Band. Her smokey vocals and New Orleans style trumpet playing are always a treat to listen to. In the last two weeks, Bonnie has been diving into the history of some of our best-loved jazz songs on her Youtube ch...annel (link below). Through this online series called Jazz Story Time, you can learn about the original composers, lyricists, the song’s popularity and hear her play each song. You can also check out Bonnie’s Bandcamp to purchase her new album or check Company B’s page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5YDCgJELL4 https://bonnienorthgraves.bandcamp.com/releases https://companybjazz.bandcamp.com/

Our first musician feature is the one and only Josh Roberts- A fabulous rhythmic guitarist, bandleader and sideman for many Vancouver bands! Originally from Chilliwack, BC his career has taken him across North America, Europe and even the Caribbean. He’s been playing for swing dancers for 15 years and has been featured at events throughout the Pacific North West including Camp Jitterbug, Ballhalla and Summer Solstice Swing Dance. He has also led the house big band for Vancouv...er’s own Lindy Bout. Josh is offering online lessons in not only guitar but uke, banjo, musical theory and arranging. To arrange a virtual lesson please visit his website joshroberts.ca/contact or email directly with the subject line Lessons to [email protected] You can hear examples of his playing on All’s Fair in Love and Jazz by The Jen Hodge All Stars https://jenhodgebass.bandcamp.com//alls-fair-in-love-and-j or More of That by Jacob Zimmerman & Pals https://jacobrexzimmerman.bandcamp.com/

It’s with a heavy heart that the Vancouver Swing Society announces the indefinite suspension of Hot Club Swing due to the rapidly-evolving COVID-19 situation in the Lower Mainland and Pacific Northwest. With all of the information available to us, we feel this is the most responsible decision at present. Regional health authorities are currently advising the cancellation of all public gatherings of over 250 people. Though Hot Club Swing typically draws a smaller number of at...tendees than this threshold, the close physical proximity of social dancing requires us to hold ourselves to a stricter standard to satisfy the need for social distancing . During this time we will continue to feature content and to work with as many of our favourite bands and musicians as we can. The following weeks are going to hit many of them the hardest with the loss of gigs, and it’s their hard swinging jazz that keeps us dancing at all hours. Adding shoutouts on social media, commenting, liking and streaming content, or heading to Bandcamp or CDBaby to buy music and merch are some ways to make a difference. We will continue to monitor the situation and hope to see you all in person soon! Love and swing outs, The Vancouver Swing Society

This weekend’s extra special 5th Saturday Hot Club Swing is also a 50th birthday celebration for the one and only Greg Martin! He’s a long time Vancouver Lindy Hopper and supporter of the Vancouver Swing Society. Make sure you stick around for the birthday jam and cake

No Hot Club Swing tonight but, we'll see you next weekend with the wonderful Milk Crate Bandits providing live music from 9pm-midnight! Our intro drop-in lesson starts at 8pm.