Ok a simple definition is required here, and I assume it's not Jive Bunny!!!!

What do people think is bog standard jive music?

The way I see it is that are are 2 styles of Jive music - slow & fast. OK sounds simplistic I know but when someone asks for Jive music we need to find out which way they want it.

At last nights function I was asked early on to play some jive music - TBH I'd already ascertained that the slower ones would be more suitable at that time of the evening and I played some Buddy Holly and other slower Rock N Roll (the specifics of which escape me at this early hour).

Later on I played some more up-tempo Rock N Roll and. please correct me if I'm wrong. but if R n R doesn't fill the dance floor at a family event then we might as well wave the white flag - play some cheese and go home

So in answer to your question - if it's early, slow jive. If it's later then go for up tempo.

Well, last night I had that request and played Rock Around The Clock & Rocking All Over The World. They were quite happy with that.

I usually go for 50's/60's Rock'n'roll in that situation, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee etc with a bit of Quo, Showaddywaddy or Racey. Normally goes well.

Working a lot in Irish venues, I also play Irish jive music such as showbands and tracks like Pretty Little Girl From Omagh.

Dont forget though that jive originates from around the 1940's during the war when the yanks were over here... Such as Glenn Miller etc...

I would imagine that dependant on the age of the people requesting it though that 50 - 60's is what they mean...

Nik

Well my initial thoughts were Glen Miller and maybe some very early rock n rock style tracks.

Too vague these sort of requests.

Like others have said when asked for Jive I have normally done 50-60's Rock n Roll......start off slow and if its going well work upto some more uptempo stuff and this has normally worked appart from the other week at a wedding, it didnt matter what I played (I tried everything) just didnt really get the dancefloor moving in any great numbers......however.....

If when people ask for Jive what they want is RnR.....why do they ask for Jive?

Is their a difference between RnR and Jive?

That's a good point- does anybody know?

Different dance styles ! Jive ( a ballroom dance)was around before rock and was a sort of jitterbug style whereas rock styles were more acrobatic thus giving you the chance to chuck your wife around the room if she had burnt your dinner.
I would of played some brian setzer big band tracks or Glenn Miller etc.

Jive and Rock n Roll are the same but dont forget that the modern day equivelant is what is taught at Ceroc.
Lots more moves than Jive/RnR and it literally takes in all manner of genres.Pop,blues,swing,rnb,soul.country and latin.I used to lover playing for a MJ night because you were gauranteed a full floor no matter what you played.If you get into the dancing its even better-partner dancing at its very best.

I like it LOL

So it seems their is a difference between Jive and RnR......
It just seems that most of the time if Jive is asked for what they want is RnR.

When asked for Jive its always gone down well with playing RnR so I think I will stick with that, unless they ask for something specific.

i'm wondering here whether the punter is confused and understands the difference. Does a request for jive music simply mean something old ie pre 1970?

I would think that like me, most probably dont understand the difference LOL

At the risk of perhaps over-simplifying all this, I'd say 'jive music' simply means music they can jive to. I don't feel there's any need to delve any deeper, simply because if the customer was knowledgeable enough to have a specific style in mind, that's what they would have asked for.

To me it means medium tempo rock n roll such as:
Sam Cooke - Twistin' The Night Away
Everly Brothers - Wake Up Little Susie
Buddy Knox - Party Doll

Unless the group go for this in a big way, I'd avoid the more up-tempo material.

These days whenever anyone asks me for a specific genre I ask them to give me a few examples of what they mean, as the broad terms are too vague (and widely misinterpreted). Normally they can't name any, in which case they can b:cense:r off.

Most certainly not. There are plenty of R'n'R tracks that it would be impossible to jive to & people were jiving to big bands at least a decade before R'n'R appeared.

Taken from Wiki


Jim

As a modern Jive and lindy hop dancer I should know, you need to know if they are

Rock n roll jivers- Rock n roll music

Modern Jivers- also known as Le Roc, any modern or old chart hit with a 4 beats to the bar ie murder on the dance floor.

Lindy hop/ jitterbug dancers- 1940's stuff- nobody here but us chickens, flying home, Glenn Miller, etc

Ballroom Jive dancers- (beats me)

OK, so a bit of confusion all round there, here's what I do to sort it out.

There is a similarity, and many tunes cross-over between r'nr and jive (ballroom jive) but not always.
This works for me.

I use the dance steps as a count, (that means its what your feet should do on the floor)
Just listen to it and mentally talk these steps through, as follows:

Rock 'n Roll has a count of: back, step, one, two : back, step, one, two
Like this: Eddie Cochran - C'mon everybody


Ballroon Jive tends to go with a count: back, step, one-two-three, one-two-three : back,step, one-two-three, one-two-three
Like this: Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coupe (stupid silent intro)
but as you can see, you could just as easily give a count of: back, step, one, two to that one.

There are obviously tons more, going right up to date, but I've tried to pick tracks where the count screams out at you. For that reason, you can't beat (pun!) the golden era of rock 'n roll.

Hope that helps, though I fear I may have made it all worse.
Hell, I ain't a dance instructor, I'm no Patrick Swayze either