"The main casualties of the fire were memorabilia and merchandise to be sold in the PIR retail store on the ground floor of the building where Chubby Checker recorded "The Twist," when it housed the Cameo Parkway record label. That was before Gamble, Huff, and Bell bought the building in 1970. The building suffered structural and water damage, and about 40 gold records were harmed, as were irreplaceable photos, said Gamble's nephew Chuck Gamble, PIR's executive vice president, who estimated the damage "in the millions."" [Philadelphia Inquirer]

words & photos by Gabi Porter, additional words by Andrew Frisicano

I go to a lot of amazing shows, but it's rare to go to a show in New York where the audience makes the show better. Midsummer Night Swing has a built in crowd of people who love to dance in a know-the-steps kind of way, and the energy that creates is so infectious. It makes you realize how sick you are of irony and arms-crossed-head-nodding shows, and makes you want to be more sincere and enjoy yourself unselfconsciously. What also set this show apart from others was the age range, there were times when you could look around and see that children, parents and grandparents were all in attendance. A svelte Chubby Checker looked and sounded fantastic, and it made me wonder why we don't see stacks and stacks of re-issues of his memorable catalog, and why we haven't seen a fresh new project, championed by a hot young producer, from Chubby Checker. The man is ripe for a reverent re-invention from a visionary like ?uestlove, like he did for Al Green. This is the man who, arguably, invented the Twist for chrissakes, and last night when he played the Hank Ballard's "The Twist" there were - literally - 13 year old kids twisting in the bushes. It's a rare rare thing to see that much joy on the Upper West Side on a Wednesday night.

Last night's concert/dance party was a celebration of 50 years of Lincoln Center, in the 21st year of Midsummer Night's Swing. And the size of the crowd and the quality of the music reflects Bill Bragin's leadership in bringing fresh programming to one of New York's anticipated summer series. -Gabi

----

Chubby Checker played last night (7/8) as part of this week's kick off for Midsummer Night Swing Festival happening at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park through July 25th. Kermit Ruffians played on the first night, July 7th. Each night of the fest is geared towards a particular danceable genre. So, for example, the Checker show on Wednesday, July 8th featured 'Rock n Roll' dancing. Check out a video of some crowd members up on stage doing "The Fly," below.

The Woody Herman Orchestra brings swing to the park on July 9th. Also in the fest's first week is the West/Central African music of Occidental Brothers Dance Band International paired with East African singer Samba Mapangala and his band Virunga on Friday, July 10th.

As previously reported, the Ponderosa Stomp hosts two nights, of soul/R&B and Rockabilly, respectively, on Thursday, July 16th and Friday, July 17th. They're also presenting another Lincoln Center gig, "A Tribute to Wardell Quezergue," at Alice Tully Hall on July 19th.

Other nights include Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Wednesday, July 22nd and a closing set by Harlem Renaissance Orchestra with special guest Houston Person on July 25th. Tickets to all the upcoming shows are on sale.

The full schedule, with more pictures and video from Chubby Checker, below...

Continue reading "Chubby Checker played Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing Festival (pics & full upcoming schedule) "