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 Elegance, Style, Fashion! Gangsters, Art
Deco, and Jazz!
The most exciting place in the world, Clark Gable, Lana Turner,
Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers glided
through the nights. Thousands of young hopefuls flocked to the
city with dreams of fame and stardom. Every month another great
musical lit up the movie screens. Fortunes were made, stars were
born, parties were thrown, the future was golden… and soaring
through it all was the music - Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Ella
Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Fats Waller,
the greatest American composers - Irving Berlin, Cole Porter,
Richard Hammerstein - all came together in the greatest explosion
of sound and creativity the world has ever experienced.
How do you replicate this experience
for your guests?
Start with Fashion: For men a dinner jacket
is required (Humphrey Bogart just wouldn’t look the same
in Dockers and a hockey shirt!) For the ladies a bias cut gown,
preferably silk, (I have no idea what a bias cut gown is, but
I’ve been assured, by experts no less, that it is a requirement!)
If you’re in Toronto, Divine Decadence is a great place
to start, if you’re not search out vintage clothing stores.
Drinks: Check out the rest of the site, but
Daiquiris, Gimlets, Martinis, Scotch, and Gin are the primary
choices. If you can find one, an Art Deco soda siphon is unbeatable
for imparting that extra dash of style when making Scotch and
Soda.
Movie Stars: Rent some old black and white movies
at your local video store; Casablanca, Easter Parade, The Thin
Man, Silk Stockings, That’s Entertainment would be good
choices, turn off the sound and leave them playing in the background.
Gangsters: Invite your bank manager or a local
politician!!
And Finally Music: Nothing helps set the tone
for your party more than music. You have a couple of choices -
you can buy albums by the original performers, or look for recordings
by contemporary Artists performing standards, or you can mix and
match the two. The following list will help get you started:
Original Performances:
| Sinatra at the Sands – Frank Sinatra
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Reprise |
| The Definitive Ella Fitzgerald |
Verve |
| The Definitive Louis Armstrong |
Verve |
| The Best of Chet Baker Sings |
Capitol |
| Satin Doll – Billie Holiday |
Verve |
| April in Paris – Count Basie |
Verve |
| Are you Hep to the Jive – Cab Calloway |
Columbia |
| Voice of the century – Frank Sinatra/Tommy
Dorsey |
Bluebird |
| Greatest Hits – Nat King Cole |
Capitol |
| Live at Carnegie Hall – Benny Goodman
|
Columbia |
| The Best of Bluebird Jazz – Various
Artists |
Bluebird |
| The Joint is Jumping – Fats Waller |
BMG |
| Greatest Hits – Glenn Miller |
BMG |
Contemporary Artists:
| Stardust – Natalie Cole |
Elektra |
| Unforgettable – Natalie Cole |
Elektra |
| In a Sentimental Mood – Dr. John |
Warner Bros |
| Duke Elegant – Dr. John |
Blue Note |
| A New Standard – Steve Tyrell |
Atlantic |
| Round Midnight – Linda Ronstadt |
Asylum |
| When Harry Met Sally – Harry Connick Jr. |
Columbia |
| Music From the Motion Picture De-Lovely |
Sony |
| Quiet Night – John Alcorn |
www.johnalcorn.com |
| Stride – Doug Riley, Tyler Yarema, John Roby |
www.stridepiano.ca |
| The Great American Songbook - Rod Stewart |
Warner Bros |
You may have to hunt around for some of these titles, check out
Amazon and Ebay, but there are more than enough choices if you
can’t find a specific album.
And that’s it you’re ready to
go!
Order the drinks, rent the tux, purchase the CDs, send out the
invitations, and prepare to host the most elegant party of the
year.
Posted October 4th, 2005
This article was written by Keith
Whiting
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