Overview
We’re bringing back the musical catalog of The 20th Century Gabriel himself, the one and only Erskine Hawkins! The Hawkins Orchestra was renowned as one of the best dance bands to ever take up residence at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, and they played some of the best music the swing era has to offer. We want to give this music new life, and we want everyone else to be able to play it too!
About the Project
Many consider the 1930’s and 40’s to be a Golden Age of American Art, and not the least among the many great American artforms that took off during these years are Swing Jazz and Swing Dancing. Over time, however, some of this incredible art has been lost; the original sheet music for many of the great songs from the swing era was either never written down or has since disappeared. The Heritage Sounds Transcription Project is dedicated to bringing music from the Swing Era back to life, not only for dancers, but for active musicians and bandleaders catering to those dancers now. We do so with a spotlight on one incredible bandleader each year. Our transcriptionists work tirelessly to put old recordings into chart form, and once the charts are made, we make them available so that anyone in the world can purchase them and include them in their next set of great live music.
How it Works
Essentially, professional transcribers listen to the recordings and notate everything on the original record, putting it into sheet music form for other musicians to play. In this case, we not only have some of the best transcribers in the business, but each of them are all master swing musicians, so they understand the style they’re working in and are literally the best people on the planet to tackle the historical nature of this project.
Each chart (song) costs between $400-450 to get transcribed from beginning-to-end. As you can see, getting a WHOLE NIGHT of music in this way adds up fast, so making it happen will require a massive community effort. Our goal is 30 tunes to fill three sets of music — that is a LOT of charts! But, the good news is, once the charts have been made, they will *exist* and other bandleaders in the future will have a much easier time paying tribute to this incredible band.
Why Erskine Hawkins?
Erskine Hawkins might just be the most underrated bandleader to ever play at the Savoy Ballroom: the music put out by his orchestra swings HARD, and they were one of the longest tenured house bands throughout the Savoy Ballroom’s storied legacy.
Erskine Hawkins & his Orchestra started their journey at the Savoy Ballroom as the B-band behind Chick Webb. One night, Webb needed an extra song to get his band back in order from their break, and Hawkins’ composer William Johnson took one of the transitionary riffs they had used to sign off from band to band and developed it into a full song. It was such a hit that the Orchestra recorded it for Vector records, and thus ‘Tuxedo Junction’ was put onto wax for the first time.
Along with Tuxedo Junction, the Hawkins team is responsible for a veritable smörgåsbord of amazing tracks, and we can’t wait to bring them to life at Lindy Focus. This project will focus mostly on the tracks Hawkins would have played during the peak swing era, though there are a couple of inclusions from the later, more Rhythm & Blues driven years as well.
The Songs
As tempting as it is, we can’t just choose our favorite Erskine Hawkins songs and call it a day: Hawkins’ catalog is full of incredible tunes for all tastes, and we have to make sure there is enough variety for the flow that 3 sets of music for dancers demands. While Hawkins had a reputation for trotting out medium-fast tempos all night long, there are songs from across the tempo range that hold their own among their peers:
After Hours - SPONSORED!
Baltimore Bounce -SPONSORED!
Bicycle Bounce - SPONSORED!
Dolomite - SPONSORED!
Gin Mill Special - SPONSORED!
Holiday for Swing - SPONSORED!
Hot Platter - SPONSORED!
I, The Living I - SPONSORED!
Jumpin’ In A Julep Joint - SPONSORED!
Keep Cool, Fool - SPONSORED!
Knock Me A Kiss - SPONSORED!
Let’s Go Home - SPONSORED!
Lucky Seven - SPONSORED!
Midnight Stroll - SPONSORED!
Nona - SPONSORED!
Norfolk Ferry - SPONSORED!
No Use Squawkin’ - SPONSORED
Rose Room - SPONSORED!
Saboo - SPONSORED!
Shipyard Ramble - SPONSORED!
Soft Winds - SPONSORED!
S’Posin’ - SPONSORED!
Straighten Up and Fly Right - SPONSORED!
Sweet Georgia Brown - SPONSORED!
Swingin’ In Harlem - SPONSORED!
Swingin’ On Lenox Avenue - SPONSORED!
Swing Out -SPONSORED!
Tippin’ In - SPONSORED!
Tuxedo Junction - SPONSORED!
Uncle Bud - SPONSORED!
IF YOU ARE SPONSORING A SONG - After donating, either contact us through Indiegogo, or email us at lindyfocus@gmail.com. Please include your TOP THREE song choices in your message! We expect everyone will get a tune in their top three, but to be as fair as possible, we will “resolve” these selections sequentially by order number on Indiegogo. Thank you!
Listen to all songs: https://www.heritagesounds.com/erksine-hawkins-...
Challenges
Though this is an ambitious and complex undertaking, we feel well prepared to tackle it from beginning-to-end.
To make sure the charts are as good as possible, we have some of the best transcribers in the industry on board to tackle this very particular musical challenge -- these folks are not only top level music geeks, but have a deep understanding of the genre, so these charts will be historically accurate to the finest detail and not dumbed-down or anachronistic in any way.
To make sure the music can be performed with all the satisfying virtuosity it deserves, we have a hand-picked swing orchestra consisting of top players from all over the US, each one a standalone monster-player as well as a scholarly expert on the swing-era performance idiom for their instrument.
The final challenge, once the charts are "alive" and have been performed, will be the publishing step wherein the material is made available to the public for future performances. It is important to us that this is done in full accordance with copyright law, and the initial steps to guarantee we have the rights to releasing the charts have been taken. It will take diligence to see this publication through the final steps, but as we are lifelong devotees to large scale, historically-grounded jazz-heritage projects, we think we're the right people for the job, with the skills and attitude to get it done. Evidence of our success with the Webb, Lunceford, & Hampton campaigns is available at heritagesounds.com, where many of the songs are fully published and ready for a home in your repertoire.
About Licensing Costs
When we began this project with Chick Webb’s music, we didn’t yet know what the costs would be associated with publishing the charts (and obtaining the licenses to do so). Luckily, the projects were funded above-and-beyond our initial transcribing goals, and we were able to use that money to get the ball rolling on publication.
Essentially, how it works is this: Though each song’s licensing agreement is a little different, we pay IN ADVANCE for the right to sell, say, 15-20 copies of a chart. The cost of a chart is secured through negotiation with the copyright holders, and Heritage Sounds does not have the legal ability to provide them for any less than the agreed upon rate ($30/chart). That being said, we think it’s a great price, and is well below the average for commercial big band charts!
If we happen to sell all copies of the charts secured through the licensing agreement, we’re in great shape! But if we sell none of them, Heritage Sounds (our publishing company) is out several thousand dollars (until that moment if and when all charts are sold).
This year we are following the same course of separating out the bulk of the publication costs from our main goal, but we ARE adding those costs as a stretch goal - so if the transcriptions are funded then any additional money that comes in goes straight to making these charts available. And of course, to help us continue this work, please spread the word to your bandleading friends to buy the charts from heritagesounds.com! Every sale helps us sustain the project.
Help Spread the Word
Other than becoming a financial supporter, the main way you can help us is by spreading the word. With very few exceptions, transcription projects like this almost never happen because of the money required, which means it's in the hands of the truly dedicated to make sure this music has a place in the present, not just as a museum piece in American history. Jazz musicians, jazz lovers, swing dancers, appreciators of pop culture history -- everyone can find reasons to get excited about this project, AND future projects that will become possible if this campaign is a success. Imagine what we can do - help us make some noise about this!
