Little Big Weekend

Music

Sam Carroll is the musical director for the Little Big Weekend, and one of Australia's highest profile lindy hop DJs. Andrew Dickeson is the band leader for the weekend, and he's a musician who understands that jazz is about improvisation and innovation as well as preserving the past. They love jazz.

Sam and Andrew have been collaborating on music for dancers, and dances for musicians since JazzBANG in 2014. They're both big old jazz history nerds, but they're also big fans of music with good feels. They want aim for music that makes musicians happy, and dancers VERY happy.

This year Andrew and Sam take their game to a new level with three nights:

  • Friday night Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band warms us up with a night of solid swinging jazz, late Basie style.
  • Saturday night we get fancy with Andrew's Jazz Family Band. Andrew puts together different bands for a solid night of music, inspired by Benny Goodman's small groups, Basie's swinging combos... all our balboa and lindy hop favourites.
  • Sunday evening we wind down with the Blue Rhythm Band playing the right sort of music for drinking, dancing, and carousing.

Musicians have figured out how good this band is, and are driving and flying in from all over the country. Mark Elton will bring his bass up from Melbourne, Brad Child will take his sax and clarinet on the train from the mountains, Peter Locke will be chauffeured in to tackle our pianos, and other guests will be putting the northern NSW freeways to the test.

Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band

Andrew Dickeson

Friday and Sunday nights.

Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band is a band for dancers.
They do what Basie did.
They play 4 solid beats to the bar and no cheating.

The band is a unit built from the rhythm section out: Andrew Dickeson on drums; a solid bass player; a pianist with a definite touch; and a bass player who understands he's at the heart of it all. Oh, and Brad Child, saxophonist and Clarinetist, who just assumes he can bring the stomp as well as the melody. And we agree.

Andrew Dickeson's Jazz Family Band

Brad Child

Saturday night.

Balboa has joined jazz dance and lindy hop at the Little Big Weekend, and we're welcoming it with a few more branches of the musical family tree.

One band is not enough for this big party. Andrew will begin with his Basie-inspired Blue Rhythm Band, then introduce us to Benny Goodman's small groups with vibes flavoured by Lionel Hampton, piano prompted by Teddy Wilson, and of course clarinet stinking of Goodman.

DJs

There isn't much room for DJs in the Little Big Weekend program. The DJs we do have know music and take care to complement the bands' work with their band break DJing.

Sam Carroll

Sam Carroll (head DJ)

International DJ Sam Carroll began DJing for lindy hoppers and blues dancers in 2004. She's been head DJ for many Australian events, guest DJ at Seoul Lindyfest, and staff DJ at Herrang Dance Camp.

That makes her the BOSS.