A Step Back Through Time;

Pensacola’s Swing Revival

by Roane Beard

A step through the doors of the American Legion on Friday nights is a step back in time. The big band is playing swingin’ tunes and couples are on the dance floor doing the manhattan, boogie woogie, and sweetheart to the beat of the music. The building itself is a throwback to the twenties, when it was built, and there’s no better place for a swing music revival. What’s more, there’s no-one better to pull it off than the Swingin’ Dick Tracys.

The eight-man ensemble has been the driving force behind Pensacola’s swing revival for years. It’s not just that they play the music—although they do that with style. The Dick Tracys on stage are a time machine taking the audience back to the twenties and thirties, playing rollicking big band pieces from Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington, and imbuing the dance floor with an infectious, feel-good energy. But they also teach the dance, find the venues, and organize the events that keep Pensacola’s swing revival going strong. And Swingin’ Dick Tracys performances can clearly be classified as events, not shows. Which is the best part of it, claims Travis Glover, guitar player and sometime vocalist for the Dick Tracys.

“When you’re couple dancing, you’re active participants,” he says. “That’s what makes it so great. You’re not just watching some show, you’re out there dancing with a partner. You’re important, because you’re personally involved. So much other entertainment around is so passive, it’s just ridiculous. I can’t even imagine going into a bar these days, with everyone just kind of sitting around.”

It’s clear that swing, as a dance, as music, and as a cultural legacy, is a matter of importance to Travis. He dresses to the nines to dance, usually in black and white, wearing black pants and suspenders with a white dress shirt, and white on black wingtips, as if he were Frankie Manning stepping out of a old movie reel to revitalize the movement he helped to start; the Purple Rose of Cairo in four-four time.

Friday nights are the big nights for Pensacola swingsters, when the Dick Tracys play at the American Legion. It’s the ideal venue for a dance with such a strong link to popular culture of the past, says Travis.

“It’s the best place to have it. It’s timeless. Time just stands still in there. That place was built in the 20’s; it’s a holdover from the swing era itself. And it’s a beautiful place. Have you looked at the ceiling? It’s mahogany. You just can’t beat the Legion for ambiance.”

The night starts about 8:30, with a beginners dance class jointly taught by Travis and Samantha Marsh. By the end of the lesson, everyone in the crowd has learned enough to do the jitterbug, along with a couple of moves, like the sweetheart and underarm turn. About 9:30 the lights go out, the sound system kicks on, and the dancing begins.

“I don’t think you can discount the importance that it’s couples dancing,” says Travis. “There’s an interaction between the girl and the boy. When you’re dancing, there’s nothing else. Just you, your partner, and your music. With music, you can see into the future. That’s important for guys. So they can anticipate, because they have to lead. They’re not in charge, but they lead. The couple is subject to the beat. That’s what rules everything. The guy gets to lead, but only within the beat. His responsibility is to make the girl look good. For the girls, there’s a whole different dynamic. She has to follow, and put on the flash. That’s the beauty of it, there are two different dynamics. It’s a little microcosm of life.”

So put on your zoot suit and come out to the dance. The place to be on Friday nights is the American Legion Hall at 1401 W Intendencia, at the corner of Barrancas and G streets. Admission is $7.50, and includes a beverage. The non-alcoholic kind; swing night at the legion is a smoke-free, alcohol free, all-ages event. If you’re looking for a smoke and alcohol friendly venue, the Swingin’ Dick Tracys play Sundays at the New Carousel as well, a huge new venue at 9121 Pensacola Boulevard, by Nine Mile Road. It has what Dick Tracy Lee Emerson has called “the best dance floor in town,” along with two bars, four pool tables, and a friendly staff. The stage overlooks a central dance floor replete with par can lighting, a disco ball, and big screen TVs for watching the dancers. Travis gives basic dance lessons at 6:00, and dancing continues until 9:00. Admission is $3.00.

For more information on hitting the swing scene, give Lee Emerson a call at 712-8483, or call Joe Occhipinti at the Jazz Hotline, 433-6287.