I don't know - I never culd get into jazz or swing music. Though I listen to many different genres, this music just gave me nothing. Which is kind of "sad" because it really perfectly fits to Dieselpunk from which I love all other aspects (art, movies etc.).
However - I personally think that the genre of martial industrial also suits very good. It's dark and war-themed and as such builds up an atmosphere fitting Dieselpunk.
Here is a clip from french LES JOYAUX DE LA PRINCESSE's  album "Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)" with the title-mentioned exposition as an overall theme of the album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9Oft2dmrm4

Great suggestions in this thread! Glenn Miller is one of my personal favorites, my biggest fave being String of Pearls.

When I was in middle school, I played saxophone in band and made it to jazz band which we played a bunch of big band stuff. I found some of my music the other day and was thinking of playing again, I haven't played in 10 years or so.

Another suggestion is Nina Simone. She came more in the 60's but definitely had the old jazz feel. One of my favorite songs by her was a cover call Wild is the Wind which is a haunting little piece, although its a love song.

Wild is the Wind

I'm a big fan of Louis Armstrong, the Andrews Sisters, Billie Holiday, Gene Krupa, Kay Kyser, and Xavier Cugat.

Man, now I have to go hunt down old music again...

this clip here is just normal german goth rock but the clothes worn and some of the other stuff shown in the clip has a nice 20s feel to it. so at least or the optics quite suited:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY5OvLop1jI

here are three nowadays musicians from my country, germany, which both suit very well in terms of Dieselpunk:

Max Raabe:

He and his 12 piece "Palastorchester" are around since 1988 and fill halls in germany and also in NY, Tokyo etc...
http://www.palastorchester.de/en/musik/cd/

some of you may know some of his songs from the famous "Comedian Harmonists" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedian_Harmonists )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1JIki1RkM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN1LCow_BQU

"Not much needs to be said about the music Max Raabe sings; the songs speak for themselves. For the most part they were written towards the end of the Weimar Republic."

He recently released his first "real" self written solo-album with snippets found here:
http://www.myspace.com/maxraabemusik

and the next one is:
Götz Alsmann

http://www.myspace.com/goetzalsmann

while Raabe is stuck in the 20s and 30s mainly, Götz is more into the 40s and 50s.
He is a german entertainer, jazz-pianist and a very talented musician - just givve him an instrument and he knows how to play it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m6byj-zqGY
http://www.goetz-alsmann.de/index.php?area=downloads

and the last one:
Annett Louisan

http://www.myspace.com/annettlouisan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annett_Louisan
She also "reaches" the borders of pop music but also plays a wide variety of music with blues, soul, jazz and swing. The lyrics of her songs are mostly about love, failure and disappointment. Annett Louisan is one of the few German artists who has obtained a high profile with chanson-style songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy5OApFulTQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fCaoBN2jvU
(together with.. guess who... Götz Alsmann )

Last edited by Beauregard (2010-02-16 23:29)

Moin, Moin from Texas!
If you like Max' music and the Golden entertainment of the 1920s, you might like Brendan McNally's dark comic novel "Germania" (Simon & Schuster, 2009), about the Flying Magical Loerber Brothers, four somewhat magical, Jewish vaudeville entertainers and onetime child stars who were the toast of Berlin before WWII and who reunite during the surreal, three-week "Flensburg Reich" of Admiral Doenitz,  Hitler's very unlucky successor.