Search - Swingle Singers :: Jazz Sebastian Bach

Jazz Sebastian Bach
Swingle Singers
Jazz Sebastian Bach
Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, New Age, Pop, Rock, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (23) - Disc #1

This reissue, combining recordings made in 1963 and 1968, is probably one of the most original contributions to 2000's celebration of the 250th anniversary of J.S. Bach's death. Amid a plethora of choral and organ recordin...  more »

     
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This reissue, combining recordings made in 1963 and 1968, is probably one of the most original contributions to 2000's celebration of the 250th anniversary of J.S. Bach's death. Amid a plethora of choral and organ recording projects, the unique sound of the Swingle Singers' Bach arrangements stands out as something quite extraordinary--that is, unless you heard it first time around in the 1960s. The Swingle Singers started out by attempting to sing Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. The "doo-be-doo" style of singing together with the bass and drums accompaniment may have the more purist music-lover reaching for the stop button--it certainly did back in the 1960s--but the Swingles' performances are impeccable. The eight jazz singers are required to explore the extremities of their ranges, often singing in parallel thirds and octaves, and frequently at breakneck speed. The overall effect is innocent, fun, rather cheesy, and very summery--it will go down well at a barbecue party and probably appeal to those who have enjoyed compilations such as Music to Watch Girls By. --Rebecca Agnew

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CD Reviews

100% Winning combination: JSB & Swingle Singers
10/21/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)

"32 years ago I was petrified to hear this group for the first time on the LP. Old Johann Sebastian never sounded better (outside some magnificent cathedral's organ, of course). He (JSB)really swings, AND HOW! Now - lucky me! - I was so happy to discover this favorite recording of mine remastered on CD. God! it's just as great as it used to be - only even better, much better! I taught the college course of Music Appreciation (for non-majors, of course). Listening to the classic Bach's renditions my students were polite, but ... not exactly moved. But then I put on this very CD - and WHAM! Everybody was tapping, fingersnapping and swinging with great immortal first-class top-rate SWINGLE SINGERS! Thank YOU, Mr.Ward Swingle - an American(!), who made an enormous contribution to the sophisticated and classy world of REAL eternal MUSIC. And - for the reference and for the information to another reviewer - the rest of the group are FRENCHMEN, all graduates of the world famous Paris Conservatory of Music. By the way, when the same people sing JAZZ classics they call themselves "Double Six of Paris" They are tops in every category. Also - check out for the crystal-clear heavenly soprano solo: it's Christine Legrand, sister of of Michel. What a gifted family! Enlight yourself and Enjoy the greatest music on Earth! Boris Gontarev."
Irresistable...
Mark Grindell | Shipley,West Yorkshire | 06/21/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard this when I was only a boy. At that time I only listened to rock and roll, but this captured my attention and drew me right in. My gosh, how grateful I am! This has to be some of the most exciting and electric stuff ever produced... I remember how I subsequently encountered Bach in his natural settings and I have never stopped enjoying this man's incredible imagination. The singing is some of the best and technically brilliant I have ever encountered. I would love to be able to play bass like the cool dude who is playing on this album. Man, would I ever! This stuff really moves...."
Swingle Singers Fan from California
Mark Grindell | 08/03/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard the Swingle Singers in a Washington, DC music store as a teen. While I did not stop listening to rock, I had found an alternative source of music that I played when I needed creative inspiration. I bought all of their albums but with CDs now the primary media, I searched for a few years before I found the orignial Swingle Singers on CD. Well, I just lost my first copy of this album on a plane, I am purchasing my second copy ... I just have to have this inspriational music! Bach was a genius!"