Ward Swingle RIP

[ardcarp]

He was a phenomenon. Just loved those early Bach recordings on EP.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

indeed and their beautiful work with the MJQ on Place Vendome

[Keraulophone]

R.I.P. Ward Swingle, and thanks for all the babadabadabadabadabs.

JSB Fugue in G minor (578): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vonJhz2COck

[rauschwerk]

My most treasured Swingle Singers disc is of English and French partsongs, issued by RCA in 1977. This was WS's first English group (Swinlge II) and some of the performances on this collection are imo unlikely to be surpassed. Catherine Bott's solo in Stanford's The Blue Bird has to be heard to be believed!

This has never reappeared on CD.

[Gordon]

My most treasured Swingle Singers disc is of English and French partsongs, issued by RCA in 1977. This was WS's first English group (Swinlge II) and some of the performances on this collection are imo unlikely to be surpassed. Catherine Bott's solo in Stanford's The Blue Bird has to be heard to be believed!

This has never reappeared on CD.

Absolutely RW!! That Blue Bird is amazing. And the Full Fathom Five adaptation is also quite arresting. I agree about the CD issue, I have looked for one for a while but do have a dub of the LP and if you listen on headphones the close mic'ing technique opens up inside your head.

[Padraig]

Another fan here. I updated my Jazz Sebastian Bach LP to CD. At the same time I acquired Nothing but Blue Skies -The Irving Berlin Songbook, but for me, nothing beats the original.

[Flay]

Their William Tell overture was a chuckle.

And it reminded me of this!

[Ferretfancy]

My most treasured Swingle Singers disc is of English and French partsongs, issued by RCA in 1977. This was WS's first English group (Swinlge II) and some of the performances on this collection are imo unlikely to be surpassed. Catherine Bott's solo in Stanford's The Blue Bird has to be heard to be believed!

This has never reappeared on CD.

That's a great favourite of mine as well, especially the RVW Shakespeare Songs. There's a special magic in the way they sing that beautiful passage from The Tempest
" A sea change into something rich and strange " with the very close sonority that haunts the mind. Like you, I'm baffled that it has never appeared on CD.

[Gordon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6W9_9V1zl0

for those who have not heard Stanford's Blue Bird by Swingles 2. Magic.

[ostuni]

Fabulous - many thanks for posting. John Potter, another member of Swingle II, put a nice post on his blog yesterday, with some lovely memories of those heady mid-70s days: http://www.john-potter.co.uk/blog/20.../ward-swingle/

[rauschwerk]

There's a special magic in the way they sing that beautiful passage from The Tempest
" A sea change into something rich and strange " with the very close sonority that haunts the mind.

Those are 11 note chords, which could only have been achieved by overdubbing!