Shall We Swing?/Sounds of the Great Bands!

Shall We Swing?/Sounds of the Great Bands! Artist: Glen Gray
Label: EMI Int'l
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Format: Original recording reissued
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 724358135428
EAN: 0724358135428
ASIN: B000089HBD


Release Date: 2003-04-03

Related Categories:

General General
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing General Swing General
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Pop | Styles | Music
Classic Big Band Classic Big Band
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Contemporary Big Band Contemporary Big Band
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Tracks:

  1. Hungarian Dance No.5
  2. Minuet
  3. Finale G Minor Symphony
  4. Humoresque
  5. Poet And Peasant Overture
  6. Melody In F
  7. D Minor Symphony
  8. Minuet In G
  9. Dance Of The Hours
  10. A String Of Pearls
  11. Lean Baby
  12. Take The 'A' Train
  13. Casa Loma Stomp
  14. Stardust
  15. No Name Jive
  16. Frenesi
  17. Collaboration
  18. The Mole
  19. Early Autumn
  20. King Porter Stomp

Similar Items:

  1. Swinging Sounds of Great Bands
  2. More Sounds of the Great Swing Bands
  3. Smooth Sounds of the Great Dance Bands
  4. A Thinking Man's Band/Waltz in Jazz Time
  5. Suddenly It's Swing/Swingin Eye

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars I'm not generally a "split the difference" kind of guy.......2007-01-23

But this may be a place to do so. The early 60s, when music had not yet been overrun and all opponents crushed by rock, was a time of oldsters trying hard to remain relevant while various newsters fought to be heard. There was a huge folk base, abundant jazz that was still readily available in your local record shop, a strong C&W contingent, Ed Sullivan staples, and various international sounds arriving daily. In 1963 most college-aged people would probably have heard of Chad Mitchell, Eydie Gorme, Woody Guthrie, Martha and The Vandellas, Dave Brubeck, Trini Lopez, Andy Williams, and Henry Mancini. Such variety would soon disappear.

One of the hangers-on still churning out the goods was Glen Gray, a famous swing band leader who had a sensational arranger in Billy May. Together these two, and their crackerjack musicians, spilled out LPs that replicated the old sounds perfectly (and remember, those old sounds weren't as readily available in good quality as they are today) and meandered into "relevance." This is a combo of two relevant records, taking a pair of those early 1960s LPs and packing them on to one CD. You get 9 famous classical tunes performed in a perfect but cold swing style, and 11 swing classics infused with the newly popular Latin flavor.

Though I recognize the excellence of both arrangement and playing, and have no qualms about re-imaging very familiar older material, I cannot warm up to this pair. Somehow the whole thing, including the tracks so highly praised in other reviews, is just a little chilly. Sterile. Packaged. Processed. I'm not sure. But the swing bands of the 30s and 40s, including Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra, had a fire and passion that just feels missing here. You got lots of samples...see if you like them. I don't hate it; I don't love it. Tepid music inspires a tepid response.

1 out of 5 stars WOW, HORRIBLE.......2004-09-14

Who in their right mind would add a latin beat to great swing music? Terrible. Just terrible.

DO NO BUY IF YOU WANT WANT MUSIC THAT SWINGS

5 out of 5 stars Billy May at his best!.......2003-04-05

I've listened to many big band albums but this one remains one of my all-time favorites. The "Shall We Swing" selections are big band arrangements of great classical themes arranged by the incomparable Billy May. These arrangements are fantastic and the band he assembled was up to the challenge. This band has all the great 50's and 60's studio musicians from Hollywood such as Uan Rasey, Babe Russin, Conrad Gozzo, Skeets Herfurt, Don Fagerquist,
Ted Nash etc. Just hearing "Poet and Peasant Overture" and "Hungarian Dance" is worth the price. Truly unique! Get it - you won't be sorry.

The "Sounds of the Great Bands" are from Glen Gray's early 60's albums (and he did a lot of them) in which he did original arrangements of famous bands. No telling these from the originals. Even the solos are practically exact duplicates. Again these arrangments were played by Hollywood's finest.

5 out of 5 stars Shall We Swing.......2003-04-03

Billy May's arrangement of "Poet and Peasant Overture" alone is worth the price of this great album. Great big band; fantastic May arrangements. One of the finest big band albums I've ever heard!

Music CD:

  1. Castles and Flags ~ David Friesen
  2. Love Will Follow ~ George Howard
  3. Emphasis, Stuttgart 1961 ~ Jimmy Giuffre
  4. Green Gate ~ Phil DeGreg
  5. Shades of Things to Come ~ Jack Millman
  6. Lennie Niehaus, Vol. 1: The Quintets ~ Lennie Niehaus
  7. It's Monk's Time ~ Thelonious Monk
  8. Unconditional ~ Kirk Whalum
  9. At The Montreux Jazz Festival ~ Bill Evans
  10. Over Crystal Green ~ Will & Rainbow

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High on a Ridgetop ~ The Youngbloods

The Best of East 17 ~ East 17

Freeway Madness ~ The Pretty Things

Six Years of Power Pop! ~ Various Artists

Voodoo Sex Stuff ~ Voodoo Sex Stuff

Live at K13

Mark of the Devil

Face Off ~ Pastor Troy

Luke's Sheila