Introducing Ward Swingle : Arranger, Performer, Grammy-Winner and Founder of The Swingle Singers
Ward Swingle, a native of Alabama but a true world musician, is one of the most important figures at the heart of Vocal Jazz. A member of great 50's French vocal groups the Blue Stars and the Double Six, he is most famous for founding and arranging for his eponymous vocal ensemble The Swingle Singers.
The group, which in it's original 60's French incarnation won five Grammies and took the jazz and classical music world's by storm, still continues to this day, based in London UK and supported by Swingle, now in his 80's. Staffed by a collection of young, talented and creative international jazz singers, The Swingle Singers tour constantly, amazing audiences worldwide with their beautiful and unique a cappella shows.
Many recordings are available from throughout The Swingle Singers' illustrious history, as well as charts of Ward Swingle's arrangements and his book 'Swingle Singing'.
Ward Swingle recordings
A selection of the great albums available from Amazon
Remember that Amazon offer substantial discounts when ordering multiple items, so make sure you have a good browse for that essential disc that's missing from your collection!
The following five are suggested as a good place to start for the new collector.
Jazz Sebastian Bach
The original disc that started it all! Bach's music fused with jazz to create something thrilling and unique.
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $11.98
Used Price: $6.50
Jazz Sebastian Bach, Vol. 2
More Bach, adapted, respected and taken to new heights by Ward's pen and his great group of French singers. Available at a discount when purchased with Vol.1.
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $11.98
Used Price: $9.05
Christmastime
A beautiful holiday disc : no Christmas is complete without this recording gently lulling in the background.
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $11.98
Used Price: $8.74
Anyone for Mozart, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi?
A perfect introduction to the sound and scope of Ward's original French group.
Amazon Price: $11.98 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $11.98
Used Price: $2.91
Concerto d'Aranjuez
Possibly the finest of the 60's recordings, Les Swingle Singers take the music of Spain and create something very special indeed.
Amazon Price: $22.99 (as of 10/12/2008)
List Price: $22.99
Used Price: $9.93
Ward Swingle at a Glance
What Wikipedia has to say about the great man.
Ward Swingle (born September 21, 1927) is an American vocalist and jazz musician.
Swingle was born in Mobile, Alabama. He studied music, particularly jazz, from a very young age. He was playing in Mobile-area Big Bands before finishing high school. After high school, Swingle graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He then moved to France, where he studied piano with the celebrated Walter Gieseking. In the 1960s he was a founding member of the Double Six of Paris, then took the scat singing idea and applied it to the works of Bach. This concept would be the foundati...
Latest news from The Swingle Singers
Ward's group is still going strong : here's the latest from their news feed
Fetching RSS feed... please stand bySwingle Singers Videos
There's a wealth of videos out there!
You can see Ward and the original group during the 'Promo Video' clip, featuring concert and behind-the-scenes footage.
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Swingle Singers line-ups through the ages!
Some photos of Ward and his groups, from 1963 to the present day.
The following photo slideshow is taken from an exclusive collection on 'The Swingle Singers : A Definitive Guide'.
Find Swingle Singers recordings on eBay
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Useful Links
Some place to go to learn more about Ward Swingle and The Swingle Singers
- The Swingle Singers - Official Website
- Homepage of the current group; includes biographies, news, concert schedule and audio.
- Ward Swingle - Official Website
- Ward's homepage; with biography and links.
- The Swingle Singers - The Definitive Guide
- First in the 'Definitive Guide' series of Squidoo Lenses; everything you need on The Swingle Singers.
- UNC Jazz Press
- Complete list of Ward Swingle's arrangements available to purchase as sheet music/charts.
