The Swingle Singers

A People from france vocal group famed for tackling all types of classical materials (Baroque, fugues, madrigals, orchestral overtures) and turning these to an a cappella golf swing environment, the Swingle Performers was formed in Paris through the early ’60s by American expatriate Ward Swingle. By enough time of the 1963 recording debut, the group comprised eight voices — Swingle, Christiane Legrand (sister of Michel), Jean-Claude Briodin, Anne Germain, Claude Germaine, Jean Cussac, Claudine Meunier and Jeanette Baucomont. That recording, Jazz Sebastian Bach (entitled Bach’s Greatest Hits in the us), gained the group a Grammy honor and almost produced the very best Ten. The novelty natural within an eight-voice scatting choir led to dozens of tv and radio looks all over the world during the middle-’60s. In some way, the group also were able to record follow-up LPs Heading Baroque in 1964 and Anyone for Mozart? twelve months later. Both had been Grammy winners aswell — though Greatest Performance by way of a Chorus certainly wasn’t probably the most competitive category in the honours ceremony. Within an period when vocal choruses significantly slipped down the simple listening slope, nevertheless, the Swingle Performers moved in exactly the opposing path. In 1969, a subsidiary group known as Swingles II premiered Sinfonia, a structure from the avant-garde composer Luciano Berio that also used the brand new York Philharmonic. Following a move to Britain in 1973, Ward Swingle recruited a fresh Swingle Performers and transformed musical path, incorporating materials in the avant-garde along with the Renaissance period and jazz. Swingle himself retired from energetic functionality in 1984, but continuing on as music movie director. The group continuing to tour the planet in to the ’90s, executing operas by Azio Corghi and Berio, showing up in compositions with ballet businesses, and holding several classes and workshops aswell.