The reason behind the gathering? The release of a "new" Swingles album. Actually there is nothing new about it, it was recorded at the legendary Village Gate nightclub on a US tour in fall 1982 and was intended for release - but then the masters went missing. Now, almost 25 years later, the masters have been located, successfully transferred to CD and finally released. The launch party for "Live in New York 82" included all the singers from that period, the current group members and other ex-Singers who were involved in the process of the album release. Kym Amps, second soprano in 1982, came all the way from Spain, and Ward Swingle, now in his late 70's, travelled together with his wife Francoise from his home near Paris to celebrate this occasion. And what a celebration it was!
To mark this launch, the Swingle Singers have put together a web site where you can read the full story and listen to some of the tracks from what was the group's first ever live, and first ever a cappella album. This was in 1982 when none had heard of vocal percussion or vocal bass lines (Simon Grant providing both at the same time) - this is cuttting edge a cappella of its time!
Join them on a breathtaking journey through the history of western music: from Debussy's enchanting "Clair de Lune" to the exciting Big Band sound of "Fascinatin' Rhythm" (with lyrics especially written by Jon Hendricks); from Ward Swingle's brilliant "Country Dances" to the sheer impossibility of "Flight of the Bumblebee".
Click on the wrench in the upper left-hand corner to see what else you can do.