Got Swing! – Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (2003) [FLAC/MP3]

Recorded on April 19-20, 2002 at Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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This is a good, solid pops recording; a disc that’s fun to hear. It’s not necessarily for hardcore jazzheads or swing dancers, but might be just the thing to introduce some of these classic tunes to folks who think they don’t like jazz. Most of these tracks don’t swing hard, but there are a few that even a dedicated dancer would want to try out.

Some real standards of the original swing era are presented here, hot and sweet. "Swingin’ at the Savoy" (this referring to the great Savoy Ballroom of Harlem), "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "Avalon," "It Don’t Mean a Thing," "I’ll Be Seeing You," and "Flying Home" (Lionel Hampton’s most famous creation) are just a few examples. Many of these songs have great stories behind their creation or earliest recordings. If you don’t love swing already, they’ll start you on your way.

A few have been arranged until their original character is somewhat obscured ("Blues in the Night" now sounds like something from a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical); but the mix is excellent, and the musicians even better, whether the prevailing sound is pops-oriented or swinging.

John Pizzarelli gives particularly standout performances on guitar and vocally. His clever manipulations of music and words mark some of the really swinging tracks. "Avalon" is a great hot take. Pizzarelli, son of jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, is in good company. Other guest artists include the vocalise group the Manhattan Transfer in various guises, from the ensemble to solo voice and rhythm section.

(From the review (http://www.allmusic.com/album/got-swing%21-mw0000018775) by Eileen Donis-Forster.)
Track list:

Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Pops Orchestra featuring
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01 – String Of Pearls [3:39]
02 – Stompin’ At The Savoy [2:48]
03 – Choo Choo Ch’Boogie The Manhattan Transfer [2:38]
04 – Straighten Up And Fly Right John Pizzarelli [4:49]
05 – Sugar (That Sugar Baby O’mine) The Manhattan Transfer [3:44]
06 – Skyliner The Manhattan Transfer [3:18]
07 – Blues In The Night [9:50]
08 – Avalon John Pizzarelli [5:12]
09 – It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) [3:56]
10 – Clouds, Adapted From Nuages The Manhattan Transfer [7:05]
11 – Jumpin’ At The Woodside [6:42]
12 – Flying Home [3:59]
13 – I’ll Be Seeing You Janis Siegel [3:46]
14 – Sweet Georgia Brown [3:24]

Total playing time: 1h 04′ 49”

Complete scans included. Download links (type swingzel to extract the files):

FLAC 16/44.1: mega (https://mega.co.nz/#!2okBiCiK!qioE26s9COwgf11J2ysXe4pR-8N5ufuTE1y-lk3V1X0) | uloz.to (https://ulozto.net/!HWYZZoTyEi3k/ekgs-7z) (424.9 MiB)

MP3 320 kbps: mega (https://mega.co.nz/#!2xMQWCga!N6bG301f8QRI01Rc_aN9TMdBD8dlDyrmygzLIVE BLsM) | uloz.to (https://ulozto.net/!fv1dojGKzxwe/ekgsm-7z) (157.0 MiB)

With big thanks to all who shared other titles of this great conductor and orchestra. Enjoy.

Scott