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The Swingles
Hauptkirche St. Michaelis
Englische Planke 1
Dec 4, 2023
8:00 PM GMT+1
I Was There
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About this concert
The legendary “Swingle Singers” are one of the most versatile and virtuoso vocal ensembles in the world. With breathtaking technology, charming lightness and a captivating stage presence, the current cast of "The Swingles” transform the Hamburger Michel, which is atmospherically decorated with a Christmas tree for Advent, into a vocal Christmas concert in a class of its own!
“Jazz Sebastian Bach” – this record, released in 1963, made the Swingle Singers world famous almost overnight. What was astonishingly new about this recording of a vocal ensemble was that it did not contain a single vocal work by Bach, but only instrumental works. Here the old Thuringian master suddenly began to swing so much that audiences around the world couldn't get enough of it and the highly virtuosic, creative, genre-spanning style of music-making has captivated generations of fans ever since. Today's ensemble members also follow this tradition of singing great music at the highest level for the enjoyment of others - all of them great singers, soloists, songwriters and storytellers. With their current program "Bach & Christmas Songs", the multiple Grammy-winning Swingles are celebrating 60 years of vocal innovation together with the Hamburg audience, from the legendary Bach arrangements to the popular Christmas classics such as "White Christmas", " Jingle Bells” and “Sleigh Ride”.
American-born Ward Swingle initially assembled a group of Parisian session singers (originally called Les Swingle Singers) to perform Bach's music such as: B. to sing the “Well-Tempered Clavier” (1962).
The resulting album “Jazz Sebastian Bach” was a huge success, breaking new musical ground and breaking new musical ground, bringing the Swingles worldwide fame.
Since then, the group has released more than 50 albums spanning a tremendous variety of music, driven by Ward Swingle's pioneering spirit and eclectic taste in music. Today's Swingles continue that legacy.
The Swingles are Mallika Bhagwat (UK), Joanna Goldsmith-Eteson (UK), Imogen Parry (UK), Oliver Griffiths (UK), Jamie Wright (UK), Jon Smith (US) and Tom Hartley (UK).
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What fans are saying
Hector
December 3rd 2024
Smashing performances and great musical selections! Venue was gorgeous!!
Gold Canyon, AZ@Gold Canyon United Methodist Church
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The Swingles Biography
The Swingles have been challenging the boundaries of vocal music for over 60 years, earning 5 Grammy® Awards and establishing themselves as one of the world’s most beloved and admired vocal groups.
Throughout its various iterations (Les Swingles Singers / Swingle II / The New Swingle Singers / The Swingles / The Swingle Singers (and since 2014, The Swingles again)), the group's signature and instantly-recognisable sound has remained constant and timeless and their intricate arrangements remain unparalleled. The current singers are masters of their craft, constantly seeking new ways of reimagining jazz, folk, pop and classical music from their ever-growing repertoire, alongside creating a rich vein of new original material. Their combination of close-microphone amplification paired with the extraordinary range and vocal dexterity of the group’s seven individual voices to create one seamlessly-blended vocal sound, has captured the admiration of composers and collaborators alike, who have embraced the sheer versatility of the group and its genre-crossing possibilities.
American-born Ward Swingle first assembled a group of Parisian session singers to sing through Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier as a vocal exercise in 1962. The resulting album ‘Jazz Sebastian Bach’ (recorded initially for friends and family), became a huge hit, breaking new musical ground and launching The Swingles to fame. Several of the singers had previously sung with Mimi Perrin’s group Les Double Six (who with Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie recorded the 6 voices twice in order to create a much larger sound and richer chord structure). The Swingles of today employ a similar technique in their current shows - an immersive layering up of vocals using live-looping technology to record themselves in the moment and have it play back later, producing mesmeric (and potentially massive) musical textures.
The group has released more than 50 albums encompassing a huge range of music in many different styles, fuelled by Ward Swingle’s pioneering spirit and varied musical tastes. Their arrangements tend either to give a little twist to the original or turn it completely on its head. The group’s genre-inclusive approach to music-making has led to collaborations with artists such as Jamie Cullum, Gareth Malone, Kurt Elling, New York Voices, and Labrinth. They co-wrote and performed a song for the end credits of Alexander Payne’s film ‘Downsizing’ and have appeared on many film and TV soundtracks, including ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Sex and the City’, ‘Wedding Crashers’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘The Two Popes’, and ‘Glee’.
"superhero singing to truly raise goosebumps.”
THE GUARDIAN
"The Swingles were never less than dazzling”
THE WASHINGTON POST
Read MoreThroughout its various iterations (Les Swingles Singers / Swingle II / The New Swingle Singers / The Swingles / The Swingle Singers (and since 2014, The Swingles again)), the group's signature and instantly-recognisable sound has remained constant and timeless and their intricate arrangements remain unparalleled. The current singers are masters of their craft, constantly seeking new ways of reimagining jazz, folk, pop and classical music from their ever-growing repertoire, alongside creating a rich vein of new original material. Their combination of close-microphone amplification paired with the extraordinary range and vocal dexterity of the group’s seven individual voices to create one seamlessly-blended vocal sound, has captured the admiration of composers and collaborators alike, who have embraced the sheer versatility of the group and its genre-crossing possibilities.
American-born Ward Swingle first assembled a group of Parisian session singers to sing through Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier as a vocal exercise in 1962. The resulting album ‘Jazz Sebastian Bach’ (recorded initially for friends and family), became a huge hit, breaking new musical ground and launching The Swingles to fame. Several of the singers had previously sung with Mimi Perrin’s group Les Double Six (who with Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie recorded the 6 voices twice in order to create a much larger sound and richer chord structure). The Swingles of today employ a similar technique in their current shows - an immersive layering up of vocals using live-looping technology to record themselves in the moment and have it play back later, producing mesmeric (and potentially massive) musical textures.
The group has released more than 50 albums encompassing a huge range of music in many different styles, fuelled by Ward Swingle’s pioneering spirit and varied musical tastes. Their arrangements tend either to give a little twist to the original or turn it completely on its head. The group’s genre-inclusive approach to music-making has led to collaborations with artists such as Jamie Cullum, Gareth Malone, Kurt Elling, New York Voices, and Labrinth. They co-wrote and performed a song for the end credits of Alexander Payne’s film ‘Downsizing’ and have appeared on many film and TV soundtracks, including ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Sex and the City’, ‘Wedding Crashers’, ‘The Holdovers’, ‘The Two Popes’, and ‘Glee’.
"superhero singing to truly raise goosebumps.”
THE GUARDIAN
"The Swingles were never less than dazzling”
THE WASHINGTON POST
Contemporary A Cappella
Vocal
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