Got Swing! CD

If there is one thing that Erich Kunzel has achieved in his many years with the Cincinnati Pops, it is the by no means easy feat of getting a symphony orchestra to swing. About 14 years after a previous, star-studded salute to swing, Big Band Hit Parade, Kunzel came back with another, perhaps less star-studded yet no less swinging paean to a still-beloved era. The two star soloists this time happen to be Telarc signees John Pizzarelli and Janis Siegel, who brought along the entire Manhattan Transfer with her. How does Kunzel do it? For one thing, the orchestra is sprinkled with authentic jazzers like alto saxophonist Antonio Hart, trombonist Jim Pugh, and clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Rick Van Matre -- and several of them are given room by Kunzel to take solos as they would on a jazz big band record. Other keys -- probably the keys -- are the hot rhythm sections, be it the Manhattan Transfer's own or the uncredited Pops combo, both of which manage to lift the elephantine symphony orchestra off the ground without the strings getting in the way. For their part, the Transfer reprise four tunes from their then most recent albums Swing and The Spirit of St. Louis; "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" sounds a bit offhand and breathless, but the others ("Sugar," "Skyliner" "Clouds") are up to their tightly-focused standards. Pizzarelli is his affable, loose, retro-vocal self on two songs, "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "Avalon" -- and he gets plenty of space to stretch out and burn on guitar. With the single exception of Siegel's only solo piece, "I'll Be Seeing You," the album scrupulously avoids sentiment and zeroes in on what its title promises -- plenty of swing, and sometimes at surprisingly great length ("Blues in the Night" clocks in at just under ten minutes). Whether CD or SACD, the sound on Got Swing! is sumptuous. ~ Richard S. Ginell

This is a Hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Personnel: Cheryl Bentyne (vocals); Paul Patterson (violin); Rick Van Matre (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Antonio Hart (alto saxophone); Scott Belck (trumpet); Jim Pugh (trombone); Yaron Gershovsky (piano, celesta); Julie Spangler (piano); Rich Jensen (vibraphone); Steve Hass (drums, percussion); Marc Wolfley (drums).

Liner Note Author: Richard E. Rodda.

Recording information: Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH (04/19/2002/04/20/2002).

Director: Yaron Gershovsky.

Editors: Todd Brown; Michael Bishop .

Unknown Contributor Roles: Rich Jensen ; Janis Siegel; John Pizzarelli; Manhattan Transfer; Erich Kunzel.

Arrangers: Corey Allen; Dick Lieb; Joseph Price; Don Sebesky; Steven R. Reineke; Jeff Tyzik; Tommy Newsom.

Personnel includes: Erich Kunzel (conductor); Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; Manhattan Transfer, Cheryl Bentyne, Janis Siegel, John Pizzarelli (vocals).