Search - Eddie / Gray, Jerry DeLange, Benny / Sampson, Edgar / Webb, Chick Goodman, Vaughn / Darling, Denver / Gabler, Milt Horton :: Got Swing!

Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra here offer a veritable tour of the swing era. Kunzel has been conducting the orchestra since its formation in 1977. The set includes many of swing's cornerstone numbers, of course including Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," which is also celebrated as the source of the genre's name. The music flourished in the '30s and '40s, popularized by composers and bandleaders such as Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and the Dorsey brothers. To help realize this project, a number of vocalists were enlisted, all of whom have current resumes rich with forays into the swing era: the Manhattan Transfer, John Pizzarelli, and Janis Siegel (who's also a member of the aforementioned vocal quartet). From soaring group vocals on such numbers as "Skyliner" to straight-ahead instrumental grooves as on Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home," this 14-song set celebrates the swing era by making it sound fresh today. --David Greenberger