LES SWINGLE SINGERS – Jazz Sebastian Bach (1963) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Swingle Singers' scat vocal jazz swing arrangements of Johann Sebastian Bach classics were among their most popular material, particularly in Europe (where they actually enjoyed some chart success in the U.K.). Accompanied by nothing more than double bass and drums, the octet distributed their vocal parts equally among two sopranos, two altos, two tenors, and two basses, favoring brisk tempos. Occasionally, indeed, they were so brisk they verged on hyperventilation, as on "Prelude No. 1 in C Major" and the version of "Fugue No. 5 in D Major" drawn from "The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1." They do slow things down once in a while on numbers like "Aria" (from the composer's "Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major") and parts of "Sinfonia," which tend to tilt the mood a little more toward the classical. The album's inventive but a little white bread in its relentlessly wholesome, upbeat tone. Pop fans might hear echoes of the Swingle Singers' work, whether direct or coincidental, in the harmonies of artists like the Association and the Beach Boys, and a U.K. rock group, the Belfast Gypsies, a spinoff of Them, actually based its "Aria of the Fallen Angels" on the Swingle Singers' reading of "Aria" on this album. Richie Unterberger

Tracklist :

1. Fugue in D Minor from 'The Art of the Fugue', BWV 1080 02:23

2. Choral No.1: 'Wake, Arise, The Voices Call Us', BWV 645 02:47

3. Aria from Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Major, BWV 1068 03:28

4. Prelude No.11 in F Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 880 02:21

5. Boureè from English Suite No.2 in A Minor, BWV 807 01:53

6. Fugue No.2 in C Minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 871 01:26

7. Fugue No.5 in D Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 850 01:46

8. Prelude No.9 from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 878 03:28

9. Sinfonia from Partita No.2 in C Minor, BWV 826 05:04

10. Prelude No.1 in C Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 870 02:06

11. Canon 02:04

12. Two-Part Invention No.1 in C Major: BWV 772 01:32

13. Fugue No.5 in D Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, BWV 874 03:26

14. Vivace from Concerto For Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 03:29

15. Prelude And Fugue No.10 in E Minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 855 03:11

16. Cantata, Choral 'Jesus Shall Remain My Gladness', BWV 147 03:29

17. Gavotte from Partita No.3 For Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 02:39

18. Prelude And Fugue No.1 in C Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 846 03:32

19. Fugue in G Major from Prelude And Fugue, BWV 541 03:24

20. Adagio from Sonata No.3 For Violin And Harpsichord in E Major, BWV 1016 04:05

21. Prelude And Fugue No.3 in C-sharp Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 848 03:27

22. Choral 'Now Come, The Gentile's Savior' from Leipzig Chorales, BWV 859 03:39

23. Fugue No.21 in B Flat Major from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, BWV 866 01:25