What people search:
 | Title : In Full Swing
Author : Mark O'Connor
Release Date : 20030114
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $18.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.22
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Editorial Reviews :
In Full Swing is Mark O'Connor's tribute to Stephane Grappelli, the musician he describes as 'my biggest violin hero.' His band, the Hot Swing Trio, features bassist Jon Burr, who toured with Grappelli for years, and guitarist Frank Vignola, one of the finest American players in the Django Reinhardt tradition. Even though the selections include standards that Grappelli played during the 1930s with Reinhardt (such as 'Lime House Blues' and 'Honeysuckle Rose'), the music is far more than just a nostalgic recreation of the famous Hot Club sound. Instead, O'Connor and his bandmates have filtered musical elements from the past through a contemporary rhythmic and harmonic sensibility to come up with a style that sounds both timely and timeless. The trio is joined on a few tracks by singer Jane Monheit, who delivers a particularly moving rendition of 'As Time Goes By,' and by trumpeter Winton Marsalis, who plays a delightfully abstract duet with O'Connor on the intro to 'Tiger Rag.' All of the musicians here are at the top of their game, but O'Connor's playing, which blends his formidable technique with deep emotion, is particularly fine. Stephane would be proud. --Michael Simmons
Buyer Reviews :
Mark O'Connor, Jon Burr and Frank Vignola paid great tribute to Stephane Grapelli on their first CD ('Hot Swing') with stunning musicianship and great chemistry. On 'In Full Swing', they up the ante with guest appearances by the great Wynton Marsalis and rising star Jane Monheit. It's easy to tell how much fun they had while recording this, and that fun translates to a very refreshing, spontaneous ease that permeates the set. Don't think for a second, though, that there's a sloppy or misplaced note to be heard anywhere on this CD. Jon and Frank are spectacular musicians and can really light a fire under Mark - listen to Limehouse Blues, where Mark shreds a handful of hairs from his bow, and then Frank absolutely rips it up with a guitar solo that would put a smile on Django's mug. Throughout the track, Jon's bass lines are churning like a freight train - if this doesn't move you, see your doctor!
Wynton's playing is as inspired and perfect as usual, and totally refreshing - the interplay between Mark and Wynton on 'Tiger Rag' is like nothing I've heard before. The musicianship on this disc can certainly stand alone, but fans of Jane Monheit will definitely want this for the four standards she renders here - it's an extra treat to hear her lush voice with such wonderful backing.
To ice the cake, engineer Richard King's recording really does justice to the music - spacious and honest, it lets you hear the room and the people in it with intimacy and (on a good system) great dimension and dynamics. This is acoustic old-world swing of the highest order, laid down by some of the finest musicians on the planet with a few inspired new twists. It should bring smiles to fiddle fans, swing fans, jazz fans, guitar fans, bass fans, trumpet fans, Stephane fans, Django fans, and Jane Monheit fans the world over. Oh, and if you get a chance to see the Hot Swing Trio live, don't miss the opportunity - you'll remember it fondly for the rest of your life!
(by drmike82)
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