J. S. Bach - Fugue for organ in G Minor BWV 578 - Jazz-Voices Transcription

[stevemaster1763]

Thank you for smoking!

[homoignobilis]

The guy front row second from the left is Ward Swingle himself; Yes, he sang in both his groups, the other being the Paris Double Six.

[homoignobilis]

This off their first album. They were one of two of Ward Swingle's groups, the other being The Paris Double Six which did Progressive Jazz. And actually, the piece was not originally written for organ, but for ensembles of any kind. He was in many ways the world's first Popular Music composer and was as mean as Miles Davis.

[gryderz]

If Bach would return alive to our age, i think HE would be the BEST jazz musician. :)

[MrBranchFreeman]

@gryderz Yeah it's so true...Baroque and Jazz music are pretty similar, and he'd be killer at improv!

[FliegendeHollaender]

@MrBranchFreeman

He actually was. Based on many accounts of the day, he was supposed to be as good an improviser as he was a composer. When people would ask for his profession he would claim "Organist" instead of "Komponist", it is my firm belief and humble opinion than jazz has eliminated the "composer/performer" dichotomy, playing more condensed music in smaller ensembles. Jazz is not the blue notes, so that is to say, Bach was basically a "jazz" musician with no recording available :)

[proulxmontpellier]

My sis once asked me how did they manage to swing that music, since she'd read the music as they sang and they just sang what she read, nothing more. It's actually just the syllables. The alternance of da and ba makes it. What's worse (?) is that Bach's son wrote that the notes ought to be played slightly unequally, so as to give them a dancing colour... which no classical musician would dare to do.

[martinvoet]

Bach would have loved it

[kander63]

@colourfulwithaU: hear, hear! I think Bach's music is sacred, precisely because you can play it on pretty much any instrument and it still sounds great! I truly believe that there could never be another composer who will surpass Bach, and that as long as humans walk upon the earth, people will be listening to his music.

[KinomaniaProductions]

Thank you, I had fun

[SuperOldandSlow]

Mr. Bach, meet Mr. Swingle. This sounds as fresh and original now as it did some 45 years ago.

[yitzchak13]

Look at the URL of this video...LOL

[padaneis]

Discovering now. Wonderful and amazing, one of the best permormances I've ever heard.

[Vikrussia]

Да, жаль до слёз - угробили такой великолепный ансамбль попсятиной. "Свинг сингерс" сегодня - пошлое сборище безголосых кривляк.

[Crimmffog]

Охуенно!

[brono25]

Who the hell disliked this??

[colourfulwithaU]

@brono25

Some idiot purists who think that Bach's music is sacred and should only ever be played on the instrument for which it's intended.

[Valentinaciampoli]

Semplicemente delizioso!!!! Ti fa riappacificare con il mondo.....

[etiennedauphin]

How can that NOT put a smile on anyone's face, I wonder? :)

[Musico450]

amazing! Do you know how hard it is to sing pitches accurately at that speed and complexity.... and in balance!

This is the previous generation to the current generation of Swingle Singers ( from the 60's.)

[NaturesHeartBeat]

My choir teacher gave us this piece of music today.

I'm a soprano...oh...and did I mention we're a high school choir? Haha.

I. Just. Might. Die.

[yumeybaconcutout]

@NaturesHeartBeat have fun ;)

[NaturesHeartBeat]

@yumeybaconcutout I am, actually! We've pretty much got this piece down and we're performing it this upcoming Tuesday! I learned so much from this piece! :)

[FliegendeHollaender]

@NaturesHeartBeat

well, do so, she obviously wants to kill you.

[classicforever1]

Astouding...

[LombryArt]

stupendo!!!!!

[rousseaufacebook]

Art des Muses (facebook) décembre 2010

[Whooshification]

@klausthemusician It is in Em :P I am holding the chart and trying to memorize it for my vocal jazz group at UMD as we speak.

[OfficerRobertHall]

@Whooshification -- Good luck. My madrigal group tried doing a few of these and they're extremely difficult to pull off a good performance.

[Whooshification]

@klausthemusician It's in Em, I am doing this in my Vocal Jazz group... Hahaha trying to memorize this chart as I type this :P

[FiswaT]

awesome

[poiani95]

veramente incredibile come video

[DB1815]

very soft sounding as opposed to the more dramatic sound of the organ! Great!

[Biff947]

These guys should try the BWV 543 lol

[MrLandale]

This is an old recording with the original the Swingle Singers i think. So clean and dynamic.. a great interpretation! BWV 578 is my favorite fugue by J.S Bach.

Bam Bam Baaam :)

[sophelet]

I grew up listening to this album, mostly classical (or maybe all Bach--I don't remember) and all wonderful and breathtaking. I used to try to sing along too. This was in the 60s.

[TRPDDB]

I think the album was "Going Baroque.."

[colourfulwithaU]

I've found this piece played on the organ, the piano, arranged for orchestra, for guitar quartet...but I never thought I'd find this. Amazing.

[jregister22486]

this fugue is in e minor

[Max0Inq]

One of the strangest things I heard recently but undoubtly one of the most awesome. "D

[AcousticUplift]

Superb! Just each singer keeping on top of rhythm and tempo is a massive feat alone.

[OrganGrinderLola]

I remember hearing the Swingle Singers on the radio when I was a kid in grade school. I LOVED their music, and I started to swing all our nursery songs. -- I think they're right in line with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the Manhattan Transfer, and Bobby McFerrin.

[clasicway1]

Great!!! BEATEFULLL ART!!!!! I LOVEEE!!!!!

[murphy150]

what's not to like........

[hugoh1234]

It's amazing !

You're brilliant !

[sinisapop1]

omfg!! amazing!!

[patrickeman]

the url says COck.. :))

watch?v=vonJhz2COck

[atikif55]

los escucho desde el comienzo de los 60 cuando mi madre compró el album JAZZ SEBASTIAN BACH ....FANTÁSTICOS

[horngirl09]

I heard this in the movie "Thank you for smoking" and have been looking for it ever since. Thanks for the upload!

[Tedmund13]

Awesome!

[musighitta]

piacevolissimi da ascoltare! la perfezione umana esiste.

[pureaKero]

I LOVE BACH!!!!!!!!!

[Grancarluchi]

Espectacular!!!

[aseticelite]

I loved this 6/5 :D ... still I prefer a lil bit more the sound of the organ.

[captainkundalini1]

Every one of these great singers smiling. How could they not?

[captainkundalini1]

Ab solutely beautiful. I know radio 4 have examined these guys, but I would love to see BBC 4 do an in depth profile. It needs to be placed back amongst more mainstream sensibilities. Because it is PERFECT.

[migbern68]

Precioso ,bellisimo Inspirador.

[vakibs2]

No words can describe the beauty of this !

[angelhope1986]

That's so great...suddenly there is a point to my ridiculous amounts of counterpoint classes. Love it!

[RedW4rr10r]

Wow!

This performence is really amazing!

Really good job!

[frei1niahl]

Grandiosi...cavoli,non li conoscevo,ma sono magnifici!!!

[matmor9]

Thank You Yapino11 from Poland

[auroraaurum]

Assolutamente fantastici!! Bravi!!

[Gusakov]

Beautiful !

*****

[GKesik]

Just excellent!

[indigoblue555]

* * * * * Five stars * * * * *

[TheOrlismarty]

.....FANTASTICO!!!!this is amazing!!!

[4coquette4]

Wow, this is incredible. Our high school choir is going to performing some Swingle Singers and King Singers material in December. Can't wait!

[SeekerOfTruth]

I was part of a Jazz Choir in community college in the late 90's and we performed this very arrangement. Perhaps one of the most challenging choir pieces due to the short phrasing. Swingle Singers were among the best at these vocalizations. Awesome!

[BALDASSARREBRENTANI]

This on of my favorite fugue on organ or piano...since it is essential but very clear and balance in the structure of different voices .

It is suitable to be sung (as other Bach's masterpieces...see Glenn Gould ).

[JwebGuru]

This piece is in the movie "Thank You for Smoking."

[AsSomedayItMayHappen]

Yeah that's how I found it. That movie was genius, and the funniest I have seen in awhile.

[RaindropCantabile]

I am absolutely in love with this. The piece itself is amazing and the performance is spectacular!

[mollutje]

I think I'm addicted to this.. I've discovered it yesterday and I just cannot stop listening to it! too bad the audio is a little messed up near the end

[flutist218]

We had to listen to them in Theory class a couple times. They were an example of Bach interpretations, I think.

[guyincognito84]

fantastic....more of these please!

[spacerat3004]

Incredible.

[albermarle52]

They're obviously classically trained

[cyphre117]

@albermarle52 What? I guess your saying that because they are skilled.

Its disgusting how people put down preformers because of their training and not because of their talent. These people are great regardless of their training. Classical or otherwise...

[albermarle52]

@cyphre117 Great artists come from all sorts of backgrounds. However, these singers have a feel for the original piece and then take to it another level with the jazz interpretation. There is no negative implication to my comments.