Swingle Singers

Anyone notice that the Swingle Singers, and perhaps other similar
larger jazz vocal groups, sing certain chords as distinctly 7, 11 or
13-limit? I just heard a radio concert with them and it seems like
their "original" compositions are written to make special use of these
sonorities. I'm pretty sure they have no special notation or clear
theories about it though-they just use those chords they know "sound
especially good a cappella" and adjust them by ear.

The intonation was quite awful at some points, when they attempted
some classical music though-i'm sure that practially requires some
instrumental pitch reference...

/Ö

hi Mats,

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Mats Öljare <oljare@h...> wrote:

> Anyone notice that the Swingle Singers, and perhaps
> other similar larger jazz vocal groups, sing certain
> chords as distinctly 7, 11 or 13-limit? I just heard
> a radio concert with them and it seems like their "original"
> compositions are written to make special use of these
> sonorities. I'm pretty sure they have no special notation
> or clear theories about it though-they just use those
> chords they know "sound especially good a cappella" and
> adjust them by ear.
>
> The intonation was quite awful at some points, when they
> attempted some classical music though-i'm sure that
> practially requires some instrumental pitch reference...

i wonder if i ever posted anything here about the
Swingles Singers. ?

probably not, because the time when i was really listening
to them a lot was in the late-1980s, long before i had
an internet connection.

but i noticed all the things you say too.

another fantastic _a capella_ group which uses interesting
harmonies (and keeps the groove swinging too) is Take 6.
their material is mostly remakes of old gospel songs.

-monz

>Anyone notice that the Swingle Singers, and perhaps other similar
>larger jazz vocal groups, sing certain chords as distinctly 7, 11 or
>13-limit? I just heard a radio concert with them and it seems like
>their "original" compositions are written to make special use of these
>sonorities. I'm pretty sure they have no special notation or clear
>theories about it though-they just use those chords they know "sound
>especially good a cappella" and adjust them by ear.

Do you have any info on when or for which albums these recordings
were done?

>The intonation was quite awful at some points, when they attempted
>some classical music though-i'm sure that practially requires some
>instrumental pitch reference...

The Swingle Singers have undergone record-breaking roster changes
over the (40?) years they've been in service. I've heard:

1. A recent Beatles cover album which was awful in every regard;
bad arrangements, bad intonation, egregious reverb and production.

2. An all-Bach album which may have been taken from several
sources, on which the intonation was terrible.

-Carl

>another fantastic _a capella_ group which uses interesting
>harmonies (and keeps the groove swinging too) is Take 6.
>their material is mostly remakes of old gospel songs.

Kurt played me some Take 6 (don't know which album) but I
wasn't impressed by the intonation and again there were (to
me) obscene production values in effect.

-Carl