Customer Reviews

Swingins Mutual

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Swingin's Mutual! is a wonderful album by the great Nancy Wilson who sings alongside The George Shearing Quintet--and what a great sound they produce! This is music at its very best and fans of both Nancy Wilson and George Shearing will be thrilled with this album.

"On Green Dolphin Street" is an elegant number; Nancy's voice is as clear as a bell and the George Shearing Quintet highlights that awesome piano playing that George Shearing was always so famous for doing. "Oh! Look At Me Now" has another fine musical arrangement and when Nancy comes in this number truly takes flight! Similarly "The Nearness Of You" stuns me with its beauty; they sing and play this number to perfection--and beyond! "The Nearness Of You" gets a slightly slower tempo than I'm used to hearing but make no mistake about it--it all works very well. "Lullaby Of Birdland" is one of my favorite songs of all time; and when these fine artists perform it there's nothing lacking--it's all THAT good.

"All Night Long" features Nancy Wilson's vocals squarely front and center--right where they belong! "All Night Long" is a fine number that Nancy aces easily. "The Things We Did Last Summer" also shines brightly and Nancy Wilson sings this alongside The George Shearing Quintet. Nancy sings this with panache and I'm very impressed. She could take a tune and make it look so easy--but it really wasn't. Nancy used her remarkable talents to deliver songs flawlessly every time.

"Let's Live Again" has a lush musical arrangement that fits in perfectly with Nancy Wilson's vocals; the number is very strong and it is easily a major highlight of this CD. "Ghost Of Yesterday" is equally impressive; and there's a most touching tribute when the Quintet performs "I Remember Clifford;" "I Remember Clifford" touches me with its beauty and its somewhat melancholy flavor about this great musician who was taken from us all too early. "Whisper Not" is equally wonderful; George plays that piano like the master he always was and still remains; and the percussion enhances the natural beauty of this number.

"Wait Till You See Her" gets the royal treatment from all of these artists who perform this flawlessly; and the CD ends strong with "Silk." "Silk" is a fine tune and I predict you'll like it very, very much.

Overall, this album has terrific numbers proving that when Nancy Wilson and The George Shearing Quintet worked together there was magic in the air. I highly recommend this album for their fans.

Let me explain the above heading.... The first "oh" musical experience I had was in a rather run down little live music bar in Nashville some years back. Upon exiting, I thought "oh, so THAT's how an electric guitar is supposed to be played". Well, this is similar, but in this case it's "oh, so THAT's how a small swing ensemble should sound". The choice of material is excellent, with most songs true to the Cole Porter/Duke Ellington school of sophistication. Ms. Wilson's vocals are bell-like in clarity, with pitch, dynamics and inflections simply "right". Mr. Shearing and associates, meanwhile, present a clinic on how to accompany a vocalist. Lastly, I could not believe the engineering quality for a master originally recorded in 1960 and 1961. Such brazen displays of talent are rare; don't miss it. The first tune alone is easily worth the price of the CD.

Nancy Wilson with the George Shearing Quintet provides the best of both worlds. I've always been a fan of the mellow jazz sounds of the quintet and this pairing was perfect. Nancy Wilson always had perfect enunciation to go with a voice that was clear and crisp without being strident and George is well known over the years for his knowledgeable backing of vocalists and making such collaborations truly memorable!

I would have bought the cd for "On Green Dolphin Street" alone since it's a personal favorite. I also dig her vocals on "The Things We Did Last Summer", "Born To Be Blue", and "The Nearness Of You". The Shearing "sound" is great throughout but I particuarly enjoy the nostalgic "I Remember Clifford", Benny Golson's "Whisper Not", "Blue Lou" and of course, "Lullaby Of Birdland".

Anyone would enjoy this album, but especialy, fans of George Shearing or Nancy Wilson, or those who appreciate terrific small group light jazz!

I'll never forget the first time I heard this album. I bought it on a whim, knowing very little about it. Within the first 30 seconds of "The Things We Did Last Summer" (the first track) I was hooked. This album is one of my all time favorites. Ms. Wilson's sultry voice is a perfect complement to Shearing's masterful use of block chords and his accomplished quintet. You won't be disappointed with this album. It's a "must have" for any true jazz library.

At first glance, a CD with twenty tracks might appear to represent a great value, even if Nancy Wilson sings on only eight of them (which is two more numbers than she gets on the celebrated recording she made with Cannonball Adderley). On each of her opportunities she sparkles, but no more so than on Hoagy's "The Nearness of You," a rather bland tune that I frankly had gotten tired of playing and listening to. Unlike some of her later studio recordings, there's nothing "mannered" about Nancy's singing on any of these tunes. She's playful, inventive, spirited--the life of the program.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the formulaic, mannered sound of Shearing's Quintet. Most of the instrumentals are just over two minutes long--piano, vibes, guitar play melody, George improvises for part of the second chorus, then piano, vibes, guitar once again overkill the melody.

Shearing is a supremely talented musician--he possesses an unmistakable, consistent, lambent tone; flawless technique; undeniable harmonic and melodic imagination. It's not hard to understand why his appearance at a jazz club in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" led to Dean Moriarity's exclaiming, "God is in house!" Dean had no doubt heard him under optimal circumstances.

So have I--in concert at Carnegie Hall, at Newport with the Adderley Brothers, in a live performance at Joliet prison, and in concert with Mel Torme. But I've also heard and seen him sleepwalk, which was par for the course for him on all of his Capitol dates (of which this is one). Come to think of it, he's putting out much the same sort of innocuous, predictable stuff 50 years later on Telarc records. I can understand what drives artists to carve out a place for themselves, but having once enjoyed commercial success what's the point of remaining a totem? High time to shake things up a bit, George. What have you got to lose?

Nancy Wilson sings only half of the tracks backed by the Shearing combo. The other tracks are intrumentals by Shearing. Fine biscuit.

According to the liner notes, Nancy Wilson was paired with the George Shearing Quintet in 1961 for this outing because that group was hot and she was up-and-coming. She only got six vocals on the LP (seven on the expanded CD) but she made the most of them. I was a Shearing fan in that era (and even now) and had my first exposure to Nancy due to this project. I'm not sure Ms. Wilson has ever performed better. This is light classic jazz, not the junk that calls itself "smooth jazz" you find today. Everyone on the album is a solid player, and the Quintet's instrumentals are among Shearing's best in his lengthy career. Jazz vocal fans, piano jazz fans, fans of either Nancy or George...it seems like a "must own" item to me.

Everyone enjoys this disc - Nancy has a beautiful voice, and she proves herself as a jazz singer w/ Shearing. The instrumentals are terrific, too. Perfect for dinner parties or cocktail hour. We have given this to a number of our friends and family members - it has proven to be a very popular gift and has won new converts to the Nancy fan club!

Something must have gotten screwed up with Amazon's database, because this album was definitely reviewed many times before - and for good reason, it is an all time jazz and vocal classic. The smooth sounds of the classic Shearing quintent, combined with the soulful singing of Nancy Wilson are a match made in heaven. I have listened to this album hundreds of times and like all truly great albums, you never get tired of it. Check out the amazing blues of All Night Long, for example, to see how the sounds of these two great artists combine to create an unforgettable sound. If you are not familiar with either artist, this album is a great start. But whatever you do, just buy it!

THis cd is very nice this is the first cd i bought when i started on my music journey into Nancy. i heard this cd at a dinner party, and had to have it. this is her 3rd cd. just listen to her voice its so clear and fined tuned even in her higher range she does it effortlessly. take a hear of it, and you will be pleased u got this cd.