Legacy is a gift and a curse. With a Grammy-filled career that’s stretched five decades, the Swingle Singers have a massive one. However, during a memorial concert last year to commemorate the group’s founder Ward Swingle, Edward Randell received the seal of approval from past group members.
“There were around 40 Swingle Singers past and present that sang together,” he recalls. “During the event, I had the feeling that the past singers are just really touched that the group is still going and making great music.”
Formed in 1962 by Swingle and other session singers that performed background vocals on recordings for Edith Piaf, the group found accidental success with their debut Jazz Sébastien Bach.
Recorded as a present for family and friends, the album collected two Grammys in 1963 and paved the road for an awardwinning career that has endured despite numerous lineup changes.
While Bach remains a crowd-pleasing part of the Swingle Singers’ live repertoire, Randell says the biggest tribute the current iteration of the group can give to the Swingles’ iconic past is to continue evolving in the future.
“What the original Swingle Singers did was fresh, innovative and like nothing people had heard before,” he says. “That creative spirit is the most important thing for us to preserve. As much as we love singing the group’s early repertoire we’re always trying to move things forward and surprise audiences too.”
Randell notes their rendition of Piazzolla’s ‘Libertango’ and Mumford & Sons’ ‘After the Storm’ have been current live staples, but adds “the biggest thing is writing new music.”
“We’re particularly focused on original songs, which bring a different energy to the show as they give us a very personal relationship to what we’re singing.”
Last year marked a new chapter for the group with the release of two albums: Yule Songs Vol. II and the ambitious Deep End.
“We’re really happy with how fans have responded to both albums,” Randell beams. “Deep End in particular took a long time to make and doesn’t sound like anything else we’ve done, so it’s great to see people connecting with it."
He gleefully says the group has “lots of potential projects in the pipeline,” excitedly discussing an idea of folk music from around the world “which gives us the chance to bring together an incredible wealth of musical styles and traditions.”
While the group previously performed in Beijing in 2001, this will be the debut mainland performance for its current lineup. Randell promises a diverse show of past and present classics, noting, “we just go where our own interests and tastes lead. Ultimately, it is honesty and authenticity that audiences respond to.”
Guangzhou: May 13, 8pm, RMB280-680. Xinghai Concert Hall, tickets.
Shanghai: May 22, 7.30pm, RMB80-580. Daning Theatre, tickets.
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