Dancing Echoes of Swing with Shannon Barnett

• 1 Hipsters Hop 04:10
• 2 Gavotte I, English Suite No.6 03:00
• 3 Charleston 03:42
• 4 Dream Dancing 04:38
• 5 Diplomata 03:50
• 6 Lion's Steps 04:00
• 7 Ballet of the Dunes 04:58
• 8 All You Want to Do Is Dance 02:38
• 9 Sandancer 03:03
• 10 Carioca 03:36
• 11 Premier Bal 04:08
• 12 Ragtime Dance 04:05
• 13 Moonlight Serenade 04:40
• 14 Salir a La Luz 04:13
• 15 Original Dixieland One Step 03:10
• 16 Dancing on the Ceiling 03:45
• Total Runtime 01:01:36

Info for Dancing

Early Jazz was first and foremost Dance music, a fact which is all too easily forgotten these days. As each new Dance craze arrived on the scene, from Charleston and Ragtime, through Foxtrot and Lindy Hop, and then on to Jive, the development of Jazz music moved along with it, and it was only later that Jazz was established in the concert hall. The quartet Echoes Of Swing have put a clear marker down with their latest album 'Dancing'.

This band has been at the crossroads of such currents and developments for many years. That said, they are certainly anything else than a Dance band. The album 'Dancing' is more an anthology which takes a wry look at the theme of dance in Jazz, occasionally heading off at a tangent, and making some very surprising connections. This is Dance in Jazz, but not as we know it. For a start, a third of the tracks are original compositions, and all of the remaining tunes have been not so much arranged, but more like given a complete and thorough overhaul.

The older selections now possess a new hipness and have been brought stylistically right up to the present day. This album presents the winning combination of flawless musicianship, a comprehensive knowledge of music history, good taste and judgement, and a sly sense of humour. For music cognoscenti, there are a myriad of subtle sleights of hand to enjoy. The Gavotte from Bach's sixth English Suite has been framed with the B-A-C-H motif; the Charleston has been straightened out into a modern Jazz waltz; the whirling wildness of the Carioca is put through some challenging changes in tempo, which reminds one of the celebrated film scene with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The couple briefly collide but continue to pick the tempo back up and dance on, slightly the worse for wear. These are subtle gags that delight music connoisseurs. Each of the tracks of 'Dancing' communicates simultaneously and directly with the brain, the emotions and down to your feet. There is quite simply a very wide range of delights for the listener to enjoy, find their favourites, and if you feel so inclined, to get up and dance to. Take the dusted-down, minimalist-style on “Moonlight Serenade”. It's not hard to imagine a solitary couple lured out onto a moonlit terrace.

Colin T. Dawson, trumpet & vocals
Chris Hopkins, alto saxophone
Bernd Lhotzky, piano & celesta
Oliver Mewes, drums

Recorded by Erich Pintar at Tonstudio Weinberg, Kefermarkt (AT), May 26 - 28, 2015
Mixed and mastered by Wolfgang Schiefermair
Produced by Echoes of Swing Productions

Echoes Of Swing
Based in Germany, Echoes Of Swing are an internationally renowned quartet. Formed in 1997 they have an instrumentation that is highly unusual in Jazz: Trumpet, Alto Sax, Piano & Drums. The original idea was to form a group that would perform in the stylistic range of such pioneers as Roy Eldridge, Benny Carter, Teddy Wilson or ‘Big’ Sid Catlett.

In 1998 came the debut CD ‘Harlem Reflections’, followed in 2000 by ‘Harlem Joys’. In the first years, the style of the group was heavily influenced by the great ‘Stride’ piano players in Harlem, New York: Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller, James P. Johnson & Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith. In 2002, the third Album ‘You’ve Got To Be Modernistic’ saw the band develop musically. As before, the ‘Bass’ role was taken by the piano player’s left hand. This time though, the arrangements were more complex, with the right hand on the piano sometimes adding a third, fourth or even fifth voice to the Trumpet & Alto Sax front line. This combined with experiments in rhythms, styles, tempos, percussion & timbre can lead you to believe that Echoes Of Swing are actually a much bigger unit.

‘4 Jokers In The Pack’ (2006) was the title of the fourth recording. Influences from musicians such as Mel Powell & John Kirby were beginning to steer the band into other directions. As well as material from the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, there were now new arrangements of classical compositions. Also performed live and on the album were another four original compositions. This album was awarded the ‘Prix Du Disque De Jazz 2007’ from the ‘Hot Club de France’ (established 1932). Aside from the recording dates, Echoes Of Swing were touring regularly not only throughout Europe, but performing concerts in the U.S.A., Japan, New Zealand and even the Fiji islands.

Expanding their musical borders further, 2010 saw the arrival of the award winning fifth CD, entitled ‘Message From Mars’. This took Echoes Of Swing into further unchartered territory. The title piece was originally performed by an 18 piece Orchestra and rearranged for 4. There were again three new compositions and arrangements of works from Chopin, Schostakowitsch, Kreisler and Nazareth. On the cover are quotes by Dan Morgenstern (former editor of ‘Downbeat’ magazine) and mainstream master of the Tenor Saxophone, Scott Hamilton. This album was showered with awards such as the ‘German Record Critics Award’, the ‘Swinging Hamburg Award’ and in Paris the ‘Prix de l’Académie du Jazz’.

In early 2013 Echoes Of Swing signed a contract with a major recording company. ‘ACT Music & Vision', based in Munich with worldwide distribution and winners of the 'ECHO JAZZ: Best Label of The Year’ in 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013. The first collaboration with ‘ACT’ will be released in September 2013.

Booklet for Dancing