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Swing Around the World
Swing music took the world by storm after its initial craze in the United States during the 1930s and 40s. Artists in places as far-flung as southern Africa, France and Hawaii blended swing and jazz into their own local music to create unique expressions. American bands like the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers and Duke Heitger and his Swing Band all embody the swing spirit and keep audiences jitterbugging and lindy-hopping all over the country. Jacob Edgar, Vice President of A&R at Putumayo World Music, had a lot of fun finding tracks for Swing Around the World. “Swing is such an accessible kind of music. Anyone can enjoy it. Like reggae, it’s been adopted and arranged by artists everywhere.” Edgar notes the wide variety of interpretations on Swing Around the World, from the African inflections of the Cool Crooners of Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) and the Louisiana bayou flavors of the Jambalaya Cajun Band to French recording artist Romane and the minor key gypsy-styled tribute to Django Reinhardt served up by the Greek/American group Children of the Revolution. “Swing was the rock and roll of its time, and it still engages people today. It’s just good-time, feel-good party music,” says Edgar. For every CD release, Putumayo chooses a partner to receive a portion of the proceeds from sales. For Swing Around the World, Putumayo selected The National Dance Institute (NDI) www.nationaldance.org, an organization run by the dancer, Jacques D’Amboise, which brings innovative dance and music programs into New York City public schools and other affiliated educational organizations around the country. In recognition of the American roots music featured on this CD, NDI has designated New Orleans schools as the primary beneficiary of this donation. Swing Around the World is appropriate for the whole family. Other family-friendly CDs and multicultural activity kits are included in the Putumayo Kids collection. Since the 1999 release of World Playground, Putumayo Kids has built a strong following among kids, parents and educators. The company’s multicultural educational programs have reached more than 300,000 students and teachers. The CD includes artist and cultural information and liner notes in English, Spanish and French. CDs are available from www.putumayo.com and various retail outlets. Edited by Erika Wright |
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Music
has always existed as an important form of cultural expression and identity as
well as interchange between cultures. It is fitting then, that Putumayo “gets
the whole world swinging” this summer with a brand new release for the whole
family: Swing Around the World. This collection of 12 jazzy numbers will bring
everybody to their feet, dancing and swaying to the infectious beats of artists
from an interesting variety of countries and cultures. This upbeat collection of
swinging tunes from artists around the world will get people of all ages up on
their feet and dancing the night away.