Album Notes

The new Swing Shift disc is bound to please fans of swing, big band and pop vocals from the American Songbook. Packed with 18 tracks, "As Long As We're Swinging" will keep your CD player or iPod busy for years to come.

"As Long As We're Swingin'" was recorded at Shenendoah University between May and November 2010. Once assembled in the studio the band made surprisingly quick work of the sessions. In order to capture the feeling of our live shows, and in homage to the big bands of the past we made every effort to record these tunes directly with no overdubs except for solos. We simply set up, checked the mics and played to foster an organic sound that harkens to a time when turntables spun tunes through the airwaves.

Band leader and lead guitarist, Matt Trimboli, has organized a great mix and assortment of musical selections featuring equal parts instrumentals and vocal numbers. Here they are in the order they appear on the recording:

Back In Blue Orleans - Out of the box with a bang is a fitting description of how we kick off the disc. This one cooks and appropriately features our bandleader, Matt Trimboli on the guitar. Written and arranged by Les Hooper.

What Now My Love - Originally a French song that in 1966 served as the title track to a Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass album. The words of love lost were written in English by Carl Sigman and are sung here by Swing Shift vocalist Barkley Kern.

Cheek to Cheek - Irving Berlin's 1935 classic from the film Top Hat is the first of two Billy May arrangements on this recording originally penned for Sinatra's "Come Dance With Me!" album from 1959. That album was purchased from a company store by our singer's father back in the 60's thus introducing him to Sinatra's catalog. So it's his dad's fault ;)

Charade - A Henri Mancini number from the 1963 Cary Grant/Audrey Hepburn movie of the same name. Our arrangement was originally recorded by Bobby Darin. Check out bassist Wayland Coker's blazing lines as he propels this tune forward. Piano solo by Dave Hyams.

Do Nothing 'Til You Here From Me - Paying homage to DC's legendary Duke Ellington, here trombonist Geoff Cox accents Barkley's vocals through this 1940 tune that describes a philanderer keeping the ladies at bay.

Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?) - Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, and James Sherman composed this tune for Billie Holiday who made it a signature tune. Our instrumental version is a feature for lead alto Ron Oshima.

A Slow Hot Wind - Our take on this Henri Mancini tune features a trombone solo by Kathy Van Horne.

Macumba - This tune is named for an African word which, depending on the translation, means musical instrument, deity or magic. It's also a Brazilian slang term for Black Magic. Whatever the meaning Swing Shift concocts its own spell on this Salsa featuring solos by pianist Dave Hyams, trombonist Geoff Cox and an extended drum solo by Lydia Lewis.

You And The Night And The Music - Pretty much the only memorable thing about the 1934 Broadway musical comedy Revenge With Music is this Schwartz/Dietz number that has become a jazz standard. Our instrumental take features Mike Barber on trumpet and Dennis McAfee on tenor.

Choo Cho Ch'Boogie - This is a Louis Jordan staple that shuffles along as a precursor of rock-n-roll with solos by Dave Hyams (piano) and Ron Oshima (alto sax).

Begin the Beguine - Cole Porter scribed this on the bar piano at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1935. Originally composed of 108 bars it was reworked in the summer of 1938 by Artie Shaw and fellow arranger Jerry Gray to the more "conventional" 32-bar format, and the rest as they say is history. One of the definitive songs of the swing era is presented by Swing Shift with Dennis McAfee on clarinet.

As Long As I'm Swinging - Our title track was written by Bobby Darin (of Mack the Knife fame). We cut this in one take so when we say we wanted to make a record that sounds like a live show this is exhibit A.

Walkin' My Baby Back Home - This was a big hit for Nat "King" Cole in 1952, but it was written by Fred Ahlert and Roy Turk in 1930. We play the arrangement made famous my Cole, and when you hear the lyric, "she had to borrow my comb" remember that our singer is bald. The band always reminds him of this. He claims artistic license.

Day In Day Out - This 1939 Rube Bloom tune with words by Johnny Mercer arranged by Billy May from Sinatra's "Come Dance With Me" album of 1959. This unabashed love song describes the powerful effects of infatuation and affection. When Barkley sings, "the same old pounding in my heart whenever I think of you, and darling I think of you day in, and day out" he means it. He was singing to a photo of his fiance in the studio.

(Love Is) The Tender Trap - This Cahn/Van Heusen song was nominated for an Oscar in 1955 (lost to "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing"), but it endures as a Sinatra catalog staple. While recording this number Barkley was advised by our pianist to sing it "mean." Clearly he ignored that advice (what he says), or just couldn't do it (more likely). Arranged by Quincy Jones for the Basie band with Sinatra in 1964 this one swings smooth.

Ain't That A Kick In The Head - Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn wrote this number for the original Oceans Eleven movie soundtrack in 1960, and it was sung in the movie, or at least slurred, from a casino lounge bandstand by Dean Martin. Our arrangement stays close to the studio version so here's Barkley desperately trying not to mimic his fellow Ohioan Dino.

San Monique - Perhaps only the most die-hard James Bond fan will recognize this melody, inspired by George Martin's soundtrack elements from the 1973 movie Live and Let Die. Roger Moore as Bond has just arrived on Mr. Big's fictional Caribbean Island of San Monique. This arrangement by Geoff Cox features many musical styles, with Geoff on trombone and Ron Oshima on flute.

Alone Together - A Schwartz and Dietz tune from the 1932 musical Flyinig Colors. Our version is arranged by our trombone player Shannon Gunn with a guitar solo by Matt Trimboli.