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It Might as Well Be Swing is the forty-second studio album of Frank Sinatra's. The album was recorded and released under Reprise Records in 1964. It was Sinatra's first collaboration with Quincy Jones and his second with Count Basie's Orchestra, with the first collaboration with the orchestra being Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First.
This album features one of Sinatra's most famous songs, "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)". Sinatra's rendition of "Hello Dolly!" features a unique tribute verse to Louis Armstrong, the jazz trumpeter who charted this hit in early 1964. This album also features Sinatra's cover of the Tony Bennett song "The Best is Yet to Come," which become a concert favorite for Sinatra as well as the last song Sinatra played in a live performance.
The album's title "It Might as Well Be Swing" is a reference to the title of the famous standard "It Might as Well Be Spring".
Track listing[]
- "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" (Bart Howard) – 2:30
- "I Wish You Love" (Léo Chauliac, Charles Trenet, Albert Beach) – 2:56
- "I Believe in You" (Frank Loesser) – 2:21
- "More (Theme from Mondo Cane)" (Riz Ortolani, Nino Oliviero, Marcello Ciorciolini, Norman Newell) – 3:05
- "I Can't Stop Loving You" (Don Gibson) – 3:00
- "Hello, Dolly!" (Jerry Herman) – 2:45
- "I Wanna Be Around" (Johnny Mercer, Sadie Vimmerstedt) – 2:25
- "The Best is Yet to Come" (Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh) – 3:10
- "The Good Life" (Sacha Distel, Jack Reardon) – 3:10
- "Wives and Lovers" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 2:50
Reception[]
Allmusic claimed that the album was the superior album to Sinatra-Basie, saying that the two "play with energy and vigor" whereas in Sinatra-Basie, they sound "worn out." The album scored a three and a half out of five stars.[1]
It Might as Well Be Swing peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200 charts in 1964.[2]
Personnel[]
Al Aarons | Trumpet |
Ted Allen | Photography |
Israel Baker | Violin |
Count Basie | Performer, Piano |
The Count Basie Orchestra | Performer |
Thelma Beach | Violin |
Sonny Burke | Producer |
Henderson Chambers | Trombone |
George Cohn | Trumpet |
Henry Coker | Trombone |
Stan Cornyn | Liner Notes |
Wallace Davenport | Trumpet |
Alvin Dinkin | Viola |
Eric Dixon | Reeds |
Bonnie Douglas | Violin |
Harry "Sweets" Edison | Trumpet |
Frank Foster | Vibraphone |
Charlie Fowlkes | Reeds |
Lowell Frank | Engineer |
Jacques Gasselin | Violin |
Gregg Geller | Producer |
James Getzoff | Violin |
Ann Goodman | Cello |
Freddie Green | Guitar |
Stanley Harris | Viola |
Lee Herschberg | Digital Mastering |
Bart Howard | Composer |
Bill Hughes | Trombone |
Quincy Jones | Arranger, Conductor |
Edgar Lustgarten | Cello |
Virginia Majewski | Viola |
Johnny Mercer | Composer |
Grover Mitchell | Trombone |
Erno Neufeld | Violin |
Sonny Payne | Drums |
Al Porcino | Trumpet |
Don Rader | Trumpet |
Lou Raderman | Violin |
Emil Richards | Vibraphone |
Paul Robyn | Viola |
Marshall Royal | Reeds |
Kenny Shroyer | Trombone |
Paul Shure | Violin |
Frank Sinatra | Performer, Vocals |
Marshall Sosson | Violin |
Sadie Vimmerstadt | Composer |
Gerald Vinci | Violin |
Frank Wess | Reeds |