Half-Past Swing
Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet delivers a unique treatment of classic and big band jazz, as they swing through their creative vocal arrangements in lush 4-part harmony.  With an arsenal of tight arrangements and a repertoire that spans the bop, latin, swing, ballad, and pop genres of jazz, Ginny Carr, Robert McBride, Lisanne Lyons and Roger Reynolds blend their voices against a backdrop of blazing rhythms provided by a combo of fine jazz instrumentalists. They carry on the artistic traditions of the great jazz vocal groups, including vocalese (big band jazz arrangements lyricized and sung), through their exciting, inventive sound and entertaining style.Vocal jazz groups are hard to find amongst today's popular jazz formats.  Instrumental straight-ahead jazz bands, fusion ensembles, and single vocalists fronting mainstream combos crowd the CD store racks and the live jazz performance venues, while the fascinating art of vocal jazz pioneered by such greats as Lambert/Hendricks/Ross and their contemporary progeny remains today a rare find.  The exciting sound of four or more voices together phrasing fat jazz chord harmonies, sculpting melodies against countermelodies, and swinging and popping syncopated rhythms against a blazing instrumental section evokes the precision and drive of a big band horn section while delivering the distinctly human element of storytelling and soul bearing through inventive (often original) lyrics.  The result is an artistic package that is uniquely accessible, exciting and entertaining to jazz audiences and beyond.  It is also an exact science that demands countless hours of behind-the-scenes group ! rehearsal.  The required spirit of perseverence, discipline, teamwork, and creativity, including well-honed jazz composition and arranging skills, is a reality that explains the small numbers of jazz musicians involved in the craft of group vocal jazz.Band members are... Vocal Quartet: Ginny Carr, Robert McBride, Lisanne Lyons, Roger Reynolds - Backed by various rhythm and horn players (tracks range from combo to big band sections)