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Jazz Sébastien Bach album cover

Album guide

Jazz Sébastien Bach

The Swingle Singers

Composer
J.S. Bach
Released
1963
Label
Philips
Forces
Vocal
Personnel
The Swingle Singers, Pierre Michelot, Gus Wallez and André Arpino

The group began as Paris session singers using Bach as a sight-reading exercise, and initially made the recording as presents for friends and family.

It escaped that private circle spectacularly, reaching the pop chart and bringing the Swingles Grammy recognition.

Hear both

The classical side contains only the source pieces used on the album, in album order. The jazz side presents the complete album whenever a dependable copy can be embedded.

The originalsBach · thirteen source works

The listening queues above follow the same order. The classical player omits tracks that are not based on a classical original.

Jazzed upThe Swingle Singers · 1963
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Source works

The album’s complete track listing, with each classical source identified and original compositions marked plainly.

  1. Fugue in D minorThe Art of Fugue, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus IX
  2. Wachet aufChorale Prelude, BWV 645
  3. AirOrchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068: Air
  4. Prelude No. 11 in F majorThe Well-Tempered Clavier II, BWV 880: Prelude
  5. Bourrée IIEnglish Suite No. 2, BWV 807: Bourrée II
  6. Fugue No. 2 in C minorThe Well-Tempered Clavier II, BWV 871: Fugue
  7. Fugue No. 5 in D majorThe Well-Tempered Clavier I, BWV 850: Fugue
  8. Prelude No. 9 in E majorThe Well-Tempered Clavier II, BWV 878: Prelude
  9. SinfoniaPartita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826: Sinfonia
  10. Prelude No. 1 in C majorThe Well-Tempered Clavier II, BWV 870: Prelude
  11. Four-part perpetual canonFour-part perpetual canon
  12. Invention No. 1 in C majorTwo-Part Invention No. 1, BWV 772
  13. Fugue No. 5 in D majorThe Well-Tempered Clavier II, BWV 874: Fugue