Jazzin’Around Sway

Sway (song) 0Wikipedia: “Sway” is the English version of “¿Quién será?”, a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer and bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. The most famous version is that of Dean Martin recorded in 1954. English lyrics are by Norman Gimbel. Since then the song has been recorded and remixed by many artists (see discography below).

Keiko Lee : Keiko Lee is a distinguished jazz vocalist, who sings and plays so frankly even with the greatest jazz giants. She’s been a regular winner as the best female jazz singer in Japan since 1997 through the reader’s poll of Swing Journal, the most known jazz magazine in Japan.Her 5th album “Day-dreaming” won the Gold Disk award for the magazine in 1999, and the10th album “Sings Super Standards” won the Annual Best Album award in 2002, in addition to the Gold Disk award.

Harry Owens Royal Hawaiian Orchestra : American composer, band leader and songwriter, born in O’Neill, Nebraska on April 18, 1902, Harry Owens became the music director of The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1934. He is best known for his Oscar winning song Sweet Leilani, sung by Bing Crosby in the motion picture Waikiki Wedding.

Conjunto Casino @technobeat : Conjunto Casino was a breeding ground for Cuban music legends including percussionist Carlos “Patato” Valdes, sonero Roberto Faz, and bandleader/singer Roberto Espi. Propelled by pianist Nico Cevedo and sweetened with multi-tiered vocals, the band hit its stride in the 1940s-50s with a potent versatility that was equally at home with roaring mambos and jazz-influenced takes on the venerable son montuno, like the bouncy “Que Te Pareve” with the catchiest close-harmony horns this side of Herb Alpert.

The Spinners @Wikipedia : The Spinners is a soul music vocal group, active for over 50 years, and with a long run of pop and R&B hits especially during the 1970s. The group, originating from Detroit, still tours regularly as of 2011

Joe Cuba @salsapower.com : Gilberto Calderón, wisely baptized as Joe Cuba by a music promoter, managed to carve a niche in the history of New York based Hispanic dance music with an innovative and simple musical formula based on a rhythmic sextet: a singer accompanied only by a percussion section colored by the sound of the vibraphone.

Bobby Darin : Legendary entertainer Bobby Darin had a wide range of talent. Born Walden Robert Cassotto on May 14th, 1936, Darin rose from poor beginnings in Harlem and the South Bronx. He also fought rheumatic fever as a child, which damaged his heart and plagued him throughout his life. As a result of these obstacles, he worked extremely hard to overcome them. Knowing his life would not be a long one, his ambition to succeed was fueled by an overwhelming desire to make it big in show business.

Anita Kerr : Anita Kerr’s first recording session, during which the producer named her group “The Anita Kerr Singers”, was with Red Foley. Producers started hiring Anita Kerr’s group to back up singers such as Eddy Arnold, Burl Ives, Ernest Tubb, and other country artists. By 1955, The Anita Kerr Singers were recording a national radio program at WSM with Jim Reeves. The Anita Kerr Singers, after winning the talent show in 1956, started performing on the Arthur Godfrey Show in New York. During this time, Anita Kerr and The Anita Kerr Singers sang with top stars such as Brenda Lee, Perry Como, Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Vinton, Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Jim Reeves, Floyd Cramer, and Al Hirt. She also received her first NARAS nomination. In 1964, Anita Kerr opened for Chet Atkins and Jim Reeves on European tour.

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