SWINGERS

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDINGS

 

INSTRUMENTALS.

  • REGATTA

    In 1984 the Swingers booked some affordable hours in a studio in Bellflower and recorded this instrumental that gave us the feeling of surfing, open oceans and sailing. Everyone delivered, but Esteban’s soaring synth lines were very unique and truly captured the essence of the song “Regatta”

  • TAKE FIVE

    This is by no means a quality recording, but Norham, Esteban, Jimmy and Eddie were expanding their boundaries in exploring this arrangement of Dave Brubeck’s classic “Take Five” and recorded during a rehearsal of the song. It is a bit sloppy, but it was moving in all directions: surf, punk, jazz and fusion. We performed it once, but I don’t think the audience knew how to respond.

  • PARADISE IT'S YOU

    Jimmy, Noham and Eddie took an earlier Swinger tune “She Wears the Pants” and converted it into more of an alternative big band sound and along with Jocko, Mike Brison and JD Kobiashi recorded this epic track. We worked with engineer / producer Keith Wheschler, in between tours with ELP, to mix “Paradise.” “Paradise” later became “the Barack Obama Song.”

  • THE HOLIDAY SONG

    Esteban, Jimmy and Eddie were sitting in an garage in Old Torrance (South Bay) and experimenting with an Eddie riff (the underlying melody). A decade later Eddie expanded the orchestration, went into the studio and recorded this version of the “The Holiday Song.”

  • THIS ONES FOR YOU / STEP RIGHT UP

    In between shows, rehearsals and work, Eddie wrote and recorded ‘This One’s for You’ an all guitar track. The Swingers performed it at Pier 52. After the Swingers stopped performing live, Eddie and Jimmy jumped in the studio and recorded a handful of tracks. ‘Step Right Up’ reflected our appreciation of country and rockabilly. The Swingers were heavily involved with all the new synthesizers and their potential, but they loved guitars.

  • THE RAIN SONG

    Like a lot of other Swingers, Eddie experimented some health issues and wanted to learn to meditate and relax. So he took a melody he wrote when he was a teenager and recorded it in a hypnotic repetitive motion and added rain sound effects. The Rain Song had originally been more of a jazz piece.

 
 
 

MINI MOOG

Eddie penned this instrumental in early 1982 on his only sythesizer - a mini moog - where the musician only plays one key at a time. Since Eddie was also a drummer he played rolls on the minimoog using his fingers as sticks to create the mutiple syncopated rythms that blend together into the piece. This version was recorded a decade later then the original version using updated equipment.

 
 

REGATTA

(Call, Winters, Burque, Norris)

An instrumental reflecting the mysterious and powerful oceans off of LA’s Southbay beaches: the surfers, fisherman, yachtsmen and sailors. The parts and arrangement came together quickly and Jimmy Burque, Esteban, Norham and Eddie recorded the tracks added a few overdubs of synths and guitars and mixed. We only performed “Regatta” live once in Santa Monica.

 


TAKE FIVE

(Paul Desmond - Arrangement Call, Winters, Burque, Norris)

Norham, Esteban, Jimmy and Eddie had been rehearsing in West LA and fleshed out an alternative, surf, progressive version of this Dave Brubeck jazz classic. The fidelity is not great and the arrangement not finished, but “Take Five’ is a classic and the Swingers version is very unique and allows the four musicians to clearly express their personalities as players. Norham’s powerful aggressive drumming took the Swingers to another level. Esteban’s keyboard work was terrific.


PARADISE IT’S YOU

(Call, Winters, Dulong, Norris, Burque, Washington)

A large fraternity of Swinger veterans got together to go in the studio in 2008 to record “Paradise it’s You” this epic instrumental of a rearranged version of the Swingers “She Wears the Pants.” The Swingers always loved this song and wanted to expand our musical expressions using an alternative big band arrangement. This instrumental version was used in “The Barrack Obama Song” video production (see the video section).


THE HOLIDAY SONG

(Call, Winters, Burque)

While rehearsing Eddie introduced Esteban and Jimmy to a melody he had created and the Swingers developed a basis for this instrumental that Eddie recorded in the studio 10 years later. We were always intrigued by the opening melody that repeats itself weaving in and out of the song. There are some beautiful sections in this piece.

THIS ONE’S FOR YOU /

STEP RIGHT UP

(CALL) / (CALL, BURQUE)

There are two guitar songs in this recording. Eddie wrote and recorded there first song ‘This One’s for You.’ The Swingers performed it a few times at Pier 52, but Eddie’s lyrics never caught on. After the Swingers stopped performing live, Eddie and Jimmy jumped in the studio and recorded a handful of tracks. ‘Step Right Up,’ the second song reflected their appreciation of country music and rockabilly. They experimented with lyrics, but never finished the vocal arrangements.


THE RAIN SONG

(CALL)

Eddie wrote a catchy melody when he was a teenager and recorded it in the 90’s in an hypnotic repetitive motion and added rain sound effects. Originally intended as a jazz piece, Eddie experimented with more of meditation feel in mind. The “Rain Song” is an interesting groove.

THE MINI MOOG

(Call)


Eddie recorded this solo effort, capturing the essence of a minimoog synthesizer by writing all parts with one voice (one key at a time). Never added lyrics or performed live with the Swingers. Probably a little tough to play live, but it’s got a great rhythmic groove and hook.