It Might as Well Be Swing

It Might as Well Be Swing is a 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording arranged by Quincy Jones.

It Might as Well Be Swing
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1964 (LP)
October 1986 (CD)
RecordedJune 9–12, 1964, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
GenreVocal jazz, traditional pop
Length27:22
LabelReprise
FS 1012
ProducerSonny Burke
Frank Sinatra chronology
Robin and the 7 Hoods
(1964)
It Might as Well Be Swing
(1964)
12 Songs of Christmas
(1964)
Count Basie chronology
Basie Land
(1963)
It Might as Well Be Swing
(1964)
Our Shining Hour
(1964)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Record Mirror[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[3]

The recording of "Fly Me to the Moon" which appears on this album has become one of Sinatra's most popular. This was Sinatra and Basie's second collaboration after 1962's Sinatra-Basie.

Sinatra's cover version of "Hello Dolly" on the album features a new second verse improvised by Sinatra, which pays tribute to Louis Armstrong, who had topped the Billboard charts with his own version of the song earlier in 1964.

It Might as Well Be Swing is a reference to the title of the well known jazz standard "It Might as Well Be Spring".

Track listing

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Personnel

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The Count Basie Orchestra
Other Musicians
  • Gerald Vinci, Israel Baker, Jacques Gasselin, Thelma Beach, Bonnie Douglas, Marshall Sosson, Erno Neufeld, Lou Raderman, Paul Shure and James Getzoff - violins
  • Virginia Majewski, Paul Robyn, Alvin Dinkin and Stan Harris - violas
  • Edgar Lustgarten and Ann Goodman - cellos
  • Emil Richards - Vibes/Percussion
Production
  • Sonny Burke - producer
  • Lowell Frank - engineer
  • Ted Allen - cover photo
  • Gregg Geller - 1998 reissue producer
  • Lee Herschberg - 20-bit digital mastering

References

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  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Jones, Peter (18 September 1964). "Frank Sinatra And Count Basie: It Might As Well Be Swing" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 184. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  3. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 20. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.