Hi Forum people, I hope you are all well in these challenging times. I've been away from the forum for a little while but I'm back with something bright and upbeat I wrote, called The Swing of Things.
I Hope it cheers everyone up.

https://soundcloud.com/user-952388172/the-swing-of-things

I'd love you to have a listen (or two) and post your thoughts, opinions, criticism or praise.
Cheers,
Mike

THE BAND:
RT2128:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Half,Quarter Sw 140 (Neil Swainson)
RealDrums-JazzBrushesSticks#1 (Terry Clarke)
RealPiano 2289: Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm JazzSwingKenny Sw 140 (Kenny Barron)
RealGuitar 560: Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Freddie Sw 140 (Oliver Gannon)
RT765:Guitar, Electric, Soloist Jazz Sw 140 (Oliver Gannon)
RT437:Sax, Alto, Older Sw 140 (PJ Perry)
RealStrings 2593: Horn Section, Background CroonerBigBand Sw 110

I wrote the horn parts except for some tasty fills from the Crooner Big Band.
I also wrote the recurring two-bar bass solo fills (the rest of the bass track is courtesy of RT2128).

Very nice production, Mike. Wonderful upbeat feel to it. Just the thing
for those long mornings at home, looking out.

Love this, Mike. Wonderful swing stuff and a great arrangement. Man, how did you do it? For me it seems the hardest part of BiaB is to get all the musicians to play from the same chart, if that makes sense.

Nice work!
Well constructed.
Enjoyed the listen.

Thanks for listening Ed. Glad you enjoyed the song.
Stay well,
Mike

Cool song!! Band sounds great!! Enjoyed thoroughly!! Take care. Greg

Super! That older alto is one of my favorite real tracks. Nice job on the horn writes, I know that's a lot of work.

Nice production. Sounds good.

Mr. Garry...

You are quite the composer/arranger, sir ! This composition clearly displays your facility with, and understanding of, what I have learned about the form of big-band writing, which to my ears showed up (among other musical devices you employed) in the way you alternated the instrumental solos with the horn section statements, in the way you harmonized the reeds and the brass so that their voices were clearly and distinctly contrasted, and, last but not least, in the way you controlled the dynamics between the melodic and the background parts.

The Swing of Things conveys all the excitement and driving musical energy that one would expect to hear in a composition composed and arranged for a jazz ensemble. I think it would 'perk-up' the ears of any listener regardless of their genre preferences.

LOREN (a.k.a. 'bluage')

Very cool listen Mike. Rhythm section is really smokin on this tune. What a cool groove. Well done

Thanks Marty. Glad you enjoyed it. I use RealBand as it's got all the great features of Band in a Box but it gives me more options to go where I want to.
Cheers,
Mike

Mike,
it swings nice light touches on the arrangement and mixing.
COOL.

Thanks for having a listen CaptainMoto. I appreciate your comments.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for listening Greg. Glad you liked the song.
You take care too,
Mike

Hi Mike ...

Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this!!! Seriously, this is a wonderful listen! Di and I love Big Band Swing/Jazz. And man, this hits every point at its best.

That intro was just so good. I could ramble on all night about how much I enjoyed this. But I'll spare you all that. I'm in total awe of how you put those horn sections/parts together. i can only try to imagine the wok you put into that. What a treat!!!!!!!!!

Best to you. Be safe ...

Alan

"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" - quid erat demonstrandum.

Very well done, Mike - enjoyed my listens (!) a lot.

All the best,

Stefan

Hi, Mike !

Could not find anything
negative about this Mike
on the contrary, this was
just what I needed so huge
thanks to you for putting
this wonderful swing together !

Cheers
Dani

Now, that's some seriously cool snuff!

Just had to have another listen .. this is just so good!

Alan

The count is alive and well!

Super big band sound here. Even Charlie Christian got a chance to shine!

This could not have been easy to assemble but man you did hit the big band genre nail right on the head!

Excellent work.

A really pro sounding arrangement - great stuff.

Excellent work in all regards.

Peter

Thanks TuneMonger. I wasn't sure how a jazz/big band track would go on the forum but I've been thrilled with the response. I tried lots of other ReaTrack sax soloists but 'older alto' was by far the best.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks for listening jptx3. So glad you like the song.
Stay well,
Mike

Thank for listening Loren. I think I'll pin your kind words up in a prominent place in my home. Or, as we say in Australia, "this is going straight to the pool room" (the line is from an iconic Aussie movie called "The Castle" - it means that it is worthy of treasuring and preserving).
I really appreciate your detailed comments.
Stay well,
Mike

Mike,

I’m not generally a fan of instrumentals or jazz, for that matter . . . but this is very sweet. The production on this—the mix—is, to my ears, perfect. This is a dancing, swinging tune that will get every toe tapping. The bass is crystal and killer—really carries the song along. Gorgeous tune, expertly crafted!

My humble regards,

Deej

That's a very engaging song - it swings along, and the solos are interesting and fit well.

Did some of the horn section parts sound synthy? To my non-expert ears, yes.

(Then again, sometimes I think that when listening to actual horn parts, so what do I know?)

Did it in any way diminish my enjoyment? No, not a single bit.

Not even when I had a second listen.

Very nice work - true to the name, and I love that swinging groove on it. The mix is top notch too. It all fits into place perfectly, and keeps you engaged the whole way through.

Great job, thanks for sharing!

Hi Mike,

It takes some serious production skills, and obviously knowledge of the genre, to be able to put something like this together with BIAB, well done!

Mike,

Love the "Big Band" feel of this tune. It sounds like a live recording - outstanding!

Bob

Mike,

WOW!

That is SO SO SO good!

Might be the best instrumental I've ever heard on the forum.

The horns are amazing. In fact...EVERYTHING is.

Pro level mix.

WOW!!!

fj

Thanks for listening Scott. I appreciate your comments.
Stay well,
Mike

Hi Ray,
Every time I post a song on the forum I look forward to your forthright, no BS comments.
I'm glad you liked The Swing of Things. I was a bit hesitant as to how an out and out jazz/swing instrumental would go, but so far the response has been very positive.
Hope you're well and staying safe,
Regards,
Mike

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!

Sounds like a bunch of folks who’ve been playing together for years.

A remarkable display of the capability of BiaB in talented hands.

Everything is hittin’ the note!

J&B

Alan, thank you so much for your kind words. WOW!
As one of the most respected contributors to the forum, your words carry a lot of weight.
Best wishes to you and Di.
Stay safe,
Mike

Swing, well it does that alright, nice uplifting feel to it and a well managed sound.

Thanks

Thanks Stefan. I appreciate your kind words.
Stay well,
Mike

Wow, I am blown away!!, Takes me back in time, kinda like the Doc Severinsen band!!

Thanks for listening Dani. Glad you the Swing of Things. As always, I appreciate your comments.
Stay well,
Mike

Hi, Mike !

Me this really cheered up
and more ! What a wonderful write !
Cool !!!


Jazz, that´s the razzamatass !

Cheers
Dani

Thanks for listening Icelander.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Mario. Yes, I must admit the Count was on my mind when I did this one. So glad you picked up on it.
Stay well,
Mike

Thanks Peter for taking the time to listen and comment.
Much appreciated,
Mike Thanks Deej for perservering and listening to my song. I'm so glad that you liked it and posted your detailed comments.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for listening David. It's always good to hear your thoughts on my songs.
Cheers,
Mike

Great stuff Mike! I could listen to that all day! Fine work! Thanks, Torrey

Brilliant, sophisticated and stylish, and all that great stuff the other posters already said.

Bravo!

Thanks for listening and commenting Deryk.
Cheers,
Mike Thanks Dave. I appreciate your kind words.
Stay well,
Mike

That is such a fantastic piece of swing jazz Mike.
I repeat the production is so so good, this must top the skill used in BIAB.

Brian

Cheers Bob. "Sounds like a live recording" - the ultimate compliment for a jazz track. Thanks.
Stay well,
Mike

Thanks Floyd. I REALLY appreciate your review.
"Might be best instrumental I've heard on the forum" is quite a compliment. Thank you.
Mike

Thanks guys. Your comments and interest are much appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment beatmaster.
Stay well,
Mike
Thanks Ronnie. The Severinsen band was a pretty hot band.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for listening Torrey. I always appreciate your comments.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for listening Ed and for your kind words.
Cheers,
Mike

Mike,
Nice jazzy tune. Well arranged and mixed. Listens very well. No critique, as everything is pretty smooth to my ears. Now you need a female singer to do some scat on it. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks for listening and for your very kind words Brian.
The Swing of Things was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for listening Misha. Yes, a bit of scat singing would be great.
Cheers, Mike