Our Review
Sarah's Swing Set is a sassy little jazz ensemble, an exceptional group that you might find making sweet music in the corner of a jumpin' jazz club. You're tucked in a dark booth, sipping your favorite drink, and savoring Sarah Flint's kittenish vocals on Santa Baby--so cool! This offering is The Perfect Gift, a most appropriate name for a top-notch jazz release.
The music floats on the finest core of vibes, acoustic bass, percussion, and two accomplished jazz vocalists, Sarah Flint and Robert Stright. The Swing Set also has superb support, a number of swingin' guest musicians, largely adding horns and strings to the mix. The relatively short (32 minutes) album features nine cuts, including four well-crafted originals that blend seamlessly with the contemporary gems. Of the new pieces, I especially like Robert Stright's nostalgic Twenty Christmases about long-lasting romance and the holidays over a lifetime, and Sarah Flint's terrific title track about love and that Perfect Gift (she's it). The upbeat lyrics are lighthearted and cute ("If love is a mountain, I know I've reached the peak" and "If love is an ocean, you're the only fish I see!"), and the melody is infectious. Of the modern classics, I particularly enjoyed Steve Allen's wonderful Cool Yule, which is the perfect balance of Stright's irreverent vocals (complete with scat) and the gorgeous swing instrumentation, and the oh-so-comfortable Flint/Stright chemistry on the lovable Baby It's Cold Outside.
Pull up a bar stool and listen closely to the jazzy stylings of Sarah's Swing Set on The Perfect Gift. You may want to keep this excellent present for yourself!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)
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From the liner notes:
Sarah Flint: vocals
Robert Stright: vibraphone, organ & vocals
Ron Kadish: acoustic bass
Bobby Walters: drums & percussion
Sleighful of Swingin' Guests:
Gerry Amato: clarinet
Tom Clark: flute
Joe Donnelly: baritone saxophone
Jonathan Elmer: trombone
Pat Harbison: trumpet
Nate Johnson: tenor saxophone
Ben McClelland: violin
Dennis Riggins: tenor saxophone
Carl Sturbaum: guitar
Arrangements by Robert Stright
Produced by Sarah's Swing Set
Executive Producer: Robert Stright
Recorded on 8 track home studio by Robert Stright
Mixed & Mastered by Dave Webber at Airtime Studios
Sarah's Swing Set
The Perfect Gift
Artist link
Label: Swing Set Records
Length: 32 minutes
Genre: Swing
Release: 2006
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| The White World of Winter |
| The Perfect Gift |
| Cool Yule |
| Mele Kalikimaka |
| Santa Baby |
| Twenty Christmases |
| Baby It's Cold Outside |
| Blue Year |
| To Think I Almost Stayed Home |