Leroi Jones
February, 1965
The vocal alchemy of France's Swingle Singers, which transforms such formidable works as Bach's Prelude for Organ Chorale No. 1 and Vivaldi's Fugue from L'Estro Armonico Op. 3, No. 11 into pop "Hot 100" chart makers, has been hosannaed by jazz buffs and classicists alike. Led by Ward Swingle—a 37-year-old Paris-based Alabaman who has long since discarded his Southern drawl in favor of a French accent—the Singers, in their two short years of existence, have copped two Grammies, an Acadé...
