Here is a collection of Swing Machine sound clips demonstrating the band's versatility and musicality. New clips will be added to this page as recordings become available. Please check back often.

Let's Dance	This is first tenor sax and clarinetist, Jim Martin, performing Benny Goodman's famous theme, "Let's Dance."
Up a Lazy River	"Up a Lazy River" was written by Sid Arodin and Hoagy Carmichael and became one of the greatest of Bobby Darin's hits. Here is a clip of the Swing Machine's lead trumpeter, Tom Falen belting it out for our fans.
The Pink Panther	"Groovy Mysterioso," Henry Mancini's own description in the tempo marking for this piece perhaps best describes his 1963 "Theme from the Pink Panther." After contributing music to such memorable films as "The Glenn Miller Story," "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and "It Came from Outer Space," Cleveland native, Henry Mancini wrote the score for the television series, "Peter Gunn." Thus began his creative partnership with writer/producer Blake Edwards. Together, the two collaborated in nearly thirty films over a thirty-five-year period. One such film was "The Pink Panther," and it is a prime example of Mancini's use of the jazz idiom in film scores. Swing Machine tenor saxophonist, Jim Martin had the good fortune of performing this piece with The Akron Symphony and Henry Mancini as guest conductor. Mr. Mancini gave high praise to Jim's performance at that concert years ago. Now listen as The Swing Machine and Jim Martin capture the essence of "Groovy Mysterioso" in what is probably Henry Mancini's most widely known composition.
Sweet Georgia Brown	From the incomparable pen of Sammy Nestico comes this barn-burner of an arrangement of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Originally written for the Count Basie Band this arrangement can be played at a tempo anywhere from medium fast to lightning quick. Students of Lindy Hop and Balboa dancing may recognize this as the same arrangement played in the closing of the 1983 swing dance exhibition by Hollywood swing dance gurus, Dean Collins (a native Ohioan) and Bart Bartolo (annual guest of Cleveland's international Balboa festival). Be sure to request this one at our dances; just be sure to let us know how hot you want it....
It Had to Be You	Pieces in this subdued Basie style, although slow, are perhaps the most difficult for any jazz ensemble because their sudden and wide dynamic changes and their use of silence make it challenging to hold the tempo steady. The slowness of the style also threatens to expose any variations in interpretations of the swing feel between the players. The Swing Machine cools things off with a tight rendition of this Mark Taylor arrangement of "It Had to Be You."
Fly Me to the Moon	One of Frank Sinatra's biggest hits, "Fly Me to the Moon" is amongst the greatest of American standards. Here is the opening of Sammy Nestico's instrumental arrangement of "Fly Me to the Moon." Originally written for the Basie band, this exciting arrangement utilizes sudden, dramatic changes in volume, countrapuntal textures, and rich chord voicings. The link to the left is from one of our live public concerts. We have also included it on our new CD.
Satin Doll	Satin Doll was written in 1953 by Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, and Johnny Mercer. This Sammy Nestico arrangement was written for the Basie Band and is featured on their Count Plays Duke CD.
I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Sax Soli)	"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" is one of the most recognizable tunes from The Big Band Era. Written by Ned Washington and George Bassman in 1932, it soon became the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra's theme. Frank Sinatra started his career with the Tommy Dorsey band and sang it often. Here is the saxophone soli from the original Dorsey Band arrangement.
Night Train	"Night Train" was a Top-10 hit for the Buddy Morrow band in 1952 when many big bands were struggling or folding. Here is "Night Train" played in (what we in the Swing Machine affectionately refer to as) "stripper tempo," which is just a nice way of calling for slow, hard-driving triplet subdivisions of the beat. The link to the left is from a rehearsal read-through and we have also included it on our new CD.
Jersey Bounce	"Jersey Bounce" became a hit in 1942 as performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Since then, it has become a jazz standard. Here is a swinging Bob Feldbush arrangement of Jersey Bounce written for the Swing Machine Big Band.
Bésame Mucho	In 1940 before her sixteenth birthday, the young Mexican Consuelo Velázquez wrote the song, "Bésame Mucho." It was an international hit in the 1940's and Consuelo Velázquez continued to write many more songs destined to become Latin standards. Consuelo Velázquez began her career in music as a concert pianist and later became a singer and recording artist. Now, joining the list of musicians who have performed "Bésame Mucho," including Consuelo Velázquez, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Plácido Domingo, Nat "King" Cole, and Xavier Cugat, the Swing Machine offers a clip of this beautiful Robert Feldbush arrangement.
Jalousie	The Tango Jalousie was written by Danish composer, Jacob Gade in the mid-1920's while he was the conductor at the Palads theatre in Copenhagen, the grandest of cinemas in Northern Europe. There Gade wrote and conducted "Cinotheque" music to enhance the expressions in silent films with a 24-piece orchestra. Although Jalousie was not written for film accompaniment, it is highly dramatic and is considered Gade's masterpiece in the popular Tango genre of the 1920s. It is claimed to be the best known composition ever written by a Danish composer. To this day, the income generated from Jalousie and other Gade compositions provides funds for the Jacob Gade Legat, which annually awards monetary grants to talented young Danish musicians.
Kiss of Fire	"I touch your lips and all at once, the sparks go flying Those devil lips that know so well the art of lying And though I see the danger, still the flames grow higher I know I must surrender to your kiss of fire" "Kiss of Fire" by Robert Hill and Lester Allen was a hit song in 1952 for singer Georgia Gibbs. It was also a hit for Louis Armstrong. The Swing Machine presents it here as an instrumental, romantic Cha-Cha.