“Swing Fever Song” A song for swing dancers composed, arranged, and produced by Thomas Gunther. To learn more about Thomas Gunther go to http://www.thomasgunther.com/info/. What kind of song is it? The “Swing Fever Song” incorporates many different swing music genres and styles. It can roughly be described as "swing meets jump blues," but there is a lot more to it. Award-winning sound engineer Fred Breitberg who mixed and mastered the song said it best: “It is hard to believe that this song is only 3 minutes and 22 seconds long. There is so much cool stuff happening in such a short amount of time that I never get bored listening to it." Swing Fever Song has a contemporary sound that distinguishes it from traditional mainstream swing and jump blues recordings. The musicians that played on this record are all well known musicians from Chicago: Thomas Gunther (piano, organ, synth), Derrick Procell (lead singer, shouts), Sarah Marie Young (female vocal ensemble voices), Andrew Distle (male vocal ensemble voices), George Fludas (drums), Daniel Anderson (upright bass), Joel Patterson (guitars), Victor Garzia (trumpets), Steve Eisen (saxophones), Andy Baker (trombones). “Swing Fever Song” was recorded in a nice medium-fast tempo (164 beats/minute) which is great for swing dancers of all levels. The song was written for 14 horns, 12 vocalists, and an extended rhythm section. Although there is a lot going on in this arrangement the song is catchy and fun to listen to. Why and for whom this song was written Thomas Gunther - a passional swing dancer himself - wanted to give swing dancers a fresh song that is contemporary, speaks directly to them and inspires them to dance. The line "It's the swing fever that keeps you dancing all through the night," says it all. Thomas Gunther: “When you go into a swing club today most of the recordings you will hear are over 50 years old, or are new recordings of old familiar songs. I wanted to give swing dancers an original song that was created during their life time with them in mind”. As a jazz and pop music arranger Gunther also wanted the song to be interesting to listen to from a musician's standpoint. When you listen closely you will discover that the arrangement is really quite complex with lots of interesting harmonies and rhythmic figures. You may not notice this complexity right away because the song is catchy and fun, but after listening closer you will discover more and more cool things that are embedded in the arrangement. What people say about the song: "I had a great time working with Thomas on his new song Swing Fever. We did all the vocal tracking, bass, and guitar recording at Twiss Audio, as well as the majority of the editing. I think one of the things that I really like about the song is that it captures that place we've all been in when we first found Lindy Hop, and it consumed all our time and thoughts. Swing Fever manages to incorporate a variety of musical styles from big band, to rockabilly, from vocal jazz to blues, and has a distinct jump blues flavor that reminds me of when I first started dancing. The orchestration is complex and full, and I personally really love the horn arrangements! I hope you all give this song a listen and continue to support Thomas Gunther who is in my opinion one of the best swing musicians playing for dancers in Chicago today!" Andrew Twiss (swing dance instructor at Big City Swing Chicago, audio engineer, owner of Twiss Audio) "Once you listen to Swing Fever Song I guarantee you will not be able to get this song out of your head! It swings like mad and has a energy that I think will be infectious on a crowded dance floor." Mary Jane Sieber (swing dancer) "This was a terrific song to mix. Thomas' arrangement combines a modern rendering of a classic idiom in a unique way. I am glad to be part of Swing Fever." Fred Breitberg (award winning sound engineer from Chicago) "Swing dancing has been popular since the revival in the 1990s. Mostly, swing dancers dance to music written in the 30s and the 40s. In rare occasion a new, true swing tune will come along. Thomas Gunther has just written such a tune: Swing Fever Song. The tempo of Swing Fever is perfect for Swingers and Lindy Hoppers, not too slow and not to fast. Both beginners and advanced dancers will enjoy cutting the rug on this one. I highly suggest that you give it a try on the dance floor..." Robert Chi (Lindy Hopper) For more info on the song, the musicians and engineers that worked on the song go to http://www.SwingFeverSong.com