By: Joleen S Braasch Freelancer
Ever heard of electro swing? If you haven’t, then look no further than Western’s own campus to explore this exciting, multi-era musical genre.
Western Hemisphere Voices, a campus-based student vocal group featuring 11 vocalists, a rhythm section, and horns, put on a show in the electro swing style, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2015.
Terra Schwartzwalt, a conductor at WOU for fall term, describes electro swing as a new age genre, “capturing the traditions of jazz from the past and fusing it with pop and electronic music in the modern day.”
The concert arrangements were inspired by the band Caravan Palace, a Paris-based group influenced by Herbie Hancock and Daft Punk.
“Basically their music is sort of a collision of Gyspy Jazz and electronic dance music,” said Schwartzwalt, who arranged most of the music for the show.
The group performed three of Caravan Palace’s songs: “Je’Mamuse,” “Pirates,” and “Dramaphone.”
Some of the other selections included selections from other electro swing groups and renditions of well-known pops songs, such as “Burn” by Ellie Goulding and “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran.
As a showcase for these student musicians, almost every member of the group performed a solo during the night, and students Brandon Franko and Kathryn Powers even arranged the Ed Sheeran piece.
The band was also made up of students, and some of the members even switched from playing various instruments to singing.
Haley Lancourt, a junior exercise science major, thought the concert was a “phenomenal idea.”
She had heard a couple of electro swing styles songs, but she had never thought to make a concert out of it.
Eli Schenk, a senior music major and member of Western Hemisphere Orchestra, 15 Miles West, and the Western Hemisphere Big Band, enjoys the musical diversity that the music program has to offer.
Shenk said, “Last year, I did everything from New Orleans Jazz, to Radiohead, to like everything […] It’s wonderful how diverse the contemporary programs are.” Now he can add electro swing to that list.
