Music Minute: Jazzy Ash - Swing Set

As a music teacher, I love getting to review kids' music, especially if it's something I might be able to use in my classroom. Swing Set by JazzyAsh (available no for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon, releasing July 21) was a lot of fun for me to review.

In this album, Jazzy Ash collects a variety of traditional songs from the mid-19th century to early jazz era, all of which are at least 90 years old.  Songs are mixed with playground rhymes, and vary from soft, lyrical lullabies to upbeat New Orleans jazz. The kids' voices make it even more appealing for kids to jump in and sing or play along, and there are plenty of songs that encourage action, too, like Hambone and When the Saints Go Marching In. It's definitely a CD that I'll be using often for my elementary choirs!

“The history behind these songs and rhymes is so rich ,” explains Jazzy Ash, a longtime preschool educator as well as nationally touring artist. “As I was researching these and sharing my arrangements with my students and teachers in my workshops, I realized how many generations of people have been personally impacted by these traditional tunes. Many of these songs and games were largely carried along by little girls on the playground throughout time, and it’s not often that we celebrate the work of women. I wanted to convey the grit and soul of that grassroots heritage with these recordings.”

Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards at Wolf Trap and More! Over the past five years, Jazzy Ash has built a reputation as one of the top touring family artist in the nation. Her music has been featured by the Los Angeles Times and NPR and continues to top radio charts. Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards have performed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Symphony Space and Lincoln Center in New York, Pilgrimage Festival and World Café Live in Philadelphia, among many other venues.This summer, the “Swing Set” tour includes Wolf Trap Theater-in-the-Woods near Washington, DC, on July 26 and 27, Madison Square Park in NYC, and The Broad Theater and Levitt Pavilion in Los Angeles. Jazzy Ash will also lead a children's music theater workshop at BloomBars in Washington, DC, during July 17 to 21. New Swing Set music videos are also coming soon. Visit www.jazzyash.com for the latest updates.