BigSwingFace was formed by pianist/composer Randy Hoexter to fill his own need for playable, dynamic samples for realistic-sounding jazz, big band and pop styles. All of our products are designed to be as expressive and accurate as is possible, and have been “road tested” on gigs and sessions.
We are a musical collective, where the artists who play the various instruments are part of the process, contributing insight and experience to the final products. Only veteran musicians could bring this expertise and expression to the sound.
Our products are created primarily for Kontakt, by Native Instruments, due to the high level of programming and customization available in this platform. However, we will also support other samplers, implementing what features are possible within those products.
Here are some of the players involved in these samples:
Randy Hoexter: Piano, keyboards, programming, bizarre mechanical gadgets
Sam Skelton: Saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute
Eric Alexander: Trombone, bass trombone
Tom Knight: Drums
Trey Wright: Guitars
What about the name BigSwingFace? It was a 1967 album by the great Buddy Rich, featuring classic big band arrangements like “Norwegian Wood” and “Love for Sale.” As well as being one of the greatest drummers and bandleaders ever, his amazing playing combined with his bizarre verbal outbursts* had “Attitude” like almost nobody else! In 2002, the brilliant Bruce Hornsby also did a CD with the same title, honoring Buddy’s legacy.
*probably not safe for kids.