Nana Mouskouri Returns to Swing

Greek vocalist Nana Mouskouri (pictured) will release her new album, Nana Swings, on May 11, along with a reissue of her 1962 classic Nana Mouskouri in New York, on Philips Records. Nana Swings, which was recorded live at the Jazzopen Festival in Stuttgart, Germany with the Berlin Radio Big Band in 2002, marks Mouskouri’s return to the classic jazz standards she embraced in her early work. The recording features 17 tracks, including “Over the Rainbow,” “Black Coffee” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

Nana Mouskouri in New York, which was produced by music and media mogul Quincy Jones, is being reissued with three never before released tracks-“I Get a Kick Out of You,” “But Not for Me” and “Almost Like Being in Love”-in addition to the original recording’s dozen jazz standards, including “No Moon at All,” “That’s My Desire” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” Nana Mouskouri in New York was born when Jones, then an executive at Mercury Records, brought Mouskouri to New York City to make an album of American jazz standards after their initial meeting in her native Greece. Throughout the album Mouskouri is backed by an orchestra of horns and strings that simmer under the direction of conductor Torrie Zito. And Jones had the reverb knob cranked on Mouskouri’s voice during the session-it’s a classic sound.

After the success of Nana Mouskouri in New York, Mouskouri recorded dozens of albums, including a live album with Henry Belafonte in 1965, and several chart-topping French albums throughout the ’60s and ’70s. Mouskouri, who got her start as a leading vocalist on Radio Athens on 1956, has performed songs in Greek, French, German, Italian, Spanish and English. Mouskouri is one of the best-selling female artists in the world, with more than 350 gold and platinum records. Her most recent recording, The Christmas Album, came out in October 2003. Mouskouri also works as a Goodwill Ambassador and Special Representative for UNICEF.

Originally Published May 11, 2004