Alice Babs - Swing It!
Directed by Lasse Zackrisson2009 80m
In the 1950s she was known as the "Schwedenmädel" (lit: "Swedish girl"), after her first German film of 1954. In Germany she was only known as a schlager-singer ("Ein Mann muss nicht immer schön sein"), but in actual fact Alice Babs had always been much, much more. Born in 1924 in Kalmar, Sweden, the daughter of a silent film pianist, she more or less grew up in the cinema. She learned singing from her mother and recorded her first record when she was 15. At that time she had already discovered Afro-American music: scat and jazz. Just like Louis Armstrong, she used her voice as an instrument. In the 1940s she became a youth idol as a singing actress ("Swing it magistern") beyond the boundaries of Sweden. But in 1963 she became world famous thanks to performances with her own idol: Duke Ellington. This documentary film features plenty of historical material, also showing Alice Babs from her private side: as a vivacious lady who has held on to her happy and "up-beat" nature into old age. Alice Babs is still swinging. And as Duke Ellington said himself: "Alice Babs is probably the most unique artist I know."
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