Here is proof positive that life can be a ‘Many-Splendored Swing.’ In these selections, Richard Maltby and His Orchestra swing out with a seemingly endless arsenal of variety in style and method. There are Latin and Western-flavored entries, jump tunes, fast rides, forceful, impassioned works and warm-toned, deliberately phrased interpretations – but they all have one innate quality – they swing. Oh Baby is a powerful opening statement – one of those bigband-rising-from-the-pit, all-sections-swinging numbers that never lets up in enthusiasm and vitality. Vibes, guitar and the trumpet of Billy Butterfield are the outstanding solo voicings. In the Maltby original Raucus Maracas, that insistent percussion instrument weaves its way through the orchestra in a provocative mambo marathon. A Dew Drop, often described as a “gem of the earth and sky,” becomes a musical jewel of rare melodic dimension, shining brightly in a whistle-happy swing version that highlights guitar, xylophone and all the individual sections at a rollicking pace. Then, the declarative title Set Me Free, introduces a fast and furious production number featuring some particularly independent vibes and a no-holds-barred orchestra. Tell Me Why, does so, in terms of some delightful musical shenanigans, next, as piano and piccolos lead the pack through this Lindy-hop blazer. The Maltby tune that closes the side depicts the pioneer custom of house-raising – where neighbors would gather to help erect a house. Vibes and rhythm start building and everyone else soon joins the house party that turns into a wailing session called, Let’s Build A House. The Maltby crew shifts gears into Over-Drive to open the second side and exceeds the speed limit by accelerating into a turnpike turbulence. The pace slows down a bit as they reach the “wide-open spaces” and enjoy the panoramic scenery which they melodically describe in the Western-flavored jump ballad, Colorado Columbine. In Big Trill, which follows, Maltby has fashioned an all-out orchestral charmer that could easily serve as a Broadway musical or motion picture show-stopper. Echoes of the dancing-in-the-aisles swing era are recalled in the finger-snappin’ The Pacemaker, an upbeat symposium of big band byplay brilliantly arranged by Richard Maltby. Then, a vibes-piano unison and a groovin’ orchestral accompaniment affirms the old truism that it Doesn’t Mean A Thing – unless you got that swing. For a closer, Maltby guides his group through his own, Boff Stuff, a tuba-accented bash that really lives up to its title.