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Article published Mar 13, 2008
Swing Noire: Django fans take note

A couple years ago I was working weekends up at a local ski area. This guy I was working with knew I was into playing guitar. He asked me one day, "Have you ever heard of Django Reinhardt?"

I said something like, "Wasn't he the guy who was missing fingers or something like that?" Long story longer, he loaned me some records to listen to. (For those of you young folks records were these big discs with grooves in them, no bigger than CDs … Oh, never mind!) They were not only great; they were phenomenal! Unbelievable stuff. Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt was a Gypsy jazz guitarist, and until you hear him, you haven't heard guitar.

Fast-forward to today and we have a local band paying tribute to and playing in the style of Django. They go by the name of Swing Noire. Members of the band include twin brothers Rob and Jim McCuen on solo guitar and double bass respectfully, as well as David Gusakov on violin and viola, and Jared Volpe on rhythm guitar.

The music on their MySpace will entrance and surprise you. It is very tight, fluid, and yet has a sometimes shuffling feel. The band has this to say on their page: "What made this music unique is the use of 2-3 guitars of the Selmer/Maccaferri style, double bass, and in the traditional lineup, a swingin' violin. We take inspiration from the Romany, Sinti and Manouche diaspora who influenced Django Reinhardt along with the American Hot Jazz of the early 1900s."

Listen to the stuff on their page and then check them out up at the Briggs Carriage this Friday.

Keep clickin'.

George

If you want to be Swing Noire's friend, you can find them at www.myspace.com/swingnoire.

If you want to be George's friend and get your face on his myspace you can find him at: www.myspace.com/ georgebygeorge.com.

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