the BAND
Making music together for more than fifteen years, Swing '39 knows how to add fun to any special event. Swing '39 evokes the spirit of gypsy guitarist D'jango Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grapelli who, in their years together in Paris just before World War II, crafted a unique style of music usually referred to as "hot club" or "gypsy" jazz.
- An acoustic trio established in 1995
- Specialists in gypsy jazz
- Performs original compositions by D'jango Reinhardt as well as classics by great American song writers such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin
The name Swing ‘39 comes from the title of a tune composed by D'jango in the year 1939. It epitomizes that time in the history of American music when tunes by Cole Porter, Gershwin, Ellington and others were all the rage, when jazz was evolving from ragtime and blues into the Big Band era.
Swing '39 plays the music of these masters as well as the compositions of D'jango - but with a Kentucky twist. The result is music that is full of a contagious attitude which is energetic, sassy, and lots of fun.
Swing '39 is:
(Click images to view bios.)
Ben Andrews
guitar
Jane Halliday
violin
John Thornberry
bass