Swing de Paris

Originally issued in 1986, this disc was reissued in 2008 as volume 54 in the Vintage Guitar Series. It features the Hot Club de Norvege quartet, a Norwegian group formed in obvious homage to Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli's celebrated Hot Club de Paris combo, the ensemble that put Gypsy jazz on the map in the 1930s. The group is comprised of two acoustic guitars, violin, and string bass; in lieu of percussion, the guitars play an aggressive on-the-beat rhythm when they aren't spinning out intricate but swinging solos. Lots of young guitarists and violinists have been entranced by the Reinhardt/Grapelli model over the years and have tried to re-create it in varying degrees of fidelity; on this album, the Hot Club de Norvege exhibits a salutary blend of respect for its forebears and willingness to add its own personal touch to the tradition. Along with such time-honored classic numbers as "Tiger Rag," "My Serenade," and the inevitable Reinhardt number "Nuages" there are also fine original compositions like "Hvit Veranda" (a sturdily swinging waltz, sung very nicely in Norwegian by guitarist Per Frydenlund) and the sprightly minor-key "Baro's Revenge." The playing is excellent throughout, but the recorded sound quality is sometimes a bit ragged, with hints of saturation nagging at the edges. Recommended overall.