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Biography
Swing from Paris are a quartet of violin (Fenner Curtis), guitars (Andy Bowen and Sam Hughes) and double bass (Tomasz Williams), inspired by the great swing bands of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s: from Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian, and Artie Shaw to Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli and the master of tango Astor Piazzolla.
Their Parisian-flavoured jazz and gypsy swing has been delighting audiences for over 15 years: from major jazz festivals including Brecon, Cheltenham and the Django Reinhardt Festival at Samois sur Seine, to being seen on the BBC’s Hairy Bikers and performing at the opening of the award-winning Gloucester Services.
Digital reach
1.2K facebook followers
300+ monthly Spotify listeners
330+ instagram followers
2.1k attendees hosted on Eventbrite
500+ tiktok likes
500+ email subscribers
Video
See more on the band’s YouTube channel
Press
“their arrangements are consistently intelligent, interesting and inventive…a band that has managed to put its own stamp on the genre”
★ ★ ★ ★ – The Jazz Mann“adept at creating new arrangements…successful partnering of acoustic with electric guitar distinguishes the band’s sound…symphonious violin, soulful guitar and heart-rending bass” – Jazz Journal
“awe-inspiring…the band members have real rapport…I would highly recommend to any jazz, or live music fan for that matter” – Swindon Link
“Clever interpretations and adaptations…what a performance by this Cotswold-based combo” – Nub News
“the band’s chemistry is palpable…a sound that’s both tight and exuberant” – We Write About Music
“captures the essence of Parisian jazz and gypsy swing with remarkable virtuosity” – infomusic.fr
“reverent to the past and refreshingly original” – musikepool
“meticulously arranged…a rich and immersive listening experience” – extravafrench.com
Latest release
I Love Paris (2024)
“I Love Paris” features unmissable compositions from the swing era such as These Foolish Things, Green Dolphin Street, The Grabtown Grapple, and the French cabaret masterpiece Parlez-moi d’amour; numbers inspired by pioneering guitarists Mary Osborne (I Surrender Dear, and Cole Porter’s I Love Paris), Charlie Christian (Air Mail Special), and the underrated genius George Barnes (Undecided); a classical-inspired arrangement of No Moon at All; and a tribute to Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappeli in After You’ve Gone.
The recording also touches on tango, including Oblivion, a 1982 composition by the master of nuevo tango Astor Piazzolla; and Dizzy Gillespie’s progressive Afro-Cuban influenced Tangorine. The album closes with one of the band’s encore showpieces, a waltz made famous by Edith Piaf: La Foule.
The album is available on streaming services and on Vinyl and CD from the band’s bandcamp store.
“excellent band…adept at creating new arrangements…successful partnering of acoustic with electric guitar distinguishes the band’s sound…symphonious violin, soulful guitar and heart-rending bass” – “I Love Paris” reviewed in Jazz Journal, 1 Oct 2024
Band members
Fenner Curtis: Violin
Fenner is a classically-trained violinist based in Cheltenham. Struck by the music of Django Reinhardt at a young age – when his local youth orchestra desk partner gave him a cassette of Stéphane Grappelli – he has been hooked ever since. With Andy Bowen he formed Swing from Paris, performing around the UK.
Andy Bowen: Guitar
Andy takes inspiration from the great jazz guitarists of the 30s and 40s, chiefly Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian and George Barnes. He has a jazz guitar YouTube channel and splits his time between performing with Swing from Paris, teaching jazz guitar, lusting after guitars and making YouTube videos.
Sam Hughes: Guitar
Sam is a guitarist/composer based in Herefordshire. Raised on a strict diet of 60s/70s blues and rock, he was turned on to the music of Django Reinhardt after hearing the great gypsy guitarist Angelo Debarre. As well as working on his own original jazz compositions, Sam enjoys reworking the music of Mozart, Chopin and J.S. Bach into the gypsy jazz style. Improvising with spontaneity and humour, he is equally as likely to break into a Led Zeppelin riff as a Bach motif without warning.
Tomasz Williams: Double bass
Tomasz is a double bass player from Cheltenham. He draws influence from 50s and 60s jazz bassists such as Paul Chambers and Ron Carter, and has performed in many residencies around the South West. Tomasz is also a keen orchestral player and teaches bass of all kinds at Cheltenham College and other prestigious Gloucestershire schools.
