The Rhythm Future Quartet will bring “gypsy jazz” to Haines on Thursday, April 6 at a lively Chilkat Center show.
“They’re virtuosos for sure,” said Tom Heywood, president of the Haines Arts Council, which is hosting the performance.
Matt Whitman said he saw the quartet perform in Boise, Idaho last year, and the group quickly caught his attention.
“They stood out as really dynamic and fun. For me, something that caught my ear was the fact that they weren’t folk,” Whitman said. “Having a jazz group was very intriguing.”
“Gypsy jazz,” also known as gypsy swing or hot-club jazz, is a style of jazz music made popular by guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt in the 1930s. The Rhythm Future Quartet gets its name from a famous Reinhardt song, according to its website.
The music incorporates percussive rhythm guitar, complicated arpeggios and chromatic-based solos in a swing style. “It’s very complex stuff and satisfying to listen to,” Heywood said.
The quartet – made up of a bassist, a violinist and two acoustic guitarists – plays gypsy jazz classics as well as originals featured on its newest album titled “Travels.” The album was named one of the best jazz albums of 2016 by “All About Jazz” and by the Huffington Post.
An organization out of Anchorage helped put together a statewide tour for the quartet. Whitman said “piggybacking” on that program allows “higher talented, more professional groups to swing into a little community like Haines” at a lower cost.
The quartet is also playing shows in Skagway, Anchorage, Kodiak, Talkeetna, Fairbanks and Valdez.
Whitman said these dynamic groups often feed off of a lively audience. “If the audience shows up and participates, it can be a really powerful performance.”
Catch the Rhythm Future Quartet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6 at the Chilkat Center. Tickets are $18, $15 for HAC members.