Greg Ruby and Friends will perform the compositions and arrangements of 1930’s swing guitarist Oscar Aleman. An unsung hero of the Parisian jazz guitar scene of the swing era, Aleman rivaled the infamous Django Reinhardt yet the two were close friends and considered by many to equals.
“It has always been a mystery to me as to why this other remarkable proponent of acoustic swing guitar (Aleman) has been so ignored and unrecognized in relation to Django.” – David Grisman
Greg Ruby (guitar, Seattle) was given a Django Reinhardt LP when he was 19 and has been playing vintage jazz music ever since. Described as “truly hot jazz” by Vintage Guitar Magazine, his CD, Look Both Ways, featuring all original compositions, reached #1 on the Roots Music Review jazz chart. Greg has been on the guitar faculty at the Swannanoa Gathering since 2012. His latest project “Syncopated Classic” unearths, records and celebrates the lost compositions from 1924 by the eminent Seattle jazz icon Frank D. Waldron.
Multi-instrumentalist, All-Ireland fiddle finalist and Ropeadope Recording artist Andrew “Finn the fiddler” Magill has watched his career surge ever since the 2016 release of his 2-disc concept album Roots (which debuted at #46 on the Folk DJ charts) & Branches. Raised at The Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville North Carolina, Magill has learned and carved out a name for himself in Irish, American, jazz and Brazilian music, collaborating with everyone from Rising Appalachia to John Doyle.
Clarinetist Chloe Feoranzo has been performing professionally since the age of 15. She recently completed a three year tour with Pokey LaFarge performing at notable shows including; The Late Show with David Letterman, Prairie Home Companion and the Grand Ole Opry. As a resident of New Orleans, LA she works as a freelance musician and has begun touring part time with Postmodern Jukebox.
Michael Gamble is best known as organizer of Lindy Focus, and bandleader of the Rhythm Serenaders. In addition to playing with that group, he’s worked as a sideman with The Low-Down Sires, The Russ Wilson Swingtet and Orchestra, Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five and Orchestra, Falty and the Defects, and countless pickup bands and ad-lib ensembles playing swing and early jazz, mostly for dancers. Michael holds an undergraduate degree in Jazz studies, and, when he’s not playing, enjoys arranging, leading student ensembles, and teaching music, musicality, and music appreciation to swing dancers. Michael currently lives and works out of Asheville, NC.
Steve Karla is an Asheville-based guitarist who performs classic gypsy jazz with a risk-taking twist, incorporating intricate melodic lines, la pompe, and hints of other world rhythms. When not making music, spends his time creating surreal paintings and learning the art of guitar-building.