FiddleBop at Ardley Parlour Concert At Manor Farm, Ardley

Hot jazz swing with that gypsy zing: sparkling songs and terrific tunes! FiddleBop's music...
* Is passionate, powerful, and mightily rhythmical. Yet has the delicacy that comes only from acoustic instruments
* Has its roots in 1930s Paris but is also bang up to date
* Is guaranteed to get feet a-moving and hearts a-beating!
So what will FiddleBop bring you, when you saunter expectantly into one of our gigs?
* Soaring, hi-energy violin; fluent, quirky, driving guitars; and earth-striding double bass. * Improvised musical fluidity, inspired by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, to move your feet and heat your soul (or maybe the other way round). And we swing. Lots! And can also be intricate and sensuous...

read more

Hot jazz swing with that gypsy zing: sparkling songs and terrific tunes! FiddleBop's music...
* Is passionate, powerful, and mightily rhythmical. Yet has the delicacy that comes only from acoustic instruments
* Has its roots in 1930s Paris but is also bang up to date
* Is guaranteed to get feet a-moving and hearts a-beating!
So what will FiddleBop bring you, when you saunter expectantly into one of our gigs?
* Soaring, hi-energy violin; fluent, quirky, driving guitars; and earth-striding double bass. * Improvised musical fluidity, inspired by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, to move your feet and heat your soul (or maybe the other way round). And we swing. Lots! And can also be intricate and sensuous
* Graceful vocal harmonies, and the occasional excitement-fuelled bellow
* All with a dash of wit and humour!
And what makes FiddleBop different?
* Jazz stomp, mais sans 'la pompe': our approach to rhythm. Gypsy jazz in the time of Django Reinhardt was played with a rather rigid accompaniment called 'la pompe' ('the pump'). FiddleBop prefers a more fluid, somewhat flamenco-like style. Which underpins FiddleBop's powerful rhythmic drive, our exciting and sizzling version of hot gypsy swing. Our FiddleBop beat for gypsy feet!
* The blended voice is FiddleBop's choice. We love harmony singing. Now, vocals are common in modern gypsy rumba bands like The Gypsy Kings. But in gypsy jazz bands of the 1930s, vocals of any sort were uncommon. Vocal harmonies are definitely stand-out rare in gypsy jazz from any period. But we really enjoy blending our jazz voices!
* Jazz from all times. Everthing's fine! We have wide-ranging musical tastes. Sure, FiddleBop's sets include plenty of gypsy jazz classics. But we also bring in standards (and musical surprises too) from all periods of jazz. Danceable ditties from the early New Orleans years; the gin-soaked jazz of Fats Waller; romantic Cole Porter ballads from the swing era; beret-and-goatee-wearing beboppish compositions; and even folk and contemporary songs and tunes.
* Jazz of the best, but still with a jest. Creating music is what we love to do. But we try not to take ourselves too seriously.

show less