City Sounds: Avalon Swing, 28 May
Sunday, 12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm @ Queen Street Mall Stage
Avalon Swing is an acoustic swing group inspired by the great acoustic swing musicians like Stochelo Rosenberg, Django Reinhardt and even Carlos Santana. There are interesting stories about each and here is Django's story. He became one of the 20th century's most important guitarists out of unfortunate circumstance, after suffering burns as a young guitarist in a caravan fire, Django retaught himself the guitar using only his index and middle finger for solos. This unusual technique helped develop a new style of music ... gypsy jazz.
Although always popular in Europe, acoustic swing has seen a recent rise in popularity in Australia. Thanks to festivals and online communities, acts like the O’Brien Ensemble have found audiences increasingly hungry for the intricate solos and natural toe-tapping swing. The core players in the ensemble are Tim O'Brien on guitar, Mia O’Brien on guitar and vocals, Kay-Ann Sullivan on piano accordion Simon Lawrence on double bass.