The Schmoozenbergs – Awaken
Schmusic Records – Out Now
Good music never gets old. Recreating the glory of yesterday is not necessarily a great artistic feat, but reinventing it and bringing it into the modern age is.
Here in New Orleans, where I live, tradition and nostalgia are inescapable. The music clubs in the French Quarter and the Bywater mostly feature music that is easily 80 years old, or more, played with love and dedication, often by musicians young enough that their grandparents might have listened to this style of music. This younger generation of traditional musicians is sometimes criticized or dismissed, but they bring fresh, new energy to the genre and keep it alive.
Bristol-based band The Schmoozenbergs seem to fall into this camp. Their line up is two guitars, violin and upright bass, same as the classic Django Rheinhardt quartets. Sporting Django-style “manouche” guitars, gypsy swing is The Schmoozenbergs’ bread and butter. The musicianship is excellent, laidback and accomplished. Clearly, these four enjoy playing together.
With Awaken, their debut album, the Schmoozenbergs are breaking tradition simply by recording an album of all originals, written and played 1930s style. To create new material in such a well-worn style is not easy to do, but the quartet pulls it off with grace and aplomb.
Opener “Cortisol Swing” sets the tone of the album with its classic gypsy swing sound. “Runaway” continues in the same vein, while “P’tit Vin Rouge” is, as the title implies, a French-sounding waltz, with an ornate melody weaving delicately around strummed guitars in the best Stephane Grapelli vein.
“Babyfoot” reminds me of a spirited walk through the countryside and features an excellent upright bass solo. Treading new musical territory for the band “Charmed snake” offers a sound somewhere between the Middle East (especially the beautiful intro), Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, showcasing the versatility of this quartet and their affinity for different styles of music. Title track “Awaken” reminds me of a cross between acoustic funk and gypsy swing, while ‘The Black Rock” is a moody minor key piece with a thorny melody.
The Schmoozenbergs are a quartet of accomplished musicians who bring a fresh and joyous approach to the 1930s music they love. With a sound based in gypsy swing and influences from East European music, French chanson and jazz, ‘Awaken” is a fun and enjoyable record of all originals, played with love and abandon, adding a new chapter to the long and winding saga of gypsy swing and acoustic roots music.
Catch them on tour around the UK. Dates here http://schmusic.co.uk/gigs/