West Stockbridge — The Berkshires can’t get enough of Django jazz, also known as jazz manouche, also known as Gypsy jazz. Two Gypsy jazz groups have played sold-out shows in the Berkshires over the last several months: The Django Festival All-Stars, and The Hot Club of New England. Now, the Rhythm Future Quartet, led by violinist and Berklee College of Music professor Jason Anick, is coming to The Foundry for a show that is sure to sell out. Anick is joined by bassist Greg Loughman and guitarists Max O’Rourke and Henry Acker.
Downbeat Magazine called Anick “a rising star in the world of jazz violin.” Composer, educator, and violinist Christian Howes says Anick is “easily one of the best jazz violinists of his generation.”
But all the players in this group have incredible chops:
“Collective jaws dropped at the sheer virtuosity of the Rhythm Future Quartet!” wrote Dana Packard of Saco River Theatre. “Their stellar musicianship, good humor, and reverence for this important musical tradition made for an unforgettable evening.”
The quartet performs both Gypsy jazz standards and original compositions, the latter of which are technically dazzling thrill rides that draw from diverse musical influences far beyond Gypsy jazz.
All About Jazz and the Huffington Post picked the group’s 2016 album “Travels” as one of the best jazz albums of 2016.
The band’s 2018 album “RFQ and Friends” earned high marks from JazzTimes Magazine: “RFQ and Friends is packed to the gills with feeling and remains consistently dynamic, full of virtuosity and swing.” The album features French jazz singer Cyrille Aimée, Brazilian bandolimist Hamilton de Holanda, and Gypsy jazz guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg.
Gypsy jazz, also known as Hot Club Jazz, was brought to popularity in the 1930s by guitarist Django Reinhardt. It is known for its high-energy rhythmic drive. Reinhardt’s group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, also featured violinist Stephane Grappelli (whose style Mr. Anick has thoroughly mastered). In this type of band, the drum kit is replaced by a guitar playing the signature “la pompe” rhythm for which Reinhardt is famous. The genre is heavily influenced by Romani music.
Hear the Rhythm Future Quartet on Friday, June 28, at The Foundry, 2 Harris Street, West Stockbridge. Tickets are available here. Seating/bar: 7 p.m.; show: 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (413) 232-5222.
Parking is limited at the venue, so please use one of the three public parking lots in town: one across from the Post Office, one behind Berkshire Bank, and one just off Main Street. Whatever you do, don’t park at Trúc Orient Express Restaurant or the Post Office, unless you want to get a parking ticket.
