Swing From Paris

“Under Paris Skies”

(Self Released)

Fenner Curtis – violin, Andy Bowen – electric guitar, Sam Hughes – acoustic guitar, Tomasz Williams – double bass

Swing From Paris is a gypsy jazz quartet from Cheltenham, founded by violinist Fenner Curtis and guitarist Andy Bowen during the first decade of the 21st century. They have developed quite a following for their distinctive brand of ‘gypsy jazz’ and gig widely throughout the English West Country, the Midlands and the Welsh Borders.

The band have released a number of albums including “Menilmontant” (2009), which is reviewed elsewhere on these web pages,  “Quasimodo” (2012) and “Webster” (2015).

Curtis and Bowen have been fixtures in the SFP line up from the beginning but a number of other players have passed through the group’s ranks over the years including guitarists Stefan Doucette, \Steve Laming and AC Wood and bassist John Vickers.

The 2020s have proved to be a particularly productive period for the band with the line up stabilising with the recruitment of guitarist Sam Hughes and bassist Tomasz Williams. This incarnation has released a total of three albums, “Afternoon in Paris” (2022), “I Love Paris” (2024) and now “Under Paris Skies”, which first appeared in April 2026.

I’ve seen Swing From Paris performing live on several occasions and have always enjoyed their performances. The standard of the playing has always been excellent and Curtis’ between tunes announcements have been consistently interesting and informative, offering valuable historic and contextual insights into the group’s chosen material.

Reviews of shows at Kidderminster Jazz Club and Kilpeck Village Hall in Herefordshire, which both took place in 2023, can be found elsewhere on this site. The band also regulars on the Fringe programme at the annual Cheltenham Jazz Festival and I’ve often glimpsed them there too.

Very much a part of the Cheltenham jazz scene SFP have also established their own jazz club in the town. The Steamin’ Jazz Club hosts events every Wednesday night at the Steam & Whistle pub near Cheltenham Station. The Club presents a strong programme featuring nationally known jazz musicians, many of them travelling up from London to play. More information on the Steamin’ Jazz Club can be found here;
https://www.facebook.com/steaminjazzclub/

On June 16th 2026 Swing From Paris made a triumphant return to Kilpeck to entertain a commendably large audience on a sunny summer’s evening. It was a gig that I only found out about at the last minute and one that I attended as a ‘punter’. However Fenner and Andy were generous enough to provide me with a review copy of the latest album and also the 2026-27 edition of the band’s “Programme Notes”, a glossy but informative booklet written by Curtis that offers further insights into the individual tunes that form part of the quartet’s current repertoire i.e. material from the three albums (including this one) recorded by the current line up.

The booklet also contains biographies of the band members, provides a historical context for gypsy jazz, and includes short biographies of the composers behind some of the tunes.  Naturally the list includes Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, but this ‘composers and players’ section also features ‘Great American Songbook’ composers such as George Gershwin and Cole Porter plus instrumentalist bandleader composers such as clarinettists Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. Guitarists Charlie Christian and George Barnes are also profiled, as are singer Edith Piaf and the celebrated Argentinian tango musician and composer Astor Piazzolla. For a reviewer such as myself it’s a very handy reference work, but there’s plenty to enjoy here for any jazz fan, and particularly gypsy jazz enthusiasts.

Swing From Paris differ from many gypsy jazz groups thanks to Bowen’s use of a solid bodied archtop electric guitar, an instrument more associated with bebop. This helps to bring a different, very distinctive element to the group’s music. Most gypsy jazz groups deploy two acoustic guitars similar to the Selmer-type acoustic guitar used by Hughes, the large sound hole designed to increase the volume and give the instrument a sharper, more attacking sound. The different guitars of Bowen and Hughes complement each other well and both feature as soloists, SFP isn’t just about lead guitar and rhythm with both players sharing these duties.

Much of the music on the “Under Paris Skies” album was performed at that second night in Kilpeck. With the additional aid of Curtis’ “Programme Notes” lets take a look at the album itself, which commences with “Scuttlebutt”, a tune written in 1946 by Artie Shaw for his small group, the Grammercy Five, a band that at various times included guitarists Tal Farlow and Barney Kessell. Played in a gypsy jazz style arrangement the tune gets the album off to a lively start with all four instrumentalists featuring strongly as a highly cohesive unit. Almost inevitably Curtis’ violin takes the melodic lead and he’s also involved in a series of vivacious instrumental exchanges with Bowen. Hughes is then featured as a soloist on acoustic guitar and Williams enjoys a brief cameo at the bass. An exciting and enjoyable start.

Also written by Shaw “Nightmare” dates back to 1936 and was written at the request of an American radio station, although what Curtis describes as “a slightly menacing tune” probably wasn’t quite what they had in mind. Electric guitar and sinister sounding violin combine above Hughes’ acoustic guitar strum on this brief introduction to a segue that also includes the tune “La Carioca”, written by Vincent Youmans, Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn for the 1933 film “Flying Down to Rio” starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The movies of the 1930s and 40s represent a significant source of inspiration for the members of Swing From Paris. The transition into “La Carioca” involves a sudden acceleration of pace as Bowen, Curtis and Hughes all deliver nimble solos, with Williams again featuring at the bass. The arrangement, although broadly in the gypsy jazz style, also harbours a more contemporary edge, something encouraged by the presence of an electric guitar within the line-up.

The title track, “Sous le ciel de Paris”, or “Under Paris Skies” was written in 1951 by Hubert Giraud and Jean Drejac for the film of the same name – another example of the movies as a source of inspiration. The song was then recorded by Edith Piaf in 1954 and remains most closely associated with her. This gentle waltz features SFP at their most tender and reflective and is evocative of the lost Parisian era that inspires the band.

From 1930 Cole Porter’s “Love For Sale”, initially banned due to its graphic lyrics about prostitution, has become a much loved jazz standard. SFP approach it in their trademark gypsy jazz style and bring a fresh perspective to the song. Introduced by Williams at the bass, joined by Bowen on electric guitar, it features further vivacious soloing from Curtis and from both guitarists, while SFP again continue to impress as a unit, again bringing something of a contemporary feel to the song.

The group undertake a second segue, beginning with “Deep in a Dream”, a 1938 song by the prolific songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, working here with lyricist Eddie DeLange. Bowen introduces this sequence alone at the archtop, with sympathetic double bass subsequently added. Curtis then takes up the melody on violin, with Hughes also added. Curtis briefly drops out leaving the others to work fleetingly as trio. The violin then returns on this sensitive reading of a particularly beautiful tune. This track is the lengthiest on the album and it’s again the Bowen / Williams combination that takes us into the second half of the sequence and the jazz standard “Embraceable You”, written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1930 musical “Girl Crazy”. SFP’s arrangement is in part inspired by a 1943 recording by Nat King Cole and they continue to play in the same sensitive manner, briefly reprising “Deep in a Dream” towards the close.

“Lullaby of Birdland” was written by pianist George Shearing as a direct response to a request from the New York City jazz club for him to write a theme for a Birdland sponsored radio show. Shearing once worked with Stephane Grappelli, a fact that makes this jaunty, good natured gypsy jazz style arrangement of his most famous song seem all the more pertinent. Curtis solos on violin and Hughes on acoustic guitar while Williams enjoys a brief series of double bass breaks. Bowen’s archtop is a strong melodic presence throughout.

“Cafe 1930” was written by the great Argentinian tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla. Written in 1986 it’s one of the most ‘modern’ pieces that SFP play. The piece is drawn from Piazzolla’s suite “Histoire du Tango” which traces the history of tango from its working class roots in bordellos via cafes and nightclubs to the concert hall, a progression that had much to do with Piazzolla himself. Originally a duet for flute and guitar it is played here as a ‘two hander’ by SFP founders Curtis and Bowen. The tune itself has something of the feel the feel of a lament and the duo play it with a quiet reverence, with Bowen’s thoughtful guitar picking complemented by the aching melancholy of Curtis’ violin. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces on the record,

“Flambée Montalbanaise” was written in 1940 by the French / Belgian accordionist Gus Viseur and is believed to be a response to the bombing of the town of Montauban during World War Two, an incident the left the town ablaze. It represents something of a showcase for Hughes, whose nimble guitar picking is featured extensively. Curtis sits out altogether.

The title of “Por una Cabeza” is taken from a horse racing term translating as “by a head”. It was written by Carlos Gardel with lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera. Gardel, (1890 – 1935) was a fascinating character. Born as Charles Gardes in France he emigrated to Buenos Aires with his mother at a young age, Latinised his name and as a singer and songwriter became a major star of the tango movement, lionised throughout South America. He died in a plane crash in 1935, shortly after this song was completed. It’s a slice of tango that still carries a contemporary resonance thanks to a typically inventive SFP arrangement.

“Reverie” is based on an 1890 piano melody written by the French classical composer Claude Debussy that was later turned into a successful jazz number under the title “My Reverie”, with Larry Clinton adding lyrics. Twice recorded by Django Reinhardt SFP’s arrangement sees them drawing inspiration from ‘the master’, whilst also placing their own stamp on it. Debussy’s beguiling melody is subtly embellished by both Curtis and Bowen as Hughes and Williams deliver typically sympathetic and empathic report.

No self respecting gypsy jazz album would fail to include a Django Reinhardt composition and this recording concludes with one of his most famous, “Minor Swing”, jointly credited to Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. If SFP’s version sounds rather different it’s because this arrangement, by Django’ rhythm guitarist Marcel Bianchi, changes the harmonic structure and adds a new section of music not heard on the original. It’s a thrilling way to round off an excellent album that explores a commendably wide range of material within an overall gypsy jazz instrumental format. This final item fairly steams along and finds all the members of the quartet playing with great elan as the recording ends on a vivacious and exciting note.

It’s probably fair to say that the current incarnation of SFP represents the definitive band line-up and that these days the quartet are playing better than ever. They’re an admirably well balanced and tight knit unit who explore material beyond the usual gypsy jazz canon but who still remain true to the spirit of the music. 

To repeat myself from an earlier review – this quote also appears on the cover of “Programme Notes”;
“Their arrangements are consistently intelligent, interesting and inventive … a band that has managed to put its own stamp on the genre”

Those comments still hold true as SFP continue to go from strength to strength, both as recording artists and as a popular live act. They remain one of the most distinctive gypsy jazz acts around and both this album and their entertaining and informative live shows are highly recommended.

“Under Paris Skies” is available here;
https://swingfromparis.bandcamp.com/music

For details of live dates please visit the band’s website;
https://swingfromparis.co.uk/

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