Anyone who enjoys swing-style jazz has probably heard the works of Pearl Django.
The group, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary, will perform its Gypsy jazz swing in a concert scheduled for May 31 at the Marysville Opera House.
Dick Stein, morning jazz host on Seattle’s KNKX radio station, said he’s known the band since its inception in 1994 in Tacoma.
Their music also is known as Hot Club jazz, named after the famed Paris jazz club that opened in the 1930s and where guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli, both legendary figures in jazz, played.
The Hot Club or Gypsy jazz style of playing soon became popular, and now a now a number of bands have adopted that style, Stein said.
Pearl Django’s members include David Lange, “a wonderful accordion player,” Stein said, violinist Michael Gray and Rick Leppanen on bass.
With tickets for their show priced at $15, “it’s a tremendous bargain,” Stein said. “The band is wonderful, and it’s fun.”
The group has performed with a number of nationally and internationally known artists, including jazz guitarists Martin Taylor and Bucky Pizzarelli, and singer Gail Pettis.
“When I introduce them, I call them the mighty engine of rhythm,” Stein said. “You just can’t keep your feet still when you hear those guys play.”
Hamed Homayoun
Next Friday night also offers an opportunity to hear Hamed Homayoun, one of Iran’s best-known pop singers.
Homayoun is making a stop in Edmonds as part of an international tour that includes seven cities in the United States. He is perhaps best known for his song “Wet Umbrella,” which has been played more than 47 million times on the internet, possibly making it the most-heard Persian song in the history of Iranian music. His most recent album is “Love Again.”
His performance will begin at 9 p.m. May 31 the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N. Tickets are $80-$100 and available online at tinyurl.com/hamedtkx or by calling 425-275-9595.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
If you go
Pearl Django will perform from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. May 31 at the Marysville Opera House, 1225 Third St., Marysville. Tickets are $15. Tickets may be available at the door, if not already sold out. Call 360-363-8400 or go to tinyurl.com/pearldjangomville for more information.
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