We are West of Samois…Samois-sur-Seine being the tranquil town southeast of Paris where legendary musician Django Reinhardt spent much of his time; and a place which still today represents the spiritual home of “Gypsy Jazz”. We think it’s important to address the fact that it’s generally accepted these days that “gypsy” is generally considered a pejorative term to refer to the Roma culture of Europe.

However, we feel it’s important to note that, in a musical context, the majority of accomplished Romani (Sinti, specifically) musicians in this unique style of jazz/swing self-describe their music as “Gypsy” or “Manouche” jazz, without negative connotation. This is an important and interesting conversation that certainly is worthy of digging into over time.

In that meantime – we are two guitarists and one saxophone player who are head over heels in love with this joyful, swinging, energetic style of music where “east meets west”. And so, we are “West of Samois” – and hope you join us in celebrating life with this truly joyful music!