BRANDON — Burlington based and award winning trio, Ameranouche (pronounced uh-Mare-uh-noosh) will perform live at Brandon Music on Saturday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m. This group plays a passionate style of music they call “Gypsy Flamenco Swing.” They are veterans of the Newport Jazz Festival, Djangofest Northwest, Muzikfest Bethlehem, Penn., and the National Press Club.
The trio’s name is derived from two words: American and Manouche, the gypsy tribe of Django Reinhardt. The rip-roaring ensemble is a super force of hot acoustic Gypsy inspired music mixing Flamenco, Bebop and jazz swing influences. Played on traditional French jazz guitars, the music is rhythmic, vigorous and elegant. Whether they are playing a musette waltz from 1930 or an Andalusian inspired original tune, Ameranouche’s Gypsy Flamenco Swing style is a fresh and highly enjoyable new sound for the 21st century.
The group features three highly accomplished musicians: Richard “Shepp” Sheppard on guitar, Michael K. Harrist on bass and Julian Loida, percussionist.
Sheppard is a graduate of Berklee School of Music where he studied guitar, composition and aesthetics. He later taught guitar, composition and music theory at Bennington College. Sheppard has performed extensively with major artists including John Jorgenson from the award winning J2B2 and the legendary fiddler, Vassar Clements, one of the most innovative musicians in the history of bluegrass music. Sheppard’s love for the guitar and his passion for Gypsy music are what drew him to form Ameranouche.
Harrist is a musician and educator based in Boston and Southern Maine. He performs and works with artists in a wide array of world traditions including Turkish art music, Hindustani music, jazz, Western Art music and American roots music. Harrist studied double bass with James Macdonald at the Open Music Collective in Brattleboro and received his BA in music and religion from Marlboro College.
Loida is a percussionist, multimedia artist and curator exploring repertoire spanning Western classical music, to Cuban Bata drumming, to Jazz and R&B. He grew up in St. Louis with his rock band Project 324 and the St. Louis Youth Orchestra. Today, as well as performing with Ameranouche, Loida leads a folkloric Cuban and Brazilian band called INA, a modern world-jazz quintet called Mojuba, as well as his awarded folk band, Night Tree.
Saturday’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. A pre-concert dinner is available for an extra $25. Reservations are required for dinner and recommended for the show. Venue is BYOB.
Call Edna (802) 247-4295, email [email protected] or visit brandon-music.net for reservations or for more information.