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Before Swing Noire was a band, it was a series of acoustic jams... Jared on mandolin with Rob and Jim McCuen on guitar and bass, trading licks and late-night laughs over stringband tunes inspired by Uncommon Ritual by Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck, and Mike Marshall. We were deep into bluegrass and new acoustic music back then, until the pull of the Grappelli / Grisman album was too much and the door to Gypsy jazz swung wide open. It was a gateway to Django and all of the contemporary artists keeping the style alive.

Once we started listening to Django, there was no going back. Jared got obsessed... studying the art of la pompe (that driving Gypsy rhythm) and soaking up everything he could. Around that time, fate handed us a connection: Jared’s brother and sister-in-law were old friends with violinist David Gusakov. We’d spend holidays together, trading music talk after dinner. Eventually Jared got up the nerve to ask David if he’d want to play.

That one question turned into a year in David’s studio... fueled by beer, popcorn, and a shared love for this wild, elegant music. We workshopped our favorite tunes, deliberated over arrangements, and slowly found our own sound. When it finally clicked, we started to play out.

We played jazz festivals, cafés, and dance halls across Vermont and beyond... the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, First Night Burlington, Town Hall Theatre in Middlebury, Hen of the Wood in Waterbury, The Ball and Chain in Brandon, Vergennes Opera House, The Starry Night Café in Ferrisburgh, and rooms like Radio Bean, The Skinny Pancake, The Black Door, Langdon Street Café, 51 Main, Two Brothers Tavern, and more. Every room had its own story.

We’ll be sharing some of those moments here... live recordings, videos, and photos from those early days when the band was finding its footing and the swing was just starting to take hold.

After a long stretch away (Jared spent about a decade out of state), we reunited when he moved back to Vermont. It felt like no time had passed... the groove was still there, the friendship still easy, the music still alive.

Here’s a video from that reunion era... our take on “Blue Drag”, filmed live at Chandler Music Hall in Randolph around 2011.

new full moon ritual

Here’s my newest piece.

It’s watercolor on paper, oak frame.
Part of my Worlds Within Worlds collection.

I’m excited about a monthly art drop. I’ve been looking forward.

It’s not always like that, sometimes it just feels normal to share my work.
And then it’s kind of nothing. An endless feed, nothing’s special.

But that’s what rituals do, and I think we need those.

What do you think?

Talk soon,
A

PS. Feel free to let me know what you see or what it makes you feel <3

Jeg har forklaret udbrændthed til børn sådan her:

Når man har givet alt, hvad man har – og i stedet for at lægge sig ned, bliver man bare ved og ved… indtil man ikke kan mere.

Foto: Simone Koeltzen

Om to måneder udgiver jeg mit første album: udbrandt.

Det handler om det punkt. Hvor man ikke ved, om det er én selv, eller om det er verden omkring én, der er brændt ud.

Herinde vil jeg dele min rejse – musik, tanker og samtaler. Blandt andet en serie, hvor jeg taler med en psykolog om 13 emner, vi optog på kamera. Alt fra skyld og pres til klima og kontrol.

Jeg kommer også til at dele:

– Live optagelse af en sang, der handler om at slukke for alle vejvisningsoperativsystemer.

– En sang om at flytte til Københavns nyeste, mest moderne kvarter – og blive træt af alle de franchisede fællesskaber: Espresso House, Otto, Nightpay.

– Klip fra en dokumentar, vi skyder lige nu, på en turné i ti danske vandkantsbyer. I får adgang først.

Og hvis du virkelig vil dykke dybere – kan jeg sende dig en rose. En jerikorose fra ørkenen. Den er dokumenteret til at kunne leve i 100 år uden at få vand. Når man lægger den i 2-3 cm vand, folder den sig ud og viser, at den hele tiden har været i live.

For mig er den et symbol på tålmodighed - og tillid, til at det nok skal gå. 

Følg med her. Vi folder det hele ud sammen.