Have you been to PJ's beer garden yet? It’s beautiful. Push through the black iron gate on the left and walk into a long pergola covered area. You will feel transported as you are greeted by cherry blossom, tropical greens and hanging lanterns. The staff are welcoming and there are plenty of tables and seats. There are heaters too and if it rains, you won’t feel a drop. It's all covered at PJs.
This summer they asked a local Galway jazz trio to entertain them in the bella beer garden….Tribal Swing play "Hot Club" style swing jazz. This genre is also known as Gypsy Jazz.
The music evolved in Paris in the 1930s and 40s from the playing of Django Reinhardt, a Sinti Roma, and Stephane Grappelli. The style of jazz is a French Gallic interpretation of American jazz standards but with the addition of many new compositions by Django and Stephane, which has defined the sound, as recorded with their band the Quintet of the Hot Club of France.
Hot Club has now spread worldwide with many bands continuing this tradition. Towards the end of June each year, musicians and music lovers gravitate to a small french village called Samois-sur-seine, outside Paris, where a festival celebrates this music. Django is buried in the local cemetery.
Improvisation plays a large role in the music, but with the instruments being string based and not brass it's not your typical jazz sound. The rhythm guitar plays a percussive role, known as “la Pompe” which helps propel the music forward.
Tribal Swing features Sean Lennon on violin and lead guitar and Therese McArdle on rhythm guitar and vocals. Fergal Gallagher plays the double bass. The songs selections vary from swing rhythm to the more Latin feels like Bossas, Boleros and Sambas.
This new Sunday afternoon sessions series (1-3pm ) will be running for the summer in PJ Flaherty’s pub lower Salthill for the summer. Don’t miss it!
