About
Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan is Chicago's premier gypsy-jazz band.
The group plays the music of Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt with Balkan and Flamenco influenced melodies and rhythms -- foot-tappin' and hand-clappin' Gypsy and swing. A blend of the jubilant swing of early jazz with the feisty passion of gypsy music and a strong dose of virtuosic spontaneous co-arranging.
Formed in 2001, Swing Gitan features bandleader Alfonso Ponticelli on lead guitar and a world-class lineup of musicians on violin, rhythm guitar and upright bass, with the occasional special guest on drums and cimbalom. Over the years, they've played with many of the great contemporary gypsy-jazz players from around the world, including Bireli Lagrène, Stochelo Rosenberg, Moreno, Angelo DeBarre and the Robin Nolan Trio.
Around Chicago, Swing Gitan plays frequently at the Green Mill and Pops for Champagne. They've also played at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Field Museum, the Terra Museum of American Art, the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Chicago Summerdance Festival -- and they had the honor of performing at Millennium Park on its opening night and again in the Pritzker Pavilion in August 2010 before a crowd of over 10,000.
