SWING STREET was a real place: 52nd Street in New York City, particularly around 5th and 6th Avenues. In the late 1930's, the jazz centre of the universe shifted from Harlem, when such legendary clubs as the Onyx, Three Deuces, Jimmy Ryan's, and the Famous Door opened on 'The Street'. The musicians who played at these clubs were equally legendary: guitarists Charlie Christian, Oscar Moore, Les Paul, Tiny Grimes, even Django Reinhardt; pianists Nat "King" Cole, Teddy Wilson and the great Art Tatum; bassists Milt Hinton and Slam Stewart.

We named our band SWING STREET as a nod to this history, and also to reflect the spirit of our music. We love being in SWING STREET, the band, for many reasons: the drumless format that allows us to explore our percussive sides; the tempos so fast that they are actually illegal in many municipalities; the 'quote-fests' Ron and Tony sometimes get into, like the over-the-top trading in Cherokee here. And of course there's the repertoire, timeless tunes, here spanning two great decades of song, from 1925 to 1945.

SWING STREET is privileged to play every week at one of Canada's premier jazz clubs: The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar. We all send a big thanks to Bob, Tom, James ("soda and cran") and all the folks at the Rex. Thanks to our two magnificent colleagues Sara Latendresse and Kelly Jefferson for their contributions; to Bryden Baird, Ed Hutchison and Keith Mariash for their expertise; to Rudi Stussi for his generous and fabulous painting; to Dave Wilson, for using it so well in the design; and to Colette French for her constant support.