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Gaucho, a gypsy jazz quartet, was formed in 2002. The lineup consists of Dave Ricketts & Michael Groh on guitars, Ari Munkres on standup bass & Rob Reich on accordion. A number of guest artists bring their own spice to the mix now and then. Starting with the sound of modern gypsy players like Biréli Lagrène, Stocholo Rosenberg, & Robin Nolan, Gaucho fuses together a diverse palette of styles. Though we trace our lineage to Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grapelli and “jazz manouche”, Gaucho strives for a singular acoustic voice.

 

Pete Devine spices up the hot Gaucho rhythm with a drum kit augmented by washboard, toy skulls and other off-the-wall accessories. His claim to fame is a combined 29 years work with Craig Ventresso & Bo Grumpus, and the Bay area’s legendary Mal Sharpe Jazz Band. Not to mention session work with Howard Armstrong and Maya Angelou, and appearances at the SF Jazz Fest, New York City’s JVC Jazz Fest and with the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. New York Newday touts him as "a washboard and percussion virtuoso!" Be sure to ask him about his Cheek-O-Phone®.

Probably best known as Tom Waits' main horn player since 1985, multi-instrumentalist Ralph Carney has an impressive résumé that is deep as it is wide. During his two-decade career, Carney has worked with David Thomas, Bill Laswell, Victoria Williams, Marc Ribot, Grant Lee Buffalo, Allen Ginsberg and Kathy Acker, and has played saxophone, clarinet, harmonica and trumpet. However, the banjo was his first love, and he immersed himself in it, along with bluegrass and country blues, as he grew up in Akron, OH. As time went on he embraced jazz and rock, and punk in particular; his involvement with the burgeoning Ohio punk scene included a stint with the group Tin Huey. This early eclecticism shaped Carney into a versatile sideman as well as a wide-ranging solo artist, as his 1997 debut Ralph Sounds and 1999 follow-up I Like You (A Lot) proved. Both albums ranged from Krautrock to Dixieland jazz, and featured him playing everything from sax to musical saw to pan pipes.

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Mike
Groh
guitar

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guitar player
he heard Django and then
realized what is old is new
Gaucho

Stepping through rock, jazz, country and blues, Michael brings his perspective to the Gaucho mix with gratitude to be able to play the music with such fine practitioners. A Hot Club of San Francisco alumnus, his favorite colors are blue and green, & he likes to drink tea out of a glass.

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Ari
Munkres
stand-up
bass

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Internationally acclaimed bassist Ari Munkres has been performing professionally for well over two decades. He has performed everything from classical to rock and has been excelling in the jazz world for the last ten years. One of the best gypsy jazz players in the country, he feels very fortunate to be playing with Gaucho, a group of musicians who share his abiding passion for the gypsy tradition.

Rob has played accordion and piano with numerous and varied groups throughout the Bay Area. Gigs have included bandleader for The Va Va Voom Room burlesque show and Rococo Risqué cabaret, klezmer with Kugelplex and with the Red Hot Chachkas, and 1960s soul organ with Lord Loves A Working Man. He is also an accomplished composer, with a degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He loves gypsy jazz music for its craft, finesse, and swing. It is a joy to play with Gaucho.

A talented Gypsy Jazz guitarist as well as an accomplished classical player, Dave studied with William Feasley and holds a B.A. in Music from the U. of New Mexico. The CD “Django in Brussels” awoke in him a love for Gypsy Jazz, resulting in his playing for the Hot Club of San Francisco since 1999. He has performed with Kevin Nolan, Elizabeth Prior-Runnicles and Evan Price, and has toured to places as varied as Iceland, Amsterdam, Mexico and Samois-sur-Seine (Django’s final home.) These experiences combined with his classical background have enriched Dave‘s approach to Django's music.