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The Faux Frenchmen are acoustic guitarists Brian Lovely and George Cunningham,
acoustic bassist Don Aren, and violinist Paul Patterson. We’ve been playing 1930’s Hot Club-inspired string band
gypsy jazz in and around Cincinnati since September 2002.
Guitarist Django Reinhardt and violin virtuoso Stephane Grappelli
comprised the first, and most influential generation of European jazz
musicians. They fronted the Quintette of the Hot Club of France
from 1934 to 1939. The Hot Club blended their backgrounds in traditional gypsy and European popular music with the
new sounds of American artists like Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong
to create a new genre, often called "gypsy jazz."
Rather
than taking a Hot Club “tribute” band approach, we Frenchmen adapt the
Hot Club’s instrumentation and style to our own musical ends,
re-incorporating American influences and accents to suit our whim.
What you end up with is a gypsy swing version of the “Spiderman” cartoon theme.
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Don Aren, double bass
Cincinnati native
Don Aren has been playing bass professionally for over 25 years. His early credits include playing electric bass for the folk-rock trio Pat, Tim & Don, and electric and acoustic bass with the eclectic jazz group
Crosswind. In the mid-80s Don co-founded the fusion jazz group
CatCity, longtime residents t at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club. He is currently a member of the rock quartet the
Bluebirds, as well as the Faux Frenchmen. Don has played in many Aronoff Center and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park productions including Tapestry, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Beehive and Always Patsy Cline. |
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George Cunningham, acoustic guitar
A professional electric and acoustic guitarist since 1981, George has been based in the Cincinnati area since 1990. His musical resume includes ongoing work with Cammy winners the Graveblankets and Pike 27, as well as a five-year stint with the Cincinnati and Nashville-based Warsaw Falcons in the 1990s. He has led his esoteric instrumental rock ensemble the Flammables since 1999, and he co-founded the CEA-nominated gypsy-jazz quartet the Faux Frenchmen in 2002. Cunningham’s Crooked Mile Records solo CD, Stumblingham, produced by Chris Arduser, was released in 2005 to strong reviews and a feature in Frets magazine. |
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Brian Lovely, acoustic guitar
Multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and CCM Jazz Guitar alumnus Brian has made Cincinnati the center of his music career for
over 20 years. Credits include All-Ohio Collegiate Jazz Guitarist in 1986 and Adrian Belew's Inner Revolution world tour in 1992. Brian's Power Pop & Soul trio, Brian Lovely & The Secret, claimed the 97XPosure Band of the Year Competition in 1995. He founded and hosted WNKU-FM-sponsored Songwriter Night at Allyn's Café, founded Brian Lovely's Flying Underground, and released a nationally acclaimed solo CD,
Superimpose, in 2002. Recently Brian founded his own jazz trio, Three Speed, with Steve Schmidt and Teddy Wilburn, and co-founded the Faux Frenchmen. He has also established himself as a singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist for radio, television and film. From his recording studio, The Beat Parlor, Brian has produced and arranged several critically acclaimed CDs for local and regional artists. Brian won the 2003 "Producer of the Year" Cammy award.
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Paul Patterson, violin
A native of Clifton, Paul Patterson has an active musical life that is as diverse as the music of his hometown. Paul plays violin in the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras and has been a featured soloist with both orchestras, performing on violin, 5-string banjo, bouzouki, jazz guitar and mandolin. Before joining the CSO, he toured the country as a jazz violinist with bassist David Friesen and guitarist John Stowell. Paul is in the local band “Fabien” with French guitarist/composer Sylvain Acher;
He also enjoys composing, and performing instrumental music with his wife, CSO violinist Sylvia Mitchell. As a session musician, Paul has contributed multi-instrumental tracks to locally produced CDs by
Bootsy Collins, Over the Rhine, David Wilcox, Scotty Anderson, Greg Mahan and Ric Hordinski, to name a few. |
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Photos by Michael Wilson
Our website was designed by
Tricia Bath and is maintained by Daisy Cunningham. All
photos are by Michael Wilson except as credited. |
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