Tres Swing has no horn in its lineup, but singer Dee Specker can't help tooting it anyway.
The vintage jazz trio consists of Specker and brothers Bobby and Doug Henrie on guitar and upright bass, respectively. All three, Specker said, have been playing music since their teens.
“This trio is the culmination of our musical careers,” Specker said. “Tres Swing is a total blast for us.”
Both Specker and Bobby come from Cornerstone, an Ithaca bluegrass band that collected a Grammy nomination in 1996 for Best Bluegrass Album. The group toured nationally during its active years from 1991 to 2004.
In Tres Swing, Specker, Henrie and his brother stick closer to central New York for shows. Because the trio lives many miles apart - in Ithaca, Middlesex and Clyde - they consider these performances like practice. But they don't sound like practice.
“It's tight, not like normal people playing jazz standards,” Specker said. “We're really polished.”
That sheen will be reflected on Tres Swing's upcoming album, a 10-song set from a March performance at the Wellsville Creative Arts Center. Most of the group's music was written by prominent gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, particularly his “underplayed” favorites, Specker said. Tres Swing's sound is made all the more unique by Bobby's guitar work, in which he plays left-handed but does not adjust the string order.
“You can dance, and you can listen,” Specker said. “Or you can lap it up if you're a music lover.”
Five questions with Dee Specker of Tres Swing
Q: What is your favorite song to play live?
A: “(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China” by Frank Loesser.
Q: What is the first concert you remember seeing?
A: The Doc Williams Show, when I was a really little kid.
Q: If you were trapped on a desert island, what's the one album you would bring before any other?
A: Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang.
Q: Who are your biggest musical influences?
A: Ella Fitzgerald and Stephane Grappelli.
Q: What is the one venue you've always wanted to play but never gotten a chance to?
A: Red Rocks in Colorado.
If you go
Who: Dee Specker and Tres Swing
When: 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17
Where: Swaby's, 4 South St., Auburn
Cost: Free
Info: Call 252-5400
“This trio is the culmination of our musical careers,” Specker said. “Tres Swing is a total blast for us.”
Both Specker and Bobby come from Cornerstone, an Ithaca bluegrass band that collected a Grammy nomination in 1996 for Best Bluegrass Album. The group toured nationally during its active years from 1991 to 2004.
In Tres Swing, Specker, Henrie and his brother stick closer to central New York for shows. Because the trio lives many miles apart - in Ithaca, Middlesex and Clyde - they consider these performances like practice. But they don't sound like practice.
“It's tight, not like normal people playing jazz standards,” Specker said. “We're really polished.”
That sheen will be reflected on Tres Swing's upcoming album, a 10-song set from a March performance at the Wellsville Creative Arts Center. Most of the group's music was written by prominent gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, particularly his “underplayed” favorites, Specker said. Tres Swing's sound is made all the more unique by Bobby's guitar work, in which he plays left-handed but does not adjust the string order.
“You can dance, and you can listen,” Specker said. “Or you can lap it up if you're a music lover.”
Five questions with Dee Specker of Tres Swing
Q: What is your favorite song to play live?
A: “(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China” by Frank Loesser.
Q: What is the first concert you remember seeing?
A: The Doc Williams Show, when I was a really little kid.
Q: If you were trapped on a desert island, what's the one album you would bring before any other?
A: Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang.
Q: Who are your biggest musical influences?
A: Ella Fitzgerald and Stephane Grappelli.
Q: What is the one venue you've always wanted to play but never gotten a chance to?
A: Red Rocks in Colorado.
If you go
Who: Dee Specker and Tres Swing
When: 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17
Where: Swaby's, 4 South St., Auburn
Cost: Free
Info: Call 252-5400
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