Awaken

Their name is certainly as playful as the music: a blend of distinctly old-school Parisian swing and Gypsy jazz with a twist of Eastern European mystique. These four Brits based in Bristol – two acoustic guitarists, a violinist and double bass player – have been honing their art since 2012 at festivals and assorted venues throughout the land. Recorded at the Real World Studios in nearby Box and supported by an Arts Council grant, Awaken is their debut recording. Their instrumental prowess and collective ease is evident in its 11 group compositions, ^ pified by the benign charm of, say, ‘Babyfoot’.

It's generally upbeat good-time music that must make for an enjoyable show when there's a little alcohol to oil the blood and a bit of audience bonhomie to whip things up. On disc, it's evident that they do what they do rather well, but there's sometimes something a little laboured in the way that they do it. Paris in the 1930s was a long time ago and there's a sense of incipient arthritis creeping into the joints of the old genre. Awaken promises more, but doesn't always swing as freely and effortlessly as it might.