Magnetic Sound Studios is proud to host two powerhouse guitarists - Greg Ruby and Sam Farthing - for an evening of sizzling hot vintage jazz.
New York based "Greg Ruby lives and breathes jazz guitar" states the Fretboard Journal. From acoustic swing to jazz manouche to surf guitar, Ruby inhabits many musical forms and brings his compositional voice to each of them. As part of the Django Reinhardt renaissance of the early 2000’s, he co-founded the seminal group Hot Club Sandwich and later joined Seattle’s Pearl Django. His rock-solid rhythm guitar work propelled the group through multiple recordings and extensive touring – including their debut at the Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois-sur-seine, France. With appearances at the burgeoning west coast Django festivals, Ruby accompanied jazz guitar greats Howard Alden, Patrick Saussois, Frank Vignola, Gonzalo Bergara and John Jorgensen. By 2010, Ruby stepped out on his own and released Look Both Ways, an album of all original compositions which Dan Hicks (of the Hot Licks) declared “is a soundtrack in search of a movie.” The album reached #1 on the Roots Music Review radio chart. Beginning in 2015, Ruby’s attention turned to the roots of jazz in the Pacific Northwest with Syncopated Classic – a project which unearthed, restored and recorded the lost compositions of 1920’s Seattle jazz pioneer Frank D. Waldron. The resulting record was awarded Earshot Jazz Magazine’s “Northwest Jazz recording of the year.” His most recent album, Corner Café, is co-written with accordionist Steve Rice and evokes the mid-century Parisian swing bands. Greg Ruby is the director of Guitar Week for the Swannanoa Gathering and is a contributing author for Acoustic Guitar magazine and has authored Chord Melody Made Easy-ish (2024), the Oscar Alemán Play-Along Songbook Vol. 1 (2019), Frank D. Waldron: Seattle’s Syncopated Classic (2018), and the Pearl Django Play-Along Songbook (2005).
Sam Farthing, a 22-year-old guitarist and songwriter from Baltimore, is a rising star in the genre of jazz Manouche. Mentored by Fapy Lafertin and Paulus Schäfer, his artistry has been shaped by their guidance. Sam has performed with legends like Stochelo Rosenberg, Angelo Debarre, Samson Schmitt, Aurore Voilique and Stéphane Wrembel, appearing at events such as the Festival Django Reinhardt in France and Djangofest Northwest. Committed to authentic musicianship and mentoring, he continues to inspire audiences and students worldwide.