Claude Tissendier & Le Brb (Blue Rhythm Band)

A drummer founded the original Blue Rhythm Band in 1930. That is not the case for its Saint-Quentin-based successor, which was started by a trumpeter and is currently led by a pianist. Yet, they share a common bond: swing music (also known as mainstream or middle jazz). They have listened to "the Duke" (Ellington), "the Count" (Basie), and *the* swing pianist, Teddy Wilson. They have embodied the legacy of jazz for nearly three-quarters of a century—and they hail from Saint-Quentin. We certainly won't pass up the chance to hear them play this August Sunday on the lawn of the Petit Jardin. Oh, and I mustn't forget their mentor, Claude Tissendier—a fixture of the Saint-Quentin music scene and a wizard of orchestral arrangement.