Caravan of Thieves
Where: Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
When: 8:30 p.m. Monday
Details: $10, no advance sales; 703-522-8340; iotaclubandcafe.com
There’s something so spirited, so joyful, so eclectic about Caravan of Thieves and the music it creates, it’s difficult not to love them.
Whatever else is said about the band, there’s little doubt they have a sound — gypsy folk/jazz with elements of pop and even classical — that is truly its own. The sound developed in 2008 when Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni decided to move away from rock and return to their acoustic guitar/vocal roots.
“We were thinking along those lines when we started listening to Gypsy Jazz,” said Fuzz. “We really loved those kind of guitars, the violins and the other instrumentation with a little more jazz in it. We thought we could take that somewhere.”
So about a year ago the husband/wife duo recruited players Ben Dean, the violinist, and Brian Anderson, the double bassist, to join them as Caravan of Thieves.
The band has taken the sound on the road in support of its debut album “Bouquet,” a fetching album full of luscious arrangements created from violin, upright bass, acoustic guitar and swirling vocals.
What makes this band different from others that have tried Gypsy Jazz is that the members add enough elements from other genres to create a one-of-a-kind sound. Doubters need only listen to “Burial and Sea,” which floats along acoustically punctuated with some jazzy lyrics that tell a short story without tipping over the edge into buffoonery.
That doesn’t mean the members don’t have plenty of fun dressing in gypsy garb for the shows and reaching out to the audience, much as Gypsy Jazz musicians — such as guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt — did in the last century. Think of a mix of classical and theatrical and you have the right idea.
To Fuzz, the evolution of Gypsy Folk is another way to advance music into this century although he concedes there is a bit of deliberation about what genre in which Caravan of Thieves fit.
Carrie said that residencies in clubs throughout the United States have helped the Thieves gain a following. Opening for bands including the Tom Tom Club and playing various festivals have also helped it find its niche although it is a bit left of center.
“We played one club and no one knew who we were,” said Carrie. “The last time we played there, the club was filled. That was awesome, in only five weeks.”
The smart money is on that success repeating itself far beyond this summer.
