Christchurch-based quartet Swing 42 will bring the lively sounds of jazz manouche to Whakatāne later this month.

An Evening of Jazz Manouche, presented by Music Whakatāne in association with Chamber Music New Zealand, will be held at the Church of St George & St John on Friday, October 23, at 7.30pm.

Jazz manouche, also known as gypsy swing, was inspired by Romani jazz guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt and French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli.

The style reached its peak around the 1930s and 1940s and remains known for its rhythmic drive, improvisation and playful musical interplay.

Swing 42 has performed the style for more than 20 years, bringing together four musicians with diverse backgrounds and a shared passion for the music.

The quartet features saxophonist and clarinetist Reuben Derrick, manouche jazz guitarist Keith Petch, double bassist Michael Kime and percussionist Doug Brush.

Derrick is an accomplished saxophonist, clarinettist and composer whose diverse career spans jazz, experimental and multidisciplinary work, with performances in New Zealand and overseas and a 2015 Fulbright fellowship to New York.

Petch is a Christchurch-based guitarist and teacher who has performed in Latin and jazz ensembles since the 1980s and, in recent years, has focused on the gypsy manouche style.

Kime is an accomplished double bassist and composer who has worked across jazz, classical, popular music and free improvisation, performing in venues across New Zealand and internationally.

Brush is an internationally experienced percussionist who spent more than 30 years working in Chicago before moving to Christchurch, where he has performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, local ensembles and theatre productions.

The programme includes several Reinhardt compositions alongside jazz standards including Caravan, Brazil, Out of Nowhere, Isfahan and Limehouse Blues.

The musicians present this music in fresh and evolving ways, and their repertoire provides musical “riddles” to solve through playful and adventurous group improvisation, making each concert an emotionally exhilarating listening experience.

The concert will run for about 100 minutes, plus an interval.

Swing 42 – An Evening of Jazz Manouche

■ Where: The Church of St George & St John

■ When: Friday, October 23 at 7.30pm

■ Cost: Adults $35, under-18 $5, or Flexitickets

■ Tickets: Online at www.trybooking.com/nz/BFSI or in person at The Good Life, 160 The Strand (cash only or use your Flexitickets). There is a $5 surcharge on door sales.