Based in Pacific Beach, Zapf Dingbats play everything from Django to Jelly Roll to Monroe, with some Texas swing and dawg music thrown in to keep the audience moving.
Their improvisational performances variously sample dawg music, gypsy jazz, second-line parades, speakeasies, and juke joints. The band’s melting-pot of musical influences is the source of it’s unique sound.
Leader David Bandrowski (guitar and banjo) sets the tone, with a background in early jazz, second-line, and traditional music. Chris Clarke (mandolin) is steeped in old time, folk, and country blues traditions. Doug Walker (bass) is a master of contemporary and progressive jazz, while Dane Terry (harmonicas) adds a little soul from gospel and the blues.
The four combine to make a rich, spicy, savory, and altogether original recipe, based on a broad (and deep!) variety of American traditional influences.