(MUSIC) Concert Preview: Connie Evingson with the John Jorgenson Quintet

With music dubbed “gypsy jazz,” Connie Evingson and The John Jorgenson Quintet will combine their extensive resumés to play the first set of the on Oct. 1.

Evingson is an accomplished jazz vocalist who has appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra and performed on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion and NPR’s Fresh Air.

Jorgenson is also a nationally acclaimed artist and has garnered many prestigious awards, including three consecutive "Guitarist of the Year" awards from the Academy of Country Music. He has performed alongside artists like Elton John, Bonnie Raitt and Luciano Pavarotti.

Both artists said that they consider themselves unique among their genre because of their diverse backgrounds. Jorgenson attributed his style to broader Eastern European influences, while Evingson says that she likes to work with all different styles of jazz.

“The style of music we’re going to be playing is called ‘hot club’ music, otherwise known as ‘gypsy jazz’,” Evingson said.

The pair’s gypsy jazz is a combination of swing jazz and French gypsy music that gained popularity in the 1930s.

Jorgenson described it as a “European version of American swing.”

In addition to Evingson’s vocals and Jorgenson’s lead guitar, they will be backed up by a quintet featuring clarinet, violin, rhythm guitar, upright bass, and percussion.

The concert will take place at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Tickets are available on the arts center’s website and cost $26.