Christian Lange

Born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in Miami, Christian Lange's musical journey began with Rock and Latin rhythms before he discovered the captivating world of Hot Jazz in 2010 during a music camp-out along the French Broad River in Tennessee. This pivotal moment inspired the creation of Swingbooty, a band deeply influenced by the sounds of Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, and the Swing music of the 1930s.

Lange's musical influences are as diverse as his background: “I’ve explored multiple genres, including a very unique Bluegrass-Punk project called Blackgrass. But once I caught the Gypsy Jazz bug, it became my musical home.”

Since its founding in 2010 by Lange and Ryan Flaherty, Swingbooty has evolved through four iterations and now performs as a dynamic seven-piece ensemble. Lange leads the group as both violinist and frontman, alongside two guitarists (Adam Friedman and Les Cunningham), keyboardist Mike Benjamin, bassist Tom Smith, drummer Sean Mantione, and a rotating vocalists Meredith Cabe and Jeanine Fuller.

In 2015, Lange launched the Jazz at Ijams concert series, a vibrant outdoor event held at the Ijams Nature Center. This festival, which highlights Hot Jazz bands from across the Southeast, also features a mix of visual and performing artists—such as spinners, hoopers, and jugglers—and a diverse array of ethnic food vendors.

Lange’s discography includes: 13 with Blackgrass (2003), Hope with Blackgrass (2005), Hot Damn Them Peanuts with Swingbooty (2012), More Hot Peanuts with Swingbooty (2016), and two concept music videos with Swingbooty: “Exactly Like You” (2023) and “Sunny Side of The Street” (2024).

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