Babik
Babik (pronounced Bah-Beek) is a progressive Gypsy Jazz band inspired by the legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. In their Six years together Babik has reached across generational and stylistic lines, creating a fan base that is as diverse as their musical influences. At Babik’s concerts it is not uncommon to see a white-haired 75 year-old grandmother dancing next to a purple-haired 20-something.
Babik is Stuart Fuchs-Lead Guitar, Geoffrey Fitzhugh Perry-Violin, Joshua Assad-Rhythm Guitar, Kevin O'Brien-Upright Bass. All four members have the ability to merge virtuosity with a toe-tapping danceability that keeps its audiences enthusiastically engaged. The group’s ability to connect is evident in the way crowds clamber to clap, dance, and cheer along with nearly every performance.
Babik was featured on the Public Radio International’s nationally syndicated program “The World” in addition to receiving CD airplay nationwide.
In 2008, Babik worked with arranger Brent Havens (creator of orchestral programs of Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Doors) to create the first ever orchestral program of the music of Django Reinhardt. This collaboration has been performed with four symphony orchestras to date, including the world-renowned Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Every major publication in their hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. has voted them “Best Jazz Band” nearly every year since their inception in 2005. Their first release, “Pronounced Bah-Beek”, broke Western New York sales records at two area retailers. The Buffalo News calls Babik “One of the Hottest Bands in Buffalo”. With their latest release, “American Gypsy”, the band showcases ten original compositions and three standards that both honor the roots of Gypsy Jazz while exploring a wide range of styles such as Jazz-fusion, Klezmer, World and Latin Music.
Babik’s love of this music is evident in each performance, as they stop at nothing to engage their audience to experience the joy it can bring. Perhaps Buffalo Spree Magazine best expressed the spirit of the band in a recent feature story: “It’s hard not to fall in love with a band whose every tune seems to state ‘We love life and we want to celebrate it.’”