Swingin’ into the spotlight: Burque Jazz Bandits bring jazz-fueled fun to Tumbleroot

When Amado Peña, Racquel Torres and Arthur Knouse met, they weren’t known to the world as the Burque Jazz Bandits, but rather a group of friends who loved to hang out and swing dance on a weekly basis.

After some time, the three realized there was a lack of swing dancing bands and decided they wanted to fill the gap.

The three joined forces and together, vocalist and kazoo player Torres, violinist Knouse and guitarist Peña, formed Burque Jazz Bandits, a swing dance jazz group bringing their sounds to Tumbleroot Brewery in Santa Fe on Friday, May 9.

“We just thought we would start this band to play for all our friends for swing dance events and because of that, our lens through which we look at everything through is ‘Is it danceable?’” Knouse said. “I think that’s really helped us build an audience because people know what to expect from our gigs.”

After forming five years ago, Burque Jazz Bandits have made a slow but steady push into the music community, performing virtual concerts during the height of COVID-19 to keep the band alive. Now, the group performs at grower’s markets, city festivals and is slated to take the stage during the New Mexico State Fair in September.

“Something that’s really wonderful about this is we can play for family events, swing dances, breweries, Old Town or even retirement homes,” Peña said.

Peña grew up playing punk rock, Torres found her sound singing in church choir, and Knouse was brought up in a classical setting.

During their five years together, the group has touched on multiple genres, using the inspiration they get from other artists to help guide their path toward a new sound. Burque Jazz Bandits play a variety of tunes, from classic jazz to Western swing tunes to anything that can translate to a night of dancing for their audience.

Through it all, the three feel they have been welcomed and openly embraced by the jazz community and jazz lovers alike. The band will also bring in other performers for shows.

Now, the only problem Burque Jazz Bandits has is that when they finish a performance, they don’t have a band to swing dance to afterward.

“I think there’s a very large jazz community here and we’re at the beginning of learning about this,” said Peña. “We’ve been very lucky as a trio to bring in more experienced musicians. I’m just so thankful there is a place for me to play my music and be part of that community.”

Swingin’ into the spotlight: Burque Jazz Bandits bring jazz-fueled fun to Tumbleroot