ACOUSTIC JAZZ, RAGTIME AND VINTAGE AMERICANA
The Gipsy Hillpickers are an acoustic duo featuring Dave "Jazzman" Chamberlain on fingerstyle guitar and Slava Lobanov on guitar and vocals. Drawing on a shared love of jazz, ragtime, vintage Americana and gypsy swing, the duo creates music that is intimate, melodic and rhythmically engaging.
Built around the rich sound of two acoustic guitars, The Gipsy Hillpickers are particularly suited to smaller venues where audiences can appreciate the detail and interaction at the heart of the music. Wine bars, salons, galleries, house concerts, private clubs and listening rooms provide the perfect setting for performances that are as relaxed as they are captivating.
The repertoire combines swing-era favourites, early jazz, ragtime-infused instrumentals, American roots music and gypsy swing classics. Rather than recreating the past, the duo focuses on finding common ground between these traditions, allowing songs and tunes from different eras and backgrounds to sit comfortably side by side.
A defining feature of the group's sound is Dave's fingerstyle guitar playing, which combines melody, harmony and driving rhythmic accompaniment in a 'lap piano' style.
Together with Slava's expressive vocals and versatile guitar work, this gives the energy of a larger ensemble while retaining the warmth and intimacy of an acoustic duo.
The duo bring decades of experience from diverse musical backgrounds. Their shared interest in improvisation and musical storytelling gives each performance a fresh, conversational quality, balancing careful arrangements with spontaneous interaction.
The result is a programme that is sophisticated without being academic, accessible without being predictable, and equally suited to attentive listeners or elegant social occasions. Whether performing a ragtime classic, a swing standard, a gypsy jazz favourite, or something more contemporary, The Gipsy Hillpickers celebrate the enduring appeal of great acoustic music played with skill, imagination and joy.
BIOs
DAVE "JAZZMAN" CHAMBERLAIN
Dave is a guitarist, banjoist and former full-time jazz double bassist whose career spans more than twenty-five years on the UK and international jazz scenes. He has performed with artists including Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen and Buddy Greco, toured worldwide with Blue Note recording artist Stacey Kent, and appeared with ensembles including the BBC Big Band, the John Wilson Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Originally from Derbyshire, Dave developed an early fascination with the music of Django Reinhardt and the wider jazz tradition. After studying at Goldsmiths College and Trinity College of Music, he established himself as a highly respected bassist before later returning to the guitar as his primary creative voice.
Today his playing draws together jazz, ragtime, swing and Americana influences through a distinctive fingerstyle approach that combines melody, harmony and rhythm. As co-founder of The Gipsy Hillpickers, he uses the acoustic guitar as both an accompanying and lead instrument, providing much of the rhythmic drive that defines the duo's sound.
SLAVA LOBANOV
Slava is a guitarist, vocalist, producer and bandleader whose musical journey has taken him from St Petersburg to Turkey and, most recently, London. A largely self-taught musician, he has worked across an unusually wide range of styles, including jazz, rock, funk, swing, ska and hip-hop.
His previous projects include The Vicious Seeds, Fuzziliers, Juice Oh Yeah, The Flash Fever, Easy Winners, Canal Street Band and SPb Ramblers, as well as ПЕРЕУЧЕТ, a collaboration with renowned Russian rapper and civil activist Oxxxymiron.
Now based in London, Slava performs with traditional jazz outfit The Jazz Cannibals, ska group Natural Right and his own swing ensemble, Big Rhythm. Alongside his work as a performer, he is also an experienced producer and arranger.
Slava brings a broad musical perspective to The Gipsy Hillpickers. His expressive singing, strong rhythmic guitar playing and deep knowledge of multiple traditions help shape a sound that moves naturally between jazz, ragtime, gypsy swing and vintage American music. An inquisitive mind has always guided his path: at one stage he almost pursued a PhD in Mechanics before deciding that music offered the more interesting adventure.
