In 2013, while I was working in the Victoria Conservatory of Music library, I found out that one of the jazz students Jay Jennings was interested in starting a band. Jay was studying saxophone in the post-secondary music program at the Conservatory but also played acoustic and electric guitar. We met and started rehearsing once a week at Jay’s house. That Summer, we did some busking at one of the local outdoor markets playing Django Reinhardt tunes, a few jazz standards, and a Latin tune by Stochelo Rosenberg of the Rosenberg Trio called “For Sephora” which he wrote for his little sister Sephora. For Sephora proved to be our greatest hit, and whenever we played it, people of all ages would stop and listen and give us some money. In 2014, Jay decided to enlarge the group, so we became a quartet called Swingsation featuring singer Lauren Marshall (whom Jay knew from the Conservatory), Aron Bird on the acoustic bass, Jay Jennings on rhythm guitar, and me, Robert Jan Dukarm on violin. We still played some of our old instrumental tunes from time to time, but as a quartet we mainly focused on Ella Fitzgerald tunes and Billie Holliday tunes, and a couple of Latin tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim. We did a few gigs while together as a group, and recorded our one and only album called “Hot Off the Strings” in 2016. In 2018 Swingsation split up because we were not doing regular gigs, and were basically practicing in a band member’s basement every week. Here is a recording of “For Sephora” from Swingsation’s album “Hot Off the Strings” featuring Aron Bird on bass, Jay Jennings on rhythm guitar, and me, Robert Jan Dukarm playing the melody and improvised solo. Enjoy.