The Lost Fingers

Formed initially as an acoustic trio, the Lost Fingers currently function as a quartet anchored by a permanent vocalist and operate out of Quebec City, Canada, where their affinity for classic gypsy jazz, bluegrass, and 1980s pop hits defines their identity. Live performances and recordings fuse these contrasting idioms through precise instrumental command, full-bodied singing, inventive and offbeat song treatments, a playful wit, and flamboyant stage dress. The group recasts pop and rock standards in gypsy-jazz dress lightly seasoned with bluegrass inflection. Such instrumental command propels listeners along an engaging path that stretches from AC/DC to Django Reinhardt and from Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson to Deee-Lite and George Michael. More than 400,000 albums have been sold globally, among them the Canadian double-platinum-certified debut Lost in the 80's and the gold-selling second album Rendez-Vous Rose. The band has crossed Canada repeatedly and appeared in over 22 countries, among them the U.S., Russia, France, Lithuania, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, and Colombia.

Byron Mikaloff on voice and guitar, Christian Roberge on voice and guitar, and Alex Morrissette on voice and double bass established the Lost Fingers in 2006. Before the group’s formation, Roberge and Mikaloff had already spent several years performing gypsy jazz at weddings, parties, and niche events, cultivating an approach rooted in their shared passion for 1980s pop material. Classically trained double bassist Morrissette came aboard the following year, and by 2008 the trio had secured a deal with Tandem.mu, which issued Lost in the 80's. The fresh character of their sound drew attention from Canadian and U.S. public radio while their concerts began attracting notice in national Canadian outlets. Numerous Canadian jazz writers placed the record among the year’s strongest jazz releases, and it reached number four on the charts. Following a short tour, the musicians returned to a Montreal studio to record Rendez-Vous Rose. Although commercial results fell short of the debut, the album still moved briskly, registered on the charts, and extended the group’s profile across the Atlantic and into the United States. Gypsy Kameleon arrived in 2010; its number-five placement confirmed the Lost Fingers’ status as a headline act at the Montreal Jazz Festival, where they had previously hosted cabaret and salon tents.

A shift in direction marked 2012’s La Marquise, which centered on original material and songs by French composers including Alain Bashung with “Vertige de L’Amour,” Etienne Dahou and Arnold Turboust with “Épaule Tattoo,” and Axel Bauer and Michel Eli with “Cargo de Nuit.” The collection also featured “1990,” which incorporated turntablism by DJ Nerve, and registered on charts in France, Turkey, and Quebec. Wonders of the World appeared in 2014 and introduced permanent lead vocalist Valerie Amyot, a finalist on La Voix, Quebec’s edition of the American television program The Voice. John Jorgenson produced the sessions, which also showcased jazz guitarist Dr. François “La Mitraille” Rioux; the entire set was sung in English and presented radically reworked versions of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty,” Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner,” Gloria Estefan’s “Turn the Beat Around,” and the traditional “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” The album charted domestically and in France, captured a Juno Award, and enabled a ten-night residency at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

In 2016 the Lost Fingers changed direction once more with the holiday release Christmas Caravan, their first seasonal project. Jorgenson again handled production duties while the band enlisted sixteen musicians and singers from around the world, among them Bireli Lagrene, Amir Amiri, Kattam Tam, and German Lopez, to create a world-music-inflected depiction of the holiday season. Another holiday collection, Coconut Christmas, followed in 2017 and transported listeners to sunny locales such as Jamaica, Mexico, and India to extend the global-Christmas theme. Vocalist Cyrille Aimée, tabla master Hindole Majumdar, sitarist Guy Bernier, drummer Tony Albino, and gypsy-jazz guitar virtuoso Robin Nolan participated, delivering thirteen holiday standards drawn from varied styles, origins, and eras.