Voted New Hampshires Best 2008 by the readers of NH Magazine!

The Ameranouche trio features virtuoso guitarist Richard Sheppard, rhythm guitarist Ryan Flaherty, and upright bassist Xar Adelberg. The rip-roaring, fast-fingered, U.S. based ensemble plays acoustic hot jazz and gypsy folk, both original compositions and unique arrangements by American and Gypsy songwriters. Though thier music is not always easy to define, it is often reffered to as Gypsy Jazz, the unique genre created by the great gypsy guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt. It is a melding of American jazz, Gypsy song formats, and a fire that comes from Jazz, Folk, Classical and popular music. The music is universal and reaches diverse audiences worldwide. Ameranouche has 3 featured songs in National Lampoons movie soundtrack Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell which was released in theaters nationwide on October 19th, 2007. Kevin Wheatley, director and starring actor of the movie, refers to Ameranouche and the movie soundtrack as the “New sounds of America.”

“The fire and sparks come from Sheppard, whose fingers move with blinding speed across the fret board of his guitar, producing perfectly-pitched, rapid-fire licks and melodic runs up and down the neck” writes Bob Mckillop of Mainefolkmusic.com. “The riffs and melodies coming off Sheppard’s guitar entertained the ear, through their brightness and joy; but also, Sheppard’s hands entertain the eye and the mind. Watching him execute these notes on his instrument is truly a wonder to behold.”

“Ryan Flaherty is a great example of a rhythm guitarist” writes Mickillop. “Sheppard creates his amazing lead parts by riffing off the expertly maintained rhythms and changes in tempo that Flaherty lays down like a machine. But Flaherty is a machine with a soul that is filled with romance and high spirits. I watched his supple wrist drive his right hand into a blur, as he strummed the complex backing guitar part, playing it as easily as if he were merely breathing.”

Xar Adelberg is a young woman with a double bass who stands in the background between these two firebrand guitarists, out of the limelight. The primary role that the lead and rhythm guitar parts play in this music leads one to assume that a supporting instrumentalist such as a bassist would be merely trying to keep up. This is not the role that Xar has taken in this trio. “Her lyrical bass lines appear assertively in the mix, as they should, and stitch the lead and rhythm guitar parts together into the whole cloth. To watch her hands move expertly and nimbly across her instrument’s four large strings at such a rapid pace, is also to suspend belief in what a person can do with their body if they are driven to it by a passion for art.”

“These three astounding musicians are constantly watching each other as they play, but they do not focus on each other’s hands. Instead, they are constantly locking into each other’s eyes, for insight into plans for the next passage, the next riff. It’s like a high-stakes game of poker, and each player has a royal straight flush. They challenge each other and cajole each other, but ultimately, they support each other in creating amazing music” concludes Mickillop.

Recent Accomplishments:

Voted "New Hampshires Best 2008" by the readers of New Hampshire magazine.

"From the rural seacoast of New Hampshire comes the percussive and exultant gypsy strains of The Ameranouche Trio." - NH Magazine

"Gypsy music tapped into an etheral sphere, somewhere between J.S. Bach and M. C. Escher." - NH Magazine

Ameranouche has been on the top of the charts on Ourstage.com, recently winning first place in two categories. Best for College Clash in December, 2007, and best for Guitar Solo in March, 2008.
Amoung thousands of artists, Ameranouche is breaking through monthly to the top of each channel.

The award winning trio has three songs featured in National Lampoon’s movie soundtrack "Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell" released in theaters nationwide on October 19th, 2007

Richard Sheppard plays lead guitar for Ameranouche: “His fingers dart across the strings faster then hummingbirds wings” -proclaims Jon Nolan of the Wire Seacoast Entertainment Magazine. “Sheppard is an aggressor on the guitar, really taking it to its limits. Many of the tunes showcase his ability to make that guitar talk. He forcibly makes the strings resonate, and then he dances across the entirety of the fret board in order to get Ameranouche's gypsy jazz sound” writes Christopher Hislop of the Portsmouth Herald.

"Ameranouche!!! Blew the roof off of our barn with their Gypsy Jazz trio… high energy, amazing Manouche music." – Dream Farm Creative Arts

As musicians, they are truly top-shelf, but they're also some of the finest people that we've had the pleasure to be associated with at the MPCA" – MPCA director Brett Hartenbach

"This is one of those bands that will just thrill and amaze any audience. They are truly incredible musicians. You can hear it in their recorded tracks, but to see them live is when the 'wow factor' really kicks in." – Shawn Mercer, Under The Bridge Productions

Dell Arte Instruments and Wegen Picks are proud sponsors of Ameranouche!!!. Shepp plays the 14 fret ‘Jimmy Rosenberg’ and “Homage” models, while Ryan plays the 12 fret ‘Sweet Chorus’ Model. Both Shepp and Ryan use Dell Arte strings and Wegen Picks.

The Buzz

"The most important element of this music is the happiness, joy, and feeling of connectivity" – Lowell Sun; MA

“The trio's debut CD, "Homage A Manouche," is a superbly played collection of original compositions and Gypsy Jazz standards that clearly sets them apart as monster players.” – The Wire seacoast entertainment Magazine

"New Hampshire's own Ameranouche has created an album of incredibly inspiring, and very interesting music. The tunes that make up Homage A Manouche are smooth, tasteful, and absolutely swinging." – Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast News NH

"Like the best classical music, it's a wonderful example of music painting pictures without words" – The Wire; Seacoast Entertainment Magazine NH

"Cornerstones of today’s very virtuosic Gypsy jazz tradition in the U.S." – Metropulse, Knoxville, TN

The Musicians
Richard (Shepp) Sheppard – Solo Guitar/Vocals:
Shepp grew up in southern New Jersey. He attended the Berklee School of Music, studied guitar and composition with Pat Martino in Philadelphia, and studied guitar with Attilla Zoller in Southern Vermont. He has taught guitar, composition, and music theory as a faculty member of Bennington College (Bennington, Vermont) and Pittsfield Community Music School (Pittsfield, Massachusetts). He has performed and done shows with many different artists – John Jorgenson, Ritary Ensemble, Rick Danko, Taj Mahal, Hot Tuna, and Vassar Clements, to name just a few. Shepp’s passion for Gypsy music and love for the guitar in general are what drew him to form Ameranouche. He has written hundreds of compositions including several on Ameranouche’s
CD, Homage A' Manouche.

Ryan Flaherty – Rhythm Guitar/Vocals:
Ryan comes from Rock Island, IL. A seasoned performer, both songwriter and vocalist, he has been playing with Ameranouche since 2005. In 2003, Ryan was living in Czech Republic when he witnessed Gypsies singing, dancing and playing their instruments in the Old Town Square in Prague. He had always been taken aback by the recordings of Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli, but it was on this day he truly fell in love with the music. Since then, Ryan has developed a passionate repoire with Gypsy music and Hot Jazz .

Ryan attended Black Hawk College in Moline, IL and studied classical guitar. But mostly he attributes his friends as mentors. Honorable mentions include songwriter and poet John Smithson, guitarist Nick Guinness, music aficionado Brandon Johnson, guitarist Kevin Nolan, bassist Xar Adellberg, guitarist Richard Sheppard and bassist Benjamin Wood.

Xar Adelberg – Upright Bass/Vocals:
Xar currently resides in Maine. She has studied bass with Scott Lee and John Hebert and participated in masterclasses with Reid Anderson, Tony Malaby, David Berkman, and Frank Carlberg.

She has a degree in performance and currently is completing a degree in composition from the University of Maine at Augusta.

Xar's approach to the bass creates a dynamic energy, bringing life to each rhythmic gesture. A player of open and diverse influences, she has performed in the US and Europe.