On Pearl, Gaucho's fourth album, the San Francisco sextet sounds like it has unearthed a treasure trove of forgotten Jazz Age songs, but only two of the dozen deliriously swinging tunes are standards. The others are the re... more »sult of an inspired songwriting collaboration between Gaucho's Dave Ricketts and New York vocalist Tamar Korn. The band's synthesis of New Orleans polyphony and Gypsy jazz is driven by accordionist Rob Reich, drum kit and Cheek-o-Phone maestro Pete Devine, reed expert Ralph Carney (Tom Waits, B52s), and former Turk Murphy sideman, cornet master Leon Oakley. In 2009 Gaucho was voted the Best jazz/blues band in SF Weekly's readers poll.