Most people don't remember what they were doing four and half years ago. I can barely recall when a couple of musician friends told me they were starting a new band. They were wasting away as the back up band for a country singer. In their research of western swing, they kept going back in time until they discovered the hot jazz sounds of the 30s and 40s, made popular by Django Reinhardt and Oscar Alleman. It became clear that they should go extremely retro and formed a band called Suite 42.

The makeup of instruments alone made the band unique for the high desert of Albuquerque. A stand up bass, a lead and rhythm guitar (both acoustic). No drums, minimal vocals, and a sound that took you back to a time when your grandparents were considered young swingers. Most importantly, it sounded great. The combination of blues, western swing and improvisation made the music ideal for all sorts of events. It had an ambient quality that you felt comfortable talking over, but if you stopped and listened to the musicians, you would be equally impressed with their improvised licks and tight blend.

The band got a steady gig on Tuesdays nights at Burt's Tiki Lounge, and for a few solid months, I stopped in each week for a couple sets, a few pints, and far too many come ons to top heavy waitresses. I wrote an article about Suite 42 for a local weekly newspaper. The editor liked the piece so much that they made it the feature arts article of the week. All the guys got girlfriends, and one of them actually got together with an ex-girlfriend of mine. They first met when I took her to Burt's, and they went on to have a much better relationship than I attempted.

The band played on after their Tuesday gig at Burt's ended, and in fact, they lasted longer than that bar itself did. Suite 42 evolved and picked up a violin player to become the consummate string swing band in town. They played small stages, big stages, festival receptions and living rooms. Several local musicians clamored to sit in with quartet, digging the opportunity to play that old hot jazz sound.

The years went by, and the band kept playing. Everyone had other projects. The violin player ran a unique rock and rhythm class at a middle school. One of the guitarists hosted a weekly jazz jam night at a coffee shop. The other guitarist read more books (fiction and non-fiction) than any other four people I knew. The bassist continued to back up a handful of other bands. Through it all, Suite 42 played on.

Four and a half years after their initial rehearsal, Suite 42 played their final gig together. One of the guitarist has moved up to Denver, and while they may get together for reunion shows, the band is for all intents and purposes done. They had a call list of over 50 songs, and the members came to a crossroads of whether to keep evolving, settle into being a niche cover band, or call it quits.

As I look back throughout the history of the band, I realize how impressive their musical stint was. Most musicians would kill for steady gigs that keep them from working full time day jobs. All the pop artists and bands on the radio can only wish that the public will appreciate them for one year, let alone four. Drunks like me just want some nice tunes to tap their toes to while we order another round.

Now, the band is gone. The two musician buddies that started the band are still friends with each other and me. The memories of this band will now fade and blend with the dozens of other bands they have been a part of, but there is one important difference. This band made it. As good as any band in the high desert can have success, Suite 42 experienced it. Respect, admiration, a lady or two, polite applause by those who aren't even listening, and more shots of booze and pints of beer than you ever thought could enter one human being. That's reaching the top in my book.

Not every great band and musician goes on to big record deals and their picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Some of them just play quality music for years and years. Even though it's the end of Suite 42, it is not the end of the musicians. They will all go on to different bands and projects and try to recapture in a different way what they once had. So to Dan, Elliot, Greg and Rob, thanks for the tunes, and never forget, you guys were smoking hot jazz for a long, long time.

Chris Jungle digs the sweet suite music.