From left, Lost Fingers members Alex Morissette, Christian Roberge and Byron Mikaloff give '80s pop hits a gypsy jazz makeover. (Select Distributions)

Those familiar with legendary Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt will have an inkling of where the Québécois trio the Lost Fingers got their name. Celebrated for his jaunty, whirling compositions, Reinhardt developed his technique after sustaining grave injuries in a fire when he was 18. With two fingers on his left hand paralyzed, he learned how to play dizzying runs with only two digits. (The thumb, as guitar heroes know, wraps around the neck of the instrument.)

While jazz purists may sniff at the Lost Fingers, the band's debut record was the top-selling album in Quebec last year, outpacing Coldplay, Lil' Wayne and even Nickelback.

On the one hand, the name Lost Fingers acknowledges the injury that led to Reinhardt's greatness; on the other, it's a cheeky suggestion that the band might be the reincarnation of those spectral digits.

This playful approach is emblematic of the Lost Fingers' M.O. Singer Christian Roberge, guitarist Byron "Maiden" Mikaloff and bassist Alex Morissette play their own brand of breathless Gypsy jazz — jazz manouche, en français. No mere revivalists, Lost Fingers draw on the biggest, bounciest hits of the 1980s.

Their debut album, Lost in the '80s, could be an alternate-universe take on one of those Now That's What I Call Dance Music! compilations – except instead of cheesy synths and Roland 808 drum machines, their versions of Pump Up the Jam and Billie Jean are rendered with oompah-ing upright bass and deft, finger-picked patterns on acoustic guitars. The real surprise, however, is the Lost Fingers' technical skill – both Mikaloff and Roberge are classically trained guitarists, and Morissette has a degree in jazz.

"The musicianship is what intrigues the high culturalists – you know, the CBC and people like that," jokes Mikaloff over the phone from Paris, where the Lost Fingers are wrapping up a successful European jaunt. "But people can latch on to the pop element. We get a mainstream crowd that has no idea who Django Reinhardt is, where jazz isn't even in their vocabulary. Even people who are freaked out by that kind of music think [what we do] is a cool idea. They're able to relate to the melody and the song itself, and we can fiddle around on top of that. We've had four-year-old kids singing along to Bon Jovi!"

While some jazz purists may sniff at the Lost Fingers, the vast majority of listeners seem to be enthralled. Lost in the '80s was the top-selling album in Quebec last year, outpacing Coldplay's Viva La Vida, Lil' Wayne's Tha Carter III and even Nickelback's Dark Horse, with sales of over 100,000 copies. This accomplishment earned the Lost Fingers two high-profile nominations at this year's Juno Awards: Album of the Year and Fan Choice Award.

Lost in the '80s was released in Quebec last May, and only became available nationally in January. Whether the Lost Fingers can replicate their home-turf success across the nation remains to be seen. In part because of the primacy of French-speaking musicians, Quebec has a history of bucking national trends in music sales. That said, the Lost Fingers aren't a francophone act – Roberge sings in English, sounding like a cross between Tom Waits and "Weird Al" Yankovic with a charmingly wobbly accent. The Lost Fingers have already won over parts of Europe – one Spanish beer company even featured their version of Pump Up the Jam in an ad.

Lost Fingers perform in Montreal. (Select Distributions)

Mikaloff acknowledges that the band wouldn't have experienced the same success if they were from, say, Regina — where manouche isn't nearly as popular — but he cautions against viewing the Quebec music industry as a self-contained entity.

"Quebec has another star system," he begins, "but it was more that we had the right contacts and knew how to make it happen. There are, like, different places you direct yourself to, depending on whether you sing in English or French — different magazines, different TV channels. It's actually a plus if you sing in English in Quebec and are able to make it big, because you get double the coverage [in both anglophone and francophone spheres]."

Some Québécois artists do manage to make the leap beyond that province's star system. Mikaloff cites Arcade Fire as a key group that started out in small Montreal clubs before exploding on to English-Canadian and then international stages. But an even better example is that little girl from Charlemagne, Que., who went on to score a five-year headlining gig at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

As a tribute to the Lost Fingers' roots, Lost in the '80s includes a cover of Incognito, the second single from Celine Dion's 1987 album of the same name, which began the demure, Pope-serenading singer's transformation into a leather-clad vixen. In a sweet twist of fate, Dion herself is also nominated for a Fan Choice Award at this year's Junos. But this won't be the first time the Lost Fingers have brushed elbows with the larger-than-life singer.

When the trio appeared on an episode of Star Académie (Quebec's version of Pop Idol) to perform Incognito, Dion showed up to add some sassy scatting.

"It was totally off the hook," Mikaloff yelps. "I'm not a huge fan, but man, she's got a totally amazing voice, that girl. She was totally scatting it up, even when we rehearsed with her. I thought it was a joke, to tell the truth. I didn't think there was any way in hell she was going to come out and sing with us. But there she was, working on the set from eight in the morning till four in the afternoon.

"Honestly, she's so human, so down to earth," he continues. "I was really surprised, actually. The kid who was singing with us, one of the contestants in the competition, he had a rough time with [the song], rhythmically. Céline got me to come over with the guitar, and she sat there on the floor in her jeans and went over it with him, over and over, like she was at a campfire or something."

Lost in the '80sis in stores now. The Juno Awards air March 29.

Sarah Liss writes about the arts for CBCNews.ca.