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PAUL VERNON CHESTER

Manouche Maestro


Django's Centenary Celebrations

Le Chemin de Django

is a DVD project featuring gypsy jazz guitar master Lollo Meier.

In 2010 gypsy jazz guitar master Lollo Meier took his horse-drawn caravan from his home in the Netherlands to the birthplace of the legendary Django Reinhardt in Liberchies in Belgium.  There he met with his cousin Fapy Lafertin and his bandmates and played a concert to mark Django's centenary. The band then travelled onwards to Samois Sur Seine to the International Festival where they met up with Stochelo Rosenberg and held an astonishing impromptu late-night 'campfire' jam.  Lollo, Fapy and Band then met with violin maestro Tcha Limberger and performed a concert on the main stage at Samois where they were joined by guitar legend Hank Marvin.  Lollo travelled on to the UK where he played a sell-out concert with his touring band.  This HD DVD contains performance footage of Lollo, Fapy, Stochelo, Tcha Limberger, Dave Kelbie, Andy Aitchison, Hank Marvin, Bram and Henry

 

 

 

Song titles include
1. La Route de Paris 
2. Chemin de Django 
3. Hondarribia 
4. Valse à Lollo 
5. Rosas 
6. Hungaria 
7. Them There Eyes 
8. Melody Au Crepuscule 
9. Step Swing 
10. Yours and Mine 
11. Melody for Le Quecumbar 
12. Lady Be Good 
13. Plachterida 
14. Carnation 
15. Nuages


Born 23rd January 1910
Django's last important appearance was with Dizzy Gillespie in the Spring of 1953. The following May he died at the Hospital in Fountainbleu near his home at Samois from a stroke. He was forty three years old.

‘This misrepresented and fantastic creature, at once so captivating and so divorced from the contentions of his age’ – Charles Delauney on Django Reinhardt

This 10 Euro Royal Belgian Mint 92.5% Sterling Silver issue celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt in full colour. Jean "Django" Reinhardt was one of the first prominent European jazz musicians, and still remains one of the most renowned jazz guitarists ever with a style of playing that is unmistakable. Reinhardt co-founded the band "Quintette du Hot Club de France", one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz.
Reinhardt's most popular compositions have become jazz standards, including "Minor Swing", "Belleville", "Djangology", "Swing '42" and "Nuages" (French for "Clouds").


The latest addition to the Marlow Jazz Festival (23rd October) cast is Celebration Swing the Gipsy Jazz Band led by guitarist Malcolm Greenhalgh. As it is the 100th anniversary of Django Reinhardt's birth, they thought it appropriate to celebrate his centenary with a local Marlow band specialising in his music. Malcolm has also promised a couple of special guests added to the band.

Paul Vernon Chester Performances During Django's Centenary Year

Django Drom
Multi Media Presentation by Tony Gatlif
Thursday 15 July 8.30pm
Django Drom: featuring Didier Lockwood, Birelli Lagrene and Stochelo Rosenberg
Barbican Hall
£10/15/25
Produced by the Barbican
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=10568
Legendary gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt would have turned 100 this year; Django Drom is a stunning multi-media work created by film-maker Tony Gatlif to celebrate his centenary.  Jean Baptiste ‘Django’ Reinhardt was born on January 23, 1910 in Liberchies, a small town in Eastern Belgium.  He was a Sinto, a tribe of nomadic peoples closely related to the Roma (Gypsies). Despite a severe hand injury, he was a multi-instrumentalist but is best known one of jazz’s great guitar virtuosos. Django Reinhardt died on May 16, 1953 in Fontainebleau, France.  The show, featuring violinist Didier Lockwood and guitarists Birelli Lagrene and Stochelo Rosenberg, explores the gypsy roots of Django’s genius as well as his dazzling achievements in jazz.
Photo by Daniele Mouyal

Django Drom (Video) by Tony Gatlif
The Django of our dreams and Gatlif on the road

Tony Gatlif, with a father from Kabyle and a Gypsy mother, has it all ; he’s an actor, singer, screenwriter, producer and is probably today’s most powerful, if not most intimate champion of the Rom community. Latcho Drom (1993), Vengo, Swing, Liberté - his films evoke the wind, journeys, the road and all those who move with music. Born in Algiers,  arrived in France following the Algerian War of Independence. He struggled for years to break into the film industry, playing in several theatrical productions. Since his 1981 feature Corre, Gitano, Gatlif's work has been focused on the Roma people of Europe, from whom he partially traces his descent. Exils (2004), won the Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival where Transylvania was premiered in 2006.  In Gatlif’s extraordinary multi-media presentation, hundreds of rarely seen Django photographs are projected, along with the few known pieces of moving film of the great virtuoso.

In this year of celebration of the birth (1910-1953) of Django Reinhardt (calling him ‘the Gypsy Genius’, would be as intelligent as referring to Einstein as the ‘surprising Jew’... their inventiveness is of the same order), Gatlif has joined forces with three prodigious musicians - Didier Lockwood, Biréli Lagrène and Stochelo Rosenberg.  Didier Lockwood, one of the finest violinists in the history of jazz, played alongside the likes of Stéphane Grappelli, who was for a time Django’s alter ego, a musician who rubbed shoulders with Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins and Louis Armstrong. Come now, think a little harder, go back even further and step by step you will surely reach the muse of music, the muse of Negros and Gypsies...and the muse of the sciences. Because these guys are truly savants.  Many Manouche musicians are guitarists - and talented ones at that. Eleven of them will be joining Biréli and Rosenberg for this concert and I mean no offence in saying that among all the musicians who play in the spirit of Django, Biréli et Rosenberg are by far the ones who have gone the furthest, breaking loose from themselves as well as from their model.

Gatlif has left them total liberty for the musical score of this performance, while he has himself taken care of the images, extremely rare historical documents, paintings and fantasies...and fantasy abounds in this portrait. Gatlif is at the helm of the spacecraft for this journey through time called Django Drom (Romany Journey). A score without notes, or close to it...
A Ravel Boléro played in Manouche swing style had been going through Gatlif’s head for years. Didier Lockwood wrote an arrangement for the fourteen musicians.

Quite a Guitar Orchestra with nine guitarists on stage by the end of the evening. Some superb playing by the two main guitarists Birelli Lagrene with Stochelo Rosenberg and the rising talent were equally exciting.  As for the pictures of Django – well there are more on this website.  Mainly it was historical etchings and Roma pictures brought to near life with the odd added cigarette, chimney or open fire smoke.  No commentary the Music spoke for the heritage.  The young lady violinist was very talented and stood up well alongside the magnificent Didier Lockwood. Emy Dragoi on Accordion was scintillating.  The crescendo performance was Ravels ‘Bolero’ by the full ensemble with some very erotic but anonymous dancers on film.  Standing Ovation from the audience and near full house – if it ever comes your way it is a must see/hear Music/MultiMedia experience. - Jazzeddie.

Atrist on Guitars included Jean-Marie Ecay, Adrian Moignard, Sabastien Giniaux, Benoit Convert, Ghali Hadefi, David Gastine - Electric Guitars

Find These Artists at Selmer #607


looking foward to 2010 and Django's 100th Birthday á Liberchies.....


2010 : le centenaire de Django Reinhardt à Liberchies (Belgium)

Hello friends of swing and guitar! - Book these dates in your diaries!  2010 the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Django Reinhardt in Liberchies, will provide an opportunity for two musical events :
- Saturday 23rd & 24th of January 2010, an exceptional concert and show performed by the Church of Liberchies in commemoration  of the 100th anniversary of Django.
- The week-end of the 29th & 30th of May 2010, we will present to you the 8th festival « Django à Liberchies ».  The artistic content of the festival promises to be rich and colourful for this special celebration !
- The Festival Team. www.django-liberchies.be

http://djangofeeds.soup.io/tag/reinhardt
http://www.jazzonthetube.com/videos/django-rheinhardt/happy-birthday-django-reinhardt.html

Dreyfus Jazz Releases for Django Reinhardt's 100th Birthday

The American office of French-owned jazz label Dreyfus Jazz announced that it will release seven new albums in celebration of the 100th Birthday of Django Reinhardt.
On November 3, Dreyfus will release Bireli Lagrene's "Gipsy Trio"; Sylvain Luc's 2-CD "Standards"; and Luis Salinas "En Rosedale." On January 12, 2010, there will be three more releases: "Dorado Schmitt & Family"; the debut album of Rocky Gresset; and "Generation Django", a 2-CD collection of recordings by a multitude of players inspired by Django. On April 21, 2010, there will be one more release, Philip Catherine's "Capbreton." Another related release, "Summertime, " an acoustic duo album by Lagrene and Luc, was released earlier this year.

Django Symphonique

- we celebrate his 100th birthday by going on tour with the Symphonic Django project. Concert halls and orchestras throughout Europe are being contacted in an attempt to present the fulfilment of Django´s own dream in symphonic widescreen format  various places throughout 2010. Symphonic Django takes on different shapes, can be customised to any festival, concert hall or orchestra wanting to pay homage to Django Reinhardt and his 100th birthday.

Symphonic Django/ Django Symphonique is the first ever edition of the legendary Django Reinhardt´s music orchestrated for symphony orchestra. The idea originated from Jon Larsen and was developed in cooperation with the festival Christianssand String Swing. The arrangements are by Per Ekdahl and were first performed live by Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra featuring Florin Niculescu (RO) and Stochelo Rosenberg (NL) as soloists.

Django Reinhardt´s music is more popular than ever. What was originally a French subculture grew in the 1980´s not only into a European phenomenon, but developed into a global trend. There are now thousands of musicians exploring the magical universe of Django all over the world and ”Django” festivals in more than 40 countries.

Django Symphonique

 

 

Can anyone advise the source of this Electric Guitar - motif RIO on the Headstock

Its normally associated with his Epiphone Era

Le Quecumbar Battersea
http://www.quecumbar.co.uk

Le Quecumbar and Brasserie in London is Europe’s leading venue for Gypsy Swing. The musical style started with Django Reinhardt in the 30’s and now attracts musicians and audiences from all over the world.

Le Quecumbar  Posters\Django'sBirthday.pdf
http://www.quecumbar.co.uk/django100.html

http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/8791/115/

http://www.djangobirdland.com/

http://www.st-hotclubdefrance.com/site/
Hot Club of Hungary

The Django web application framework was named after Reinhardt, and so was the minor planet 94291 Django

Tribute albums are often content with summoning up old ghosts. James Carter Saxophonist , 31, takes a more rewarding approach on his excellent new CD Chasin' the Gypsy: he offers up fresh takes on the music of French Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, but he does so by substituting his own instrument in the lead role. Carter, whether he's playing tenor or soprano sax, shows off a sweet, sinuous tone; when he reinterprets Reinhardt's classic Nuages with a bass sax, the muscular sound is distancing at first, but then it wraps itself around the listener like an anaconda. This CD does more than invoke Reinhardt's spirit; it has a life of its own.


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Last modified: 13/09/2011