|
![[Under Construction]](images/AnimatedGif/undercon.gif)






| |
Gypsy Jazz (Manouche Swing) as inspired by
Jean Baptiste 'Django' Reinhardt (1910-1953)
  
Profile of
Django Reinhardt
Django's
Fret Hand - On November 2nd, 1928 an event took place that would forever
change Django's life. At one o'clock in the morning the 18 year old Django
returned from a night of playing music at a new club "La Java" to the caravan
that was now the home of himself and his new wife. The caravan was filled with
celluloid flowers his wife had made to sell at the market on the following day.
Django upon hearing what he thought was a mouse among the flowers bent down with
a candle to look. The wick from the candle fell into the highly flammable
celluloid flowers and the caravan was almost instantly transformed into a raging
inferno. Django wrapped himself in a blanket to shield him from the flames.
Somehow he and his wife made it across the blazing room to safety outside, but
his left hand, and his right side from knee to waist were badly burned.
Initially doctors wanted to amputate his leg but Django refused. He was moved to
a nursing home where the care was so good his leg was saved. Django was
bedridden for eighteen months. During this time he was given a guitar, and with
great determination Django created a whole new fingering system built around the
two fingers on his left hand that had full mobility. His fourth and fifth digits
of the left hand were permanently curled towards the palm due to the tendons
shrinking from the heat of the fire. He could use them on the first two strings
of the guitar for chords and octaves but complete extension of these fingers was
impossible. His soloing was all done with the index and middle fingers! Film
clips of Django show his technique to be graceful and precise, almost defying
belief.
Django's name means- 'I Awake'
QDHCDF
Louis Vola, the bass player
with the original Quintette Du Hot Club De France, an affable, Maurice
Chevalier type of man, he talks glibly of his fifteen-year old granddaughter
who plays the piano and can relate many tales about Django. He really knew
Django the longest, starting at Toulon, where Vola had a band. He heard the
two gypsy brothers, Django and Joseph playing on the beach one night and
invited them to jam after hours with some of the members of his band. One
member of note was Stephane Grappelli. Vola subsequently moved to the Palm
Beach Hotel at Cannes and hired Django alone, as an accompanist for his own
accordion. Later, when Vola switched to bass, he hired Eugene 'Nanine' Vees,
Joseph Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, in addition to Django - thus the
Quintette Du Hot Club De France was born. Shortly after it was started on
its recording career by Charles Delaunay and Pierre Nourry.
Jo Privat and Gus Viseur
Accordionists accompanied Django Reinhardt.
About
Django
Barney Kessel
owned one of Django’s Selmer guitars, and he said it was difficult to play
chords on and didn’t stay in tune very well. There are definitely some inherent
tuning issues with that style of guitar. Sometimes, if you play an octave on the
B and the D strings in the middle of the neck, the D string is flat and the B
string is sharp. Django definitely developed a style to suit that instrument,
although he played other guitars before the Selmer. The Selmer came out in 1932,
I think, and he didn’t get his first one until 1934. So his style was already
intact at that time. There are stories about when he came to America without a
guitar, because he figured the Americans would be lining up to give him guitars
to play. Well, they didn’t, so his tour manager bought him a non-cutaway Gibson
with a P-90, and he was really bummed out. He wrote back to his manager: “Don’t
speak to me about American tin-pot guitars anymore!”
 

 

Photos of Samois Festival 2006 with Hank Marvin
reflecting his interest in the background of picture 3
donated by Stu Weetman,
Guitarist
Django Samois
Festival
21st June - 1st July 07
When Django
settled in Samois, he was at a turning point in his life. His trip to the United
States had not been as productive as he had hoped. The great guitarist decided
he needed time to rest and think about what to do next. He felt at home among
the local people, especially Fernand Loisy, innkeeper of “L'Auberge
de l'Ile.”
Django spent his time fishing, playing pool, painting landscapes, and playing
club gigs in Paris, where he met a new generation of musicians exploring new
musical adventures and projects. The village of
Samois was a
wonderful setting for his rest and recuperation.
Hot
Club
Gypsy
Jazz Guitar
Nuages
Petites
Annonces
Manoucheries
Nuages
de Swing
 
Les Enfants
de Django
 Garry
Potter
Gary's musical experience is extensive and
covers jazz, country, classical, pop, funk and blues. He has recently embarked
on arranging and composing, and is an accomplished teacher of music, giving
workshops worldwide. Gary is critically acclaimed as the most talented guitarist
to emerge from the British Isles in recent years. He is regarded by aficionados
as one of the greatest jazz and country guitarists in the world, enjoying high
acclaim in the United States, Australia and Europe. Gary's path towards jazz
started when introduced to the music of Django at the age of 15 and has
continued via many festivals worldwide Garry Potter Trio
Peter
Sheppard
Nuages
Charles Alexander
- Andy Robinson Duo
Gypsy
Fire
Stuart Carter Smith - started playing the guitar
when he was 18 years old--rather late for a gypsy guitarist considering most of
his peers were playing by the age of 7.
Although he played, studied and performed classical guitar at first he quickly
fell in love with the music of the guitar genius Django.
Most of all he learned was by listening to the
records of his newly found hero, Django. like many of his contemporaries, Stuart
loves to improvise, and like many of his predecessors, he is searching for new
challenges.
He likes to try new ways of playing, but always with the solid underpinning of
his first love: the music of Django Reinhardt.
Paul and Stuart
have played together.
By Djingo -
Aylesbury's Barnaby 'Badger' Brown & Matthew Heath - Guitars, Nick Graham - Bass
and Ian Sands - Drums
Keith Stephen Hot Club
Trio & Luthier
Lollo
Meier
Among the gypsy jazz musicians that play
guitar in the style of Django Reinhardt
there are few that really stand out like Lollo Meier. His music is refreshing, combining an accomplished technique and
unique style of playing with a real flair for composing.
Raised on gypsy jazz, Meier, a Dutch gypsy, started playing guitar at the age of
12
with members of his family. After playing in the Belgian band “Swing 42”
Meier started
Lollo Meier Szigano Swing, a new quartet that gave him the
opportunity to express his own
style and ideas.
For this tour Meier is joined by the celebrated young clarinetist from Antwerp,
Andre Donnie,
and Europe’s pre-eminent rhythm guitarist and bassist in the
style, Dave Kelbie and
Andy Crowdy, both members of John Etheridge’s “Sweet
Chorus” and The Angelo Debarre Quartet.
“...Meier was caressed the
strings at the fiercest - Brilliancies came and went so fast that there was
hardly time to applaud until the end...”
London Evening Standard
David Reinhardt
Guitar
Born on
December 23, 1986, David does not seem disturbed by the task which falls on to
him: to transmit the heritage and to continue the family road! technique very at
the point, lyricism and emotion, direction of the swing, here are obvious
qualities of this young musician. Already accustomed prestigious scenes (as of
the 6 years age it played with
Babik Reinhardt,
his father) it begins a very promising career today, taken care tenderly by a
celestial four-bit byte: Django, Joseph, Lousson and Babik
Babik Reinhardt
Guitarist (1944-2001)
Few musicians stuck with as much
smoothness to be themselves, while remaining attentive with the last evolutions
of the jazz and by preserving something of the major sonority of large Manouche.
Many django-fans adulate pale copiers of Django whereas they do not realize that
they had there, with Babik “the” guitarist manouche of exception.
Fapy Lafertin
Andreas
Oberg
Robin
Nolan
while being considered one of the world's leading Gypsy
Jazz guitarists in the tradition of Django Reinhardt, has also set
himself apart by creating his own unique style.
From his base in Amsterdam, he has circled the globe with performances
at the Lincoln Centre, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Toronto Jazz
Festival, DjangoFest, Iceland, Japan and numerous other locales.
Joined by his brother Kevin Nolan on rhythm guitar and Gypsy Jazz
veteran Simon Planting on double bass, the Robin Nolan Trio blazes
through a mix of Django, Latin and Swing classics, peppered with
stunning and inventive original compositions.
Tolga
Quartet is a collaboration
between four young musicians from all over Europe. They
play the Django Reinhardt style, or Gypsy Jazz, with a fresh and
contemporary approach. The band was founded originally as the
Tolga Emilio Trio by Tolga During in Amsterdam in 1998.
One year later, they recorded their first album which was
internationally much applauded. As a result they received
invitations from national and international festivals. Ever since, they have
recorded five more albums and a live dvd. They now perform as a
Quartet and the band members now all live in Italy but
continue to perform all over the world. 'Fascinating
repertoire, catchy arrangements, virtuosi and swinging improvisations and an
incredible mastery.' Akustik Gitarre, Germany 'Tolga is a
musician who combines a unique and arresting style with a masterful
technique. His music is striking yet remains pure and uncluttered.'
Turkish Daily News
"Melding influences from Britain to the Bosphoros and beyond, this young
four man Hot Club give a fresh twist to the gypsy jazz
repertoire." - DJ Andy Roberts, BBC Jazz Connection Radio Show, UK
Gypsy Swing
Le QuecumBar
American Jazz captured the imagination of the Europe, particularly
France, during the early part of the 20th century. Many famous
American Jazz
musicians found enthusiastic audiences in Europe while many European
musicians incorporated the new sounds of
Jazz into their music. Gypsy Swing,
sometimes called String Swing, is Swing played with a rhythm section of
guitars and bass, rather
than the traditional drums and bass of American
Jazz. The best known of Gypsy Swing players was Django Reinhardt
(1910-1953). Django
Reinhardt, a Manouche Gypsy, was a prolific composer and
a phenomenal guitarist. His compositions make up the bulk of standards in
the Gypsy Swing genre today and his unorthodox technique (due to the fact
that he lost the use of two fingers of his left hand in a fire) has
defined
the sound of Gypsy Jazz. Nuages, Djangology, Douce Ambiance and Swing 42 are
some of the Reinhardt standards that you will
find in the typical Gypsy Jazz
repertoire. There are many groups playing this music worldwide and Gypsy
Jazz has continued to grow and
change through the influences of musicians,
both Gypsy and non-Gypsy, worldwide.
Petites Annonces play a unique mix of gypsy jazz , those bonnes old french
chansons, and a genre unknown until now in this country : "Punk Manouche".
www.petitesannonces.co.uk
Ritary
Ensemble comes from the pure tradition of
gipsy swing. Created in 2002. There are three guitar players, who are members of
the same Sinti gypsy family, they are accompanied by bass player Vladimir Torres
who comes from Franche-Comté in France (east). The group continues to
pursue a tradition born from the music of Django Reinhardt.
Ritary has been playing since he was fourteen years old. He first learned from
his father but is basically a self-taught musician much influenced by the Dutch
gypsy style. After meeting and working with many various musicians, he has now
developed a style of his own that’s full of ideas and smoothness whilst
continuing the Django style. His virtuoso playing is as sharp and precise as it
is melodious and smooth.
The group has earned a reputation that has put them at the top of many festival
invitation lists all over Europe, including the famous Django Reinhardt festival
at Samois, Angers, the International Gipsy Guitar Festival in England, and the
Oslo Django Festival 2004, Django fest NYC, tours in Canada, and jazz festivals
in France as well as numerous wide spread independent jazz clubs.
Gypsophilia - Halifax - Nova Scotia
http://www.fleche-dor.com/info.php
http://www.angelfire.com/ma2/mango/index.html
http://www.djangomatics.com/
Video Performances of Manouche Swing
Jazz On The Internet
Bobby
Johnson Quartet
Christian
Garrick Angelo
Debarre
Christian
with Angelo Debarre Video

Florin
Niculescu -
Video
Excellent Video Performances including Didiere
Lockwood, Angelo Debarre, and Christiane Escoude
Florin Niculescu is
one of the finest violinists on the international jazz scene today. Through many
musical collaborations this
captivating musician has developed a distinct sound
and language, building on a solid classical education and linking gypsy
traditions to diverse forms of jazz. His impeccable technique and outstanding
virtuosity – praised by fellow musicians and
audiences alike – are not a means
to an end but a way of expressing his artistic personality.
Aaron
Weinstein Named a “rising star
violinist” by Downbeat Magazine, Aaron Weinstein is quickly earning a reputation
as one of the finest jazz violinists of his generation. As a featured soloist,
Aaron has performed at Lincoln Center, Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts,
Chicago's Orchestra Hall, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Iridium, Birdland, and
Django Reinhardt festivals in France, Iceland and New York City. Aaron has
performed and recorded with and an array of jazz masters including: Howard
Alden, Gene Bertoncini, Al Caiola, Scott Hamilton, Dick Hyman, Les Paul, Houston
Person, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Annie Ross, Warren Vache, Frank
Vignola, and Claude "Fiddler" Williams as well as legendary rock guitarist, Jay
Geils, New York Pops founder/conductor, Skitch Henderson. He is a recent
graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was
awarded a full four-year talent-based scholarship. While still in high school,
he founded New Trier High School's Stephane Grappelli Tribute Trio, voted as the
nation's best high school instrumental jazz group by Downbeat Magazine in 2002.
Aaron has won various competitions including the 1998 and 2001 Illinois State
Fiddle Championships, making him the youngest performer ever to hold this title.
With the release of Aaron’s Arbors Records debut, "A Handful of Stars", (called
“the rebirth of the hot jazz violin” by Nat Hentoff) Aaron has become the
youngest jazz musician to have recorded as leader for this prestigious
traditional jazz record label. (Aaron also plays mandolin)
Aaron's MySpace
Bireli Lagrene
Bireli Legrene - Video
1
Bireli Legrene - Video 2
Stochelo
Rosenberg & Romane
Club Django
Inspired by Ian Cruickshank's 'Django Legacy' Film
01628 488941
Club Django meets on the first Tuesday of each month, 7.45pm - £5 for both entry and tuition
Marlow Community Centre,
Liston Hall,
Chapel Street,
Marlow,
Bucks
SL7 1DD
Club Django email
Objectives of Club Django
-
To meet other players of Gypsy Jazz on a regular basis, to play the
music of 'The Hot Club of France.'
- To further our understanding and playing of the Gypsy Jazz genre.
- To play gigs at local community/charity functions as a 'Club Django' on
a no-fee charity basis.
- To accept paying gigs, as and when available.
- To invite the best professional players for 'Masterclass' evenings.
- 8-12 Members meet regularly for exchanges of ideas.
The first Masterclass was in February 2006 was with Dave Kelbie, who plays
rhythm for Lollo Mier, Angelo Debarre, John Etheridge,
Fapy Lafetane and the
great Birelli Legrane. (The Gypsy's all start out playing rhythm and so
students should concentrate on this aspect.)
More Classes are planned over
the full year.
An interview and recording from Cookham FM featuring Malcolm Greenhalgh (Aka
Monty), Rhythm, John Kitchen Lead, and Ben Rothman
Violin passed to Jazz Eddie
from the Club indicates a fair degree of expertise as performers. Ben got hooked on the Hot Club as a Teenager and John has elevated from the
blues to manouche swing.
Le Jazz et al
Dave Kelbie
Dave Kelbie has acquired an international reputation as a promoter of Gypsy
music and culture which has led to acclaimed music
partnerships with many of Europes leading Gypsy musicians. Continuing plans include tours and a new
recording with Parisian Gypsy
guitarist Angelo Debarre, an ongoing partnership
with the legendary British guitarist John Etheridge and a new project, tour and
recording
with another great Gypsy guitarist from Holland, Lollo Meier. Dave Kelbie's rhythm guitar is a joy in itself, firm but relaxed, clearly
executed but never obtrusive. Dave knows exactly the best chord
voicing for
every moment and will add spice with the occasional flourish or series of brisk
arpeggios reminiscent of Eddie Lang" -
Charles Alexander
The Manouches almost certainly come from the most ancient
Romany stock arrived in western Europe between the 15th and 16th century; they
chose France, Netherlands and Germany as their permanent homes. The name
Manus, deriving from the Indo-European language group, proves their Indian
origin. This term Manouches entered the French current language and according to
the Sanskrit vocabulary it derives from manusa: humane being
Ade Holland
.jpg) 
Above is a Picture of Ade Holland a fine exponent of Manouche Swing
taken in the early 1960's (only a short period after Django's death) in Corby
with his original
1930's Maccaferri's - not one but two - Petite and Grande Bouche. Life was far for simple
then.
Ade now lives in Reading and is available for teaching both Jazz Guitar and Manouche
Swing Techniques - he now wishes he had kept both macca's instead of almost
giving them away.
Ade's
Anecdote................
In 1990 I went with my son Nathan to the Django Reinhardt festival in
Samois-Sur-Sene near Fontainebleau about 40 miles south of Paris. I read
that Django’s guitar was in the Paris Conservatoire, so a train to Paris was on
the agenda. We bought our tickets which covered the metro as well, on
entering the centre of Paris we thought it would be a good idea to get a taxi to
the Conservatoire. The cab driver said which Conservatoire? There are 16
conservatoires in Paris!! After choosing one only to find they had never
heard of Django let alone his guitar!! We called into a small hotel to ask for
advice; the receptionist phoned every conservatoire in Paris for us only to find
that his guitar had recently been taken away by Django’s son Babik! That
receptionist was wonderful, she didn’t charge us a penny (or a franc) for all
she did, a fine example, and to anyone who don’t like the French……she was great.
After a day roaming round the music shops we decided to make our way back, and
at the last metro station that took us to the overland train station, the
machine swallowed our tickets! Thinking no more of it we jumped on the
train which started to pull away, after a short while I spotted an armed guard
at the far end of the carriage checking the tickets!!......ironically my son
gave me the same advice as Ian did years before in Maidenhead…….pretend that you
are asleep!!! I looked behind and there was another guard checking tickets
starting from the other end!!.........we were doomed!!..............the Bastille
beckoned or worse still the Guillotine!! We happened to be sitting right in
the middle of the carriage and as the two of them met we were the last to be
checked………fate took a hand as the family opposite us didn’t have any tickets
either !! so they carted them out of the carriage and didn’t come back, goodness
knows what happened to them, but on our part it was totally un-intentional, the
tickets we bought which included the metro stops did not include a return fair.
Perhaps Django was smiling down on us that day after all
 The illustrious guitarist, luthier, and inventor Mario Maccaferri, without
whom there would probably have been no Selmer guitar or story at all. Key
design changes made to the guitar by Selmer craftsmen after Mario Maccaferri
left the company in 1933. Outlines exactly what differentiates a Selmer guitar
from a Selmer "Maccaferri" model and helps us understand what has heretofore
been an obscure body of esoteric guitar knowledge.
  

Colin Cosimini
has been playing Gypsy Jazz Guitar
for over 20 years.
He is of Italian Gypsy descent,
but born in the UK. He learnt his craft by touring the capitals of Europe
playing with the Gypsy guitarists at their local haunts and studying their work
to obtain that unique sound.
Hi Eddie, I have two tours in
the UK this year with Manouche guitarists, first the end of June with Matcho
Winterstein, and September with Moreno, I will get back to you with the exact
dates!
Moreno
Lulo
Reinhardt Project
The Reinhardt Project is made up of brothers Lulo
and Mike Reinhardt - great nephews of the famous Django Reinhardt - and cousin
Sascha, along with Australian violinist Daniel Weltlinger. The outstanding
guitar virtuosos is based in Kobllenz.
Taught to play guitar at the age of five by his
father Bawo, Lulo was playing in a sextet by the age of 12. He is described as a
spontaneous and spirited musician and his different styles come from a musical
voyage to find flamenco roots in Spain, Latin jazz from South America, combined
with his own artistic stamp and gypsy influences.
Tchavalo Schmitt
exponent of
Manouche, French Gypsy Jazz.
Jimmy
Rosenberg
  
Django's Forgotten Era
TRIVIA
The
Allman Brothers Band instrumental
Jessica was written by guitarist Dickie Betts in
tribute to Reinhardt. He wanted to write a
song that could
be played using only two fingers.
Django's "Minor
Swing" can be heard in the background during
the oracle scene in The Matrix
Noddy Holder of Rock
Group - Slade named his son Django which means - I Awake
Most of Woody Allen's films feature Django
Reinhardt in the Soundtrack
  
|