Bir: Gipsy Project and Friends (2002)

C. MICHAEL BAILEY,

C. Michael Bailey

Senior Contributor since 1997

...wants to know if Gene Harris is playing "Summertime" in Heaven...

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Published: October 10, 2002

A Beautiful Throwback...

Picking up where he left off with Gypsy Project , Biréli Legrène and friends delve further into the music of Django Reinhardt and associates on Gipsy Project and Friends, using qualitatively the same musicians as on the first album. The results on the new recording are the same, astonishing. While Englishman Gary Potter is a fine and dedicated Djangophile, listening to Legrène is akin to standing so close to the source as to be singed. Legrène burns his way through "Djangology," "Les Yeux Noirs," and "Minor Swing" as if his and Reinhardt’s gypsy souls fused and created a new constellation.

It is joyful to listen to the sheer empathy shared by Legrène and his cohorts, especially violinist Florin Niculescu. Comparisons to you-know-who and you-know-who are almost impossible but Legrène and company do possess their own verve and dedication to the music. This is a perfect mate to the previous Gypsy Project.

Track Listing: Djangology; When Day Is Done; Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schon; Babtik; Ou Es-Tu Mon Amour; Les Yeux Noirs; Envie De Toi; Minor Swing; Laura; Artillerie Lourde; Place De Broukere; Soge D

Personnel: Bir

Record Label: Dreyfus Records
Style: Fringes of Jazz