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Django Amsterdam
by BIMHUIS
Django Amsterdam, an event featuring concerts, jam sessions, workshops and a kids' afternoon, is dedicated to guitarist Django Reinhardt, the originator of gypsy jazz or swing manouche. This style of acoustic swing jazz became part of the Roma and Sinti culture thanks to Django, who's generally considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Top players from the international gypsy jazz world united for the fourth edition of Django Amsterdam (26-28 January at BIMHUIS and Kapitein ...
Continue ReadingDjango: A Film As Much About History and Culture as About A Musical Icon
by Victor L. Schermer
Django Director: Étienne Comar Milky Way 2017 Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) practically invented jazz guitar. A product of gypsy culture and music, living and working in Paris in the 1930s-40s, he and his group, the Hot Club Quintet, which notably included violinist Stephane Grappelli, brought their own brand of swing to the clubs of Montmartre. American musicians like Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, and Duke Ellington were captivated by Reinhardt's playing and, along with his recordings and ...
Continue ReadingJazz From Around the World: Europe
by Hrayr Attarian
Jazz has had a universal appeal since its inception. As soon as the music left its cradle of New Orleans in the early years of the 20th century it quickly spread to all corners of the world. Europeans were among the first non-Americans to embrace the music and place their unique twist on it. Below are 10 classic European jazz recordings. Beginning the list is Mosaic's massive box set of guitarist Django Reinhardt's Swing/HMV sessions. Reinhardt is arguably ...
Continue ReadingDjango Reinhardt: Four Classic Albums Plus
by David Rickert
The legend of Django Reinhardt is the stuff of jazz folklore; the nomadic gypsy had limited use of the fingers on his left hand, yet still managed to create blistering solos, all while creating some of the best jazz to come out of Europe. In fact, Reinhardt spawned his own style, and like many a folk hero, there are those who aspired to his level of musicianship yet come up lacking. Reinhardt's music still sounds fresh and ...
Continue ReadingGypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing
by Florence Wetzel
Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing Michael Dregin Paperback; 332 pagesISBN: 978019975625-4Oxford University Press2010 Midnight, Pigalle. The red-light district of Paris glows in a nocturnal carnival of neon and incandescent color.... Welcome to Michael Dregin's engaging Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing, a highly original book that's part history, part detective ...
Continue ReadingDreyfus Tributes to Django Reinhardt
by Stuart Broomer
Various Artists Generation Django Dreyfus Records 2009 Dorado Schmitt Family Dreyfus Records 2009 Biréli Lagrène Gipsy Trio Dreyfus Records 2009 Biréli Lagrène/ Sylvain Luc Summertime Dreyfus Records 2009 Rocky Gresset Rocky Gresset Dreyfus Records
Continue ReadingDjango at 100
by Stuart Broomer
Call it Django or Gypsy jazz, Hot Club, swing or Manouche (another name for gypsy), it's a style that hits you immediately--blazing, hard-picked runs played on a hyper-resonant, flat-top guitar (sound-holes are oval or D-shaped, never round), its intense momentum propelled by bass and rhythm guitar(s), often in tandem with violin, clarinet or accordion and working through standards and rhythms that belonged to the Swing Era. It may have been the first jazz style to develop fully outside the United ...
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