Jazz Partout !
Jazz Manouche dans la plus belle tradition de
Django Reinhardt et ses héritiers
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Jazz Partout !Jazz Manouche dans la plus belle tradition de |
Gypsy Swing TodayBy mixing Gypsy elements to his jazz improvisations Django Reinhardt created an entirely original music style, a distinctively European dialect of jazz, called by many names like Gypsy swing, jazz Manouche, hot club swing, jazz Gitan, etc. Today the appreciation for this music is wider than ever. Sections in This Article:New festivals devoted to jazz Manouche appear yearly in addition to the old and established ones, especially in the European continent and UK, but also in other parts of the world. At the time of writing this, Finland is to my knowledge the only one of the Nordic Countries still without its own regular venue for this type of music, as there are ones in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Island.
A Living TraditionThe most significant thing, however, in keeping this musical tradition live and evolving, is its status as an important, living musical tradition among the Romanies in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany – whether Manouche, Gitan, Sinti or Roma. The skill is transferred orally from older relatives to the new generations, who in turn absorb new influences in their playing before passing the torch forward. The youngsters learn first the chord positions and rhythm guitar before advancing to the art of soloing: playing heads and improvising over chord changes. Being able to lay a solid accompaniment is considered for a guitarist to be the basis of all music making. Copying some of Django's famous solos note for note as models is also very often part of the apprenticeship, so don't be surprised to hear a very young Manouche first repeat the familiar choruses from Les yeaux noirs or I'll See You in My Dreams before bursting into self made inventions. Music is an important part of Manouche life, so it is played as well in small family occasions as in larger gatherings like bigger parties or festival celebrations, where the same players can be observed officially on stage and unofficially in campsites and cafés – venues change, music remains the same. A hint of this tradition can be attained through videos: Latcho Drom and Swing by Tony Gatlif; Django Legacy by John Jeremy; Pratique traditionnelle de la guitare manouche by Mandino Reinhardt.
Stars of The StyleI have compiled here a short list of the most prominent active guitarists, whose music I have found inspiring. I have heard most of them live, some have left their mark through records or videos only. This list is by no means meant to be a thorough "Who's Who of Jazz Manouche", and it serves best as a starting point to anybody interested. If you want to know more about these magnificent artists, internet search engines will lead you forward, since many of these players have their own home pages or pages dedicated to them. Sadly, perhaps the most valuable source of information – L'Echo Des Cuilleres – closed its pages in April 2004 and left a huge void to be filled. Who would take the task?
The Continental TouchAlsace in eastern France may probably be most famous for its white wines, lagers, choucroute or munster, but it is also the source for seemingly endless flow of finest quality Manouche musicians. There would be no point in presenting a never-ending list here, so I'll pick up just five, that first come to mind: Biréli Lagrène, Tchavolo Schmitt, Moreno Winterstein, Mandino Reinhardt and Dorado Schmitt belong all to the most renowned guitarists of this music style, Dorado being equally fluent on violin. The tradition continues: hearing Dorado's guitar playing son Samson perform with his group, that also included a marvellous young violinist, Timbo Mehrstein, was one of the memorable highlights of Samois 2003 official program. There are of course many other remarkable French guitarists, of which Raphaël Faÿs, Angelo Debarre and Patric Saussois have to be mentioned here, to name just a few. Faÿs and Debarre share a brilliant, faultless technique and a broad musical cultivation. In addition to being one of the most fluent jazz improvisers with a great sense of harmony and unlimited imagination, Debarre is also a great connoisseur of Manouche waltzes and East European music styles. Faÿs, at his part, has enhanced his stylistic palette with Andalusian and Ibero-American shades. In Samois 2001 only the fact, that I was already sitting on the ground, prevented me from falling down from sheer astonishment, when Faÿs all of a sudden let his trio have a break and played us a flaming flamenco solo number – with a pick and a steel-stringed oval hole. Patric Saussois is perhaps best known for his work with accordionists, having in the past accompanied the late great accordion legend Jo Privat for years, and later he has collaborated with other fine players of piano des bretelles, like Jean-Claude Laudat and Daniel Colin. His records with the group Alma Sinti – released by his own record company, Djaz – constitute an unbelievably beautiful mix of swing standards, musette waltzes, French chansons and original compositions. Saussois plays his guitar in the left handed position with strings upside down, but although it looks awkward, it sounds great: his distinctive playing style is very relaxed and melodic. France is by no means the only country to raise extraordinary Gypsy jazz musicians. The Rosenberg Trio from Holland, lead by the virtuoso guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg, has been one of the most prominent acoustic jazz-combos in the world since the late 1980s. Stochelo's distinctive touch and brilliant runs have inspired numerous younger guitarists over the years, as have the output of another, equally excellent Dutch maestro, Fapy Lafertin. Having heard quite many fine German musicians playing Zigeuner-Swing, the one that has made the deepest impression is definitely the splendid guitarist Haensche Weiss, who already in the 1970s backed Schnuckenack Reinhardt's violin. Today Haensche Weiss performs mostly as a duo with his long time companion, bassist Vali Mayer.
This page was last edited 2007-02-28 |
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