In the few months since its release this spring, Selmer #607–the album takes its title from the guitar shared by the six soloists featured over sixteen tracks–has created a stir in the Gypsy Jazz community the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Bireli Lagrene’s Gypsy Project discs helped usher in a new era. And like those landmark recordings, Selmer #607 seems poised to leave a wide-reaching and long-lasting influence in its wake.
The soloists, still all in their twenties, possess a maturity in their playing that belies their age. It’s not only in their phrasing, but in their choice of repertoire as well: the group tackles everything from Stella By Starlight to Polkadots and Moonbeams and the Coltrane classic Impressions. And when the early Djangoism of Viper’s Dream and Billets Doux appears (courtesy of Sébastien Giniaux and Adrien Moignard, respectively), it sounds like nothing you’ve heard before. These are players who have absorbed the style so thoroughly that they’ve largely moved beyond it, happily mixing influences with a new fluency.
They all appear here with the same rock-solid rhythm section, which ties the album together while highlighting the individual voices on display: the aforementioned Moignard and Giniaux, as well as Richard Manetti, Rocky Gresset, and Noe Reinhardt. Sonically, the famous guitar at the center of the project also helps unify the different sounds of the artists; at the same time, it seemed to spark a penchant for innovation in the studio–Moignard was inspired to record Billets Doux, which he hadn’t played before, simply by the sound of the instrument.
There’s also a feeling of camaraderie and mutual respect evident in the playing. Where one might expect a cutting contest, these musicians instead seemed to inspire one another to greater heights. Says Giniaux: “This project was a way of getting us together, each one with his own style and talent. The vibe got us to do great things.” And indeed, when they were given the opportunity to choose guests musicians for their tracks, they frequently looked to one another: Moignard appears on Gresset’s version of Stella By Starlight and David Gastine’s Insensiblement, while Gresset guests on Noe Reinhardt’s Instants volés. Interestingly, many of the players have a strong interest in archtop guitars and American jazz; it’s a focus that adds much to the vocabulary that these players are–to a great extent–helping to build before our eyes. (Fans of Moignard’s playing are advised to pick up a copy of Still Time, his stellar album with Ensemble Zaiti, for an even more modern approach to the music.)
The production team behind the album has done a great job of generating interest in the release, and they’ve kept their musicians in the public eye with a slew of extras. The album website features the wealth of bonus material that we’ve come to expect in an Internet age: behind the scenes footage, photos, b-sides, and even chord charts and backing tracks for budding guitarists. The Selmer #607 crew is currently on tour, sometimes literally passing the guitar from one soloist to another as they work through their sets, and many of their concerts are excerpted on the website–in every way, this album marks a turning point in the evolution of Gypsy Jazz, and the beginning of a new era.
For a look inside the recording process of Selmer #607, visit the production’s YouTube channel. To purchase the album as a CD or as mp3s, visit the Selmer #607 website or Djangobooks.com (CD only).
WHIDBEY ISLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS presents <a href=”http://www.djangofest.com/nw/home.htm” target=”_blank”>DJANGOFEST NORTHWEST 2008</a></li> – September 24-28
The excitement is beginning to build as we gear up for <a href=”http://www.djangofest.com/nw/home.htm” target=”_blank”>DJANGOFEST NORTHWEST 2008</a></li>. Now celebrating its eighth year of bringing Gypsy Jazz performers to Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, <a href=”http://www.djangofest.com/nw/home.htm” target=”_blank”>DjangoFest Northwest</a></li> has proven to be the premier showcase of gypsy jazz in North America, presenting some of the biggest names in the genre to thousands of enthusiastic fans.
We are honored to present, from Holland, the world-renowned Rosenberg Trio in their first US performance in 10 years and their only US performance in 2008. They will perform two concerts featuring completely different sets on Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 7:00pm. In addition they will conduct two workshops, including a special Rhythm workshop. This is an incredible opportunity to be in the presence of some of the greatest gypsy jazz musicians ever.
This year’s lineup also includes:
• The Sebastien Giniaux Trio with Mathieu Chatelain and Jeremie Arranger, who are considered by many to be the hottest of the young players on the Paris scene today.
• The electrifying John Jorgenson Quintet with three new members, also doing two completely different sets of new material.
• Straight-ahead jazz giants Howard Alden and Mimi Fox.
• From Canada, the great Marc Atkinson Trio returns, plus the debut performance of the incredibly inventive Van Django.
• The return of local favorites Pearl Django and Hot Club Sandwich from Seattle, and Whidbey’s own Billet Deux.
• We have two ‘back by popular demand’ acts in 3 Leg Torso and Fishtank Ensemble, and another new entry in the ‘eclectic’ category, the intriguing Jessica Fichot.
• Hot Club San Francisco, Hot Club Pacific from Santa Cruz, and Hot Club Eugene.
• DjangoFest performer of the year, the amazing Gonzalo Bergara.
<center><a href=”
Fan’s of Matelot Ferret’s epochal double album Tziganskaia or Angelo Debarre’s groundbreaking Gypsy Guitars would do well to keep an eye out for the upcoming release of Adieu, Bienville from Charlottesville, Virginia’s Olivarez Trio. Lead guitarist Rick Olivarez has obviously done his homework, and his love of the older waltzes, csardas, and Eastern European strains of Jazz Manouche gives rise here to a surprising new album that draws less on the jazz and more on the manouche.
Due out on August 8th, the disc includes older valses (Choti, Dolores) alongside pieces like Folklore Hongrois, Mademoiselle de Bucharest and the Django tune Double Whisky. Interspersed throughout are originals composed in the spirit of Ferret and Tchan-Tchou Vidal; highly dramatic works evocative of a time past, tunes like Adieu, Bienville and the wistful, elegiac Valse Sans Maris sound like small gems only recently rediscovered. (In that way, Reinhardt’s Double Whisky feels a bit out of place–a slightly too modern rhythm changes tune that doesn’t play to Olivarez’s considerable strengths. I’d have much preferred another of his delightful originals in its place.)
Holding down the rhythm are guitarist Jeff Cheers and bassist Steve Riggs, who provide a solid, steady bed for Olivarez’s soaring melodies. But Adieu, Bienville–to its great credit–mostly feels like an ensemble effort, a recording of like-minded musicians who have been together a while, and have gotten to know each other through music. It’s not, despite the musicianship on display, a ‘guitar hero’ record, but one more concerned with showing us the oft-overlooked value of our own musical past, and it succeeds, showing that quality has no expiration date.
Adieu, Bienville is available at Digstation.
This just in from Yoshi’s jazz director Jana Jackson:
The Django Festival
Starring Dorado Schmitt
Featuring Samson Schmitt, Howard Alden, Peter Beets & Brian Torff
With Special Guest Larry Coryell
Jul 31, 2008 – Aug 3, 2008
Thurs 8pm $22 & 10pm $14
Fri 8pm $26 & 10pm $18
Sat both shows $26
Sun 7pm $26 & 9pm $16
Launched in 2000 in New York, the Django Reinhardt Festival was the first-ever festival of Django’s music in America. Now it returns to Yoshi’s, where it enjoyed great success several years ago. Legendary Gypsy guitarist Dorado Schmitt is showcased along with his son, the young Gypsy star Samson Schmitt. They carry on the legacy of Django and his fiery, virtuoso, romantic music, which has its roots in American popular music and in the reverence for artists such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. The Festival will also feature the young Dutch pianist Peter Beets; guitarist Howard Alden, who performed the music in Sweet and Low Down, Woody Allen’s film about Django; the Festival’s regular bassist Brian Torff, who toured for years with Django’s partner Stephane Grappelli; and, as special guest, the master guitar improviser Larry Coryell.
Yoshi’s, of course, has a long history in the jazz world. Support live Gypsy Jazz by dropping by for these great shows! For more info or to buy tickets, drop by the Yoshi’s website.
Recent Comments