Fusing musical genres is probably as old as music itself. Jazz itself is the fusion of African and European music combined on the shores of North America. In the 1960′s young jazz musicians like Larry Coryell and Chick Corea brought the beat of the rock music they grew up with into the world of jazz. With the communications of today, musical genres from all over the world are being combined.

Enter Louis Matthee, a guitarist who was born and raised in South Africa who now calls the San Francisco Bay area home. Louis (AKA Lou-Lou) has fused Gypsy jazz with “South African Jazz” in his new release “Gypsy Jive”. Joining Lou-Lou in this effort are some of the Bay area’s best musicians, Joe Kyle, jr. on bass, Tom Griesser on reeds and Ralph Carney on penny whistle and flute.

Lou-Lou has strong chops on the Selmac guitar and a sound that is rooted in the Django Reinhardt tradition with a Robin Nolanesque touch added for good measure. The albums 10 tracks contain two Gypsy jazz standards (Django’s Castle and Lady Be Good), 4 Lou-Lou originals and 4 South African jazz tunes. The music has a very strong Afro-Caribbean feel (often Lou-Lou’s guitar licks emulate the steel drums to my ears on this disc), and the danceability of these tunes in always present. The two Gypsy jazz standards are done in a very stylized manner.

Those who look for a cerebral jazz experience will probably find this offering a bit simplistic. The tunes are (mostly) based on simple, repetitious harmonies. Those looking for orthodox Gypsy jazz, keep moving. This is something different. Those looking for something new, something happy and something with a serious groove will love it.

My advice is this; get some friends, go to the beach and bring a boombox and queue up “Gypsy Jive”. Play it loud. Your party will be a hit.