Is anyone in the group interested in Gypsy Jazz? It's never been mentioned here so I'm assuming the answers will be zilch, nada, no one......or........."Sorry, no speak English, Senor!"

The man is going to a psychiatrist for five years. His friend asks how he's doing. The man said "I was doing OK up to about a week ago when he said something that upset me!" Friend said "what did he say?" Answer: "he said...No hablo Ingles!"

Love Gypsy Jazz. I grew up listening to Django Reinhart. Even saw Stephane Grappelli perform live before he died. The guitar players he had with him were great at channeling Django of course. Gypsy Jazz is still very much alive today. I know Captain Russ is also a big fan.

My Mum was a jazz violinist, as was an Uncle Allie Young...so I grew up with a lot of influences by both, as well as listening to a lot of Django and Grapelli.

Nigel, another exceptional "fiddler" as my Mum used to respectfully call them, was a guy named Joe Venuti... https://youtu.be/thXi4Ca0sLE


He was the guy (probably not the first) who stretched the bow strings over the top of the fiddle...kinda cool. He shows how he does it on this video...starts at around 5:00 in https://youtu.be/W3gAypnheyo



I love wailing away to a good Gypsy Jazz style on the ole Tyros4...especially doing medleys of the old tunes and using the T4's awesome SA2 Violins and Guitars...happy music indeed.

There don't appear to be any groups in my area playing this type of music.

Ian

Rory Hoffman is fabulous as a Gypsy player. He is in a group that performs at a top level often.

I have three Gypsy instruments that are copies of the original Selmer Macafee models.

Don't have time to pursue. Grapelli is fabulous.

R.

That is a great clip Donny. Shows how much it is still alive.

A few years ago I heard Andreas Oberg playing gypsy jazz at NAMM

I don't think there is anything Rory can't play. He is a true legend.

Thanx Nigel,...I really enjoy watching and listening to them play this type of musci

Joe Venuti was the strongest of the violinists mentioned. An "up and comer" is Zak Brock, from Lexington. He has played with Chick Corea, taking Jon Luke Ponti's place at the biggest jazz events around.

Fantastic player and GREAT KID!

R.

Wow.....I didn't think I'd get ANY response! Been into Gypsy for quite a few years now. Have probably about 100 Django recordings.

I also have "strums" done by Stephane Wrembel if anyone wants to practice with them.

As for me....it's my Achilles Heel. Every time I play GJ it comes out like a poor man's C&W blues.

Now the best part.......there was a movie produced by Woodie Allen a while back called Sweet and Lowdown and starring Sean Penn. The whole soundtrack is Gypsy as he plays a guitarist called Emmet Ray who is so in love with himself he is intimidated by no one but the master himself.....Django

The film is hilarious and the music, though slightly cleaned up for the soundtrack and a tiny bit sterile, is incredible especially with Sean Penn's screen playing (he's "high" through the whole movie).....and funny as heck.

I've watched the movie 1/2 dozen times and listen to the soundtrack often (but you've got to see the movie to appreciate the soundtrack!).

Here's one of the tunes played by Howard Alden, who I believe does the playing in the whole film. Seriously....even if you don't like GJ, if you're a musician.......see the movie.

The action starts at 01:28 on this video




and......a typical back street garage band Gypsy group.....how could you NOT like this stuff?

I have posted this before ... we saw this group on a side stage at the Newport Jazz Festival a few years ago - I was about 10 feet from where this guy asked the bass player to sign his guitar ... I spoke to one of George Wein's - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wein - assistant producers and said that these guys should be on the main stage, but they haven't been so far ... they were great !!!