Gypsy jazz, American swing intertwine delectably

REVIEW Pianist Hyman, guitarist Debarre flavor the Django Reinhardt festival

October 29, 2007
BY JOHN LITWEILER
Chicago Sun Times

The swing revival came to Symphony Center on Friday night in an American and a European version. The Europeans played Gypsy jazz, based on electrifying guitarist Django Reinhardt's 1930s Hot Club of France Quintet. Compared to the festival sextet's virtuoso razzle-dazzle, American pianist Dick Hyman swung simply and with the greatest of ease. Lots of fine flavors in this concert, but not quite complete nourishment.

The Hot Club heirs, little known in America, played mostly in threes and fours. Remarkably, guitarist Angelo Debarre sounded just like Django, with Django's fast, wide, note-bending vibrato, Django's lyricism and Django's sense of formal contrast. Debarre was full of speeding, swooping lines, and if he somehow missed the feeling of inevitability in Django's solos, that surely testifies to the master's subtlety. Though the other guitar soloist, young Kruno, was undermiked, his phrasing was more vivid and his sense of musical line was more flowing. Both were marvels, and the highlight was a Gypsy song, sung by Kruno, to furious two-guitar strumming.

High-caffeine violinist Florin Niculescu sawed away in double-time, wildly flinging scales and arpeggios around. Ludovic Beier conveyed a flavor of old European movies with clever but wheezy accordion solos. Energetic rhythm guitarist Tchavolo Hassan and ex-Chicago basssist Brian Torff completed the group.

Hyman's piano solos in the fast "Swing Is Here" and "Ornithology" were especially inventive, with a light touch, an old Johnny Guarnieri flavor and a delightful sense of space in his lines. He's a swing-revival eclectic who channeled Count Basie in an unusually slow "Dickie's Dream," but his disappointing other solos were loaded with up-down runs.

Hyman's four younger Friends were eclectics from the 1980s swing revival. Guitarist Howard Alden also offered pleasing relaxation and played a clever "Panama" duet with Ken Peplowski on clarinet. Peplowski, who soloed more than his mates, nervously reflected early-jazz reedmen from Benny Goodman to Kansas City, even in two tenor sax solos. Bassist Jay Leonhart killed time by singing, and Ed Metz Jr., a good drummer, stayed in the background.

This quintet's set was abbreviated. Though they returned to play a finale, Django's standard "Minor Swing," with the Gypsy-jazz six, leader Hyman's heart seemed to be elsewhere this evening.

John Litweiler is a Chicago jazz critic and author.

2nd Edition of the International Romani Yag Gypsy Festival Opens Today

Discover the Gypsies!

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Oct. 11, 2007) - The 2nd edition of the Romani Yag Gypsy Festival opens tonight! This festival, unique in Canada, features more than 25 activities between October 11th to the 14th. Dedicated to the Gypsies, the festival presents more than 50 artists and speakers, including guests from 5 different countries that will offer many glances on this mysterious culture.

In order to allow all to step into the world of the Roma people, the informational activities will be free for all audiences. As for the concerts, poetry reading, storytelling and master classes, the entrance fees will range from a mere $10 to $25, with reduced rates for students and presale. Most of those activities will be presented at the Ukrainian Federation (5213, Hutchison), at the new Cafe Sarajevo (6548, St. Laurent), at the Parc des princes bistro (5293, Parc) and the Kola Note (5240, Parc).

To find out more about the Festival's complete programming, visit www.romaniyag.com.

Source: Ljuba Radman, President, Romani Yag

Are you ready for the Budapest Gypsy Symphony?

The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra, in Hungarian Szaztagu Cinanyzenekar is the worlds largest Gypsy Orchestra.

The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1895, when Sandor Jaroka, at the time Hungary’s most famous “primas” (gypsy soloist) died . All Hungarian Gypsy musicians decided to attend his funeral and after the ceremony they began to play . The orchestra had been born out of this improvised moment. Since its foundation the Orchestra has performed numerous concerts in many European countries , especially in France , where the orchestra performs 60 sell- out concerts every year. The orchestra has also toured successfully in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, and Japan.

The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra performs with the most amazing virtuosity, the soul of a whole nation. Their repertoire mixes the traditional Gypsy violin of Lazlo Berki, Grigoras Dinicu, Jeno Hubai, Victorio Manti, Elemer Szentirmay, with the great classical works of composers Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt , Jacques Offenbach, Giocchino Rossini and Johan Strauss.

There are violins, viocellos, Double Bass, cimbalons and clarinets, all brought together to bring us lively and heart rending music of a distressing tradition and art that only belongs to them.

Magic atmosphere where each note is like a moan, a farewell, a sob and at the same time an incredible hymn for life. What dazzles the public is the art, that belongs only to these musicians, the art of playing without a break, the art of short turn and variation, which never betrays the composition but enriches it. They transmit to the spectators the energy of a nation, which has chosen music as its universal language.

Instinctive as a Gypsy gathering, rigorous as a Vienna concert, in black tuxedo or traditional dress the Budapest Gypsy symphony Orchestra gives as much to look at as to listen to.

With no contest, it is the most exciting Symphony orchestra of our time, the worlds greatest orchestra of Gypsy musicians. The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra will play the Royal Theatre Castlebar on Friday October 5 at 8pm. Tickets cost from €39.50; for more information log on to www.royaltheatre.ie.

The Romani Yag Gypsy Festival Unveils its Program

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Sept. 27, 2007) - Mr. Jorg Metger, Consul General of Germany, Ms. Ljuba Radman, President of Romani Yag, and a special guest will present the program of the international festival dedicated to Gypsies (shows, exhibitions, films, conferences, round tables), followed by a live performance by Le Hot Club de Ma Rue.

The Romani Yag Gypsy Festival's 2nd Edition will take place from October 11th to 14th, 2007 in Montreal.

Date: Thursday, September 27th
Time: 5 pm
Venue: New Cafe Sarajevo,6548 Saint Laurent Boulevard, Montreal

The Spellbinding Music of Vardos

By Emma Hall
Special to the Epoch Times Jun 21, 2007


Vardos' Alana Hunt with her quick violin, Sofia Chapman plays the piano accordion and Indra Buraczewska on the bass at the Surrey Music Cafe in Box Hill. (Jarrod Hall)

Stories of cheese, milk, flies, horse taxis and mountains may not sound like the ideal night out, but it's merely the appetiser to the gypsy music that regularly sweeps the audience off their feet when Vardos work their magic. The trio play gypsy as well as traditional Hungarian and Romanian songs with a few Russian tunes thrown in.

Vardos energetically play a game of cat and mouse with their instruments while closely interacting with each other and the audience. Violinist Alana Hunt drives the trio with her violin; Sofia Chapman plays the piano accordion, while Indra Buraczewska – "the authentic European" – plays the bass.

Sofia Chapman explains why she is drawn to specialise in European music: "With the folk music and the gypsy music it just seems to be very lively and when you go and hang out in those communities you see everyone in the village just gets involved and so for weddings they'll go for days on end. It's just dancing and enjoying the music. It's exciting to get caught up in that too."

The band was formed in 1993 in Perth by Alana Hunt and since then Alana, along with Sofia, has made several trips to Europe to enhance their gypsy music training.

Watching them perform, it really doesn't matter where they're from; they've certainly captured the European gypsy music spirit excitement and humour.

During the show, Alana tells earthy stories of cheese, milk, flies, horses and mountains to introduce the origin of many songs. Some of Vardos's songs, particularly the Romanian ones, have slow melodies that are perfectly interwoven with each other. Other songs spin into a dizzying passion and dancing, and showcase the fantastic interaction between the three musicians who exchange meaningful looks.

One Romanian song about fairies at a stream had a lingering and mysterious quality to it that really made one feel as if walking in a deep forest.

"A lot of the people that we've learnt from do happen to be gypsies. That section of the gypsy community that plays the music, they just try and outdo everybody and play the best that they can and that's why whatever sort of music they play, gypsy musicians can excel at it," says Sofia Chapman.

Apart from playing to live audiences, Vardos have also branched out into film and television with a line-up of several short-film soundtracks to their name, including the ABC series "Seachange". More recently, in March this year, they were guests on The Footy Show playing their version of It's more than a Game.

They also featured in Ruth Cullen's documentary on artist Vali Myers, Painted Lady.

Vardos have toured in the US, Germany, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Switzerland, around Hungary and also played at the Famous Spiegeltent in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2003 they were nominated for the BBC Radio3 World Music Awards.

It is rare that musicians who are not native to the cultures of Romania and Hungary can hold their own when playing the music to which locals claim ownership. But even the locals admit that gypsy music is best left to gypsies; the fact that Vardos dare to tread into such emotionally charged territory speaks volumes. A quote from a Romanian local newspaper illustrates their passion: "If in the beginning of our careers we thought that we couldn't live without music, now we are sure that we can't live without Romanian music."

Vardos will perform on Saturday June 16 at the Austrian Club in Heidelberg West in Melbourne and at the Czech House on June 17 in North Melbourne. In true gypsy fashion the trio perform at a whole range of events that also include weddings. To find out more and sample their spellbinding music visit www.vardos.com.au.


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Copyright 2000 - 2007 Epoch Times International

Gypsy Jazz Festivals Recall Grappelli, Reinhardt: Mike Zwerin

By Mike Zweri

June 20 (Bloomberg) -- The musette is the musical expression of the beret, the baguette, and the yellow corn-paper Gauloise cigarette. It is, says Didier Lockwood, ``as French as the Tour de France.''

Lockwood, a violinist, composer, and educator, is officially described as ``godfather'' to the Festival Jazz Musette des Puces that takes place in the Paris flea market in the suburb of Saint- Ouen on June 23 and 24.

Musette is bouncy, merry music, perfect for dancing and partying. It is now a kind of folk music, fixed in the time of its heyday, the first half of the 20th century.

Elements of the tango, the waltz, the mazurka, and flamenco were incorporated into the gypsy culture to give birth to the musette. The accordion was king, followed by guitars, clarinets, violins and bass fiddles as the style segued into what was called Gypsy Swing. Similar to the tango, it excluded drums. It is useful to remember that Chet Baker once said: ``It's got to be a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all.''

When Jean `Django' Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France combined the musette with jazz in the 1930s, it became the only major jazz style not born in the U.S.

Gypsy Swing generates its magical percussionless groove (the accordion was dropped) by several guitars playing the ``pompe,'' an insistent strumming of four beats to the bar.

Adding Charisma

The quintet was still a quartet when Reinhardt complained to his co-leader, the violinist Grappelli, that it wasn't fair that he had only one guitar playing the pompe behind his solos, and Grappelli had two. So they added a third guitar, and that clinched the group's charisma.

Grappelli took Lockwood under his wing when he heard him play at the age of 21, when he was with the jazz-rock fusion group Magma. Lockwood has since played and recorded with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Claude Nougaro, Michel Petrucciani, and Frank Zappa.

His Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood, south of Paris near Melun, teaches improvisation to an international assortment of students. He has been made a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.

Lockwood compares the musette to Irish traditional music, sounds that will not disappear, but ``which needs to be exposed to a wider and younger public.''

David Reinhardt, Ninine Garcia, Stochello Rosenberg, Christian Escoude and Marcel Azzola among others will perform afternoons and evenings in the brasseries, bistros, bars and streets of the market, surrounding Saint-Ouen and the neighboring 18th arrondisssement.

The festival's costs are covered by councils, tourist boards, cultural organizations and private sponsors, making the music free of charge. Lockwood calls it a ``fete populaire.''

Double Outlaw

Reinhardt was, like Artie Shaw, one of those jazzmen who was good and genuinely popular at the same time. His popularity topped out during the German occupation of France (Grappelli spent the war in London), when posters for his concerts were on the walls of Paris next to Maurice Chevalier posters.

Reinhardt ate in the best Italian restaurants, stayed at the best hotels, and won and lost fortunes playing billiards. Being a gypsy and a jazz musician in wartime Paris, he was a double outlaw at a time when jazz was a metaphor for freedom.

The 28th annual Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur- Seine, an enchanting river port west of Paris, will take place from June 28 through July 1, a week after the market festival. Reinhardt had settled down in a house in Samois when he died aged 43 on May 16, 1953, while fishing in a rowboat on the river.

Many gypsies continue to claim to be his cousins. Most of them play guitars, and they like to gather their caravans in Samois for the festival.

Featured musicians include Mike Reinhardt, Tchavolo and Dorado Schmitt, Alma Sinti, Wawau Adler, and Florin Niculescu.

(Mike Zwerin is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Gypsy Caravan: US Theatrical Release!

Gypsy Caravan (a.k.a.: When the Road Bends...tales of a Gypsy Caravan) launches its U.S. theatrical release in New York City this June! It will screen in over twenty US cities throughout the summer.

Don't miss this dazzling display of the musical world of the Roma, juxtaposed to the real world they live in! Check for screening dates and theaters in a town near you.

For more details contact Little Dust Productions at 212-228-7777 or info@littledust.com
-or-
Karen O'Hara at karenoh@aol.com or 520-326-0813.

More about the film...

This rich feature documentary by Jasmine Dellal (American Gypsy) and shot by Albert Maysles celebrates the luscious music of top international Gypsy performers and interweaves stirring looks at their home life and personal stories.

GYPSY CARAVAN is an uplifting and moving documentary which explores the real lives of the Roma as we travel to their homes in Macedonia, Romania, India and Spain. Meet their families and see what music brings to their lives – a link to an ancient culture, a common language, a traditional career – all of which is a stark and often painful contrast to life on the road.

The personal drama and stories of these characters are interwoven with their performances, reflecting the imagery and emotion of their music. We see love and death and tales of lives that are raw and rich. They make us laugh and cry and laugh again, allowing us to understand and expand on the riches of Romani music and history, and letting us enjoy knowing the people intimately.

GYPSY CARAVAN is currently screening at festivals in Seattle, London and Transilvania. It launched at Tribeca and garnered festival awards from San Francisco to Nashville and Vancouver, and from Korea to the Czech Republic.

Read about the outreach efforts of Gypsy Caravan and the lessons learned about bringing this film to Roma communities and new and unexpected audiences around the world.

• Gypsy Caravan Outreach Journal I by Lucy Kay

•Gypsy Caravan Outreach Journal II by Sara Nolan

•Salon.com summarized it well: "Let me read your thoughts: You're not much interested in Gypsy music, and the historical and cultural stuff might be pretty dry. That's what I thought too: Wrong and wrong. ...a cinematic and musical experience that's absolute magic."

Read the full article.

When the Road Bends...tales of a Gypsy Caravan released by Shadow Distribution

Starts
06/15/2007
Ends
08/11/2007

Issues
Economic Justice, Family & Society, Immigration, International, Politics/Government, Racial Justice, Poverty, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Romany

Homepage
www.GypsyCaravanMovie.com

Contact
info@littledust.com

Posted on June 15, 2007 in Film / Screening by Anayansi

Vinok falls under Gypsy spell

Canada.com

Homage to often-misunderstood people plays out in music, words and dance

Pamela Anthony
Freelance


Monday, May 14, 2007

The romance and mystery of the Gypsy life has fascinated people for ages.

The popular view of Gypsies is that of beautiful outlaws who reject conventional life for a world of passionate independence and the freedom of the road.

Hollywood has reinforced this vision, portraying Gypsies as attractively dangerous, characterized by their haunting music and sensual dance.

These are attractive myths, and they contain elements of truth.

There are also darker sides of the image, that of the "tramps and thieves" variety.

But reality is always more complex than stereotypes.

The Gypsies are a unique ethno-cultural group, with a distinct language, laws, traditions and ethos.

Even the term "Gypsy" can be a bit problematic. Gypsy is an English word for the Roma people, and in some parts of the world it's used in a derogatory fashion.

Then there is the notion of a free, nomadic lifestyle. In many cases, a more accurate description would be of a permanently displaced people. Roma have suffered centuries of discrimination and oppression, and are still part of a vast, ongoing diaspora. They're people whose history of survival is still unfolding.

And yet the art and cultural traditions of Romany people have had immeasurable impact throughout the world, inspiring generations of artists.

The artists of Vinok Worldance are among those who have fallen under the Romany spell.

They have developed a new show, Romany Blues, that is a homage to the Roma, played out in poetry, music and dance.

Vinok executive director and show co-creator Leanne Koziak says it's a celebration tempered by a keen awareness of the complexities of a still largely misunderstood ethno-cultural group.

"There are so many myths and ideas about the Roma," she says. "We did a lot of research for this show. It was a long process, but we wanted to get a better idea of who they are as a people. We're trying to be realistic, not overglamourizing or romanticizing their culture, but not focusing on too many of the racial and political issues either."

The issues are complex, but Romany Blues reflects them through art, music and dance.

"It's done with a story that links everything together. It's set in modern times, but we kept with the strong traditional representation of Gypsy dance."

The story is that of a young man who wanders Europe, fuelled by the memory of his great-grandfathers, and searching for a treasured guitar. He becomes enthralled with a woman -- and Romany culture.

Koziak says the company is trying to express that sense of enchantment, one the music and dance can easily create.

"The music is just fantastic, it's beautiful. And the dancing is easy to connect to on a personal level. It has forms, but generally it's very personal -- there is lots of room for improvisation and individual style."

Koziak says wide-ranging regional and artistic influences, from India and across Europe, have created distinct variations in both the music and dance. Recognizable dances such as the flamenco will be seen beside less well-known forms.

But they're all part of the Roma history and traditions.

Tracing out folk traditions and giving them an authentic place onstage in contemporary society is what Vinok is all about. The company has a repertoire that includes folk dance and music from cultures around the globe. Koziak says the anthropological aspects of "folkloric" work are endlessly fascinating.

"Music and dance tell us so much about who people are. Folk dances are snapshots of people from a very specific time and particular place."

Koziak recognizes the often tragic history and daunting contemporary challenges faced by Gypsies the world over.

But Romany Blues is a chance to express her own lifelong admiration for a special people.

"Growing up in Ukrainian culture, Gypsies were seen in a positive light.

"Others might be very negative, horrified to accept any relationship to Gypsies. But for us, there was a sense of attraction to the culture. They were always the most desirable, the most beautiful girls, and the most handsome men. And of course, the most beautiful music and dancing."

Dance Preview

Romany Blues

Company: Vinok Worldance

Where: Maclab Theatre, Citadel

When: Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30

Tickets: Citadel box office, 425-1820

© The Edmonton Journal 2007

Gypsy Caravan at the 2007 Wisconsin Film Festival

This documentary about the Roma musical tradition screened Saturday at MMoCA!
Emma Lierley on Sunday 04/15/2007 09:04:26.

"Now they're still learning," a northern Indian man told to the camera in the opening scene of the documentary Gypsy Caravan.

It panned to show a group of smiley young boys, awkwardly holding instruments. Without so much as counting off, the group effortlessly creates a beautiful sound. The first chills of the film quickly followed.

Gypsy Caravan is an incredibly strong documentary -- well produced and edited -- but it is the people in the film that give it the extraordinary edge. The most amazingly adorable wrinkled old men share the stage with perfectly theatrical divas, while a troupe of chillingly talented Indian musicians makes fun of them all.

Following five bands, from four countries, for six weeks as they tour America, the documentary tells the musicians' story -- showing us their weddings as well as their funerals -- and creates a dialogue around the plight of the incredibly diverse 10 million Roma people world wide.

The musicians are not being "found" on this American tour; they are all incredibly successful in their own countries. They are, however, playing to sold-out concerts, like the film was shown to a sold-out audience, and with similar effects. Film-goers had to hold back their enthusiastic applause at the end of every concert shown in the documentary.