Gypsy jazz (also known as "Gypsy Swing") is an idiom often said to have been started by guitarist Django Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because its origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "Jazz manouche," or alternatively, "manouche jazz," even in English language sources.[1] Django was foremost among a group of guitarists working in and around Paris in the late 1920s and 30s.
Many of the musicians in this style worked in Paris in various popular Musette ensembles. The Musette style waltz remains an important component in the Gypsy jazz repertoire. Reinhardt was noted for combining a dark, chromatic Gypsy flavor with the swing articulation of the period. This combination is critical to this style of jazz. In addition to this his approach continues to form the basis for contemporary Gypsy jazz guitar. Reinhardt's most famous group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, also brought fame to jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli.
Gypsy jazz, along with traditional Gypsy music, is learned by the passing down of knowledge from older generations. Many Gypsy musicians do not read notated music. It is more common for beginners to spend hours learning and memorizing songs from recordings and gleaning techniques from more experienced players.
In Gypsy jazz, guitar and violin are the main solo instruments, although clarinet and accordion are also common. The rhythm guitar is played using a distinct percussive technique, "la pompe", that essentially replaces the drums; however, in Eastern gypsy jazz, rhythm section is most likely covered by one or two cymbaloms, or (less frequently) a cymbalom and an acoustic guitar (the cymbalom accompaniment technique is called in Romanian "ţiitură"). An upright bass fills out the ensembles. Although many instrumental lineups exist, a group including one lead guitar, violin, two rhythm guitars, and bass is often the norm.
Gypsy Jazz Techniques
Gypsy jazz is a unique guitar discipline, and due to this, is associated with multiple techniques that are definitive of the sound of this music.
Rhythm-Rhythm guitar in gypsy jazz uses a special form of strumming known as "Le Pompe". This form of percussive rhythm is similar to the "boom-chick" in bluegrass styles. The strumming hand, which never touches the top of the guitar, must make a quick up-down strum followed by a down strum. The up-down part of Le Pompe must be done extremely fast, regardless of the tempo of the music. It is very similar to a grace note in classical music, albeit the fact that an entire chord is used. Another important aspect of this style of playing is based on the chord shapes Django was forced to use due to his injury. Standard barre chords are not an acceptable form in gypsy jazz, and these are instead replaced with chords that use just two or three fingers. Standard major and minor chord are almost never played, and are instead replaced by minor 6th, major 6th, and 6/9 chords.
Lead- There are many techniques associated with lead playing in this style. As mentioned above, chromatic notes play a large role in this style of music, as do arpeggios. Many of Django's solos contain arpeggios where each note of the arpeggio is preceded by its own leading tone. Another important aspect of lead playing is the glissando, in which the player slides up a string, articulating each note on the way, in order to get a fast, virtuosic sound. Another important aspect of gypsy jazz lead is the use of diminished chords and arpeggios. Diminished runs, in which the shape of a diminished 7th chord is played in all inversions,one after the other, is a widespread gypsy jazz technique. Diminished 7th arpeggios are also used over Dominant 7th chords. Example: If an A7 is being played, a diminished run starting on C# would be played, creating an A7b9 sound over the dominant chord.
Contemporary Gypsy jazz
Robin Nolan (right) performing at the Midwest Midwinter Gypsy Swing Festival in Madison, Wisconsin.
Gypsy jazz is thriving today, with fans and practitioners found all over the globe. The largest audiences and highest caliber of musicians are still found in Europe as this is where the style originates.[2] Stochelo Rosenberg, Biréli Lagrène and Tchavolo Schmitt are perhaps the most famous performers today.citation needed The Hungarian group, Hot Club of Hungary[3] plays high quality gypsy jazz in the style of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, and the Hot Club of France. There is also a substantial American Gypsy Jazz movement headed by groups like Pearl Django and the John Jorgenson Quintet.
Other outstanding contemporary Manouche instrumentalists in the Django Reinhardt/Le Jazz Hot Tradition, as heard annually at the Festival de Jazz Django Reinhardt at Samois-sur-Seine, France, includecitation needed Dorado Schmitt, Fapy Lafertin, Jimmy Rosenberg, Jon Larsen, Angelo Debarre, Babik Reinhardt, Moreno, Patrick Saussois, Dario Pinelli, Ritary Gaguenetti, Robin Nolan, John Jorgenson, Samson Schmitt, Mandino Reinhardt, Stephane Wrembel, Evan Perri, and Florin Niculescu.
DjangoFest NW, a celebration of Gypsy Jazz, takes place each September at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley, Washington, in the USA, which features such performers as the Canadian guitarist Marc Atkinson.
Every year, in August, New York's Lincoln Center hosts a Concert at Rose Hall, and the world famous Jazz Club, [4]Birdland, in New York, features a week long Gypsy Jazz concert series in November.
See also
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