[Dixielandjazz] Gypsy Jazz instrumentation

[Norman Vickers]

To:  DJML

Re:  Gypsy jazz instrumentation

 

Commenting about gypsy jazz style and instrumentation, Beth Schweitzer
wrote:

(snip)

>From: "Beth Schweitzer" <beth at portafortuna.com>

>Interestingly though, they have a harmonica player in place of a violinist.
Now I >this guy is really good and it somehow fits perfectly with the music
style. I found >myself very happily surprised and really enjoyed their
concert when I saw the band >recently.

 

Norman comments:  I would highly suspect that the harmonicist in this group
plays chromatic-- e.g. Toots Thielemans style--in that he/she plays
individual notes rather than bad chords.  Chromatic can play properly in
tune whereas diatonic can only bend notes to try to approximate notes not in
the diatonic scale.  I tell people who aren't acquainted with the
differences in the two instruments that buying a chromatic is like buying a
piano with both the white and the black keys.

 

I'd be interested in knowing about this band and maybe hearing a snip.  Are
they, perhaps, on You Tube?  Name of the St. Louis Band?

 

Thanks Beth.

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