[Dixielandjazz] Gypsy Jazz Monterey

[Marek Boym]

On 20/12/2009, billsharp <sharp-b at clearwire.net> wrote:
> Twas the Monterey Jazz Bash By The Bay which last year added a gypsy jazz
> group to their lineup of bands, and they took the crowds by storm.
> The group was the Gonzolo Bergera Quartet.
>
> In lieu of  the traditional violin player taking the leads, they used a
> phenomenal clarinet/sax player who was a complete master of his instrument.

The seminal "Gypsy jazz" group - the Quintette de Hot Club de France,"
indeed had a violinist, who was not a Gypsy.  And while the violin
features widely in Gypsy music, clarinet is poppular there as well.
When Django Reinhardt returned to France, while Gappelly elected to
stay in Britain, he had a clarinetists in his group.  One such
clarinet player was Hubert Rostaing, another one - Maurice Meunier
(who also played saxophone).  Other Gypsy jazz groups feature
accordions, or even - harmonicas.  Still others feature just guitars
and a double bass.

We have here an excellent Gypsy swing group, Swing de Gitanes, which
has only two guitars and a double bass, although it is often joined by
a viokinist (but I've heard it with a clarinet player).


>  Though the gypsy jazz groups
> do not have the dixieland instrumentation we expect to see and hear at OKOM
> festivals, they definitely provide the energy we love, while keeping alive
> many of the standards we know and enjoy - - -Shine, Marie, Exactly Like You,
> Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen, and dozens more.  Because of this, I believe that
> gypsy jazz is a force to be reckoned with in OKOM.

As far as I am concerned, it IS OKOM.

Cheers