[Dixielandjazz] Gypsy Jazz instrumentation

[Beth Schweitzer]

Hi Norman,

I think you're absolutely right about the type of harmonica - he plays
mostly single notes, instead of the normal chord style, and I noticed
that while I was listening.

The band is called Hot Club Caravan and they have a web site which has
links to a few youtube postings:
http://web.me.com/sweltman1/SandyWeltmanMusicCalendar/Hot_Club_Caravan/Hot_Club_Caravan.html

>From there I found clips of a different band with many of the same
players but with two violinists instead of the harmonica - Swing DeVille
- also very good.

Enjoy!

Beth


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Gypsy Jazz instrumentation
From: "Norman Vickers" <nvickers1 at cox.net>
Date: Sun, December 20, 2009 3:48 pm
To: <beth at portafortuna.com>, "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>

  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.
                                     --end--