[Dixielandjazz] Swing de Gitanes concert

[Marek Boym]

Hello,
Hereunder are Donna's impressions of a recent Swing de Gitanes performance:

Swing de Gitanes at HaSimta in Jaffa on February 8, 2012
Oh my goodness!  It's already been ten days since my visit to HaSimta
(the Alley) in old Jaffa to hear Swing de Gitanes, the marvelous
Israeli trio that claims Django Reinhardt as its musical father, as
guitarist Yaakov Hoter announced (or grandfather, as guitarist Ori
Ben-Zvi quipped in response - and it makes sense both from the
perspective of time and because the band members not only learned from
Django's recordings, but also from living Gypsy musicians following in
Django's footsteps).  Virtuoso bassist Oren Sagi completes the trio.
The band is really attuned to the audience, even to the extent of
adjusting the announcements to suit it.  Yaakov took care to make most
of them in English as well as Hebrew, having noticed some English
speakers in the crowd, and I could tell that the English-speaking
couple sitting next to me appreciated it.
I've been to HaSimta before, but this is the first time its location
in an artists' colony was emphasized by oil paintings hanging on the
walls of the roofed street, which made arriving early worthwhile.
This venue is very different from Tel Aviv's Felicja Blumenthal
Center, where I last heard the trio.  Instead of that theatre-like
atmosphere and subdued comfort, HaSimta is more like a club, with
plastic seats arranged around small, round tables and some lined up on
bleachers in the back.  The last time I heard Swing de Gitanes at
HaSimta, I was on those rather rickety bleachers, but this time it
wasn't as crowded, though there was a good audience, and I managed to
get a seat right up front.
Not only does each member of the band seem to improve with time, but
the trio as an entity seems to be becoming ever more cohesive and
complex.  The solos flow into one another so smoothly that there was
little applause between solos (there was no between), even though the
sound and feeling of each player are distinctly different and
certainly the bass provides even more contrast.  I felt the audience
didn't want to break the spell or miss even a single note of what the
next soloist had to say.  The hush while the band was playing (even
though people were sitting with glasses of wine before them) and the
resounding applause at the end of each number left no doubt as to the
rapt attention and ardent enthusiasm of the public.
The program was a mix of Django standards, more contemporary pieces in
the genre, like the waltz from Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris and
theme from the Mafia computer game, and original compositions by
members of the band.  In fact, I'm quite glad they started off with
Oren Sagi's jaunty Sidewalks in Autumn, which is already familiar to
fans.  The other originals scattered throughout the program included
Yaakov Hoter's energetic Honeymoon and Ori Ben-Zvi's Yaboganza, the
beat and feeling of which remind me of I Dig Rock and Roll Music,
making me feel like taking out my go-go boots and starting to dance.
Ori says the name is his invention and meant to be a cry of joy
similar to Yabbadabbado.
The band plays as one and becomes more creative and inspired each time
they play, making even such standards as Nuages and Dark Eyes seem to
come alive .  This time they were absolutely breathtaking, plucking on
my heartstrings.  Yaakov's emotion-imbued playing and the deep, mellow
sound of his guitar during his solo on Nuages actually evoked the
taste of rich dark chocolate .  It led me to wonder how to describe
the playing of the other two wonderful musicians and the way they all
complement one another.  To me, Ori's sound is more sharp and bright,
like vodka straight from the freezer, and Oren's dark, complex and
bubbly, not at all like champagne, but more like rich brown ale.  The
combination would certainly make a delicious, explosive and highly
intoxicating cocktail, as the music itself certainly does.
The band invited host and jazz club organizer, Shlomi Goldenberg, to
sit in on saxophone for the last two numbers; if I recall correctly,
they were All of Me and I Can't Give You Anything but Love ,and added
some spice by taking turns trading fours with him.  Shlomi graciously
bowed out when the audience clamored for more and got an encore.  I
could hear the excitement and enthusiasm of the public, including some
tourists and new fans, as they left the hall, stopping on the way out
to congratulate the band, sign up for their mailing list and buy CDs
(taking up Yaakov on his suggestion, "if you like the music, you can
take us home with you…wrapped in cellophane").  Their CD, Muza, is
available from Amazon.