Over the past six years, have become a fixture at The Rogue Folk Clubs annual April in Paris festival. In turn, violinist Cameron Wilson has noticed the gypsy jazz celebrated at the showcase becoming increasingly commonplace in the world around him.
To wit, moviegoers recently swooned to St茅phane Wrembels Bistro Fada, which set the mood for Woody Allens Midnight in Paris, or caught a glimpse of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt (as portrayed by Emil Lager) in Martin Scorseses Hugo.
Just as those two films looked back fondly at bygone eras, Wilson is prone to waxing rhapsodic about his earliest encounters with gypsy jazz. When I was 13, I heard (violinist and Reinhardt collaborator) St茅phane Grappelli play in concert, he recalls. It was kind of life changing.
Then, I had a junior high school English teacher who was really into Django and played guitar. He would bring these charts to school and wed jam at lunch hour, he continues. He had all of these St茅phane Grappelli records Id never heard before. It was mind-blowing to hear.
Some years later, Wilson crossed paths with another guitarist Budge Schachte and formed Van Django, which now includes cellist/guitarist Finn Manniche and bassist Brent Gubbels.
In addition to tackling Reinhardt standards like Djangology and Belleville, the quartet also pen their own material, which features heavily on their second album, Waltz in the Shape of a Tree, released in conjunction with their April 20 show at St. James Hall.
In addition to drawing heavily on traditional gypsy jazz, the players who also toil in countless other projects allow a myriad of other influences to shape Van Djangos music. While Wilsons admiration for Grappelli has never waned, his playing style is equally indebted to Joe Vinuti and Stuff Smith. He swung harder than anyone, he marvels of Smith. In terms of how their pieces are assembled, A lot of it is just instinctive... You throw in the odd country music lick... Some classical motifs and harmonies... Some pop music too...
Having once reworked Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit as a gypsy jazz piece, Van Django have now added The Beatles A Day in the Life to their repertoire. In terms of how they found their way into the multi-movement anthem, he expains, The second section where it gets faster Woke up/Fell out of bed... is almost swing. Then, we threw in a little of Djangos Minor Swing. Its sort of like a casserole. Then, theres a little George Harrison quote near the end.
To Wilsons way of thinking, its this sense of of experimentation that separates North American gypsy jazz players from their European brethren, who tend to stick to standards. The European gypsy jazz is more authentic. It has more attitude and panache, he admits. I think we bring our own eclectic sense of mixing and matching genres. Were open to making (the music) more our own.
The 6th Annual April in Paris Gypsy Jazz Festival runs April 19-22 at St. James Hall.
