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Spokane
Public Radio thanks its 2002-03 Underwriters and Volunteers
with a special concert featuring Seattle jazz string ensemble
Pearl Django.
The four performers are inspired by the music of Django Reinhardt,
who performed his unique sound in Paris clubs in the last
1930s. The group plays at the Met on June 5, 7:30 p.m. Tickets
are available at Spokane Public Radio.
Pearl Django is a band with a growing following that looks
to the past for inspiration. 
NPR's Linda Wertheimer talked with the band and attended their
performance at the Hopvine, a club on Capitol Hill where they've
had a long-standing gig for years. Listen
to the All Things Considered interview
The group formed almost 10 years ago when Neil Andersson and
a few friends heard recordings of the 1930s jazz guitar legend
with his Quintet of the Hot Club of France. The band's makeup
of two rhythm guitars, upright bass, Django's solo guitar
and legendary violinist Stephane Grapelli inspired the modern-day
Seattle guitarists to experiment with the same setup and style.
The first thing listeners notice about the music is the sweet,
delicate sound. "It's all string, no trumpet or sax," notes
Andersson, who takes the solo guitar work. Michael Gray is
representative of Grapelli's amazing violin playing, with
bassist Rick Leppanen and rhythm guitarist Greg Ruby.
But just as noticeable are the harmonies weaving throughout
the songs. "Django was a great composer. He was a big fan
of French impressionism, especially Debussy and Ravel, and
he had a sophisticated harmonic aesthetic. He could put harmonies
and expressive melodies together beautifully. A lot of jazz
players today like jamming, but don't work on the melody.
This style of music emphasizes complex harmonies," Andersson
says.
Reinhardt also borrowed heavily from his gypsy and French
heritage to add to American jazz. "Gypsy playing often includes
virtuoso playing, and the traditional Hungarian and Romanian
music is based in minor keys, and changing tempos - sometimes
fast and happy, other times melancholy. Combining those two
musical styles brought out a unique hybrid," Andersson says.
But Pearl Django isn't just a tribute band for the Hot Club
of France. Although they do play several of the Hot Club's
originals and covers, such as J'attendreai and Avalon, they
also play several of their own compositions and whatever pre-rock
tunes they like. "One of our early CDs has Tangerine and Stardust,"
Andersson says. "We do Limehouse Blues, which is usually Dixieland
style with horns, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Honeysuckle Rose….
I like to do beautiful songs done by a million other performers,
because no one does them like this."
Another difference is that Pearl Django captures the spirit
of the music, not the actual notes. Andersson admits he does
copy a few phrases of Django Reinhardt, but prefers to do
his own thing, incorporating the style of the guitar masters.
Django Reinhardt had a unique playing style anyway, due to
a fire that left two fingers immovable. "He played all of
those solos with only his thumb, first, and second fingers,
so it produced a unique balance in his style. I can play a
few runs with just those fingers, but it's not necessary to
capture the spirit of his music."
Michael Gray treats the violin work of Stephane Grapelli the
same way. "Grapelli could improvise like crazy, and so can
Michael. He and I are not the equal of the Hot Club players;
I'm not Django, he's not Stephen, no one will ever be what
they were. It's just that we love their playing and use it
as a foundation for our own playing, take those sensibilities
and try to understand them in our own music."
Andersson also gives great credit to the other two touring
members of the group. "Rick is a great traditional jazz player,
and is a big reason we sound the way we do. And the rhythm
guitars were the unsung heroes, keeping the beat - the pulse,
really - and providing the chords. Greg Ruby has to play a
rather unique rhythm technique, because the Hot Club of France's
rhythm guitars had a French and gypsy approach to swing music,"
he says.
This month, jazz guitarists worldwide are marking the 50th
anniversary of Django Reinhardt's death. With the milestone,
more people are learning about Reinhardt's music and the Hot
Club of France. "A lot of people are interested in learning
this style, and we're working on a play-along CD and booklet,"
Andersson says. "In a way, it's a guitar-players thing. People
are drawn into the mystique of Django's playing and the beauty
of the music."
Tickets to the Volunteer
& Underwriter Thank-You Concert featuring Pearl Django
are available at Spokane Public Radio by calling 328-5729
(1-800-328-5729 outside the Spokane area). Tickets are $10
members, $12 general public. Volunteers and Underwriters for
the past year may receive a pair of free tickets with reservations
by May 9. |
