Boulou and Elios Ferre carry on the traditions of the great Ferret musical dynasty (later changed to Ferre). Their father was Matelo Ferret, who was one of Django’s rhythm guitarists. Matelo later forged a career of his own and is most remembered for his recording Tziganskia. Additionally, Matelo’s brothers Sarane and Baro were also to be found accompanying Django or leading their own ensembles. As Boulou once said, “Django was the pope and the Ferret’s were the bishops.”
Both Boulou and Elios showed immense talent at an early age. On bootleg recordings of Boulou made when he was around 12, one can hear him playing (and singing in unison) wonderful improvisations which include vocabulary from both Django and Charlie Parker. Boulou and Elios developed their musical skills in tandem, and eventually evolved into one of the most expressive and technically impressive guitar duets. They often perform without a bass, and cover musical ground ranging from Musette waltzes, Django compositions, bebop, avant-garde classical, Romanian folk music, and much more.
For those of you looking for more of Boulou’s music you’ll find that there are about half a dozen commercial recordings available from the late 1970s on. My personal favorites are: Gypsy Dreams and Pour Django.
This audio clip was recorded at a wedding in 1974. They are playing the famous waltz Montagne Sainte-Genevieve (usually attributed to Django.) It then segue ways into an Eastern European folk tune. The fast tempo, hard attack, and complex arrangement are characteristic of the Ferre sound. Enjoy! -Michael
From the collections of Ted Gottsegen and Scot Wise.
MP3: Montagne Sainte-Genevieve
