Ninine and Mondine have been playing at Le Chope in Paris for over three decades. Le Chope is located in the flea market area of Paris. Django spent much of his youth in this area and it has always been a center for Gypsy musicians. Over the years Le Chope has evovled into a shrine for Django. Notice the many photos of Django and other famous Gypsies hanging on the walls.

Most Parisian Gypsy players after Django (1910-1953) rarely copied Django’s music verbatim. Instead, they used Django’s style as a starting point for interpretations of bebop, Latin, and traditional folk styles. Mondine and Ninine are a perfect example of this eclectic Parisian tradition. For example, Ninine performs mostly on an archtop electric, but still uses the traditional Gypsy Picking technique. Also notice that his improvisational vocabulary is an interesting mix of Django and George Benson.

For more Ninine Garcia see his CD: My Dream of Love

From the collection of Ted Gottsegen

The video archive is dedicated to Mary Honcoop. She generously shared her large collection of Gypsy videos with nearly anyone who asked. The video archive aims to continue her generosity now that she is gone.

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