Where are the innovators?

kevingcox

There are myriad examples in French folk/pop of GJ influences musicians who have "evolved" the genre, but just that Columbian band I would say they are doing something different enough that you can no longer call it GJ without completely destroying whatever tenuous grasp the term "GJ"
still has on meaning. Go listen to Tryo, Zaz, Les Ogres de Barback, and dozens of bands like that and you will see that they definitely have GJ influence but are not playing GJ in any traditional sense.

Buco

peterja wrote:

Buco wrote:

Maybe better suited question is why is gypsy jazz not evolving as fast like some other genres.

Jazz and rock are genres. Gypsy jazz is a subgenre.
Jazz evolves. But swing music doesn´t evolve much, neither does bebop nor any other subgenre.

Of course, great and valid point.
But I don't consider gypsy jazz as the subgenre within jazz in the same sense as other subgenres of jazz.

Consider this;
other subgenres came out of evolvment.
Gypsy jazz came out of necessity.
It was our idol hearing this crazy hot music that came from America, got bit by the bug and started playing it on the instrument he had available to him the way he heard it and felt with his own sensibilities. And out of that the biggest definers, arguably, of GJ came; the powerful and piercing guitar solos played with all the flare of this flamboyant Gypsy music genius and la pompe rhythm, again swing jazz but played on the guitars they had with all the musical traditions they acquired while playing music prior to playing this new hot jazz; traditional Gypsy/Balkan rhythms, Spanish flamencos, musettes and others, and then Stephane, classically trained musician with his own sensibilities, joined featuring violin solos, also something unorthodox in jazz of the era and the Hot Club Quintette defined the style we mostly adhere to today.
So I see gypsy jazz as a very singular music movement, but one that didn't have dramatic changes since it's inception.

Django moved on, being the restless genius and innovator he was, even saying the old sound was boring to him, but the future generations embraced the style and no compelling changes, the way I hear it, happened as of yet.

Edit: I do hear changes, in the examples I mentioned earlier and today I've been listening to the "Django Club" album after Adrian mentioned Adrien's new album (one of you guys should agree to go by the nick name) and there's new sounding stuff on there too, it's great.
And personally I like things that mix things up but I'd sign on the line to listen to the classic GJ sound for as long as I'm not deaf, no problems.

Buco

Jazzaferri wrote:

I believe GJ is evolving, lots of new stuff going on in it....not many revolutions in a lifetime, looking back over history of music.

Agree a 100%, was thinking the same thing.

kevingcox wrote:

There are myriad examples in French folk/pop of GJ influences musicians who have "evolved" the genre, but just that Columbian band I would say they are doing something different enough that you can no longer call it GJ without completely destroying whatever tenuous grasp the term "GJ"
still has on meaning. Go listen to Tryo, Zaz, Les Ogres de Barback, and dozens of bands like that and you will see that they definitely have GJ influence but are not playing GJ in any traditional sense.

Oh yeah, those guys have strayed far away from GJ.
I'll look up the others you mentioned, thanks.