Samois 2016

Jazzaferri

So becoming a jazz festival......I don't know if Snarky Puppy are big in Europe but they were the hit last year at our Jazz Festival.

crookedpinky

I totally get the argument that if Django was around he'd enjoy the festival as he was forward thinking, catholic in his musical tastes and music has moved on - in which case just call it a Jazz festival. I want something that's focussed on Django/Gypsy Jazz and directly related strands - imagine Latcho Drom on stage.

crookedpinky

Hahahaha - how true.

crookedpinky

I know but then he plays that same stuff in his own inimitable way.

Jazzaferri

I think it will be a financial benefit for those in the GJ world to be accepted into the wider jazz community.

bohemewarbler

Festival Django Reinhardt at Samois-sur-Seine will go far beyond Thursday's performances and the campgrounds toward Gypsy Jazz happiness.

Let's start with the small stage. Last year I spent a considerable amount of enjoyment watching the performances on the small stage at the opposite end of the festival grounds.

On this small "scène ouverte" stage, which Mathieu Chatelain oversees, the following performers appeared last year: Eva-sur-Seine with the Thomas Baggerman Trio, Yogui Loeffler, Herve Gaguenetti, Dimitry Kuptsov, Tcha Badjo, Noé Reine with Mathieu Chatelain, Dawson Garcia, and youngsters: Hugo Dounio, Magnio Loeffler, and Swing Brosse System Quartet, among other straight ahead GJ performances. I have total confidence that Mathieu will be able to line up some great performances this year.

Jamming at different spots on the island could be anyone. For example, I saw jams with Christiaan van Hemert and Denis Chang, Simba and Dallas Baumgaraner and Sacha Laporterie, Sara French, and some of the performers from both the small and main stage just jamming it up with other performers. Who will be jamming it up this year? The festival simply attracts players, famous and not famous, from all over Europe and many parts of the world.

The luthiers’ village is one of the best places to start and participate in a jam (perhaps easier than the campgrounds, if you ask me), although if there is a jam going on by the crème de la crème, it might be best to just watch and listen. At the luthiers’ village, which is mostly spread throughout the festival grounds, you can walk into fantasy GJ guitarland, where you have a chance to meet some of the most accomplished Gypsy Jazz guitar luthiers in the world, and to play their instruments! This year, you will have a chance to play AJL, ALD, Cholet, Dupont, Eimers, Hahl, and Vladimir guitars, among 17 makes and, in most cases, to talk to the luthiers who built them.

And there is no reason to say there is a lack of Gypsy Jazz performances on the main stage. Thursday evening is not the only Gypsy Jazz game in town coming from the main stage.

Joscho Stephan opens the festival on Wednesday. This guy is a tremendous player and very entertaining as well.

As already mentioned, Thursday will be a real treat with three great acts: 1) Noe Reine Quartet, 2) Cyrille Aimee with Adrien Moignard and Michael Veleanu, and 3) closing the night: the Rosenberg Trio.

Friday opens with Florin Niculescu Quintet. Fantastic GJ fiddle. Maybe Angelo Debarre will show up. Who knows?

And two new additions have been added for Saturday: 1) Eva-sur-Seine with the Thomas Baggerman Trio and 2) Brady Winterstein Trio accompanied by Hono Winterstein and guest Amati Schmitt. Am I kidding? Nope.

Two other performance additions have been made for Sunday: 1) Antoine Boyer and 2) Ulf Wakenius. You got that right! Check em out on Youtube.

Even the town of Samois-sur-Seine tself has plenty of GJ to offer with two facing cafes that feature some wonderful acoustic GJ performances. Last year, the Sara French Quintet was a favorite of my family while we relaxed avec le déjeuner.

I just don’t want people who have never been to this festival to get the impression that because the festival brings in performers that are not straight-ahead Gypsy Jazz that therefore the Festival doesn’t offer Gypsy Jazz. It offers plenty of GJ and more! Check it out and see for yourself! I'll be there!

terrassier

Your in the wrong job.... sounds great

Jon Thor Austen

I am planning to take the train to Fontainebleau from Paris/Gare de Lyon on both Thursday and Friday to spend the days at the festival 2016, and need to return to hotel in Paris on each night before concerts end. If it goes well, maybe I visit on Saturday also. I was wondering if anyone has done that before and can you share your advice to me?? I am a little worried about the frequency/availability of the 5km shuttle between the festival and the Fontainebleau train station? It sounds like it works, but information on site about the shuttle is limited and I am unsure about it. I want to avoid getting stuck and having to walk back each night, such as what might happen with busy taxis and/or full shuttles. Thank you if you have any advice you can send to me.

A bientôt,
Jon (djangofan@gmail.com)

Jojo

Having never been to Samois but considering going, I'd actually be put off if there wasn't a more diverse selection of bands/artists. I guess it's the nature of GJ that if there is a lot of jamming with acoustic guitars around the site, then ones ears might be tired after listening to songs from the GJ repertoire after a few hours. I think it might enhance the proceedings by having different instrumentation, hybrids of musical styles etc (Not sure if GJ tributes to Bowie and Prince would be up my street, but there ya go) N.B I'm enjoying the sound of the cimbalom at the mo; I'd imagine skilled players in this are few and far between

terrassier

Returning to Paris sounds like a drag - Fontainebleau is a much better better with regular shuttles ..... We left it late to book this year and have thurs/fri sorted quite near the campsite but struggling for saturday night and may end up in Fountainebleau.