I heard today that Ian Cruickshank has passed on; he was only 70. Every Brit, and many others, who love the Django style owe him a huge thanks for everything he has done over the years, his books were my first introduction to the style. Here is a link to a Samois jam;
I guess I'll be watching Django Legacy again tonight. RIP Ian.
Comments
His was the first instructional book I ever got.
He must have led a quiet life because I haven't heard much about him other than the book he's written.
First learnt standard gypsy diminished arp runs from an article of his decades ago.
paperbacknovel
Hi -- your dad is a Great guitar player! In RecordCollectorMagazine, he mentioned a book he wrote "I wrote a book about my extremely bizarre experiences, which included encounters with Hendrix and George Harrison." -- I can't find the name of this book or any place to buy it. Could you tell us the name
Bonnie Church
Thanks - I will tell him that. He wrote this book some years ago but has not published it, due to illness. There's only one copy of it in manuscript form & I have it. He called it 'Brown Skinned Boy' in reference to his tanned arrival in the UK from Hong Kong, where he went to school. But I'd like to do something with it, as he's had quite an interesting life. He has a great collection of Django legacy type photos too, so one day, I will collate it all & find a way to share with the people that are interested.
And of course he had everything to do with the "Django Legacy" documentary, which was the first exposure most guitarists in N America had to the modern style, the first time anyone here could see how this music was actually played by living guitarists.
These two things were significant in getting the whole gypsy jazz movement rolling in N America.
He also made a fine CD with Pearl Django in the mid 90s.
RIP, Ian