Gypsy Jazz Club in SF Bay Area

MartiniMax

Awesome!

jonpowl

Not sure if I can make it or not this Sat. Just wondering how many people you expect. Any banjos?

crescendo

@MartiniMax - posted this discussion on the "San Francisco Bay Area Gypsy Jazz" group on facebook.

A couple folks were wondering what the $20 is going toward? Looking forward. Thanks!

jonpowl

I'm guessing the $20 is split between the facility, Keith Holland Guitars and @MartiniMax, whom works as an instructor there. I believe he plays mostly jazz and is not exclusively into gypsy jazz. When I went to Paul Mehling's workshop at Keith Holland Guitars, @MartiniMax was there and Paul was shaking his head at Max's improvisational skills (positive). I liked his playing so much, I inquired about lessons, but it is actually cheaper to take lessons from Paul. IMO, it is a little expensive, depending upon the level of play of the attendees. I may attend, but will probably wait for reviews.

jonpowl

Any reviews of feedback appreciated!

MartiniMax

Thanks to everyone that came out! What an awesome way to spend some time on a Saturday. For those that didn't make the event, here is a re-cap:

- We passed out Gypsy Jazz chord cheat sheets, and learned Minor Swing plus a few variations. We all jammed the tune a few times, and anyone interested took a solo.

- We learned a few licks and then used them over Minor Swing.
- Talked about protocol for jamming this style of music
- We discussed le pompe and variations for use in jam tunes.
- Jammed on All of Me
- We talked about rest-stroke technique to get more volume and tone from Selmer-style guitars.
- I bought the Charle book, and we all gave it a look,
- An attendee brought a WWII era Busato and Favino, which were the highlight. We all got to listen to and play those instruments, which was epic.

The idea of this club is to bring together the local musicians that are into gypsy jazz and give them a chance to jam with like-minded people. Moreover, if we can build a big enough community, we will have enough clout to get performers, builders, and others in the industry to come to our meetings and cater to us.

If I knew the gypsy jazz community were going to come out to the store on the regular, I would make a huge effort to stock all the goodies we require from Argentine strings to Gypsy Guitars.

FYI- I charge 40 a half four for lessons, of which I keep 30 after rent. I was getting 100 an hour/ 60 a half hour 10 years ago (of which I kept all), so I think the 40 is more than fair. I took the pay cut for the ease of having a studio that is close, clean, and will feed me students. I am not sure what Paul charges, but it is worth it.

Finally, I wanted to mention about the fee: 20 bucks covers 3 things - 1. rental space for the recital hall we have access to. 2. My time, Ron La France's (the organizer) time, and our overhead. 3. In the future, it will cover any instructors, supplies, sheet music etc. If the club takes off and runs itself, I will probably wave the fee, save whatever rent is on the space.

Brad Herman

jonpowl wrote: »

Any reviews of feedback appreciated!

I attended yesterday and really dug it. We had a great crowd (like 12 I think?), all guitar save for a standup bass. As Rob mentioned, we went around talking about gypsy chords, techniques, and jammed on minor swing for a while. Lots of great little tips and stuff for the people like me who are on the newer side of things. I'd say the crowd was very split between beginners in gypsy jazz to people who were comfortable with some songs and la pompe to a few who were comfortable taking solos. I really enjoyed the time because the last year learning GJ for me has literally only consisted of sitting in my living room alone playing. It was really great to get a chance to get out of the house and hang out and play with a big group of others from the area. I look forward to the next one and hope to have more time after next time (had to leave fairly quickly) to build some relationships and maybe find some more frequent jam partners.

MartiniMax

Hello there!

Thanks for the review and for leaving comments so those that could not attend were able to hear about the event. Know that we know the deal, future clubs will be more organized. Ron will be emailing people the songs, lead sheets, and chord sheets in advance, and we will have a good idea of everyone's skill level.

Thanks again to everyone that came out! It was so much fun, and I am looking forward to the next meeting on Feb 24th. I will post more about it as soon as I generate the flyer and content.

I urge others to come out as we can get some big time luthiers and players to present if we can ensure a great turnout.

Brad Herman

Also note: For Feb 24 I'll be commuting from SF and would be happy to take some carpoolers... If you're interested, just DM me... It's a month away, so I'll be sure to bring it back up closer to the event.

eastwood

Hello! I'm wondering if this event is still a thing or if there are any folks interested in jamming in the East Bay. I live in Oakland and play Violin and clarinet. Would love to find some more folks to play with. -Michael