Tony Weiss info????

patrus le sommelier

There some talk on the french site about recording from Tony Weiss.
http://www.manoucheries.com/phpBB2/view ... 0711#40711

his CD link

http://www.amta.com.fr/fr/production/ti ... etitre=457

any info on him?
I am not sure but I think is related to Django and cousin of Eugene Vees.
any idea on the guy?

Thanks for your help
Patrus

Barengero

Hi Patrus,

as far as I know Tony Weiss made several recordings with accordeonist Paul Chalier for the Ducretet-Thomson label (DT 450 V 323 and DT 450 V 325)

Unfortunately I don´t have this recordings in my archive. Is there anybody who can help?

Best,
Barengero

patrus le sommelier

I knew Barengero will answer to this post!
your the best.

what about Ted G any advice?

Barengero can you email offline? I try to email you before but with no luck
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patrus

scot

Tony Weiss was still playing with a singer named Jackie Alix as of 11 years ago. I don't know if he was actually related to Django or Eugene Vees, but he did play with Django. In Alain Antonietto's obituary for Roger Chaput, we find this quotation, referring to Django's insistance on a certain quality of rhythm playing:

"As proof of this, a performance contract enacted in 1943 for Tony Weiss the guitarist obligated him to daily rehearsals with the rhythm section from 16 January to 6 February. This was a strict condition that the normally easy-going Django demanded".

This is from an article in "Hot Club News" in the mid 1990s. There was also a short bio of Tony Weiss in issue 3/1995 of HCN but I can't translate it...

We know that he was still playing with Django after the war, too. In the film vignette where Django is playing the light colored electric guitar, Tony Weiss is the guitarist behind Django, playing a Selmer.

Did he record? I don't know.

Barengero

scot wrote:

There was also a short bio of Tony Weiss in issue 3/1995 of HCN but I can't translate it...

fortunately I can:

Tony Weiss, a cousin of Eugen Weiss (Eugene Vèes) is living in Clermont since 1951. As a young man he initially did not care about music, But then it happened: it was in Lille on an evening in the year 1942, he was 19 years old.

Tony: „ A cousin of mine visited me and und wanted to take me with him to a concert of Django Reinhardt. Who ist that at all? I asked. „ A musician, a manouche like us“, he answered. Somehow this convinced me to go there. I listened and was thrilled – anymore: I made up my mind to play the guitar. I asked my father to teach me how to play the guitar, but he said: When you were young you didn´t wanted to learn it, now you are old enough to learn it by yourself!“

During World War II he played in the orchestra of Jean Omer in Bruxelles. In 1943 he played on occasion in Django Reinhardts Quintette. He is still in posession of photocopies of his contracts. From 1951 on he often played in the cabaret „Le Montmartre“ in Clermont-Ferrand. In Chamaliéres he came in contact to accordeonist Paul Chalier an performed with him in casinos of the surrounding area. In the early 1980´s he met Jackie Alix, a singer from the opera of Clermaont-Ferrand. They performed together and she sings he repertoire of the swing-era.

Text: Alain Antonietto
(translated from french to german by Jürgen Schmidt,
translated from german to english by Barengero,
would like to read a kazakhstanian version here)

Best,

Barengero

patrus le sommelier

Thanks Scott and Barengero
patrus