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Brooklyn workshop and mini fest (on sat. March 1st)

bbwood_98bbwood_98 Brooklyn, NyProdigy Vladimir music! Les Effes. . Its the best!
edited February 2008 in North America Posts: 666
Hi all,
I am proud and honored to be hosting Mr. Dennis Chang at a workshop in brooklyn, NY on March 1. The class will last 4 hours and is going to be held at Mazzotti Music (www.mazzottimusic.com) at 284 3rd ave, Brooklyn, Ny. We'll start at 3, and there will be a great concert to follow featuring Mr. Chang, and many of NY's finest gypsy jazz groups (including Franglais, gypsy caravan and Manhattan Hot Club!). The cost for the workshop is 100 a person, and will be described below (same as the L.A. and Boston Classes). Pre-registration with or Dennis is highly recommended as space is limited.

It's going to be a hell of a weekend!
Thanks and I hope to see all you east coast djangophiles at these events. There will be more info to follow- and please msg me if you need to or have questions.
cheers,
Ben

Dennis' Description of his class!
-rhythm coaching session. I will show and explain the common rhythm styles of the great rhythm players (Hono Winterstein, Nous'che Rosenberg, Hervé Gaguenetti, etc...). We will work on synchronization exercises for both hands. We will discuss rhythmic effects, and various styles of accompaniment.

-Gypsy Jazz picking technique. We will take examples from the masters (django, stochelo, jimmy, angelo, bireli) to demonstrate the various ways this technique can be used.

-Improvisation. We will start from scratch using basic chord progressions and explore the various colors and substitutions we can use to make an interesting solo. It is an in-depth study on voice leading and rhythmic phrasing.

-Advanced substitutions. For those who are more interested in modern approaches to django's music, we will study various chord substitutions, symmetrical scales and how we can we apply them.

This workshop is EXTREMELY intensive and it is strongly recommended that participants bring a tape recorder or video camera.

I know how most workshops go (especially in GJ) they're often very terrible and advanced students end up paying money for something they already knew, or at best, they learn a few things but the other students slow them down.

I have a different system for my workshop. First of all, it is 4 hours long. Second of all, I try to keep student participation to a minimum, students participating are often more for demonstration. The workshop is designed for all levels, but actually geared more toward people like you.

The way I work is I try to get maybe at least one beginner, one intermediate and one advanced student to participate so that everyone in attendance can recognize themselves.

The workshop itself is 100% gypsy jazz in approach. I believe I've come up with a simple and effective way to explain the masters approac this music.

The first part of the workshop is on technique and it is exaustive. A lot of people make a few mistakes in the way the technique is used, and they're a bit too systematic with it, when in fact it's something fairly natural and depends a lot on rhythm and tempo... So i would like to show a few of these overlooked and important concepts.

We also talk about the left hand, because it is as important as the right hand. A lot of people have the technique down, but they still dont have that "particular" sound that is instantly recognizable (when we listen to say django, bireli, stochelo or angelo) because they're actually overlooking some important left hand articulation concepts.

I will also talk a lot about rhythm, because in all styles, and really especially in this one, it is the secret to unlocking the picking technique and the first step to being able to solo (all the big names spent time playing rhythm for someone at some point, django, bireli, angelo, etc...).

Then I show my voice-leading method to explain gypsy jazz improvisation, but again it is based strictly on the django tradition. All the examples come from django, stochelo , bireli, etc.. the masters... towards the end, i also try to show a few more advanced concepts that advanced players may be aware of... but i show how to apply it within the style, and how guys like bireli or wawau adler use some of these.

Comments

  • BobFaillaBobFailla Jersey City, NJ✭✭
    Posts: 13
    Hi Ben.
    Count me in for the workshop. I wrote Dennis last week or so to ask for a NY workshop, and here it is! If you need any assistance let me know, I'm just across the Hudson.
    Bob Failla
  • bbwood_98bbwood_98 Brooklyn, NyProdigy Vladimir music! Les Effes. . Its the best!
    Posts: 666
    Bob,
    Great, bring yourself, and plan on staying for the"minifest" its going to be a great day. Let some other folks know about the workshop- if they are interested it's a great chance to learn.
    You are signed up!
    Thanks, and see you then,
    Ben
  • EmmettRayEmmettRay Honolulu, Hawaii✭✭✭✭ Koa Iseman, AJL XO-503, Holo Busato
    Posts: 89
    I'm in!
  • bbwood_98bbwood_98 Brooklyn, NyProdigy Vladimir music! Les Effes. . Its the best!
    Posts: 666
    Official announcement!
    All NY gypsy jazz fans, I'd like to announce the first Brooklyn Gypsy mini-fest at the fabulous Jalopy Theater and school of music located at 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231. This is a few (6-ish) blocks from the F train at Carroll street. The concert is going to be great, featuring Djangobooks forums own Famous MR. D, thats right djangoites, Dennis Chang himself will be here to perform (and teach a great class- on saturday at mazzotti music); check his website at flechedor.com for more on his unique style. Right now other confirmed acts include the Tom Landman trio, Franglais, Gypsy Jazz Caravan, and Alex Simon. There will be at least one jam, possible two (one open stage hour, and an all inclusive jam at the end). Its going to be amazing! great music, Low Prices, Nice people! The class will take place on Saturday, and I am working on a second concert, but you should all come to this one as well- it'll be great, and the venue is really into gypsy jazz.
    Thanks and see you there,
    Ben Wood
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