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Djangofest Colorado in review

bbeshoarbbeshoar Longmont, CONew
edited September 2008 in Archtop Eddy's Corner Posts: 31
The first Djangofest Colorado took place in Crested Butte on September 19th and 20th. Nearly everyone in the Colorado gypsy jazz scene turned up for the occasion, and the weekend had the feel of a family reunion.

Friday -
Le Chat Lunatique from Albuquerque kicked things off Friday evening with an energetic, highly polished, and theatrical performance. (If you haven’t seen this band yet, don’t miss the next opportunity!)

Argentine guitarist Gonzalo Bergano and Robin Nolan came on together with Simon Planting on bass and Mathieu Chatelain on rhythm guitar. Gonzalo was a new face to most of us. He professed to have learned to play gypsy swing from Robin’s books, but gave us no hints about what music he played before. Several of us thought he might have been a heavy metal shredder in the past. His solos were filled with arppegios that covered the neck from end to end at amazing speeds. Not to be outdone, Nolan matched Bergano lick for lick. The result was a magnificent display of guitar pyrotechnics that matched or surpassed anything I’ve heard. (Oddly, Nolan was unsatisfied with his performance.) Simon said afterward that neither Robin nor Gonzalo called out the tunes, so he and Mathieu had no idea what was coming next. IMHO this was the highlight of the weekend. BTW, Robin was very unhappy with the Robin Nolan Signature model Dell A’rte that had been provided for him, so he played my Shelley Park for both of his shows.

Saturday morning –
I spent the morning djamming in the lobby of the Grand Lodge with Ken Lutes and Laurie Dunklee of Paris Swing Set, Jared Putnam of Le Chat Lunatique, David Williams of Deco Django, Stefan Doucette of Mango fan Django, and Jerry Rudy—whom I think of as the godfather of the Colorado gypsy jazz scene. I felt like Robin had left some good mojo in my guitar.

Saturday afternoon -
I was there with the Hot Club of Boulder, with whom I opened the Saturday matinee show. I think we did well, and all the feedback we heard was positive. Carute Roma from Durango followed with a great set of eastern European gypsy folk music complete with dancers. Gonzalo Bergano played another amazing set with his own trio to finish out the afternoon.

Saturday night-
Mango fan Django played a fantastic set to open the Saturday evening show that featured the John Jorgenson Quintet and the Robin Nolan Trio. Archtop Eddy kicked things off with a 30’s calypso tune, followed by a reggae song written by ‘Django of Jamaica’, and Ed’s original ‘Virtual Tourist’. These were followed by tunes from Slim Galliard, Charlie Christian, and Django. Mango fan Django is always good, but I felt this set was exceptionally vigorous and polished. Ed’s leads were flawless and the rhythm section impeccable.

The John Jorgenson Quintet showed off the best ensemble playing of the evening. John was to headline but asked to play before Nolan because JJQ had driven 12.5 hours from Sheridan, Wyoming to make the gig. There was a lot of buzz about young violinist Jason Anick before the show, and he certainly lived up to his rep. Jorgenson played a stunning cover of Nolan’s ‘Mediterranean Blues’, some Django, and a lot of his Latin flavored originals. The latter category included jam that ran something over 10 minutes and reminded some of us of David Grisman’s Latin excursions. Kevin Nolan, Robin’s brother, is now playing with the Jorgenson group.

Robin ended the shows with a reunion with Kevin, and Simon Planting on bass. This performance was a fine show, but lacked the fireworks of the Friday jam with Gonzalo. Kevin has developed into a great rhythm player. Simon’s bass work stood out more than it had on Friday. Robin, of course, played very well. The standout tunes for me were a slow ballad by Jimmy Rosenberg, and a lovely version of Billet Deux.

After the show a djam formed up again in the hotel lobby with yours truly, Emily Reynolds, David Williams, Frank Tonge, Jason Anick and John Sandlin and Muni Kulasinghe of Le Chat Lunatique. We played from 11:30 until about 2 AM when complaints from the other guests shut us down. Jason and Muni pretty much led this jam with incredible twin violin playing; they trade chorus, eights, fours, and harmonized with each other. We played a ‘Bossa Dorado’ that was longer than the average ‘Dark Star’—something over 20 minutes. The thing ended with ‘Sweet Sue’ at a tempo somewhere north of 300 beats per minute.

Great thanks to Nick Lehr, the driving force behind all Djangofests, and to Allison Yeary. Allison is the special events coordinator for the Lodge at Mountaineer Square in Crested Butte. The daughter of a violinist and granddaughter of a violin maker, Allison grew up listening to Reinhardt and Grapelli. She saw an opportunity to bring gypsy swing to Crested Butte, and with Nick’s help she made it happen.

We all hope that Djangofest was a financial success. A splendid time was had by all. Hopefully we’ll get to do it again next year.

Keep swingin’

Barron Beshoar
Hot Club of Boulder
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