Immersive Gypsy Jazz Study?

Mark DS

I'm a big believer in the idea that the best way to learn a language is complete immersion, and while I enjoy picking up what I can from recordings, books, etc., I am hoping to at some point become completely immersed. I am wondering if anyone knows where a person would move/travel to to really learn this music? I hope this makes sense - what I'm really talking about is akin to people who want to learn flamenco moving to Spain. Where does a person who wants to learn gypsy jazz move to?

asd123321

Move next door to Stochelo. I think he is somewhere near Amsterdam.

V-dub

Paris.

In Paris, the local scene is crazy saturated with the best and most forward-looking young talent right now. That and every great gypsy jazz performer in the world travels to paris to play.

dennis

stochelo is nowhere near amsterdam lol... the best place is indeed paris where even quite a number of "amateurs" play at a professional level

RKatz

It is wonderful that the awnser to this question is 100% Paris! What could be better than moving to one of the most beautiful and vibrant city's in the world and immersing yourself in a music that you love! Ths scene in Paris is so exciting, you should defiantly go!

Mark DS

Haha it sounds like a wonderful city, but I do know if I will have the opportunity to study there. I was hoping the answer would be Holland, since I already speak okay Dutch and may have the opportunity to live and work there in a year or two.

Stackabones

Amsterdam to Paris is an easy weekend trip. You can visit often and make connections and jam.

dennis

if you really want to go to holland, the eindhoven area is where a lot of the rosenberg family is concentrated...

you can also try to settle in the flemish part of belgium where fapy, and the limberg family are close by...

but then you have to become friends with all these people and get into their community whereas in paris there's gypsy jazz practically every freakin where

Passacaglia

dennis wrote:

you can also try to settle in the flemish part of belgium where fapy, and the limberg family are close by...

I didn't know that, Denis - that's interesting to me. Given Django's people and origins, how much of a scene is there today, among the Walloons?

Mark DS

dennis wrote:

but then you have to become friends with all these people and get into their community whereas in paris there's gypsy jazz practically every freakin where

Didn't you do this? I'd love to hear your story some time.

Paganini

If you go work and live in Holland, I think you better don't go to the Eindhoven area (sorry Dennis). It's not easy to get into the gypsy community and besides that Eindhoven is not a nice city. you should definately go to Amsterdam area or Utrecht (center of Holland). From Utrecht to Amstyerdam is only 40 kms

From there on you can reach any city easily by car or train.
There are gypsyjazz players everywhere in Holland and it's not difficult to get into this scene. Amsterdam hosts most of them and there is a regular jam at "Het Molentje". Here you will find Robin Nolan, Reinier Voet and lots of others. There is also a monthly jam in Nijmegen.

To meet the gypsies. you have the Rosenbergs, 60 km from Utrecht, you have the Basily's and Pioto's in Rijswijk, 60 km from Utrecht, you have Fapy at probably 140 kms in Belgium and Lollo Meier in the Southeast of Holland, 120 km. Paris is only 450 km.

I moved from Den Haag to Arnhem (50 km from Utrecht) and you are always welcome and play