Django festival Samois - more homage to Gypsies petition

emicad

Please read the page below, sign if you agree and pass on to Gypsy Swing suporters.
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/djangosamois
Thanks.

Smokey Joe

Emicad, what ever became of the petition? I signed it of couse! But I haven't heard anything else about it since.
Would Sylvia at LeQ have any more information about it?

Passacaglia

We had intended a trip next year, to coincide with the Samois fest. I was very surprised to see the direction it seems to have taken. Signed the petition.

emicad

Smokey Joe wrote:

Emicad, what ever became of the petition? I signed it of couse! But I haven't heard anything else about it since.
Would Sylvia at LeQ have any more information about it?

I don't know, to be honest. I'll ask Sylvia for sure.

Smokey Joe

Okay, thankyou very much for making the effort to check into this. I very much appreciate it.

emicad

I've sent an email to Sylvia, but I'm still waiting her reply.

EDIT: no news from Sylvia. :roll:

Smokey Joe

I just got word from her that she had hoped to gather together 2000 signatures but was only able to get 600. And so she felt that her part of the petition wasn't worth sending in to the organizers.

rimm

I feel Sylvia is wrong on this one-Andreas Varady, David Reinhardt, Noel Reinhardt and Steeve Laffont are all from Gypsy stock and although she does some great work promoting gigs in the Q, Samois would -believe it or not still continue without her guidance!

A few years back she stuck a dirty great model of a guitar on Django's grave. Now the idea was probably a heart felt statement from herself as she is of course a huge fan, but it was basically a big advertisment for her restaurant. I found the whole thing to be a bit much and was glad to see it had been removed the next day ..

If you just had the same old names playing every year then we would still be waiting to hear Sébastien Giniaux , Adrien Moignard, Andreas Oberg, Les Doigts de l'Homme, John Jorgenson etc etc. The festival needs variety in order to be a worthwhile business venture, and besides, Django would be laughing his ass off if he thought of a festival that was so one dimensional. James Carter is the most exciting thing I have ever seen In Samois on the six times that I have attended anyway! 8)

rimm

( and the reall playing goes on in the campsites anyhoo)

redblues

I found the petition farcical and did not sign it. As far as i'm concerned if Celine Dion was playing the festival it would not bother me in the slightest. I know where i'll find Dorado, Fapy and Stochelo anyway. If the organisers feel they need to expand genre-wise to keep the thing afloat, well more power to them, I support it.
The business model that the festival is built upon is a fluid thing susceptible to change as any business. What is not fluid is the folk that attend, the friends that you meet and the music that you make.
Those things to me are the essence of Samois.