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Today's Birthdays
Django in June 2024 -- Our 20th Anniversary!
AndrewLawrence
Northampton, MA✭✭
Hi Folks:
This is just to let you know that registration is open for Django in June 2024. In fact, as I write this we're approaching 100 registrations!
Dates for this year are June 10 - 16. The event is held on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, MA and is primarily devoted to learning and jamming. We do have concerts on the weekend.
Once again (owing to a big, multi-year construction project) housing on the Smith College campus will be somewhat limited in 2024, so I would not recommend waiting too long to register if you'd like to join us and you'll be needing meals or housing.
This is our 20th anniversary, and North American Gypsy jazz has come a long way in that time! Come celebrate with us in the best way imaginable -- playing some music. :)
~Andrew
djangoinjune.com
Comments
Man, when I think back to the time I started going in 2013, I can't help but think how profoundly it affected me over the years. This one week in June has provided me just about a daily guidance over the years in my musical journey, friendships I made and kept over the years, beautiful memories it's created and something to looking forward to and feel giddy about every year.
The only bummer is Hungry Ghost isn't making pizza any longer and Tart isn't making knish. Those were also things I looked forward to tasting again every year. And I think beer used to be better at the Northampton Brewery :)
Looks like a great time! I'm shopping for a used luthier made guitar, would JIJ be a good place to look?
Participants at Django in June are welcome to bring guitars to sell, and they do. It's nice to be able to try several in one place.
I have been wanting to go since I lived in CA. Excited and intimidated. Crisping up my la pompe.
I live in SW New Hampshire these days- are there people to play and/or study with in the area? I play guitar but also been playing around with accordion.
I'll hopefully have 4 new Selmer and Selmerish style guitars there this year.
If you're interested you can see my progress at instagram.com/@paulmcevoyguitars
On the train going home. Whew, what a week...so much inspiration and motivation at every step. I've said that before, Django in June isn't the best thing ever to me because of its educational value. It's because of the above, inspiration and memories.
Last night, after the concert (which was an incredible experience), Tcha and his whole band played outside of one of the dorms until past 3 AM. These people aren't super stars and famous but they are to us and me. And then, you're there listening to this incredible, intimate performance (they're giving it the same treatment as the concert they just played) standing next to them, talking to them, toasting to the occasion and experiencing these super fun moments. You're all together sharing in this unique experience. Where does that happen?!
Talking about super stars, when Andrew announced this year's lineup, I was a little underwhelmed. Then last night after the concert, it finally dawned on me. It was a perfect choice! Several people who were teaching and performing this year, first came to DiJ as students. Then got invited as staff. And this last weekend, there they were giving these stupendously good live performances. It couldn't have been a more fitting way to mark the occasion. Sorry I doubted you, Andrew!
I'll write more about the concert and what was happening another time, don't want to make this post a novel. Every Django in June I've been to was a fantastic experience. This year was as good and better then most.
Vive la Django in June!
That's the kind of magic that happens there. And as nice it is to hear it like this, when you're there in front of them you're completely enveloped in it and it's a very special moment. I actually mentioned something along those lines, magic of Django in June, to Renaud this same evening and he agreed, there's nothing quite like it.
I'm going to apologize for flogging all of you with videos of people playing my guitars. But here is one....
I made this crazy 7 string multiscale nylon guitar as an experiment to see how much weirdness I could squeeze into a guitar. I wouldn't describe it as hard to play, if I play it every day for a bit I get used to it. But it definitely can screw you up the first time you try it. I gave it to a really high end classical guitar player and he was lost (I think he is so finely attuned to living precisely in 6 strings that it was like giving him a 3rd arm all of a sudden).
Anyway, long story short, I was having Tcha give me feedback on some guitars and I was like do you want to play a 7 string and he said "sure". I don't even know if he realized it was multiscale (visually this freaks people out).
He ended up playing a really beautiful improv:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghqf1zeHoqU
I would think for the teachers who give work shops this is not the norm, this is a total immersion society for close to a week, has to feel different.
www.scoredog.tv