Gypsy Jazz Hangouts

Tim Robinson is a London based guitarist highly active on the gypsy jazz scene. As well as being a prolific performer he has become known as a teacher of the style, through his YouTube videos and the free lessons on his website for those entering the world of Gypsy Jazz for the first time. As well as having depth and breadth of knowledge of the Django Reinhardt style, Tim has also studied the likes of Johnny Smith and Ted Greene. Check out his website, Soundslice and YouTube videos for great lessons and get in touch with him for personal guitar tuition!

Persian/Irish guitarist Kourosh Kanani currently lives in London. Having been deeply invlolved in the world of Jazz Manouche, recorded and toured with Gypsy Jazz quartet Latchepen and also being a member of the London Django Collective he is now venturing into a new trio project of his own, the Kourosh Kanani Trio. Drawing on his Iranian heritage and his virtuosic jazz style.

Stephane Wrembel has been a preeminent exponent of the Django Reinhardt style for over 20 years and is famous for providing music for not one, but two Woody Allen films! (Midnight in Paris, Rifkin’s Festival). Here we talk about Carl Jung, the book of Genesis, ancient Egyptian mythology, St Augustine, Friedrich Nietzsche, Cartesian skepticism, black magic and whether or not recording music is a good thing... Django Reinhardt is mentioned at some point also... We were joined by London based guitarist Andrea Vergani. ep_15_podbeann7kvbe

Tobie Medland is one of the most accomplished jazz violin players in the country. His new record label 'Future Fables' will be promoting modern gypsy jazz as well as other jazz music. Watch out for the Gypsy Jazz Festival of London scheduled for May 2022! We were joined by Guilio Romano on guitar and Marcus Penrose on bass. 

Established in 1970, John Le Voi is a luthier specialising in high quality Selmer Maccaferri style guitars, being the one of the first (if not THE first) in the UK to build such guitars. His guitars have been played by the likes of Robin Nolan, Jimmy Rosenberg, Jon Larsen, Dorado Schmitt and even James Dean Bradfield (lead singer of Manic Street Preachers).

Keith Ames, MU Communications Official, Editor of The Musician magazine, songwriter and lyricist, joins us to talk about the challenges facing working musicians in the post COVID/BREXIT world of 2021.   Also joining me is Andrea Vergani, London based gypsy jazz guitarist and band leader of Swing Train 42.

We take a look at some of our favourite gypsy jazz albums from 2020 and listen to selected tracks. Adrien Moignard Trio & guests https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adrien-Moignard-Trio-Guests/dp/B088KW7P4S Ultrafaux - Tangent https://michaeljosephharris.com/tangent Aurore Voilqué trio Feat Angelo Debarre - Un soir d’été http://www.aurorequartet.com/ The Gypsy Messengers - The Gypsy Messengers https://thegypsymessengers.bandcamp.com/album/the-gypsy-messengers London Django Collective - Volumes 1-5 https://londondjangocollective.bandcamp.com/album/volume-1-5 Fapy Laftertin New Quartet - Atlântico https://fapylafertin-newquartet.bandcamp.com/album/atl-ntico

Recorded on 20th September 2020, the four of us went down The Woodman in Highgate for a pint in their massive sunny beer garden. That was literally the last sunny weekend of the year! This episode there is a lot of talk about COVID, how musicians and venues are coping with social distancing laws and seeking financial aid from the government with varying levels of success. We also talk with the Landlord of The Woodman to hear how his pub/music venue has had to adapt.   Tobie Medland - Violin Curtis Volp - Guitar Marcus Penrose - Bass Cornelius Corkery - Guitar

Remi Harris is a guitarist from the UK whose unique style draws inspiration from artists such as Django Reinhardt, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Peter Green, Ahmad Jamal and Led Zeppelin. Some of his notable performances include the Montreal Jazz Festival, Buckingham Palace, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with Jamie Cullum (televised on BBC 4) and live on BBC Radio 2 & 3.​ Remi is now presenting a weekly Jazz & Blues Show on Bromyard FM every Thursday 8pm-10pm (UK time). It's a two hour show where he plays some of his favourite Jazz & Blues recordings from the early 20th century to the present day. You can listen live at www.bromyardfm.uk

Michael Dregni is an author and writer who writes for Vintage guitar magazine, experiencelife.com and has written numerous books on various subjects including Rockabilly music, Hot Rods, Harley Davidsons, as well as the world of Gypsy Jazz and the life of Django Reinhardt. Notable works include - Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend, 2006, Oxford University Press - Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz, 2006, Fulcrum Publishing - Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing, 2010, Oxford University Press All those books are absolutely mint. Buy them.

In 2012, after years of performing mostly Brazilian and Latin influenced original music, guitarist Michael Joseph Harris began studying and playing the music of legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt which led to the creation of The Hot Club of Baltimore later that same year. After a surge of Django-inspired composing in 2013, Harris formed the band Ultrafaux in 2014 to perform his original songs in the style of Gypsy Jazz. In 2015, Harris founded and remained Artistic Director for the popular Charm City Django Jazz Fest, the only annual Jazz festival in Baltimore, Maryland. Michael was named one of the top musicians in Baltimore by Baltimore Style Magazine and he was featured in a full spread article in The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Magazine. This episode was originally recorded via a youtube live stream. 

Harry Diplock is one of the brightest stars on the London gypsy jazz scene today. Leaving his home county of Devon in 2012 to study Bsc Musical Instrument Building in London, he quickly became part of the UK gypsy jazz scene. He is a member of The London Django Collective, a group born out of the desire to create a local and innovate forum for musicians influenced by the musical legacy of Django Reinhardt. The Collective remains in the spirit of Django, whilst pushing the genre of ‘gypsy jazz’ in London forward into a modern sphere. Joining him was Cornelius Corkery on guitar and Ben Manning on the bass.

Robin Nolan is arguably one of the most famous gypsy jazz guitarists in the world, having played with every major artist in the genre, and winning a global fan base as well as the respect and acclaim of his peers (George Harrison, Bill Wyman, Hank Marvin to name a few!). Our original LIVE podcast session at the Green Note couldn't take place due to COVID-19, but Robin was up for a quick Zoom session in the meantime. 

Daniel John Martin is a musician who needs no introduction. A highly established and respected violin player, Daniel of the most talented and sought after violinists of his generation, and has joined such world Gypsy guitar greats as Boulou Ferre, Angelo DeBarre and Romane, as well many others. Daniel John Martin on violin, Cornelius Corkery guitar, Andrea Vergani on guitar and Marcus Penrose on double bass

Alex Bishop is a guitar luthier based in Bristol. Having left a degree in Aerospace Engineering in Bath, he moved to London in 2007 to pursue the possibility of becoming a guitar maker. Alex came down and joined us for episode 3, bringing with him some of his own guitars for us to try out. Alex Bishop on guitar, Cornelius Corkery on guitar, Tobie Medland on violin and Marcus Penrose on double bass.

Filippo Dall’Asta is an Italian Gypsy jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader and arranger, mixing the sounds of Gypsy jazz and his native Italy with traditional Indian music, to forge his own style of progressive guitar playing. Joining him is Tobie Medland on Violin, Ben Manning on Double Bass and Cornelius Corkery on guitar.   

Thanks for tuning in! Here is our first attempt at the podcast. The first hang-out was great fun to record, a very informal session. The tunes were good, the beer and pizza were also good (probably sliiightly better). Tobie Medland on the violin, Andrea Vergani on guitar, Ben Manning on double bass, Cornelius Corkery on guitar.