GJ guitars used in "other" music?

noodlenot · December 2010

WColsher wrote:

noodlenot - would that be Zaz?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HqjkdqZXCk

yes, it is. nice catch.

brandoneon · December 2010

Nice discussion about other uses of GJ guitar! I've certainly seen a lot of old French 'popular music' band photos with Selmer guitars and wondered if they were all applying proper technique!

Henri Salvador played one in his early days, and he admits being influenced by Django, but these early recording are definitely in a chanson vein.

You guys are lucky if your only exposure to Zaz is on youtube, in France she blanketed the airwaves this summer. I couldn't watch the above video for copyright reasons, but there are some youtube videos from 'Le Figaro' where she's surround by an excellent bassist and guitarist (Sebastien Giniaux?) ... it's a shame they have to endure her voice and ridiculous lyrics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F_9fgtEKYg&NR=1

[Edit: as an after-thought I realized that I'm not being fair on her voice, it's very unique and solid and lots of people like it, for me I just don't get it. And maybe she's better live than recorded, but really, those lyrics ... :roll: :roll: :roll: ]

noodlenot · December 2010

only saw it once, just remember it for the selmer-style guitar. are the lyrics that bad? my french is kinda rusty...

Stackabones · December 2010

I've used mine for just about everything but GJ. Hardly anyone plays it in my area and it's tough to even find players who have heard of it. Still, I play standards with a little pompe every now and then in my sets.

*

btw, I checked out some Zaz vids. I think she's cool. Anyone know her story?

Tele295 · January 2011

I've used both of my Gitane gypsy guitars for church work - doesn't get less GJ than that! I try to blend with a pipe organ, piano, trumpet, and 50+ voice choir. The conductor didn't like the sound of my petite bouche DG300 (too loud and bright), but everybody loved the rich sound of the D500 short scale grande bouche.

redblues · January 2011

Agree with tele, regularly use a D hole for Irish trad jams, great sound for melody lines and alternate picking, and saves lugging two guitars around (which i did at first, but really was no need).

Jim Kaznosky · February 2011

We do a few covers of ZAZ songs in our weekly sit: Les Passant and Ni Oui Ni Non. The whole record is not like GJ inspired, but there is some pretty solid playing on the record. Isabelle Geffroy has a very nice voice with a lot of control.

Bob · February 2011

Top British jazz, big band guitarist and teacher Ivor Mairants used a Selmer Maccafferi in the 1930's and also promoted the guitars in Selmer's advertising in the music press. He became very friendly with Mario. Described in their advertising as "Indisputably the outstanding instrumental production of the age. An invention which raises the guitar to 100% in orchestral utility." (Whatever that means!) Ivor certainly wasn't a gypsy jazz guitarist but used his Selmer in the big bands he played with for a while before he got his Epiphone Emperor.

Bob

sockeye · February 2011

There's a Welsh guy named Dylan Fowler who plays traditional-ish fingerstyle stuff om a D-hole. And "Sir" Richard Bishop, formerly of the Sun City Girls, plays avant garde solo guitar stuff on a Dell'Arte petit bouche, complete with Wegen GJ pick.