Great news, Alex Hand joining us on the 15th. Alex graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in jazz guitar performance. While touring in 2014 with Los Angeles singer, Jessica Fichot, Alex performed at the Midwest Gypsy Swing festival and Montreal’s Francofolies festival. He studied traditional Balkan music in Bulgaria in 2015 and has been playing and teaching in the San Francisco area for five years. Alex’s current project explores the common ground of influence between western art music and jazz with folk music of Eastern Europe. The Alex Hand Band released a full length album in 2018 called Traders of the Lost Arts.
We are not going to be introducing new songs this month so that we can focus on time keeping, dynamics and sounding more “gypsy” in our solos. Alex’s knowledge and playing style, which is influenced by the music of Eastern Europe, will really help with the authenticity of our solos.
We also have a Paul Mehling lined up in October who has agreed to do a master class with us. I will send out the date very soon.
We hope to see you on the 15th,
This September will mark the 18th annual DjangoFest Northwest. We’ve watched it grow from humble origins into five days of concerts and workshops, featuring dozens of world-class artists and thousands of attendees, making it the largest festival of Gypsy Jazz in North America! This coming DFNW promises to once again bring together the world’s best and brightest musicians, a constellation of stars featuring both old friends and new.
We are saddened to share with you that festival Artistic Director Nick Lehr has joined Django Reinhardt to djam with the angels. He will be sorely missed by all of us who loved him.
Prohibition Swing Night
Featuring Mississippi Hot Club and The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League
Friday, September 28
at The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge
Doors 7:30pm :: Lessons 8pm :: Music 9pm :: 21+
Swing Dance lessons at 8pm with DJ Kelsey Burns
$9 Early Bird / $12 Advance / $15 Day of Show
Early Bird Tickets On-Sale NOW! Limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis!
BUY TICKETS –> https://fanlink.to/Prohibition
An evening of Prohibition-era swing and Gypsy Jazz with Mississippi Hot Club and The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League. Swing dancers and 1920s-30s costumes welcome.Come early for swing dancing lessons at 8pm!
Mississippi Hot Club – 9pm
Staying true to the 1930s hot club sound, MHC also expands the scope of gypsy jazz with a healthy spread of modern twists. During a live set, you can expect them to play everything from romantic ballads to European folk music to American jazz to Nintendo anthems and science fiction themes. This troupe is sure to get you swinging with their virtuosic style and expert arrangements.
The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League – 10:30pm
The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League is a string quartet that brings the smoky rhythms and sizzling leads of Prohibition swing into the 21st century.
Le Hot Jazz – Gypsy Jazz Quartet plays 2018 Adventures in Jazz Series – San Ramon Library
Members of the Hot Club of San Francisco will perform Gypsy Swing in the style of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Enjoy the Parisian vibe in an intimate setting – no passport needed!
This month we have the “Godfather of American Gypsy Jazz”, Paul Mehling. Paul is a great instructor, a wealth of knowledge and will be explaining some advanced gypsy jazz concepts. If you are in the area be sure to join us
Guitar Night Series continues with a return of two amazing guitarists, Ollie Soikkeli and Cesar Garabini. These cats are bad-ass! Check them out on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuJKTg5gN7E YouTube $22 advance, $25 at door, $15 Student ID. Ticket link; https://GuitarDuo.bpt.me Note; please do not contact the Venetian Club with questions about the show, contact Barry instead at [email protected]
After six months of negotiations, we are pleased to announce or most famous celebrity guest yet: Samson Schmitt! Samson is Dorado Schmitt’s son, an amazing player and we are very fortunate to be able to have him join us. We will have a translator and other instructors joining us to help facilitate the event.
A rare chance for Eric to play with us on Piano!
Gypsy jazz musicians from around Puget Sound will celebrate Django Reinhardt’s 109th birthday with an evening of music. The concert will feature two bands, Victor Horky’s Silk Road Swing and Ranger and the ‘Re-Arrangers’, plus other top Seattle Gypsy Jazz musicians will make guest appearances, including Tovi Newman on Guitar.
Django was an itinerant Gypsy who earned international acclaim in the 1930’s. Many of his compositions became jazz classics and he is considered one of the top guitar soloists of all time. Duke Ellington called Django “the most creative jazz musician to originate anywhere outside the United States.” Decades later, Jerry Garcia said, “Nobody has really come to the state that he was playing at…nobody plays with the whole fullness of expression that Django had.”
Guitarist Victor Horky brings the swingin’ sound of Django Reinhardt to life with his band Silk Road Swing, and especially loves to play for dancers. Ranger and the ‘Re-Arrangers’ evoke the spirit of a Paris cafe and the raucous energy of a Gypsy campsite. Says violinist Ranger Sciacca: “Our goal is to feature as many great musicians and different instruments as we can!”
There is no cover charge, but donations will be accepted.
