Gypsy jazz

Gypsy jazz
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsc. 1934, Paris, France[1]
Typical instruments
Other topics
Romani people - Manouche - Sinti - Django Reinhardt – Stéphane Grappelli - Quintette du Hot Club de France
Tchavolo Schmitt (left) with Steeve Laffont, playing their brand of gypsy jazz at la Chope des Puces, Paris, in 2016

Gypsy jazz (also known as sinti jazz, gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a musical idiom inspired by the Romani jazz guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–1953), in conjunction with the French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli (1908–1997), as expressed by their group the Quintette du Hot Club de France.[2] The style has its origins in France and the Manouche clan of Romanis, and has remained popular amongst this clan. Gypsy jazz is often called by the French name jazz manouche, or alternatively, manouche jazz in English-language sources.[3]

Reinhardt was foremost among a group of gypsy guitarists working in Paris from the 1930s to the 1950s. The group included the brothers Baro, Sarane, and Matelo Ferret and Reinhardt's brother Joseph "Nin-Nin" Reinhardt.[4]

The style was popular in France and, via recordings and appearances by the original Quintette, in other European countries before and immediately after the Second World War. It fell out of favour as the "swing era" came to an end, being replaced in its homeland by bebop, mainstream jazz, and eventually, rock and roll. However, it had a resurgence from the 1970s onwards, among performers and audiences at festivals, etc., in particular the Festival Django Reinhardt which commenced in 1968 at Samois-sur-Seine, France (the location of Reinhardt's last residence) and continues to the present time.

  1. ^ Williams, Patrick. "Un Héritage Sans Transmission : Le Jazz Manouche." Ethnologie Française 30, no. 3 (2000): 409-22. French language. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40990261
  2. ^ Dregni, Michael (2008). Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing. Oxford University Press. pp. 10–13. ISBN 978-0-19-531192-1.
  3. ^ "Some Background Information on Jazz Manouche". Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  4. ^ Dregni, Michael (2004). Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend. Oxford University Press. pp. 60–63. ISBN 0-19-516752-X.