Django in June

Artists & Staff in 2009

 

Here's where you'll find short introductions to the splendid collection of artists who will be joining us at Django in June in 2009 as teachers and performers. As you will see, some are old friends of ours and some will be joining us for the first time. Most will be with us as instructors for all of Django Camp and offering performances and clinics later in the week.

You can either scroll down this page to visit everyone or, if you prefer, just click on an individual's name in the table below to jump to him or her directly.

 

 

 

Guitar Violin
Reinier Voet (Holland, Pigalle44) Tim Kliphuis (Boston / Berklee)
Kruno Spisic ( Philadelphia, Croatia) Julie Lyonn Lieberman (Western MA)
Gonzalo Bergara (Argentina, California) Mandolin
Denis Chang (Montréal) Jamie Masefield (Vermont, Jazz Mandolin Project)
Michael Horowitz (Seattle, Djangobooks) John McGann (Boston, Berklee)
Romain Vuillemin (France, Montreal) Accordion
Jan Brouwer (Holland, Pigalle44) Gert Wantenaar (Holland)
  Bass
  Simon Planting (Holland)
   

 

Reinier Voet : Guitar

Holland is a hotbed of hot club activity and if you ask anyone who the main players on the Dutch scene are, you're going to get a handful of the best-known Gypsy players in the world (Fapy Lafertin, Stochelo Rosenberg, etc.) and a couple elite gadjos, Robin Nolan and this newcomer to Django in June, Reinier Voet. As a student of the instrument Reinier went the full legit route, including jazz guitar studies at the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag with Peter Nieuwerf. But off-book he learned first hand from the likes of Jimmy Rosenberg and Fapy himself, with whom he worked as an accompanist for four years. Gypsy jazz training doesn't get any more legit than that.

A professional teacher and performer specializing in Gypsy jazz, he has contributed to many and diverse musical projects but is best known in the GJ world for his work with Fapy and as leader of Pigalle44. He brings the perfect combination for our event: deep know-how of the European Gypsy jazz tradition and the ability to share that knowledge effectively with students of the style. He'll be with us for all of Django Camp and a mainstage performance with Pigalle44.

 

 

Gonzalo Bergara : Guitar

Gonzalo Bergara joined us for the first time just last year ('08) and got rave reviews as both a teacher and performer. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Gonzalo moved to the US in 1999 and has since played his blues and jazz from coast to coast and throughout Europe.  Now a fixture on the North American Gypsy jazz scene, Gonzalo has recorded albums with Dan Hicks and Linwood Slim, leads his own band, the LA-based Trio Gonzalo, and held the rhythm guitar chair in the John Jorgenson Quintet for a couple of years.  His first album as a leader (Porteña Soledad) has revealed him not only as a fine player, but a tasteful composer and arranger as well. He'll be back this year for all of Django Camp and a mainstage performance.

 

 

Kruno Spisic : Guitar

It's hard to believe, but in the first five years of Django in June, Kruno Spisic has only been with us for a couple days, back in 2007. The stars have finally lined up for us this year, though, and he'll be with us to offer instruction for all of Django Camp as well as a mainstage performance. Kruno is now based in Philadelphia, PA, but to hear him sing and play you'd think he'd just gotten off the boat from the Old Country. Having grown up in a Croatian household and cut his instrumental teeth on an Eastern European variety of mandolin called the Tambura, Kruno makes distinctive and beautiful music by fusing Eastern European folk traditions with Django swing and a long list of influences that includes the likes of Joe Satriani, Frank Sinatra and Birelli Lagrene.

  • For more on Kruno and his music, visit Kruno.net
  • www.myspace.com/krunospisic is worth a visit, too. Some nice video.
  • Here's a video of Kruno performing at Django in June '07 with Vladimir Mollov: Swing 49
  • Here's a fun video of him accompanying Angelo Debarre on "Strabo"

 

Denis Chang : Guitar

Denis Chang has been on our staff at Django in June since its inception and he'll be back this year not only as an instructor at Django Camp, but as a mainstage performer with his fine new quartet. Having made numerous pilgrimages to Europe and hosted many performers in Montreal, Denis has studied, performed and recorded with some of the best musicians in the style. He has a B.Mus. from McGill University and has received several scholarships from the Berklee College of Music. His own first recording, Nature Boy, was released in 2006.

Back in the olden days — like, 2003, 2004 — Denis attracted the attention (and gratitude) of many students of the style by virtue of his high-quality transcriptions of solos by Django Reinhardt and other GJ masters, especially those of the extended Rosenberg clan. In recent years he has continued to offer authoritative assistance both through in-person workshops and his DVD's published by HyperHip Media: Jazz Manouche: The Art of Accompaniment, and the four volume Jazz Manouche: Technique & Improvisation.

 

Michael Horowitz: Guitar

Time it was, if you didn't have direct access to an instructor playing in the traditional Gypsy style you were to left to your own devices when it came to figuring out how Django got his distinctive sound, how he moved across the fingerboard, or how he and his accompanists approached rhythm guitar. With the publication of his Gypsy Picking, Michael changed all that and, in one fell rest stroke, raised the bar for written Gypsy jazz instructional materials everywhere. (I exempt the Gypsies’ own oral tradition from the sphere of his influence. But how many of us have— like Michael—had access to that?) Since then, his Djangobooks publishing company and web site have continued to provide an extraordinary array of resources for students and fans of this rich tradition.

Michael will be back at Django in June again this year, joining us on the weekend as a special guest clinician and peerless purveyor of all things Gypsy jazz, including a large selection of books, CDs, DVDs, picks and strings. Get it while it's here!

 

Romain Vuillemin: Rhythm Guitar

One of our primary themes at Django Camp this year is going to be rhythm guitar. As my grandmother used to say, "When you've got it, flaunt it!" And this year we've "got it" when it comes to not only la pompe, but Latin and Balkan rhythmic styles. Romain Vuillemin is one of two rhythm guitar specialists at Django in June this year (the other being Jan Brouwer). Born and raised in eastern France, he learned from the great Gypsy players of that region: Ritary and Hervé Gaguenetti, Schmitto Winterstein, Esso Weiss and others. In 2008, Denis Chang invited Romain to come live in Montreal and join his new quartet on rhythm guitar. Happily, Romain did just that. Now he's going to join us, too, for all of Django Camp.

 

Jan Brouwer : Rhythm Guitar

Jan Brouwer is one of two teachers on our '09 staff who has specialized in Gypsy jazz rhythm guitar (the other being Romain Vuillemin, above). He is half of the dynamic duo at the heart of Pigalle44 in Amsterdam, where he has also held the rhythm chair for the Fapy Lafertin Quintet and the Robin Nolan Trio. As knowledgable as he is adept, Jan has been an editor and writer for numerous Dutch music publications including Quintette (published by the Dutch Hot Club de France foundation) and Jazz Bulletin. He be here for all of Django Camp and perform with Pigalle44 on the weekend..

  • In the videos and recordings of Reinier Voet (above), that's Jan on rhythm guitar.
  • Jan's myspace page

 

 

Tim Kliphuis: Violin
 

After a one year hiatus from Django in June, we're happy to report that Tim Kliphuis will be back to work with violinists this year. Hailing from Holland, Tim began to make his mark on the international Gypsy jazz scene by recording and touring with Belgian gypsy jazz guitarist Fapy Lafertin starting in 1999. Their collaborations include one of my personal favorite Gypsy jazz CD's, Fleur D'Ennui. Tim has performed and recorded with other top-tier GJ guitarists such as Stochelo Rosenberg, Angelo DeBarre, Robin Nolan and Gary Potter. A recognized expert in the jazz violin styling of Django's most memorable counterpart, Stephane Grappelli, Tim released The Grappelli Tribute in 2005. He offers workshops on Grappelli's style around the world and Mel Bay has just released his new instructional book, Stephane Grappelli Gypsy Jazz Violin. Next up is his soon-to-be-released Hot Jazz Violin DVD from HyperHip Media. Tim will work with violinists for all of Django Camp and join in at least one of the performances.

 

Julie Lyonn Lieberman : Violin
 

The already rich music community of western Massachusetts got another boost to its account this past year as Julie Lyonn Lieberman began her transition to this area from New York. An improvising violinist and vocalist who specializes in improvisation in American as well as world styles, Julie is the author of eight music books and seven instructional DVDs. A J. D’Adddario Elite Clinician, Julie has received countless citations and awards for her work not only as an author, but for her dynamic, participatory workshops with organizations like the American String Teachers Association, International Association of Jazz Educators, Music Educators Association, National String Workshop and the Juilliard School. Her ability to stimulate participants to think and grow in new ways has earned respect for her work throughout the world.

Julie will be with us every afternoon throughout Django Camp, leading a special track for violinists who are new to jazz improvisation, The Improvisor's Tool-Kit. With her help we hope to entice and inspire fiddlers and classical violinists to explore this most string-friendly of all jazz traditions. For more on this option, please swing by this page .

For more on the wide world of Julie Lyonn Lieberman: JulieLyonn.com

 

Jamie Masefield : Mandolin

The whole idea of incorporating mandolin into Gypsy jazz calls for a pioneering spirit. The instrument is so right for this music, but so underexplored. Enter, Jamie Masefield, founder of the Jazz Mandolin Project. As Bill Milkowski put it in Jazz Times,"Like mandolinists Mike Marshall and David Grisman before him, Jamie Masefield is challenging notions of what that stringed instrument – forever associated with folk and bluegrass music – can do." Since 1993, JMP has been pushing mando boundaries throughout the US and internationally, now with 6 CD's to their credit. 

Explorer or not, the Burlington-based Masefield is no stranger to Django country. In 2003 he did a series of performances in NYC with renowned jazz guitarist Marc Ribot performing the music, Reinhardt. In 2006, he co-created MaMaVig with longtime Django-stylist Frank Vignola (guitar) and Gary Mazzaroppi (bass). Jamie has taught Django jazz on mandolin at the Pudget Sound Guitar Workshop and The California Coast Music Camp as well as workshops at many of the biggest festivals in the country. We are pleased to welcome him for the first time to Django in June. Please take note: because of a prior commitment to perform on Friday night at the Rochester Jazz Festival, Jamie will be with us at Django Camp only through Thursday, at which point John mcGann will take over (see his bio below).

 

John McGann: Mandolin

John McGann is the rare musician who can do a wide variety of things and do them all extremely well. A multi-instrumentalist composer, arranger, performer, recording artist, producer and educator, John works comfortably in a variety of idioms including jazz, bluegrass, American traditional music, and traditional Irish dance music. Among a multitude of other credits, he was the 1985 US National  Flatpicking Champion on mandolin, hosts the mandolin forum at Djangobooks and has produced a number of instructional materials specifically for Gypsy Jazz mandolin. He is Associate Professor in the string department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston where, among other things, he teaches the Django class.

John will be with us on Friday and Saturday this year (as Jamie Masefield heads off early for a previous engagement) so those who drop in for the weekend can work with John while those who come for all of Django Camp will have the opportunity to work with both. By all means, do!

 

 

Gert Wantenaar : Accordion

The accordion has a long and interesting association with Gypsy jazz. Django's first gigs as a child-professional were as an accompanist for accordionists playing la musette in the rough and tumble dance clubs of working-class Paris. Just as American flatpickers like Doc Watson have adapted fiddle tunes for guitar, Gypsy guitarists have adapted and extended what was traditionally accordion repertoire, often in ways that require and showcase true virtuosity. Similarly, some notable accordionists — Gus Viseur and Jo Privat come immediately to mind — made their mark by demonstrating that accordion could be a delightful jazz instrument. Despite this history, the accordion is still sorely underrepresented on the US Gypsy jazz scene. Dutch accordionist Gert Wantenaar will help us address that deficiency by joining us us for the first time this year.

Gert often works with Amsterdam's Pigalle44, our featured European guests at Django Camp this year. (See also the descriptions above for group members Reinier Voet and Jan Brouwer) He first recorded with the group on their 2001 CD Bric A Brac, then again on their 2004 follow-up, Swing for Bop. In addition to his work with Pigalle44 Gert has worked closely with singer Mathilde Santing and for TV, theatrical and film productions. He studied piano and accordion at Holland's Hilversum conservatory, including close study with Johnny Meijer whom Archie Shepp once called "the Art Tatum of the accordion". Equally comfortable on both button and piano accordion, Gert will work with players of both at Django Camp.

 

 

Simon Planting: Bass

Simon Planting, a native of Holland, is best known in the U.S. as the bass player for the Robin Nolan Trio. Already recognized as a straight ahead jazz player, Simon was invited to join the great Dutch Roma guitarist Fapy Lafertin in 1986, an association that has so far spanned 2 LP's and 6 CD's and endures to this day. He has also worked extensively with other Dutch artsist in this tradition, including Reinier Voet (of Pigalle 44) and virtuoso Jimmy Rosenberg.

Simon has toured widely beyond the borders of Holland and worked with many of the best known Django-influenced players in Europe and the US: Dorado and Tchavolo Schmitt, Angelo Debarre, Andreas Oberg, John Jorgenson, Howard Alden, Frank Vignola, Kruno... In fact, it is getting harder and harder to name a well-known Gypsy Jazz player with whom Simon has not worked. We are pleased and priviledged that he'll be back with us this year not only as a performer, but as our primary bass clinician for all of Django Camp.

Thanks to the Western New England Double Bass Society for sponsoring the bass componant of Django in June!

 

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