Django in June

About Our Guitar Clinics

(skip overview and jump right to individual clinics)

Allow me, if you will, one short rant: The vast majority of American guitarists, even very accomplished jazz guitarists, have no idea just how distinct a guitar tradition Gypsy jazz is. Our tendency over the past 50 years or so has been to approach this music as a slight variation of American Swing music. (Django did, after all, snag a bunch of our tunes.) When I went to the Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois, France a couple years ago, however, I learned just how far off the mark we generally are. Of course, each of us is free to play this or any music any way we like. Have a blast. But the music I heard being played around the campfires at Samois was nothing like anything I had ever heard at an American jazz jam session.

The clinicians at Django in June will offer us insights into the practice of Gypsy jazz guitar on a level that was unavailable on this side of the Atlantic (especially on the East Coast) just a few short years ago. Each clinic will have its own distinctive focus and each clinician has his own approach. Together, their offerings will provide either an incredible introduction to the genre or an opportunity to sweat new details and deepen your understanding.

Click on the name of the clinician below to learn more about them. Click on the clinic title for a description or just scroll on down the page to have a look at all of them. There's a link to the Registration page in the far right hand column.

Day and Time
Clinician
Clinic
Register
Friday, 4-6
 
Saturday, 10-12
 
Saturday, 1:30-3:30
 
Saturday, 4-6
 
Sunday, 10:30-12:30

 

Unaccompanied Django Workshop - Gypsy Jazz Solo Guitar Techniques
with Michael Horowitz
Friday 4-6

Django Reinhardt composed more than a dozen compositions for the unaccompanied guitar throughout his career. These pieces, many of which bear the title “Improvisation,” are some of the most intimate expressions of the musical genius of Django Reinhardt. Unfortunately, Django’s output for the unaccompanied guitar has often been overshadowed by his brilliant work as a soloist in small jazz ensembles. Django’s tradition of unaccompanied guitar playing is still an important part of the Gypsy jazz genre. Contemporary Gypsy jazz virtuosos such as Angelo Debarre, Boulou Ferré, Biréli Lagrène, Fapy Lafertin, and Stochelo Rosenberg have recorded Django’s unaccompanied guitar pieces as well as their own compositions.

This workshop will explore the techniques that Django, Stochelo Rosenberg, Biréli Lagrène, and other Gypsy guitarists use to create brilliant unaccompanied guitar compositions. You will learn authentic Gypsy chord voicings, Gypsy style reharmonization techniques, arppegiations, Baroque ideas, Spanish/Flamenco ideas, parallel chord usage, scale passages, chromatic runs, and numerous other techniques which will allow you to create your own Gypsy style unaccompanied versions of any song. You will also learn an unaccompanied version of the Reinhardt classic Manoir des mes Rêves (which doesn't appear in Michael's book Unaccompanied Django). These examples will be included in handouts written in both standard notation and tablature.
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Gypsy Rhythm Workshop - Advanced Rhythmic and Harmonic Techniques
with Michael Horowitz
Saturday 10-12

Accompaniment in Gypsy jazz is so much more then a few three note chord voicings played with a La Pompe rhythm. In this workshop Michael will teach you authentic Gypsy chord voicings and rhythms which he learned first hand from the the Gypsy guitar masters in Holland. You will learn advanced 5 and 6 note chord voicings, Gypsy style chord substitutions, comping, turnarounds, accent patterns, and other advanced rhythmic devices used be Django, Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg, Nous'che Rosenberg, etc. Additionally, we'll discuss numerous regional variations of La Pompe such as the pre-War style, German style, modern style, etc. Gypsy approaches to Latin rhythms will also be explained.

To put these techniques into context, you will learn a number of Gypsy jazz standards with authentic chord changes. Unlike most fake books, these tunes were transcribed from Django's original recordings or learned directly from the Gypsies. These examples will be included in handouts written in both standard notation and tablature.
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Gypsy Picking Workshop - Right Hand Technique with Michael Horowitz
Sunday 10:30-12:30

Right hand picking technique is one of the most demanding aspects of playing Gypsy jazz. This workshop will teach you the rest-stroke picking technique used by Django Reinhardt, Stochelo Rosenberg, Bireli Lagrene, and nearly every other Gypsy jazz guitarist. Learning to play with rest-strokes will give you the "Gypsy sound" by dramatically improving your volume, speed and tone.

To help put the rest-stroke technique in context, students will learn several of the most commonly used Gypsy phrases, arpeggios, and chromatic runs which do not appear in my book Gypsy Picking. Students will also learn basic principals of efficient left hand fingerings which, when used in conjunction with the rest-stroke picking technique, allow one to play with improved speed and articulation. These examples will be included in handouts written in both standard notation and tablature.
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Gypsy Fire 1&2 with Andreas Oberg
Saturday 10-12

In this, the most recent Djangobooks publication, Andreas Oberg and Michael Horowitz have produced a terrific new resource for aspiring Gypsy Jazz guitarists. Gypsy Fire is a collection of melodic patterns and arpeggios that are typical of both contemporary GJ players and those who inspired them. In two clinics at Django in June, Andreas Oberg will go over selections from this material as well as introducing new material that was not included in the book. Although the general thrust of the workshops will be the same - a focus on idiomatic patterns and arpeggios and their application to standard GJ repertoire - in Gypsy Fire 1, Andreas will approach the material in such a way that newcomers to the style will get a good introduction. In Gypsy Fire 2 he will assume that participants have been working with this type of material for some time and that folks are looking to take their playing to the next level.
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How to Practice with Stephane Wrembel
Saturday 10-12

Talking over the various subjects Stephane would like to share with people, he said there were two ways this clinic might go. If it is a small group (say, 6 or fewer) he may start by taking time and questions from each participant. In his experience this has proven to be a great way to make sure that everyone gets what is most important to them out of the clinic. With a larger group, he said, what he would like to discuss is how to practice effectively. Ultimately, the development of your playing abilities and style depend not on what happens here over the course of a couple of hours, but what happens during the rest of the hours you spend with guitar in hand over the course of the year. After making sure everyone has a solid foundation in comping, Stephane will discuss and demonstrate his own practice regimen. If you have not yet seen him play, take my word for it: his regimen works quite adequately for him! Come find out what it could do for you.
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Masterclass with Lollo Meier
Saturday from 4 - 6

Lollo Meier will be the first actual Gypsy performer/teacher to join us at Django in June and he has expressed an interest in demonstrating the kind of teaching that he himself received as a young man from such luminaries as Waso Grunholz and Fapy Lafertin, both of whom are close relatives. Lollo would like to address each participant individually, answer questions and share his observations on technique and his approach to improvisation. Since this style lends itself better to an intimate setting than a large group, we have decided to set this up as a masterclass, meaning that there will be a limited number of seats (up to, say, 7 or 8) available for actual participants and an unlimited number of seats for observers who will glean what is most useful from Lollo's work with the participating players.

Although first priority will be given to players who are already familiar with the technique and repertoire associated with this style, participants do not have to be expert Gypsy Jazz guitarists. This is not a performance or a contest of any kind. It is simply an opportunity to sit, talk and share some music with a man who's been doing this since he was 8 years old in the midst a culture that was and is largely devoted to just this sort of pursuit. Lollo's reputation as a kind, patient man precedes him, so you can have confidence that the setting will be focused but relaxed and generous. Very few of us have ever had such an opportunity, so I hope that interested players and observers will join in the fun. Those interested in participating as active players are encouraged to register early.

 

Rhythm Guitar with Dave Kelbie
Sunday 10:30-12:30
Here's Dave's clinic description in his own words, (with a little assist from the local editorial board). By way of prelude, I just want to point out (for those of you who are just getting into the style) that the names he rattles of below are among the most well-known and respected in the genre. This is a great opportunity to learn from a native English speaker who has worked at a high professional level with the best in the business.
My workshops are a full-on rhythm workout, mostly concentrating on right hand techniques within the context of working in the rhythm section of a Hotclub style quartet or quintet. I’ll also touch on the differences between this strict style and the looser harmonic movements of duo or trio work.

A bit about me and where I'm coming from... I started playing guitar at the age of 20. Started touring with [Dutch GJ great] Fapy Lafertin at 23 and recorded the first CD with him in1989. Since then have toured and recorded with Angelo Debarre, Lollo Meier, John Etheridge, and a few gigs with Bireli Lagrene. After meeting Fapy I’ve never been interested in soloing, which has put me in the unusual position of being taught rhythm by these great players rather than dozens of fast licks. Fapy in particular, before we recorded the first CD, took me for a week or so of unbelievable rhythm tuition which I’ve leant on consistently since. Angelo also has taught me great things, particularly, as he plays at inhuman tempos, how not to get tired out after 32 bars!

So...a more detailed look at what we'll try to cover:
1. Right hand techniques and plectrum


2. Left hand positions, substitutions, tone exercises

 


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