Django in June

Here's where you'll find short introductions to the artists who will be joining us at Django in June in 2012 as teachers and performers. This year we welcome back several of our old friends and favorites -- Gonzalo Bergara, Denis Chang, Michael Horowitz, Jeff Radaich, Tim Kliphuis, Josianne Laberge and Simon Planting have all been here before at least once...some many times. If you've been to Django in June before, you know why. If you haven't, well, count them among the treats we have in store for you.

And as always we welcome some special guests for the first time. This year new guitarists include Dutch master Paulus Schäfer, our first-ever Finn, Olli Soikkeli, and young French phenom Antoine Boyer accompanied in both his classes and performance by his dad Sebastien. (Who is also, by the way, a fine accordion player.) Lifting up the mandolin chair will be another first-timer—from the Swing state of Texas—Mr. Paul Glasse.

To learn more about any of these fine musicians you can either scroll down this page or just click on an individual's name in the table below. All of them (except Michael) will be with us for all of Django Camp, so here's your opportunity for more than just an evening performance or a short clinic with them. Dive deep...you'll come out refreshed and inspired.

Paulus Schäfer: Guitar

Gypsy jazz has always been a family affair. Those familiar with the history of the genre know that down through the decades since brothers Django and Joseph played together, the Reinhardts have not been the only clan to leave their musical mark on the tradition. Names like Ferret, Schmitt, Weiss, Winterstein and others crop up again and again within and across generations.

We couldn't point today to a better contemporary example than that of the Rosenbergs of Holland—as in, Jimmy and Stochelo, to name two particularly well-known Rosenbergs—the extended family to which Paulus Schäfer belongs. It would be nice (for our own shameless promotional purposes) if we could report that Paulus taught Jimmy and Stochelo everything they know, but he makes no such claim. Still, their playing, honed at a thousand family gatherings (the centerpiece of which is invariably music-making) effectively defines what many think of as the "Dutch style" these days.

I'll gladly make the case here that Paulus' personal influence as a player has been much greater in North America than is generally known or acknowledged. That's because around the turn of the millenium when both Michael Horowitz (of Djangobooks.com) and Denis Chang (now of DC Music School) went on their earliest pilgrimages to Europe to learn from the masters of the style, Paulus Schäfer is one of the players they spent the most time with. What they took in from him, they've turned around and shared with us for years, forever transforming and deepening North American guitarists' understanding of the genre.

So here's your chance to have the same experience, first hand. Paulus has a new CD coming out with his (and our) gadjo-bud Tim Kliphuis, which makes 2012 the perfect time for our clan to say to his (all together now), "Welcome!"

• Lovely solo piece by Paulus at DjangoFest NW, courtesy of Patrus 53
• OK, so you stumble into a jam with Jimmy Rosenberg. You ready? (Paulus apparently was.)
• This entire crew will be at Django in June.

Antoine Boyer: Guitar

One of the North Americans who knows the most about le jazz manouche is a guy named Scot Wise. Not a well-known player, not a big-time critic, just a guy who got seriously interested in this style of music, oh, a decade or two before you (well, before me anyway), made some trips to France, made some great connections (Francis-Alfred Moerman, for one) and...how do you say "gets it" in French? Anyway, when Scot calls and tells me he'd like to send me a CD and DVD of a father-son duo that I might consider for Django in June, I get rather scrupulous about checking my PO Box.

Right around the same time, I'm watching one of Patrus 53's splendid video shorts filmed in Samois in 2011 and this kid shows up whom I can't stop watching. Now, at 50-something, a lot of adults look like kids to me these days. I'll grant you that. But I'm talking, what...14? 15, max. A verifiable kid to everyone but his younger sister (should he have one.)

Turns out the "kid" is the junior half of the father/son duo that Scot had called about. All this within a couple of days. At such times there is only line of thought to pursue. It begins with, "The Fates are talking to you." And ends with, "Are you listening?"

Yes, I am. And if you're open to a little sliver of advice, so will you: to young Antoine Boyer and his dad Sebastien. And better yet, come, spend some time with them. They will both be on staff for all of Django Camp. Sebastien speaks better English than you do (well, than I do anyway.) Antoine has drool-worthy technique, a repertoire that is at once unique but well grounded in the Gypsy jazz tradition (à la Moerman and the Ferrets) and stunning musicality for one so young. He and le père have been eager to learn and are glad to share. Are you listening?

• So...say Stochelo Rosenberg invites you to join him in concert. You ready? (Antoine was.)
• In homage to Francis-Alfred Moerman at Samois-sur-Seine in 2011.
• Father and son, courtesy of Patrus 53 (and DjangoFest Northwest.)

Olli Soikkeli: Guitar

Who'd have thunk that the northern climes of Scandinavia would become a hotbed of hot jazz? But as friends of Django in June know, it has and is. In 2010 Gustav Lundgren and Martin Sjostedt brought their class act down to our latitude. And way back in 2004—Year II of Django in June—the Nordic heat was radiating off the fretboard of another Swede, Andreas Obërg.

But Finland? That's new tundra for us. Enter: Olli Soikkeli. Born in Nurmes, Finland in 1991, Olli was introduced to the music of Django Reinhardt in his mid teens and so far the only "looking-back" has been from all the heads he has turned, including those of Bucky Pizzarelli, Andreas, Vitali Imereli and Joscho Stephan, with whom Olli has performed. In 2011 he recorded with the elder Pizzarelli and completed his own first album, Trois Générations, with Hot Club de Finlande. This may be the first you've heard of Olli Soikkeli, but here's my prediction that it won't be the last. He'll be with us for all of Django Camp.

• A low-key, high-level encounter of Olli, Christiaan ven Hermet and Bar Zalel at Gossington 2011.
• In a trio setting at the Stockholm Django Festival, 2011
• Courtesy of Patrus 53, Olli and Ari (of AJL Guitars) tackle Django's Rythme Futur
• Olli and Ari from a couple years ago playing Joseph, Joseph!

Gonzalo Bergara : Guitar

Last year I found myself hanging in the courtyard with Olivier Kikteff, the leader of our featured guest artists, Les Doigts de L'Homme. If you don't know of them (go, go, buy, buy!) trust me, he's an extrordinary guitarist. Somehow or other, Gonzalo Bergara came up in our conversation and Olivier just shook his head, looking down, and said, "Oh, to have his right hand..."

For the few non guitar geeks who may be reading these words, allow me to translate that as, "What amazing technique that guy has!"

That explains, in part, why Gonzalo has been such a wonderful resource for Django Camp participants for several years running. What's harder to reckon is how a technician becomes a moving artist, how the perspiration of practice becomes inspiration to those who don't know or care a whit about technique. But that's what Gonzalo does, who he is. One of Django in June's perennial favorites as a teacher and performer, Gonzalo is a gift we love to share with students of the idiom and fans of exquisite music.

• Lots to see, hear and purchase on Gonzalo's website: http://www.gonzalobergara.com/
• Video of The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet at Django in June in 2009, playing Coquette
• An audio clip from the title track of his CD, Simplicated
• Gonzalo and Adrien Moignard, courtesy of Patrus 53

Denis Chang : Guitar

Denis Chang has been on our staff at Django in June almost every year since its inception. In a way, his trajectory as a student, teacher, performer and promoter of Gypsy jazz has paralleled the development of this event. Like distant cousins who check in and catch up every year, both Denis and Django and June have spent the last decade coming into our own. With his latest project DC Music School coming online byte by byte this year, he is looking all grown up to us and bound to cinch his spot among the most influential GJ educators, not just in North America, but in the world.

His specialty has always been making the impossible accessible. Which is to say, he's a born teacher—an enabler of the best sort. Back in the olden days of 2003, 2004 Denis attracted the attention and earned the 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. Next came the authoritative DVD's produced by HyperHip Media: Jazz Manouche: The Art of Accompaniment, and the four volume Jazz Manouche: Technique & Improvisation.

But right now it's all about DC Music School, an online instructional resource that promises great things and, given that Denis is involved, a lot of laughs. And cookies! Mmm...

• Denis plays Wasso's Waltz
• Denis and Stochelo. Who's fault was it?
• Denis playing Fleche D'Or at Django in June in 2009
• Laying down the latin groove for Joscho Stephan and Evan Price at Django in June in 2010.

Jeff Radaich : Guitar

Jeff was a last minute addition to our Django Camp guitar crew in 2011 and, based on our experience of him, an early invitee for 2012. Ultimately, those who attend this event have the final word regarding such matters. Word is, Jeff's a great addition to our staff.

As rhythm guitarist for the Gonzalo Bergara Quartet, we knew that he would be a valuable resource for anyone who wanted to focus on rhythm guitar while here. What we didn't know is that Jeff is an acomplished lead player who (like most of our staff, but unlike most Americans) employs the Djangoesque right-hand technique Michael Horowitz dubbed Gypsy Picking. He will not tell you it's easy, but he will prove that it is doable for mere mortals (pretty sure he's mortal...Jeff, you mortal?) and break down the process of building solid technique and a cache of idiomatic riffs that will serve you now and over the long haul.

Jeff now has his own band, The Black Market Trust and they are in the studio as we cyber-speak. Their first original CD of Gypsy jazz-inspired material should be ready for release before we meet in June. If we can get our hands on any pre-release material from that we'll pass it along here. Meantime...enjoy these:

• Jeff's Long Beach Caravan Trio at The Art Theatre of Long Beach, Montagne St Genevieve
• Warning: it can be hard to make it to the bathroom with this action in the hallway. DiJ 2011.
• Laying down la pompe for Gonzalo on Some Of These Days, DiJ 2009

Michael Horowitz: Guitar

Time it was, if you didn't have direct access to an instructor playing in the traditional Gypsy style you were on your own when it came to figuring out how Django got his distinctive sound, how he moved across the fingerboard, or how he did so much with just two fully functioning fingers on his left hand. With the publication of his Gypsy Picking Michael Horowitz 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.

As he has been every year since 2004, Michael will join us in 2012 as a special guest clinician on the weekend and peerless purveyor of all things Gypsy jazz: books, CDs, DVD's, picks, strings and more. This is the only east coast trip Michael makes every year, so come and get it while he's here!

• For a peek at Michael's world you only need one link: Djangobooks.com.

Tim Kliphuis: Violin

Let me see...if memory serves, Tim Kliphuis first joined us (along with Lollo Meier) at Django in June III, way back in 2005. And ever since, I get in big trouble if I don't invite him back. Fortunately, I respect, appreciate and like him a lot.

My first exposure to Tim's work was through one of my very favorite Gypsy jazz recordings, Fleur D'Ennu, with Fapy Lafertin. I believe it was through those early collaborations with Fapy that Tim first began to make his mark on the international Gypsy jazz scene, but he has since performed and recorded with many of the top-tier GJ guitarists: Stochelo Rosenberg, Angelo DeBarre, Robin Nolan, England's Gary Potter and many others.

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, puts on his own Grappelli Camp in Holland and has produced a rich and growing compendium of instructional resources for students of the style, including Mel Bay's, Stephane Grappelli Gypsy Jazz Violin and the HyperHip Media DVD Hot Jazz Violin.

Tim will team up with Josianne Laberge to work with violinists at Django Camp, then join Paulus Schäfer for a concert on the weekend.

• All Tim, all the time at timkliphuis.com
• Tim guesting with the Rosenberg Trio, playing Django's firey Micro
• Your first violin lesson with Tim Kliphuis. You're welcome.
• Tim joins Kruno, Denis and Simon for a tune at DiJ 2009.

Josianne Laberge: Violin

The stars lined up last year and allowed Josianne Laberge to join our violin staff. She impressed me, Django Camp participants and our audiences, so before those stars get out of whack again, I'm making sure she comes back.

Josianne completed her studies in classical violin at l’Université Laval (Canada) in 2002, then turned her attention to various genres of improvised music and the musical theater. She was a founder of the group Polémil Bazar (see the video below) with which she recorded 3 CD's and performed over 400 concerts before the group disbanded in 2007. She has been the go-to gal when various Gypsy jazz heavy-hitters—Patrick Saussois, Lollo Meier, Andreas Oberg, Wawau Adler—have passed through Québec and has participated in countless projects by artists working in other genres. Josianne also has a taste and a talent for the theater and has worked extensively as a performer, composer and designer for the stage.

It was Tim Kliphuis who first recommended that I bring Josianne on board (years ago), so it is only fitting that they should have the opportunity to work together this year.

• Commence, if you will, by listening to some of the audio clips on Josianne's Myspace page.
• With Steve Normandin at last year's Django in June.
• Performing I Found A New Baby in March of 2010
• Jamming with Wawau Adler, Teddy G. and many others at DiJ '07. Avalon. Pure fun. She's in at 2:38.

Paul Glasse : Mandolin

Gypsy jazz is nothing if not a string-based jazz form. Right? So what do we care how many strings you have on your axe? Four, six, eight...it's all good. Hence, our ongoing campaign to introduce mandolinists to the Gypsy jazz tradition, and vice versa. Every year it's a stretch for all involved; but like a good yoga class, both teachers and students alike walk away feeling better and glad they did it.

Don Steinberg knows jazz mandolin, so when he recommended Paul Glasse for this year I listened up. I'll let another guy who knows jazz mando better than I—Ted Eschliman of jazzmando.com—introduce him. Here are the opening notes of an extensive interview Ted did with Paul that appeared on Mandolin Cafe in 2009:

Paul is one of mandolindom's living treasures, and the fact that he's one of a handful of those who've forged jazz frontiers on the fretboard makes him special to me personally... His hands-on experience with the previous generation's triumvirate greats in jazz mandolin, Tiny Moore, Johnny Gimble, and Jethro Burns has allowed him to carry their torch and assist in cultivating a new crop of players, as any who have attended his workshops will attest. I consider it a true privilege to introduce you to the words and wisdom of Austin Texas's crown jewel, Paul Glasse.

Thing is, we'll do better than introduce you to his words and wisdom—we'll set you face to face, fretboard to fretboard with him for the better part of a week. Though born and raised in Poughkeepsie, NY, Paul is now settled in distant Texas, so this is a rare east coast opportunity to work with him.

• Here's a link to that Mandolin Cafe feature on Paul mentioned above, which includes audio.
• Paul leading a clinic at Acoustic Music Camp, 2008

TBA : Accordion