Since the new wave of Gypsy jazz recordings and instructional materials began to come available around the turn of the millennium, North American musicians with an interest in the style have made tremendous progress. We better understand what Django and his heirs have contributed to our own jazz tradition. Many of us have now had the opportunity to hear world-class Gypsy jazz in a live setting and take a few workshops. Some of us have a local band or jam going. Many guitarists have Selmacs, distinctive picks, and other gear that was scarcely seen on this side of the Atlantic a decade ago.
All of this has come into being relatively quickly and all of it is good. But we are just getting started as individual students and as a nationwide community of players with an interest in this style. Most of us are still relatively isolated, with only occasional access to expert guidance and to the camaraderie that keeps a music tradition vital.
We offered Django Camp for the first time in 2007 and had over 65 participants from all over the U.S. and Canada—as well as a few overseas travellers— join us for an opportunity to take their understanding and enjoyment of this music to the next level. Django Camp provides this opportunity in two ways:
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First, we offer a gathering place for players from all over. A place to meet face-to-face, learn from one another, and djam to our hearts' content.
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Second, we offer the chance to study this music with real experts in a sustained, intimate setting. While a two-hour clinic is far, far better than no instruction at all, that format has its limitations. We want to offer you the opportunity to get more guidance from more artist/instructors at a better value than has ever been available in the US.
In 2008, Django Camp will get started after dinner on Tuesday, June 10th and wrap up mid-day on Sunday the 15th, though we invite early arrivals on Monday evening for those who would enjoy some relaxed djamming to warm up. Wednesday through Saturday, the day will be broken into four time periods: one in the morning, two in the afternoon, and then an evening devoted to jamming, study or performance. We take over a posh dorm on the Smith campus, which is where most of the classes and jamming happen. Meals will be offered in one of the dining halls on the Smith campus, providing good, easy, affordable fare and a great opportunity for more informal time with fellow campers and staff. There will be jamming before, in between, in the midst of, and afterwards.
Our instructional program is built around (but not limited to) a core repertoire of tunes that provide a foundation for jamming and learning across instruments and levels of experience. Whether our focus is improvisation, idiomatic licks, technique or accompaniment, our instructors will, whenever possible, use these tunes to demonstrate and explore the topic at hand. Some of these tunes are already available on the Get Ready Musically page of this website. As we get closer to Camp, we'll have more suggestions for registered participants.
We will leave many details regarding the instructional program flexible until closer to the event so we can adapt to the number, experience level and expressed interests of our registrants. Here are some fundamentals you can count on, however:
- We will accommodate both newcomers to the style and experienced players.
- Classes will be divided between those with mixed instrumentation and those that are instrument-specific, including guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion and bass.
- Some sessions will be organized as presentations for a larger group, while others will be designated for individual or small group coaching.
- In addition to formal instruction, our days will be scheduled with plenty of time for informal guidance from the artists on our staff throughout our time together.
You'll find all the details regarding the cost of Django Camp on the page devoted to Django Camp Registration. But first, please have a look at the fantastic group of Artists and Staff who have agreed to help make the week a rich and memorable experience for all of us.
(Photo: Andreas Oberg and Stephane Wrembel jamming at the dorm in '06)
Thanks to our Sponsors! (Give 'em a click and a visit)
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Joseph Santry, O.D. |
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