Off-Broadway

This is not the first time I have written a blog about jazz concerts in the area, however, other blogs have been concentrating on concerts organised by Jazz Et Caetera or by Jazz in Trivy.

 

Gadjo Combo

Outside this circuit however, there are also other concerts that are worth attending. France boasts quite a lively jazz culture, certainly where it concerns music in the tradition of the Hot Club de France. A guitarist like Biréli Lagrène (mentioned a few times in my blogs) can be considered to be the figurehead of this style, although the guy has a lot more to offer then being a good Django clone.
Recently we stumbled for the second time upon the Gadjo Combo. Gadjo is a Romani word, meaning a person who has got certain links with this Gipsy tribe, but is not a Romani himself.
Their music can be classified as Manouche or Gipsy jazz. We had once heard them in the Cellier of the former abbey in Tournus, a splendid venue with excellent music, and this time they were giving a concert on the parvis (the "church square") in front of the Romanesque church of Brancion. This parvis is a high field offering a stunning view over the Grosne valley.

 

A musical sunset

And again, a lovely evening with a stunning sunset, an enthusiastic and inspired band, an attentive audience and an interesting repertoire turned this evening into a success. They played, apart from a number of Hot Club the France standards quite a few good compositions of their own. Still I find that one of their encores, their rendition of the classic "Les yeux noirs" (Ochi Chornyye or Dark Eyes), is one of the tensest pieces they played during the concert.

The Gadjo Combo performs regularly in the vicinity of La Tuilerie de Chazelle.