CD: Gypsy Jazz

Reviews

 Michael Dregni, Vintage Guitar Magazine:
Michael Dregni is author of Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend (Oxford UP, 2004).
New Orleans artist/guitarist Tony Green has crafted a masterpiece of swinging gypsy jazz with this CD. More...

 Jim Ferguson, Jazz Times:
Green, who also happens to be a talented visual artist, wields his acoustic guitar with finesse and flair over the course of this 11-tune set. While he includes a few Django Reinhardt covers (Nuages, Cavalerie, Bolero) most of the material consists of his own arrangements. Green's instrumental work -- supported throughout by rhythm guitarist Gregor Sneddon and Bassist Vitus Paukstaitis -- includes a healthy share of Django-derived licks and nuances but for the most part bristles with original ideas that typically flow freely as his solos unfold.

 All Music Guide:

The archetype of the gypsy -- romantic, free spirited, colorful, vibrant, intense -- is reflected in the musical genre known as Gypsy Jazz. Django Reinhardt was its most famous proponent; Tony Green is one of the master's disciples. The New Orleanian is well known as both a musician and a painter. Green's luminous watercolors and oils grace many galleries and private collections. His murals can be seen from the home of classical music, the Orpheum Theater, to the zydeco mecca, Mid-City Bowling Lanes. Green brings the musical colors of the gypsy to life as well, performing with his trio in venues such as the French Quarter Festival, the stately Columns Hotel, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The Tony Green Trio released a CD in 1996 that captures the essence of gypsy jazz music, informed by living in America's most unique city and in Venice, Italy. In this compilation of gypsy jazz classics and original compositions, Green and his lead guitar are accompanied by rhythm guitarist Gregor Sneddon and Vitus Paukstaitis on the bass. Together, they put together a palette that reflects the hot blooded and melancholy gypsy music from the tango and mazurka to the waltz. The results are elegant and joyous interpretations of standards and original adaptations in chromatic runs and flat picking styles. This is music for dance and romance.

The obligatory homage to Reinhardt includes spirited covers of Nuages, Cavalerie, and Bolero. The unofficial national anthem of France, Petite Fleur, stands as a lyrical counterpoint to Viva Mureno. A particularly poignant selection is the heartfelt Waltz For Pud, Green's eulogy to the great traditional jazz artist, Pud Brown. The clarinet player married Green's mother later in their lives, when their respective spouses had passed away. Brown died in 1996, the year this CD was released. The CD shows a refreshing range of material, from the spiritual Calvarie to the Russian Lullabye. The gypsy lives in the soul of Tony Green on this recording. It swings.