The Powerhouse Theatre - Thu Aug 26

Local quintet Swing Manouche open Brisbane’s first Gypsy Jazz festival with a generous set of jazz standards and gypsy originals from their recently released CD, Out Of Nowhere. Original track Up At The Lab is cool and breezy with a spirited clarinet solo, as frontman Ewan MacKenzie and accordion player Kay Sullivan alternately improvise. Saxophonist and vocalist Dan Cosgrove stylishly sings Michael Bublé’s All Of Me to an appreciative crowd of foot stomping retirees. The songs of two-fingered grandfather of gypsy jazz, Django Reinhardt feature heavily, as the quintet finish with his most famous tracks Minor Swing and Dark Eyes.

The Gypsy Swing Quintet of New Caledonia perform a similar set of Reinhardt classics, led by French guitarist Michel Trabelsi. Anniversary Song allows the group’s three guitarists to show off their mastery of “le pompe”, a distinctive percussive technique that takes the place of drums. As Michel speaks in a gentle French accent about “the paschion!” he feels for his music I’m filled with a sense of yearning, perhaps the secret to happiness lies with my dusty old guitar and an early caravan retirement. At any rate the Reinhardt hits keep coming – there’s the melancholy Blue Drag and exuberant Troublant Bolero, faultlessly executed by the acoustic guitar trio, double bassist, and violinist. Jewish folk song Yussel, Yussel (Joseph, Joseph) features extensive and frenetic guitar improvising of virtuoso standards. It just looks so damn easy! Reinhardt’s Minor Swing begins with bluegrass style duelling of the children’s song B-I-N-G-O and if you’ve seen Deliverance you’ll know just how intense these musical standoffs can be. George Gershwin’s well known ‘30s jazz standard I’ve Got Rhythm is met with great enthusiasm before an encore performance of yes, you guessed it … Reinhardt’s Dark Eyes.

MEG COLLIS

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