Hot Gypsy Jazz
Northampton’s annual Django in June is a week-long bonanza of Gypsy jazz workshops, concerts, and jamming with artists from across the globe. The event celebrates the musical stylings of Django Reinhardt. The music has been described as hot jazz or Gypsy swing, either way the sound is jolly, accessible, and unique. There’s a camp for “djam” musicians that runs throughout the celebration, but for the rest of us, there’s concerts.
Friday: Marcel and Cedric Loeffler as well as Duved Dunayevsky and Fiona Monbet. Marcel first picked up the accordion at age 5 and hasn’t set it down yet, he hit the performance circuit with the squeeze box at age 8. Accompanied by his son, Cedric, on rhythm guitar, this is Marcel’s first trip to play in the U.S.
Saturday: Serge Krief and Tim Kliphuis with Emmanuel Kassimo as well as Giacomo SMith and Kourosh Kanani. Krief is a bit of a big name on the Parisian Gypsy jazz circuit and Kliphuis is a giant on the Gypsy jazz violin.
Django in June: June 12-18 – concerts on Friday and Saturday. $25-$30. Academy of Music, 274 Main St., Northampton. (413) 320-8154, djangojune15@gmail.com, djangoinjune.com.
