Bands team up to honor Gypsy jazz hero
January 15, 2013 · 9:27 AM
Gypsy jazz musicians from around Puget Sound will celebrate Django Reinhardt’s 103rd birthday with an evening of music at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Treehouse Cafe.
The party will be hosted by local gypsy jazz band Ranger and the Re-Arrangers, and will include several guest soloists including Roger Ferguson on guitar and Chris Laughbon on trombone.
Reinhardt was born in January 1910 and was an itinerant gypsy who earned international acclaim in the 1930s. Many of his compositions became jazz classics and he is considered one of the top guitar soloists of all time.
Duke Ellington referred to Django as “the most creative jazz musician to originate anywhere outside the United States.”
Reinhardt passed away in 1953, making 2013 also the 60th anniversary of his death.
Ranger and the Re-Arrangers features the violin playing of Ranger Sciacca, whose band has performed about 100 gypsy jazz shows a year since 2007.
“This is not just another gig for our band,” Sciacca said. “We are really focused on making this a true musical party, featuring as many great local gypsy jazz players as we can.”
There is no cover charge for the show, but donations will be accepted at the door.
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