The Djangoners have been a favorite on the Rochester Jazz scene for going on four years. And now it's finally time for a CD! After culling through hundreds of hours of live recordings, the band has boiled it down to 14 exquisite tracks.
A Gala "CD Release Celebration" is planned for Sunday, March 23 at the Lovin' Cup; 7-9pm, $8.00 admission.
This show will help fund the project, and the new CD - “En Direct et Endiablé” (Live & Swingin') - will be available at a one-time-only special price of $10 (regular $15) to everyone who comes to the show.
The Djangoners take their inspiration from Django Reinhardt and his famous Jazz band from late-1930s Paris & London - “The Hot Club of France” – arguably, the most famous Jazz band Europe ever produced. Django Reinhardt was born into a family of Gypsies and began playing music early but, at age 18, he was seriously injured in a fire that rendered two fingers on his left hand useless and doctors believed he would never play guitar again. Reinhardt persevered in rehabilitation and developed a fingering technique using only two fingers for his spectacular guitar solos. In mid-1930s Paris, Django joined forces with violinist, Stephane Grappelli and formed the Hot Club of France which went on to a prolific recording and performance career popularizing Django’s original compositions and his renditions of American Jazz classics.
Today, Django Reinhardt’s music is enjoying a resurgence in popularity and The Djangoners are carrying on his legacy true to its tradition featuring Bobby Henrie on lead guitar, Eric Aceto on violin, Harry Aceto on "Manouche" rhythm guitar and Brian Williams on upright bass. These fine players have each been on the professional music scene for over 40 years playing many different genres but they came together on this project with a common love of Django's music and a desire to perform it with the same enthusiasm and spirit as it was originally played in the 1930s. They've achieved that objective handsomely!
For music clips and videos: