Jazz Manouche

Django Reinhardt was, undoubtedly, the coolest guitarist in the world. Stephane Grappelli was the fiddling devil in the body of a well-mannered, subtle Frenchman. Their group, the Hot Club de France, was the first band to speak American jazz fluently, albeit with an unmistakable and charming European accent. Django grew up in manouche gypsy caravans and marched triumphantly into the world of jazz at the tender age of 18. He brought with him a tone never before heard and which, without exaggeration, shaped the way wider audiences think of jazz today.

This music is often referred to as jazz manouche or gypsy jazz.

Jazz is a beautiful improvised universal language. It connects people with all different cultural backgrounds from France to Hungary, Russia to the USA, Vietnam to Angola…you get it. Jazz manouche tops it with a whole lifestyle, a mindset that can drag you out of the deepest troubles of your mind. It is a balm to the soul, truly.

Sometimes it is more and some other times it is less popular. In our days there are thousands of jazz manouche bands playing all around the world so we could say it is one of the better moments. Connecting them to each other and with their audiences is key to keeping it alive. Luckily, it is always great fun when a bunch of these musicians get together. Once you experienced the energy of those moments, it is unlikely you will forget it.

So what does this music mean to us? A zest for life, humour, improvisation, songs of broken hearts and easy living. That’s why we do this.