Ultraspontane: The Newest CD from John Jorgenson

Francis Couvreux, Etudes Tziganes

John Jorgenson Quintet Concert DVD

by Dave McCarty, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

Recorded in the world's oldest surviving covered theater, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy, this two-DVD set of the amazing John Jorgenson Quintet isn't just the best Gypsy-jazz concert footage I've ever seen, it's the best live music footage I've ever seen. Given the enormous talent of Jorgenson, his talented band, and a few surprising additions, it's no surprise that the music recorded here is beyond description.

But unlike so many other music DVDs, the audio recording quality, lighting, videography, editing and direction displayed here make this set an amazing experience for the viewer. If you want to see live music presented in a DVD context, look no further than this set to see how it can be done to its absolute best.

The musicianship, of course, is simply amazing. Jorgenson, who recorded the first Gypsy-jazz album ever released by an American guitarist in the mid-1980's with his amazing LP After You've Gone, has become not just America's finest proponent of this exceptionally demanding flatpicking guitar style, but one of the world's truly great artists in the Gypsy-jazz genre.

Again and again, he executes seemingly impossible licks and runs not just without a flaw, but with the passion and grace only the most talented and devoted musicians ever achieve. He may never quite capture the subtlest nuances of the style displayed by players like Stochelo Rosenberg and Raphael Fays, but his precision and technique simply dazzle the listener.

His remarkable band, featuring the wonderous Stephan Dudash on 5 string viola, creates the perfect platform upon which Jorgenson displays his command of the material here. Just absorb the glorious harmony between the guitar and viola on "Viper's Dream" to see how effectively two musicians can interact and support each other.

Filled with breathtaking music, most directors would have limited themselves to a straightforward presentation of the performance. But here, we get interesting cutaways showing the ancient theater, backstage moments with the band and a host of other visual elements elevating this video to a remarkable level.

No review of this DVD would be complete without mentioning the superb video and audio quality. Jorgenson, playing exclusively through his Schertler pickup, creates a live guitar sound that truly sounds as if he were playing acoustically. The entire band is captured and mixed wonderfully, letting the bass, viola and rhythm guitars each occupy a distinct aural space in the gorgeously crafted soundscape. The lighting and color balance are spot on, and the editing perfectly captures each decisive musical moment. No clumsy edits that cut into the last few moments of a great solo here. Every time Jorgenson and company rip out a killer solo, the camera is right there to show it in loving detail.

Capturing a true modern master of Gypsy-jazz at the height of his powers, Live in Concert stands as a towering achievement. If you've never seen a live or recorded Gypsy-jazz performance before, this is the perfect introduction to the truly stunning fluidity and technique the highest levels of this style require on guitar. And if the music of Django Reinhardt already has a grip on your soul, well, this DVD set is absolutely essential. A must-see for anyone who loves flatpicked guitar at its highest level.

John Jorgenson Quintet at Jazz In June

by Tom Ineck, Lincoln, NE

LINCOLN, Neb.—By the time I witnessed the John Jorgenson Quintet at its June 14 performance, part of the Jazz in June series, I was thoroughly indoctrinated into the mysteries and wonders of “gypsy jazz” and its curious renaissance. The Hot Club of Lincoln performed at my wedding reception just one month previous, and The Hot Club of San Francisco had been one of the featured bands at the 2005 Topeka Jazz Festival over the Memorial Day weekend.

Jorgenson’s approach was somewhat unique, but like all proponents of this exotic blend, it drew on the inspiration of Belgian gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and his longtime partner, violinist Stephane Grappelli. Like the fathers of gypsy jazz, Jorgenson and his colleagues made the music swing with gusto, both in ensemble passages and in solo statements.

Guitarist Jorgenson’s instrumental virtuosity took center stage, but it is group effort that makes this rhythmic music work so well, and this band delivered. Reinhardt’s “Belleville” got things off to an energetic start, followed by Kurt Weil’s ballad “September Song.” Jorgenson’s own paean to gypsy jazz, aptly entitled “Franco-American Swing,” was followed by the swing-era classic “Dinah,” precisely as arranged and recorded by Reinhardt and Grappelli in 1934. “Viper’s Dream” ventured into the shadowy world of the “reefer man,” often a theme with 1930s swing bands like those of Reinhardt, Thomas “Fats” Waller and Cab Calloway. Reinhardt’s “Appel Direct” (“Direct Call”) was the highlight of the evening, with Jorgenson displaying his amazing fretboard dexterity in all its glory.

Violinist Stephan Dudash exhibited a lyrical, almost operatic quality on “Snowflake Waltz.” Jorgenson paid homage to an influential guitar mentor with his ballad, “In Memory of Danny Gatton,” written on the day he heard of Gatton’s death. “Ultra Spontane” combine gypsy and flamenco influences in a tune that, indeed, sounded “very spontaneous.” Jorgenson even sang to good effect on the standard “Undecided.” A blazing fast rendition of “Avalon” ended the first set with fire.

From Jorgenson’s days with the three-guitar band The Hellecasters came “Day of the Gypsies,” with a funky rock backbeat. Next was the Reinhardt favorite “Blue Drag,” Jorgenson’s version of which was featured in a recent film called “Head in the Clouds.” Another surprise was Jorgenson’s technical expertise on clarinet, which he featured on “Dr. Jazz” and “After You’ve Gone.” The audience joined in on “Man of Mystery,” clapping flamenco-style to the tune, a 1960s hit by The Shadows. On “Ghost Dance,” the guitar and violin were synchronized in perfect unison. After a slow solo guitar introduction, the band entered at a furious tempo on the grand finale, the swing-era classic, “China Boy.”

Jorgenson was the undeniable leader and standout instrumentalist, but helping to give the music its essential rhythm throughout the evening were Argentine guitarist Gonzalo Bergara, bassist Charlie Chadwick and drummer Dick Hardwick.

Gypsy Jazz Heaven

by Bill Graham, The Kansas City Star

John Jorgenson's Gypsy Jazz Quintet wore black and played blue hot, which was so cool for the 55 people packed into Mountain Music Shoppe's cozy concert parlor on Sunday night. Jorgenson played both evening and afternoon shows. He was enroute to Nashville from Byron Berline's bluegrass festival in Oklahoma, via a stop in Wichita.

It was a small venue for a guy who played country and bluegrass with the Desert Rose Band in the 1980s, when he and Chris Hillman were tearing it up. Starting in 1994, Jorgenson played six years on the road with Elton John. And he’s done electric and acoustic guitar sessions or concert dates with many other stars in various musical styles.

But his first love is acoustic gypsy jazz. Think Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli from the old school, and people such as David Grisman of the new school.

The band ripped through standards such “Give Me Doctor Jazz” -- and originals that had a slight drift at times toward rock rifts.

Jorgenson sent notes and chords rippling out of his signature Gitane guitar, one modeled after Selmer-style instruments associated with Django.

In between he introduced songs, told jokes and came off like a humble guy having lots of fun and wanting an audience an arms-length away to share. You don’t always find that in people with such talent who have spent time in the pop kingdom.

Stephen Dudash stayed right with him musically on five-string jazz viola. He was excellent, and he had a fresh sound on an unusual string-jazz instrument Also backing were a rhythm guitarist, a bassist and a drummer armed only with a snare, shakers and a tambourine (my favorite kind of drummer).

Jorgenson played solo a bit, doing all the note bends, scale runs and chord tremolos on Reinhardt’s “Improvisation No. 1.” He also did some two-finger noting with the left hand, ala Django’s injured hand, to show us how the master did it.

But most of the night was the band melting the room on originals like “Ultraspontane.” I was at the evening set. Good sound.I only wish they'd done a few numbers with no sound system, as Jorgenson did on the intro for one solo number.

To see such playing in such an intimate setting, for $25 and then get to see Jorgenson and his band mates afterword in the music store -- it was a lucky deal.

The John Jorgenson Quintet turned Vienna 's Jammin' Java on Tuesday night into a 1930s-era Left Bank jazz club -- minus the Parisian smoke -- as the former country music notable conducted the equivalent of a master class in gypsy jazz.

Jorgenson's Top 10 hits from his days in the Desert Rose Band were nowhere to be heard, and his famous Telecaster was replaced for the evening by an acoustic guitar on which he re-created the groundbreaking instrumental music of Django Reinhardt's Hot Club of France Quintet.

Jorgenson, who literally wrote the book on gypsy jazz guitar (copies were on sale in the club), was ably accompanied by fiddler Stephan Dudash, playing the role of Reinhardt bandmate Stephane Grappelli. Dudash matched Jorgenson's fiery fretting note for note, creating dynamic interplay that was as thrilling to observe as it was to hear.   

The bandleader put each song into context before playing it and briefly explained its history. It was helpful to know which Reinhardt arrangements were influenced by Louis Armstrong and/or Duke Ellington, and it was fun to imagine what "Snowflake Waltz" sounded like when originally played by an Italian on accordion and a bagpiper from Brittany .

Along with vintage numbers such as "Vipers Dream" (about marijuana, according to Jorgenson) and the standard "September Song" (rendered in a brisk swing setting), Jorgenson played original compositions, including "In Memory of Danny Gatton," a tribute to the local guitar legend who killed himself in 1994. Every other song was instantly and heartily followed by ovations from the 100-plus audience members, but this touching instrumental was met with a collective, whispered gasp before the applause.

Yoshi's in SF... and Hot Jazz Guitars
by Phil Elwood, San Francisco Examiner

John Jorgenson is so closely associated with the music of Django Reinhardt that he was tapped to play the role of the Gypsy jazz master in the film Head in the Clouds. Jorgenson goes all-out in his cameo role as the leader of the Hot Club of France, sporting a pencil mustache, greased-back black hair, and even faux burned left-hand fingers. 

But on Franco-American Swing it isn't Jorgenson's external resemblance to his musical hero that's on display; it's his heart.  Rather than simply covering Reinhardt tunes, Jorgenson penned 11 wonderfully inspired originals in the Gypsy-jazz style, some of which include luscious string arrangements by Don Hart, and most of which swing like crazy.