The Soul of Paris with ZAZU
and special guest Allen Ames
Friday, May 1, 7:30 pm
$15 in advance, $18 at door
Come time travel with ZAZU to Paris in the 1930’s, for a truly unique concert experience at Old Town Center for the Arts on Friday, May 1st. The musical group ZAZU plays the now famous ‘Gypsy Jazz’ of Django Reinhart and other jazz players of the day, that has created a popular following throughout Europe, the U.S. and the world. It was not always so. The name Zazu is a sincere tribute to the ‘Zazous,’ the bohemian Parisian youth who loved this music and who risked their lives to listen to it. As one listener stated, “There is something intoxicating about this music, you just get caught up in the rhythm and sound.”
ZAZU is Ken Aurich and Larry Czarnecki, of Flagstaff, on guitar and Steve Douglas on upright bass. Special guest, Violinist Allen Ames will be on hand to ‘channel’ Stefan Grappelli, the French jazz violinist who founded the ‘Quintette du Hot Club de France’ with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934.
Gypsy jazz, Manouche jazz, Django jazz, gypsy swing, call it what you will, the music has the same unforgettable ingredients; infectious swing, melancholy, dark and moody shadings, and improvisation with reckless abandon. Beginning around the turn of the century, European musicians were embracing the Musette waltz style with their various ensembles, often featuring some wonderful accordion. Add to that, American jazz and popular song and the formula was complete. The music of Paris in the '30's heavily favored the 'gypsy style', flavored in dark chromatic runs, arpeggios, glissandos, diminished chords and utilizing the swing articulation of the period.
Most notable musician of the day was Belgian born gypsy, Jean Baptiste Django Reinhart (born in 1910), a virtuoso on guitar. His greatest contributions were the many Quintet’s of the ‘Hot Club of France,’ 'Hot Clubs' being the place to hear the 'hot music' of the time. The Quintet’s featured two rhythm guitars providing 'La Pompe'; the heavy rhythmical accents on 2 and 4 in swing and 2 and 3 in waltzes. Upright bass and violin or clarinet rounded out the section with Django front and center at his virtuosic best. Selmer Maccaferri guitars with their unusual sound holes, extended fingerboards and silk wound strings brought an identifiable trademark to the gypsy sound.
Don't miss this special opportunity to hear ZAZU and special guest Allen Ames, for some gypsy flavored music in the vintage ambience of the Old Town Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Seniors and students may purchase tickets for $15 in advance or at the door. And by the way, if you are in a mood of reckless abandon, you are encouraged to wear period attire to enhance the concert experience. Anyone wearing the Parisian gypsy fashion or 30’s styling will be given a $2 refund on their admissions ticket (advanced ticket purchases will be refunded in cash).
ZAZU
Allen Ames
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