Guitar master Frank Vignola will peform as part of DC Djangofolies, a weeklong festival celebrating Gypsy jazz. Courtesy Frank Vignola
by Ken Avis
CapitalBop contributor
The spreading vitality of the D.C. jazz scene is about to be enhanced by the addition of a weeklong Gypsy jazz celebration, as the first DC Djangofolies festival is unveiled. Starting this Sunday, international and local musicians will perform a total of 12 shows over eight days at venues throughout D.C., Baltimore and the surrounding suburbs. They’ll be providing their interpretations of the Gypsy jazz style that was invented in 1930s Paris by Belgian-born Django Rheinhardt, along with violinist Stefan Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Gypsy jazz emerged from the collision of African-American jazz, Eastern European melodies, and French bal-musette. The style has been enjoying a steady renewal in popularity over the last 20 years. Django-focused festivals occur worldwide, and there are “hot club” bands in most major cities. Recently, the score to Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris brought the Gypsy jazz music of guitarist Stephane Wrembel to a global audience. Now, the D.C. area has its own Djangofolies.
For guitarist and festival director Stephan Caucheteux, Djangofolies is a labor of love. Aside from organizing the gig sheet for his own band, the Hot Club of DC, this was his first experience booking a festival. It’s an ambitions start: a week of shows at multiple venues in D.C., Greenbelt, Baltimore and Annapolis. “I’ve been hoping to do this since I started to play Gypsy jazz in the USA,” the French-born Caucheteux explained via email. “Djangofolies will showcase Gypsy jazz in its most traditional form, but I also want to show how musicians have incorporated it – how the music of Django has evolved.… That’s the Djang-evolution!”
Click to enlarge the DC Djangofolies flyer.
His decision to spread the festival across the region, rather than keeping it within the city limits here, is aimed at bringing the music to a wide audience. “There’s a growing interest in Gypsy jazz in the Mid-Atlantic,” Caucheteux said. “With so many bands and so many venues participating, I am sure that there is something that people will want to see, or a new venue they’ll want to try. I am already receiving emails from people saying, ‘Thank you for doing this in the D.C. area.’ The more success we have, the bigger we’ll be able to become in the next years. Today Gypsy jazz isn’t some exotic music that you hear only when you visit France; it’s on U Street, in Georgetown or anywhere in the metro area. It’s become part of everyone’s jazz heritage.
The festival kicks off in Baltimore on Sunday, with Caucheteux’s Hot Club of DC performing at Germano’s Trattoria. The following day sees the first of the festival’s four D.C. shows, this one at Bistrot Lepic. The night’s performers, the Bitter Dose Combo, mixes traditional Gypsy jazz, swing and straight-ahead.
Accordionist Dallas Vietty brings his Musette Project to U Street’s Twins Jazz on Tuesday. Vietty’s a frequent player with the Hot Club of Philadelphia band, and in the Musette Project he explores the French swing-waltz music that was prevalent from the 1920s through the ’50s. Hearing this virtuoso performer will make you believe an accordion can really swing!
Twins also hosts the festival’s show on Wednesday, June 27, when star guitarist Frank Vignola makes a welcome return to D.C., following his March shows at Blues Alley. Vignola has played with everyone from Wynton Marsalis to Madonna to Ringo Star. A recognized virtuoso of the Gypsy swing style, and a breathtaking soloist, Vignola will perform in a guitar duet at Twins – a highlight of the festival.
Things return to Bistrot Lepic on Thursday, June 28, with a show by Gypsy Roots. Judging by their debut recording, Chakra Odyssey, this hot club-style quintet brings an invigorating freshness to the tunes of Django, and adds some striking original compositions.
The Hot Club of DC and the District’s own Rhythm Chiefs remind us that jazz is for dancing on Friday, June 29, when they perform at Glen Echo. Accompanied by vocalist Mary Alouette, a recent artist in residence at Strathmore, the bands will provide a night of swing dance at the outdoor Glen Echo Bumper Car Pavilion. The night starts with a 30-minute beginners swing dance class, for the jitterbug-inclined.
Bringing the week’s events to a close, the Hot Club of DC hosts a gypsy jam on the afternoon of Sunday, July 1, at Greenbelt, Md.’s New Deal Café. No doubt, many of the festival performers will drop in, but all musicians are invited to come and try their hand at the gypsy style. 
—
DC Djangofolies runs from this Sunday through the end of the month. Details on the festival are available at dcdjangofolies.com, and previews of the D.C.-area shows can be found at CapitalBop’s D.C. jazz calendar.
Join the Conversation →