THE HOT CLUB OF BALTIMORE
BALTIMORE DISCOVERS THE SPIRI OF DJANGO –by Ken Avis.
A cold start to February’s Monday night Gypsy Jazz Jam didn’t prevent Baltimore’s Djangophiles from flocking to Liam Flynn’s Ale House, an atmospheric, welcoming, bare-bones pub on W. North Avenue, Baltimore. For nearly a year, under the leadership of guitarist Michael Joseph Harris, whom many will know through his band Bossalingo, the Monday night jam has been picking up accolades and winning over fans. City Paper recently declared the jam to be Best Monday Night in Baltimore.
Musicians from as far away as Philadelphia and Frederick have been attending to explore and perform the spirited blend of Parisian musette and New Orleans jazz created by Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Hot Club in the 1930s. His Gypsy jazz provides the soundtrack to our imagining of 1930s-40’s Paris and has been enjoying a world-wide resurgence for some twenty years among both musicians and listeners.
Harris and his core musicians Sami Arefin (guitar), Nora Leighton (guitar), and Ed Hrybyk (bass), members of the band UltraFaux, turn up most weeks. There’s no predicting who else might play as the jam is organic and democratic, offering a warm invitation to musicians of all levels to share their love of the style and enrich the Django community. Guitarists Tom Mitchell, Joe Freidman and clarinetist Seth Kibel are among the musicians who have previously sat in. On this particular night a blend of accordion, violin, harmonica and four guitars kicked off the jam.
Swinging into action in the middle of the room, seated in the round and soloing in rotation, the musicians started with the jazz standard “Coquette.” Harris’s opening solo embellished the song with the arpeggios and flourishes that typify the Django style. Arefin’s guitar picked up the theme, building the rhythmic energy with a more chordal solo before handing off to the liquid Wes Montgomery-style runs of Jim Tisdall. Ed Kaitz (harmonica), Art Cohen (accordion) and Lloyd Lachow (violin) added to the Parisian atmosphere with their accomplished playing throughout the evening.
Over a twenty-five-year career Reinhardt recorded some thousand sides of original compositions and jazz interpretations. So Harris has plenty of material to choose from and included such Hot Club classics as “Swing 42,” “Nuages,” and a fantastically swinging “Avalon,” on which he displayed a dizzying virtuosity in his single-note lines. He was also quick to pick up on other suggestions, including an improvised “Summertime,” after overhearing the melody on accordion and fiddle.
As the evening heated up, musicians came and went, and the circle expanded to a dozen instruments, including bass, mandolin, dobro, flute and horns. While some musicians were content to work through the changes and explore new tunes, there were also stunning contributions, notably the bravura cascading solo by saxophonist Daniel Wallace and the tasteful melodic inventions of Brad Gunson on trombone.
The Ale House soon resembled a bistro as the audience grew. A table of beaming women from France and Quebec listened and chatted. Before the end of the night they would find themselves in an impromptu and impressive dance display with the sharply dressed Mark Luce, a Monday night regular, supporter, and bon vivant, who provided a delicious potluck dish to fuel the event.
Drop by Liam Flynn’s Ale House for the Monday night Django Jam, whether you’re a musician, a music lover or simply curious. It’s a delight to hear such great music played so well and in such a relaxed, spontaneous and generous way. We sometimes forget that jazz was first and foremost a people’s music meant for dancing and socializing. One evening at the jam demonstrates why jazz has been so irresistible to listeners all over the world. Give yourself a treat, and bring your bagpipes if you must!
The Gypsy Jazz Jam takes place every Monday night starting at 8pm at Liam Flynn’s Ale House, 22 W. North Avenue, Baltimore. No cover.
Michael Joseph Harris and Sami Arefin also perform Wednesday nights at WC Harlan’s at 400 West 23rd Street.
UltraFaux is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund a CD of original compositions in the style of Django Reinhardt; for details, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/656170063/ultrafauxs-original-gypsy-jazz-recording-session-a