Djangology - The Manouche Sessions
Nuno Marinho (guitarra) promove o estilo em Portugal, convidando múltiplos instrumentistas nacionais e internacionais a fazerem parte desta maravilhosa Arte Vintage Musical.
Paulus Schafer Trio (Holanda), Arnoud Van Den Berg (contrabaixo, Holanda), Ray Bartlett (guitarra, Inglaterra), Vincent Millioud (violino, Suiça), Kent Queener (acordeão, EUA), Marian Yanchyk (violino, Ucrânia), Mario Pousada (guitarra, Espanha), juntamente com dezenas de músicos portugueses fazem parte da família "Djangology", que já realizaram concertos em Portugal.
"Djangology - The Manouche Sessions" presta tributo fiel e original à música do génio do Jazz Europeu dos Anos 30 Django Reinhardt.
Videos
All Of Me (Simons & Marks)
Vincent Millioud (Switzerland) + Ray Bartlett (UK) + Nuno Marinho (Portugal)
Minor Swing (Reinhardt)
Arnoud van den Berg (Holland) + Kent Queener (USA) + Nuno Marinho (Portugal)
Dark Eyes (Traditional)
Djangology (Reinhardt)
Interviews
I value the ability of a good improviser, someone who surprises him/herself and the listener. Players who can combine a great sound with technique and feeling have the right ingredients. I also like musicians who have a great understanding of chords and harmony.
Imitate, Integrate, Innovate… learn from the history/tradition, mix it up with what you already know and then, after that, try to do something brand new.
(The big challenge is) finding new ways to go, to not get stuck in one place. It’s very easy to get bored playing the same things over and over again. (The key ingredients I love to hear in the music are) time, tone, imagination, passion, fire, and sensitivity.
I was having a great time playing a show and somebody just yelled at me as they were leaving: “never stop”. At that time I thought: “why would I ever stop?” Since then I have been faced with difficult turns, stressful moments, where I would think, ahh, this is what he meant. It’d be a lot easier to give it all up. “Never stop.”
I was born with music; it was inevitable. For me, music is like breathing, you don't think about it, it just happens. In our community you just grow up with Gypsy Swing. There is music every day.
The most important motivation, for me, was the day Wasso said: "Now I want to hear Paulus!” He stimulated me to find my own style.
What matters the most are all the people who are standing up to applaud me at the end of each concert. After that you have those who just talk about music and those who actually play music.
Segovia said: “The more I write the more I erase; and the more I erase, the more I write.”
What I would like people to remember is the sincerity and determination that I always revealed in the music business.
The rhythm player is there to make the solo come out best. (Kevin Nolan) stays in the background still displaying lots of imagination, never dull or repetitious. Incredibly steady and pushing without speeding up.
The biggest challenge is your self-image (...) It is like when you are telling somebody a story and deep inside you think he is not at all interested, you start to mumble and cut it short, instead of making it the interesting story it really is.
'Clean up my life'. Get rid of what bothers and blocks you. Go for what you love to do and people you love to spend time with, instead of fighting what and whom you dislike. Be aware of the fact that all your choices have an expanding, infinite stream of consequences.
I started Manouche style at 6 years old but I only started classic five years ago.
I dedicate a few hours a day for Gypsy Jazz and Classical. I usually work around one hour, then take a break, resume another hour, and so on.
If you have (1) good ears, you will know what to play. If you have (2) good sound, you can color the music with dynamics, ornaments, and various tonal colors. If you have (3) good rhythm, you can make the most basic melody groove so hard. These are things that you can work on for the rest of your life and that is the stuff that interests me the most.
I have noticed one thing that every great player has: They deliver their music with different colors, bends, vibrato, ornaments, dynamics, etc. It makes the music alive. They play their music with the right kind of timing, so that it really speaks to any audience!
Question everything you hear and see. Try not to be too influenced by conventional wisdom and not to judge too quickly and assume things. Try to observe both sides of the arguments, and form your opinion from there, not from what you are told.
I remember the first evening after bringing the guitar home. It was like Christmas Eve. I wanted the next day to arrive faster. (Nowadays) I see the guitar as a part of my body.
I listen to a lot of different styles of music, but for me they are all one thing only: “Music”!
Django once said that “A guitar laughs and cry like a human”. He said everything with it.
If you play gipsy style you have to understand that this is a culture before it is music. It’s not just notes, it’s a way of life and a language.
For me the guitar was (and still is) my favorite toy. Practicing is something I really enjoy doing, I would have given it up years ago if it ever felt like a chore.
I’ve found my guitar practice and exercise has a similar effect on me as meditation.
Look after the music and the music will look after you.
I believe transcribing is the most efficient way to learn.
Being a musician today is not just about playing and practicing many hours a day but also being an entrepreneur and dealing with technology, website, marketing, public relations etc.
Find the strength to believe that you can create the life that you desire and imagine for yourself. Against all odds and contrary to popular belief, one can become an accomplished musician, jazz and gypsy jazz guitarist even later in life.
In Paris you get the chance to get your ass kicked every evening in jam sessions, so you have got to go home to practice. When you’re the best in town you don’t have the same motivation to practice your instrument.
(When I listen to music) I ask myself "does this reach me as a guitar player – because what the guy is playing is really complicated – or does it reach me because it’s simply beautiful and everybody would like?"
“Ne te reposes pas sur tes lauriers."
I’ve been devoting these last years on the Maximizing Performance Process and particularly over the most productive strategies to be on the edge of one’s abilities.
What knocks me out of my feet is the element of surprise. The spontaneity, the novelty, and the passion on interpretation can really capture my attention. The music has to tell a story, has to have some drama, some intensity, some unexpected twists of faith. If it’s unpredictable, beautiful, heartfelt and passionate it will definitely catch my ears.
A torch will light up quickly by the help of a flaming one.
If people remember me as a good-humoured, helpful, friendly, caregiver, relentless, hard working, focused, driven and kind human being, then I know my life was serviceable or inspiring. My new mantra is: I just want you to be happy :)
