| New perspectives about 7 compositions by great manouche guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt arranged and performed by Simone Guiducci on guitar , Gianni Coscia on accordion, Chris Speed on clarinet,Florin Niculescu on violin,Salvatore Maiore on doublebass, Kyle Gregory on trumpet & flugelhorn , Zeno de Rossi on drums. Recorded 14 & 15 mars 2001 at Sociale Theatre in Castiglione (Mantova), Italy The record ,called DJANGO's JUNGLE is produced by Peppo Spagnoli for World Series (Splasch) |
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| Original Linear Notes by Glenn Astarita Many jazz aficionados would probably concur that the marketplace often suffers from an influx or perhaps overabundance of retro-bop and unimaginetively conceived and performed tribute recordings. How many times have we heard note for note renditions of time honoured classics by Monk , Coltrane and Django Reinhardt , to name but a few. Thus , most of us have been weaned to expect nothing more and nothing less. Such is not the case with Django's Jungle. Armed with a Philosophy degree and a penchant for inquiring into the nature of things , an attribute prominently displayed here , the Turin , Italy native is a self-taught guitarist , who over the years has performed with esteemed fellow countryman , trumpeter Enrico Rava , bassist Furio Di Castri and others of note. Here , guitarist / composer Simone Guiducci injects his often stylish and easily recognisable sound and style into a set of original Reinhardt compositions, brimming with ingenuity , aplomb and thoroughly modern inclinations. Hearkening back to the guitarist's delectable 2000 outing on the Italy-based "Felmay" recording label titled Cantador , Guiducci and his much beloved "Gramelot Ensemble" fuse lush Mediterranean themes and homespun ideologies with quietly energetic interplay and intricately developed story lines. Guiducci' calling card bespeaks radiantly executed notes amid his altogether exceptional technical gifts ; however , the artist surges onward as a forward thinking visionary who melds disparate influences into his deeply personalised craft . Such is the case with Django's Jungle as Guiducci supplements his vividly harmonious efforts with American woodwind specialist and proverbial cutting edge-modern jazz luminary Chris Speed. A performer and solo artist who has lent his talents to some of the most important modern jazz recordings of the 90's , besides his ground-breaking involvement with bridging Balkan motifs and modern jazz style constructivism. Otherwise , this multinational band , also including American trumpeter Kyle Gregory and the fine assemblage of Italian musicians , presents the listener with something extraordinarily different , yet unequivocally accessible , as it casts a progressive tinge to the music of the late great Django Reinhardt . They swing , they investigate or perhaps interrogate Django's thematic structures and interwine diverse elements while the music at hand speaks encyclopaedic volumes . Hence , Simone Guiducci shines forth as a self-effacing modernist and a true merchant of joy ! Glenn Astarita Modern Jazz Editor for AllAboutJazz.com - contributor to DownBeat magazine and the All Music Guide |