Author: Richard Gordon

Hot Club of Philadelphia swings its way on Gypsy Routes

Richard Gordon

The Hot Club of Philadelphia: L-R; Dan Pearce, Jim Stager, Barry Wahrhaftig, Joseph Arnold, Phyllis Chapell. Photo by Howard Pitkow

The Hot Club of Philadelphia: L-R; Dan Pearce, Jim Stager, Barry Wahrhaftig, Joseph Arnold, Phyllis Chapell.

One fine fall evening, Mandorichard got Barry Wahrhaftig, founder of The Hot Club of Philadelphia, on the line for a great interview that allowed WVUD listeners to hear from one of the areas best practitioners of the “Gypsy Jazz” made popular by guitarist Django Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli, and The Hot Club of France back in the 1930’s. We talked about the music in general, the Gypsy Jazz scene in the area, and the Hot Club of Philadelphia’s 2015 CD, Gypsy Routes.

The podcast below captures Barry’s enthusiasm and energy and the infectious sounds of The Hot Club of Philadelphia. Check it out!

The Interview

Barry Wahrhaftig of The Hot Club of Philadelphia, Recorded live on WVUD, Sept. 29, 2015; Rebroadcast on Nov. 24, 2015; Host: Mandorichard
29:53
27M

The Music

Artist Song Album Year
The Hot Club of Philadelphia Songe d’Automne Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams 2010
The Hot Club of Philadelphia Indifference, Bistro Fada Gypsy Routes 2015
The Hot Club of Philadelphia La Foule Gypsy Routes 2015

Learn more

  • Want to learn more about Gypsy Jazz and the Hot Club of Philadelphia? Here’s what Barry tells us at the Hot Club of Philadelphia website:

    The Hot Club of Philadelphia was started in 2001 by guitarist Barry Wahrhaftig. They are an acoustic ensemble, dedicated to playing ‘Gypsy Jazz.’ That’s the term used to describe the music pioneered by the legendary original ‘Hot Club of France Quintet,’ which was led by guitarist Django Reinhardt and Violinist Stephane Grappelli. Django and Grappelli were attempting to do their own version of American ‘Hot Jazz,’ as played by stars like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. They used acoustic guitars, bass and violin, rather than horns and drums. Grappelli and Django added some French and Gypsy flavor and created a blend of music that is quite popular and accessible. The HCPhilly mixes the original style of the HCOF, along with their own modern influences.

  • Wikipedia has a decent article about Gypsy Jazz.
  • Guitarists and fans throng to the annual Festival Django Reinhardt in Samoir sur Seine, France, every year!
  • Check out the New World Encyclopedia’s article about Django Reinhardt.

Photo by Howard Pitkow from www.hotclubphilly.com

Lowell Levinger: Banana still has appeal!

Richard Gordon

Lowell Levinger playing at the QueCumBar French Cafe in London, England. 11/1/15If you want to have a good time, listen to the podcast of this interview!

The host, Mandorichard, reports:

When I was in high school and college, one of my favorite LPs was The Youngblood’s Elephant Mountain. I about wore that LP out and loved just about everything they put out in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. I was especially intrigued by the keyboardist whom we all knew as Banana. But digging around on the liner notes from those Youngblood LPs, I came to realize that except for the bass and drums, whatever the instrument, this Banana guy was the one playing it.

What a pleasure to find that Lowell Levinger, aka Banana, is still making great music today. He was very gracious and witty. We had as much fun chatting off the air as on!

According to Lowell’s website, “he sings Americana songs from bluegrass to country blues to old R&B classics that swing while they tell stories. He plays an Italian 5 string tenor guitar tuned in fifths with a unique style and sound.”

Album CoverListen to the podcast linked below and you’ll hear Lowell telling some great stories about the old days and his current musical life and some great examples of his music.

Listen to the Interview

Lowell Levinger
31:34
29.3 MB

The Music

Artist Song Album or Source Year Notes
Lowell Levinger Get Together Get Together – Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics 2015 Excerpt in podcast
Lowell Levinger Bound to Lose (with David Thom and Dan Booth) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDL-qK0mFm8 2010 Excerpt in podcast
The Youngbloods Hippie from Olema No. 5 Good and Dusty 1971  
Grandpa Banana Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me Even Grandpas get the Blues 2012  
Lowell Levinger Grizzly Bear (with Jesse Colin Young) Get Together – Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics 2015  
Lowell Levinger On Sir Francis Drake Get Together – Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics 2015  

Note: The podcast contains excerpts from two songs we played before the interview began.

Photo: Lowell Levinger playing at the QueCumBar French Cafe in London, England. 11/1/15. From www.lowelllevinger.com

Joel Krosnick: Juilliard ‘Cellist

Richard Gordon

Joel KrosnickOn tonight’s episode of The Music Room, we aired an interview with Joel Krosnick, chair of the ‘Cello department at The Juilliard School and ‘cellist with the Juilliard String Quartet.

The Juilliard String Quartet will be playing at the University of Delaware on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015.

We had a wonderful time talking with Mr. Krosnick about how the Juilliard conducts master classes, how the members balance teaching and performance–melding the two, how they interact on stage, and how they draw the meaning out of the music for each other and their audience. He also talked about the preparation they do for a new work, like Richard Wernick’s 9th quartet, and for ones the Juilliard have all played before.

Mr. Krosnick waxed enthusiastic about the Quartet’s latest release, a performance of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet (Touchpress)–that includes digital video, commentary, a digital score, the original folk song that inspired Schubert, the ability to highlight any one of the players–a fantastic exploration into a brilliant quartet’s interpretation of a well-loved masterwork.

The interview made it clear that all the members of the Juilliard String Quartet build strong relationships with each other, in part based on the time they spend rehearsing, but also based on the respect they have for each other and for how each other react to the music they play.

If you missed hearing this interview on WVUD, make sure you follow the link below to listen to the podcast. As one listener remarked, “That interview made me want to go out and learn to play the ‘cello!”

The Interview

Joel Krosnick, Juilliard String Quartet.
Host: Mandorichard. Recorded Oct. 10, 2015. Aired Monday Nov. 2 on WVUD’s Art Sounds and Tuesday Nov. 3, 2015, on WVUD’s The Music Room.
31:26
29.4 MB

The Music

Artist Composer Selection Album Label Year
Juilliard String Quartet Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10; 2nd movement: Assez vif et bien rythmé Debussy, Ravel, Dutilleux: String Quartets Sony 1993
Juilliard String Quartet Franz Schubert String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810, “Death and the Maiden”; 3rd movement: Scherzo Allegro molto Death and the Maiden Touchpress 2015