Jazz

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

Parade of One: From Newark to New York, Kigali and beyond!

Richard Gordon
Jeremy Danneman and Bill Barnett

Bill Barnett (l) and Jeremy Danneman (r)

The song says, “It’s my birthday I’ll cry if I want to,” but Newark native Jeremy Danneman had something else, something more radical and upbeat, in mind for his birthday. In 2009, he decided to celebrate by parading through New York in lieu of a party. He and his saxophone marched around the boroughs of New York and stopped to serenade the United Nations with some jazz and a sharing spirit.

Jeremy and his clarinet and saxes have been all around the world, playing for people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Rwanda. We had a great time talking with him about some of his experiences in New York, Kigali, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh. When you listen to the interview, which we spread out into two episodes of The Music Room, you’ll appreciate how much enthusiasm Jeremy has for using music to make connections with people from different cultures.

The Interview

Jeremy Danneman (l), and Sara Sajer

Jeremy Danneman (l), and Sara Sajer

Jeremy Danneman Part 1, 29:58, 28.7 MB

Jeremy Danneman Part 2, 30:00, 28.8 MB

(Recorded 06/17/15; original air dates: 6/30/15 and 7/7/15; hosts: Mandorichard, Bill Barnett, and Sara Sajer)

The Music

The following music is heard in these episodes of The Music Room:

Artist / Song / Album (or source) / Date / Notes
Jeremy Danneman and Sophie Nzayisenga / Untitled Improvisation in Atlantic Ave. Subway Station, Brooklyn, NY, March 20, 2015 / 2015 / http://www.paradeofone.org
Jeremy Danneman / Mutobu March / Lady Boom Boom / 2015
Jeremy Danneman, Sophie Nzayisenga, William Parker, and Tim Keiper / Honey Wine (Unreleased)* / 2015 / http://www.paradeofone.org
Jeremy Danneman / Murambi Blues / Help / 2015
Jeremy Danneman / Lady Boom Boom / Lady Boom Boom / 2015

*An excerpt of Honey Wine plays at the end of the first part of the interview, and another excerpt opens the second part of the interview.

Herb Alpert: A Visual Road Trip

Sarah

H&L sitting by Gerry WershHerb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall are certainly living life to the fullest. He has a collection in the ACA Galleries in NYC (2/19-4/14); she’s written her own book, Emotional Memoirs and Short Stories. She’s participated in the latest James Bond film; he’s worked as the producer for Angels in America.

But they definitely met in music; as the co-founder of A&M Records, he signed her group Brasil ’66, where she was the lead singer. And to say they’re still in music would be a massive understatement.

They have both won multiple Grammy Awards, and Herb Alpert, with whom we spoke tonight, has more recently been awarded the National Medal of Arts (2013).

As early as 1962 with The Lonely Bull, his jazz music has been described as visual, taking his listeners on a journey to exotic places. And in his most recent album, In the Mood, his version of “America the Beautiful” incorporates percussion music from all the continents.

We also talked about his brief acting stint with Leonard Nimoy, his new version of the classic “Chatanooga Choo Choo,” the grants offered by the Herb Alpert Foundation, his approach to music throughout his life, and the many roles he’s had in the music business (Did you know he was one of the  co-writers of  Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World”?).

He and Lani are currently on tour, in a small group with whom they’ve been working for the past 9 years…and they are coming to Delaware.

This Friday, 3/27/15, they will be at the Grand Opera House, in Wilmington. Do. Not. Miss.

The Interview

Herb Alpert
(Recorded 03/23/15, broadcast 3/24/15; host: Mandorichard), 22:27, 21.6 MB.

The Music

The following music is heard in this episode of The Music Room:
The following playlist reflects the radio broadcast. For the podcast, for copyright reasons, all the following songs are excerpts.

  • Artist / Song / Album (or note) / Date / Notes
  • Herb Alpert / Chatanooga Choo Choo / In the Mood / 2014
  • Herb Alpert and Lani Hall / Under my Skin / Anything Goes / 2009
  • Sam Cooke / Wonderful World (Excerpt) / Single / 1959
  • Herb Alpert / When Sunny Gets Blue / In the Mood / 2014

Photo by Gerry Wersh, provided to WVUD by G4 Global Communications