The Romani people traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle. Originating in India, their language and music evolved during their westward migration beginning 1000 years ago through the -stans, Persia, Turkey, Greece, the Balkans and finally into Europe hundreds of years later. Threads of those cultures can be heard through their music. Some of the Romani migrated into Iberia as gitanos, combining with North African culture to create Flamenco music and dance in an explosive style with rhymic patterns, and others migrated to France.

Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club jazz) was inspired by the Romani jazz guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in conjunction with the French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli in the 1930s. Django was influenced by Ragtime and Dixieland music, and developed a distinctive playing style using his index and middle fingers as the others had been badly burned.

Joscho Stephan is a German jazz guitarist well known on the international guitar scene as one of the most creative gypsy-swing players. With a powerful tone and remarkable technical skills, he has an instantly recognizable voice on the guitar with his interpretations of classical, jazz and pop standards in the style of Gypsy jazz.  He is joined on this tour with premier players on second guitar and bass.

Much of the traditional music of Appalachia, including Bluegrass, originated in the stories of the Celts, Irish and Brits that were passed down through song and dance. Many of those dealt with their struggles in the British Isles and migration to North America to escape famine, persecution and oppression. 

Kentuckian Merle Travis developed a playing style in 1930’s rooted in ragtime in which his thumb alternated a syncopated bass with chords while his index finger played the melody.  “Travis picking” became the base technique for Country and Chet Atkins’ complex, jazz influenced playing. This was the beginning of “fingerstyle” as exemplified by Tommy Emmanuel and many others in our series. 

Chet was known as the “country gentleman” for his generosity and sharing his techniques, including 11-year-old English protégé Richard Smith in the clip below, of whom Chet said “he can play anything I can, only better.”  Indeed, Richard is one of the most precise guitarists on the planet, playing Country, Jazz, Ragtime, Gypsy Jazz and almost anything else. He is a National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion.

The music of the British Isles had a tremendous resurgence during the ‘60’s folk revival on both sides of the Atlantic, led by  groups in England including

Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny & Richard Thompson, and

Pentangle with Bert Jansch & John Renbourn.

Reared on American country and old time music, Clive’s breadth of musical curiosity traverses the worlds of soul, pop, funk, traditional Irish music to classical guitar.  He became a protégé of John Renbourn, who deemed his debut album “a milestone in the journey of the steel-string guitar”. For this concert, Clive will present Renbourn’s music along with his own.