On the Gypsy/Jazz scene, Adrien Moignard was still leading the way, and in 2013, he released a brilliant CD in collaboration with Gonzalo Bergara.
The surprise Gypsy/Jazz release at this time was from none other than Shadows guitarist; Hank Marvin. Hank had become involved in playing Gypsy/Jazz a few years earlier, based in Perth, Australia. I had previously heard a couple of tracks on a compilation CD, and he had even appeared on stage for a jam at the Samois festival, before finally releasing the CD; ‘Django’s Castle’.
There was more action in the world of Classical music this year. Jane and I attended several concerts, including Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Philharmonia. And the CD collection kept on increasing; augmented by a new interest in Vaughan Williams, who was one of Jane’s favourite composers.
One night whilst playing with the Hot Club in a pub in Nottingham called the Kean’s Head; A group of young people had been watching us with interest, and on their way out they said how much they really enjoyed the music and had never heard anything like it before. One chap in particular asked a few questions about exactly what this music was; and Paul and I briefly explained, and told him to google ‘Django Reinhardt’.
Unbeknownst to us, this was budding guitarist Matt Kerry. He and his group of friends would go on to form the first new gypsy/jazz band on the Nottingham scene for a generation. This band, called ‘Maniere des Bohemiens‘, would in turn give birth to other offshoot bands like Swing Gitan UK, and Cafe Manouche.
During the interim period between the split of the Hot Club and the formation of Swingologie in late 2010, John and I had done a couple of gigs with individually with Matt Kerry, and also Elliott Lewis, who had joined ‘the Bohemiens’ on guitar a little later. Both of these guys were the upcoming young guns of gypsy/jazz in Nottingham, and already at a competent level by 2010, they would both go on to be great exponents of the genre. Swing Gitan was formed after they left Maniere des Bohemiens; but eventually Matt and his partner and vocalist Natalia Douglas decided to relocate and base themselves out of London, and forming the band; ‘Cafe Manouche‘.
Meanwhile, in 2013 Swingologie were still gigging around Nottingham, with residencies at the Vat and Fiddle, Cafe Rouge, and the newer Pelican Club venue, augmented by gigs at the Lion Inn, and the Hand and Heart, amongst others.
Also in the latter part of 2013, Swingologie were invited to take part in the ‘Jazz in the Libraries’ mini-tour which took place in November of that year, which was tremendously well received.
In January 2014, Swing Gitan UK were without the regular participation of their guitarist Matt Kerry, who had relocated to London. Guitarist and founder member Elliott Lewis invited me to play a gig with them at a local bar called ‘Fade’. The band had settled into the line up of Elliott on guitar, alongside James Tolhurst on trumpet, and guitarist Rob Coates who was also now playing gigs much more regularly as a double bass player. But to play gypsy/jazz; the vital ingredient of two guitars was needed. The gig went well, and as a result I was invited to play more gigs with them, including regular performances at the Nottingham Contemporary, Edin’s Cafe Bar, The Roundhouse, and the Hand and Heart, amongst others; as well as various private functions and festivals.
I grew into the role and by the time the year was out, I was a fully fledged regular member of the band. I was still running Swingologie, and Elliott was running Swing Gitan, and although both bands fell under the banner of gypsy/jazz, they were more than sufficiently different enough to each other for neither band to be compromised.
And also, there was one other very important event in the September of that year….
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