"The idea was simple enough: Spice up the Hot Club texture pioneered by Django Reinhardt by emphasizing hallmarks of New Orleans Jazz including blues,

         
LATESTeflyerNov2014

"The idea was simple enough: Spice up the Hot Club texture pioneered by Django Reinhardt by emphasizing hallmarks of New Orleans Jazz including blues, rhythms of the monde Créole, and collective improvisation. "

In late-August, 2005, powerful Hurricane Katrina compromised an inadequate U.S. Federal levy system leaving 80% of the city of New Orleans under water. Among the over four-thousand displaced musicians was clarinetist Evan Christopher, a California native who first moved to the Crescent City in 1994. With little more than his clarinet and a suitcase full of clothes, Christopher chose Paris, France for his exile at the invitation of the City of Paris. During this artist residency, funded by an American program called French-American Cultural Exchange, he worked diligently to raise awareness about the musical culture of New Orleans through concerts and masterclasses. He also formed his own groups, the JazzTraditions PROJECT and Django à la Créole.

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CLICK IMAGE TO HEAR TRACKS FROM THE ALBUM

"IS THERE A MORE GRACEFUL BAND AT WORK AT THE MOMENT?" SUNDAY TIMES

Releasing their 3rd CD on this tour

Evan Christopher's Django à la Créole spices up the hot Gypsy swing pioneered by Django Reinhardt with the cool Creole rhythms of New Orleans and beyond. The American clarinetist and Europe-based rhythm section of double bass, and two guitars, have been charming audiences worldwide with their seductive performances since 2007. The quartet artfully juxtaposes virtuosity with an acoustic, intimate approach and unfailingly balances a reverence for tradition with being up-to-the minute and in-the moment.
The primary inspiration for this unique fusion of New Orleans clarinet with "Jazz Manouche" was Reinhardt's historic recording session in 1939 with Duke Ellington sidemen Rex Stewart and Creole clarinetist Barney Bigard. Djangologists may recognize a resemblance to the incarnation of "Quintet of the Hot Club of France" that featured clarinetist Hubert Rostaing, yet Django à la Créole is much more than a repertory ensemble. Christopher and his band thoughtfully re-invent classic material by infusing their arrangements with musical idioms from New Orleans as well as Brazil, Cuba and the Caribbean. The results are personal and often clever tributes to their jazz heroes.

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The mastery of rhythm guitarist, Dave Kelbie is known well by anyone who follows contemporary exponents of Gypsy jazz such as Tcha Limberger or Fapy Lafertin. On the other hand, the pedigree of bassist Sebastien Girardot is more recognized pertinent to aficionados of traditional jazz. For the solo guitar chair, the band recently welcomed New Orleans native, Don Vappie. Besides being a highly skilled guitarist, Vappie contributes warm vocal renderings of authentic Creole Jazz songs, classics from the early days of New Orleans, as well as jaw-dropping banjo features.

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Three CD recordings, collaboratively produced by LeJazzetal and Paris-based Fremeaux et Associés, exemplify the appeal of the band's engaging presentations. The self-titled "Django à la Crèole" (2007), though released in New Orleans at the 25th anniversary of the French Quarter Festival, was warmly received in the U.K. and France. Their second outing, "Finesse" (2010) took a cue from later recordings by Django by changing the lead guitar voice to an electric-acoustic timbre. The more expressive pallet and greater interplay between guitar and clarinet was clearly the right move, as this CD was chosen Sunday Times Jazz Album of the Year in 2010. The most recent CD, "LIVE" (2014), captures the quartet's loose, infectious energy in varied acoustic settings, and has critics rhetorically asking, "Is there a more graceful band at work at the moment?"

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO CLIPS OF THE BAND.

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Evan Christopher began his musical training on clarinet at age 11. In high school, he received the Louis Armstrong National Jazz Award and was one of the first graduates of the prestigious Idyllwild Arts Academy. He continued studies at the University of Southern California and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach before moving to New Orleans.
His published research and academic presentations on the New Orleans clarinet style initiated the pursuit of a Masters degree in Musicology at Tulane University. In August of 2005, the Federal levee failures that flooded New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina sent him traveling continuously on “Clarinet Road” until he returned in November of 2007. A refreshingly bright light on the international jazz scene his unique brand of contemporary early jazz combines virtuosity and immaculate taste with a deep commitment to exploring the full range of possibilities of the traditions of New Orleans Jazz. Mr. Christopher’s highly personal voice is anchored in the musical language created by early Creole clarinetists such as Sidney Bechet, Omer Simeon, and Barney Bigard with particular emphasis on the flexibility and distinct rhythmic character of the clarinet as it has evolved throughout “Le Monde Créole.

FullBandCrop

Evan Christopher USA - clarinet,Don Vappie USA - guitar/banjo/vocals,Dave Kelbie UK - guitar,Sebastien Girardot FR - contrabass

D'JANGO A LA CREOLE HAS FEATURED AT:

French Quarter Fest - New Orleans USA
Django Reinhardt festival - Samois sur Seine France
Hokkoko Shibum Akabane-Hall, Kanazawa Japan
Kaiko Kinen Kaikan, Yokohama Japan
Kannai Hall, Yokohama Japan
Djangofest - Augsburg Germany
Caravan Freudenhaus - Bregenz AustriaLenk Jazz festival - Switzerland
Das Oval - Salzburg Austria
The Olympia Paris
Brosella - Brussels
Duc des Lombards - Paris
Sunside Sunset - Paris
Periguex Festival France
d'Arcachon Jazz festival France
Sancy Snow Jazz - Le Mont-Dore France
Brecon Jazz festival
Nairn Jazz festival
Edinburgh Jazz festival
Bristol Jazz festival
Salisbury Festival
Bath fringe Festival
Bury St Edmunds festival
Canterbury festival
Hull Jazz festival
Bloomsbury Theatre - London
The Sage - Gateshead
Gala Theatre - Durham
Eden Court - Inverness
Fairfield Halls - Croydon
New Viv Theatre - Newcastle under Lyme
The Stables - Wavenden
St Georges Bristol
Exeter Phoenix
The Drillhall - Lincoln
Carnegie Hall - Dunfermline
Black Box - Belfast
Turner Sims Concert Hall - Southampton

LIMITED UK AVAILABILITY IN OCTOBER 2015 - NOW BOOKING

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WWW.DJANGOALACREOLE.COM

CONTACT & BOOKINGS

Danielle White
+44 (0)1302 714202
+44 (0)7841675263

daniraestar@aol.com|

CDs, MP3s AND ALL OTHER INFO ON REQUEST

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reach out to promoters and beyond with your message, photos and videos via Raestar's Promoter E-Blast Service | Danielle White +44 (0)1302 714202 daniraestar@aol.com| www.daniraestar.com

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