A new quartet spreads gypsy jazz rhythms

Shanghai has made great strides toward expanding its musical palette in recent years with jazz, funk and even bluegrass artists making inroads into what was once the sole territory of DJs and live music hopefuls. One upcoming group that's pushing the boundaries is Doug Martin and Espirit Gitan, who are swinging though Shanghai in July to add some la to the normal Shanghai music mix. The quartet plays a brand of music known as gypsy jazz, a concoction of jazz, swing, blues and traditional gypsy melodies, rolled out with fast tempos and plentiful improvisation.

If you haven't heard of gypsy jazz before, you're hardly alone. Gypsy jazz is a relatively young musical genre, invented by Django Reinhardt. By combining swing rhythms and traditional gypsy melodies, Reinhardt invented a new musical vocabulary, and in the process, says Martin, supplied "Europe's first contribution to jazz, which up until then had been considered a purely American art form."

The international origins of gypsy jazz are reflected in its sound, and as a result, it tends to attract musicians who play a broad range of musical styles which they impart to gypsy jazz. The quartet appearing with Doug Martin, specifically convened for this tour, pulls from Shanghai's own melting pot and features Martin (lead guitar) along with Shanghai-based Marc DeVives (rhythm guitar), Michael Hicks (bass) and Willow Nielson (sax).

Gypsy jazz quickly silences the complaint you most often hear lobbed at live instrumental music performances here in Shanghai, that the music is too predictable and often boring. Isabella Liu, owner of La Bella Café which has be en holding gypsy jazz nights for over a year and is hosting Doug Martin and Espirit Gitan, says that what drew her to gypsy jazz was its energy, its "ability to get people tapping their feet, clapping, or even getting up to dance a bit." Ruby Hsiao of the Melting Pot, another venue hosting Martin's quartet, expresses a similar sentiment, adding that gypsy jazz "offers great rhythms and unique melodies, romantic in a way, but something that people can easily swing to." The combination of instruments and styles of play set the music apart, but ultimately what pulls audiences into gypsy jazz is its dynamism. When you factor in the constantly shifting band arrangements, the intense improvisation, and Martin's claim that "the music is as complex as the genealogy of the gypsies themselves," you can be certain that you never know what you're going to hear. We think that's a good thing.

JM Chris Chang