Swing 42 - An Evening of Jazz Manouche
Location
Hosted by
Music Whakatane About
For over 20 years, Ōtautahi Christchurch-based Swing 42 has been dedicated to the performance of gypsy swing, also known as jazz manouche. A musical idiom inspired by the Romani jazz guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt in conjunction with French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli, it reached the zenith of its popularity immediately before and after the Second World War before being replaced by Bebop. Swing 42 presents this music in fresh and evolving ways. The individual performers’ diverse musical backgrounds are drawn together by their shared passion for this historical musical period, and their repertoire presents musical “riddles” to solve in the playful and adventurous context of group improvisation, making each concert a unique and emotionally exhilarating listening experience.
Programme
Reuben Derrick, Clarinet/saxophone
Keith Petch, Manouche jazz guitar
Michael Kime, Double bass
Doug Brush, Percussion
Programme example:
Django Reinhardt | Mabel, Lentement Mademoiselle, Fleur D’ennui
Johnny Green/Carmen Lombardo | Coquette
Duke Ellington | Caravan
Django Reinhardt | Diminishing, Place de Brouckère
Ary Barroso | Brazil
Django Reinhardt | Swing 42
Dino Olivieri | J’attendrai
Johnny Green | Out of Nowhere
Django Reinhardt | Cavalerie
Billy Strayhorn | Isfahan
Phillip Braham | Limehouse Blues
This concert is approximately 100 minutes of music, plus interval.
Artist biographies
Reuben Derrick is a saxophonist, clarinettist and composer whose eclectic work encompasses diverse ensembles, solo performance, and experimental and multi-disciplinary work with theatre, poetry, ritual, and dance. Outside Aotearoa, his work has taken him to Australia, Sri Lanka and Europe. In 2015 he was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to attend the Music Omi residency in New York, with 13 artists from around the world. His Doctor of Musical Arts research “Acoustic illuminations: recorded space as soundscape composition” (2014) focusses on field recording and improvisation. He has taught at the University of Canterbury, Ara Music Arts, and in local schools.
Keith Petch is a guitarist and teacher living in Ōtautahi. As a self taught musician he has performed since the 1980’s in Latin and Jazz ensembles, touring New Zealand with some of the finest local acts, and playing regularly when visiting Spain. In recent years he has been dedicated to the Gypsy Manouch style and continues to explore this discipline with a passion.
Michael Kime is a bassist who has worked with many of New Zealand’s finest musicians in jazz, classical, popular, and free improvisation settings. Michael is a founding member of Christchurch’s celebrated Silencio Ensemble, contributing as a composer and holding the double bass chair. Michael has performed in concert halls and venues in America, Japan and Dubai.
Doug Brush has built an international career over more than 30 years as a percussionist in Chicago, and more recently in Christchurch. He is a performer of many styles of music, having recorded on over 60 albums (producing some of them), composed music for dance, has been involved in numerous theatre productions, written for Downbeat magazine, and has been an artist in residence at the Chicago Art Institute. He has performed and taught on five continents. Since moving to Aotearoa in early 2010, he has performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra including as a soloist, with many local ensembles, and in theatre productions at the Court Theatre, Free Theatre and Showbiz. He has taught at the University of Canterbury, Ara Music Arts, and various secondary schools.