Recent Jazz Recordings by Local Artists
If you want music to lift your spirits and lighten your step, Jazz du Jour by Djangophonique is perfect! Band leader Andrew Brown and friends — fellow acoustic guitarist Erik McIntyre, clarinetist Tyler Rindo and bassists Andy Henley and Joe Fee — have crafted a tight, bright swinging sound drawing from the rich gypsy jazz legacy of Django Reinhardt. Their Jazz Manouche sound gelled after months of live performances at Ann Arbor’s Detroit Street Filling Station, Ypsilanti’s Corner Brewery, Ann Arbor’s Blue LLama Jazz Club and many other venues. Jazz Du Jour, released this past winter was recorded at Blue LLama Jazz Club and at The Riviera Theater in Three Rivers, Michigan. The EP highlights their joyful collective improvisation, ebullient swing and synergy.
The two quartets explore Reinhardt’s repertoire from his originals to the great American popular song which lent themselves well to the hot club arrangement. Brown and his colleagues chose two unusual pieces: “Coquette” and “Dinette” contrasting well with the more familiar “Lady Be Good,” “Nuages” and “Three Little Words.” In every song their rapport, communication and cooperation are tangible and present. Jazz Du Jour is an eight-song EP running just under 36 minutes but is so enjoyable that an immediate replay reveals more delight and depth of discovery. Let us hope that a full-length recording is in the works for Andrew Brown and Djangophonique. In the meantime, brighten your day with Jazz Du Jour. Visit www.djangophonique.com to order the disc, to view exciting live videos and to subscribe to the Djangophonique Newsletter.