gypsy summer
What do bathing suits and gypsy jazz have in common? They both work best when it’s hot outside! Something about Django Reinhardt/Gypsy Jazz always makes me think about a perfect summer day…hot, humid, mysterious, and always far too fast. Here’s the perfect gypsy jazz companion to your summer day (I wish I could add more…videos are limited) :
Nuages…
a song that feels like rolling out of bed with the sun on your face. Full of optimism, without the pace of a regular gypsy jazz song, this is the perfect song for turning on the coffee machine.
Sweet Georgia Brown
you’re on your way…this song feels like temporary freedom. This make even me, an inherently skeptical person, feel excited and hopeful.
Blues Clair
Now we’re talking! Don’t let the title of this song fool you. This is that mid day song where you know the day’s already been great and it can only get better. Just like a summer day, this song goes by too quickly…I’ve already listened to it three times tonight.
Minor Swing
Urgency can often mean irrationality. A summer night is often defined by a sense of urgency to say, do, and experience as much as is humanly possible. This song perfectly captures that feeling.
PS: if you want to download more songs to round out a playlist here’s a couple for your consideration:
- St. Louis Blues
- Charleston
- Cherokee
- J’Attendrai
- F.A. Swing (Jorgenson)
- Un Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi (Lagrene)
- Hungaria
- Jadis (Lagrene)
Two great artists with higher quality recordings of Django tunes/original songs are Bireli Lagrene and John Jorgenson.
