Pearl Django
Jazz & Oysters
Sunday, August 15, 2010
2:00 – 5:00 pm
Oysterville Schoolhouse Grounds
Click here for map & directions
Voted favorite area jazz band 2003,by Seattle Weekly readers!
“Pearl Django play(s) gypsy jazz…and they do it with such verve, skill and pleasure that they’re pretty much irresistible to jazz and non-jazz listeners alike.” —Seattle Weekly
Entering their fifteenth year of performing, Pearl Django continues to be one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups. Though still strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, Pearl Django’s repertoire now includes many original compositions. Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of audiences. The band’s fervent followers include guitar enthusiasts (and guitarists!), lovers of string music, including bluegrass devotees, who relish nimble, clean, intricate picking, “world music” fans drawn to French and Gypsy accents, plus jazz buffs and aficionados of the new swing music. Transcending simple categorization, Pearl Django packs in enthusiastic audiences at dancehalls and nightclubs, at folk music festivals and jazz festivals alike.
Members of the group are Neil Andersson, Guitar; Ryan Hoffman, Guitar; David Lange, Accordion; Michael Gray, Violin; Rick Leppanen, Bass. The group’s inception was as a trio in Tacoma, Washington in 1994. The focus of Pearl Django was, and is, to incorporate the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli with American swing music. They quickly expanded to a quintet, adding a violinist and a third guitarist. An interview on NPR’s All Things Considered in 2001 brought the group to national attention. As of 2007 Pearl Django is working as both a quartet and a quintet (with accordionist, David Lange) All of the members are contributing original compositions to the band’s expansive repertoire. They have released 9 CDs to date.
“Pearl Django: The gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt done to perfection!” —Paul de Barros, The Seattle Times (2002)
For more information, check the Pearl Django web site.
