Colorado Gypsy Jazz Festival Kicks Off Friday, August 11th

The inaugural Colorado Gypsy Jazz Festival (www.gypsyjazzcolorado.com) kicks off on Friday, August 11th at Twin Owls Steakhouse (reservations strongly recommended at 970-586-9344 or at taharaa.com). Offering many opportunities to hear some amazing, world-class musicians, there are pop-up performances all over town; including Avant Garde Aleworks, Snowy Peaks Winery and Mother's Cafe. There are two, affordably priced ticketed events—Saturday evening at Historic Park Theatre (tickets only $20 at www.historicparktheatre.com) and Sunday afternoon at Performance Park—our “GYPSY JAZZAPALOOZA” (an afternoon featuring 6 different bands – (tickets only $25 at www.gypsyjazzcolorado.com). In addition to all of this, there are GYPSY JAZZ WORKSHOPS available to attend.

Estes Park News spoke with Greg Miles & Erika Metzler of M&M Productions about the workshops. “Many people go to a music festival and come away inspired to learn an instrument, or the style of music they've just enjoyed. Many times I’ve been to festivals and have seen people even purchase an instrument, take it home, sign up for lessons, and begin learning to play the style that has inspired them,” said Greg. “Gypsy Jazz may be even more infectious than other genres . . . It's fun. It's passionate. It's also a great way to jam with other musicians. If you're tired of playing on your own, Gypsy Jazz has a wonderful community of welcoming musicians who love getting together to play – and with some basic rhythm, you can be down in it relatively quickly.”

“In its most basic form, it's easy to learn; but like so many other skills, can take a lifetime to master. Take, for instance, the most famous Gypsy Jazz tune

“Minor Swing” . . . that song has only three chords (A, D, & E); and two of those chords are the same shape (D & E). But the rhythm and solo techniques are astounding once you “sync” into the tune . .

“Gypsy Jazz also has a huge library of classics, or standards, that are often played, but with improvisation you'll put your own flavor on them. One other as- videos that make sense to you and sit down and play it until it sounds right. Learn some of the standards, and then start looking for gatherings along the front range where you can go sit in. OK, look . . . that's a scary idea for a lot of you. So just GO; leave your guitar in the car. Go in and sit down and listen. Do this a few times until you get to know some of the players – talk to them. Then it's not so intimidating and you can bring your guitar in and just sit outside the circle and play softly along. You'll build your skill level and your confidence.” waltz, rumba, rumba waltz, and bolero. We will play together, and talk about the aspects of these styles that are unique to this musical genre.

Erika has been working together with the musicians and a plan is in place for the workshops, Saturday morning, August 12th at the American Legion Post 119. Are you ready to try your hand? You don't have to be a skilled player to come take a workshop –though it does help to know basic chords and to have a good sense of rhythm (and to have some familiarity with Gypsy Jazz), but beyond that, one of these workshops can do wonders for developing your skill level & boost your confidence. Each of these workshops are 60 minutes and cost only $30 each. There is also the Legion Brunch from 8-11 a.m. on Saturday, August 12th and if you’re on the roster for a workshop, you’ll get a $3 discount on your brunch.

Gypsy Jazz Violin with Jason Anick (Violinist for Rhythm Future Quartet)

11:30-12:30

For this workshop, violinist extraordinaire Jason Anick will examine a standard swing tune and provide various classic licks and phrases to help you start improvising over that tune. Phrases will be taught by ear but will be supplemented with sheet music. He’ll also cover various stylistic approaches (vibrato, bowing, etc.) to help you get that authentic swing sound achieved by jazz violin greats like Stephane Grappelli and Joe Venuti. Jason will also breakdown some of the exercises in his new book, "Violin Fingerboard Mastery" published by Hal Leonard.

Gypsy Jazz Guitar with Max O’Rourke (Guitarist for Rhythm Future Quartet)

12:45-1:45

Come explore tone, technique, and phrasing while performing the music of Django Reinhardt.

Fretboard Logic with Aaron Walker (Guitarist with Aaron Walker Trio, Quartet, and Swing Je T'aime)

10:30-11:30 pect of Gypsy Jazz is that you don't need a band – it's purely guitar based; and the guitar creates all the percussion, rhythm, and melody. One guitar is fun . . . but add a second and you're having exponentially more fun. Now bring in a double bass and violin and you're smokin' –and the next thing you know, there's a mandolin, a flute, an accordion . . . you get the picture.”

Greg added, “There are many ways to learn it; and with a resource like YouTube you can learn almost anything . . . so, go search and find instructional

“You don't have to do just one workshop . . many are signed up for two or three,” said Erika. “We’ve got a guy from the Front Range signed up for three of them and have designed the schedule so he can attend them all.”

The workshops that are being offered are:

Gypsy Jazz Bass with Greg Loughman (Bassist for Rhythm Future Quartet)

10:30-11:30

In this workshop bassist Greg Loughman will discuss creating basslines in the manouche jazz style, including swing,

Step into the rich, dynamic world of Gypsy Jazz and transform your musical journey with our detailed workshop focusing on fretboard mapping and mastery. The ability to intuitively navigate the guitar's fretboard, recognizing your position at any given moment without the need for mental pause or hesitation, is a critical cornerstone in any guitarist's skill set. This intuitive grasp is the bridge between the raw basics and the sublime, between a novice's tentative plucking and the confident virtuosity of a maestro.

The mystery of the guitar fretboard can be deconstructed and understood through a handful of straightforward concepts. Far from being an impenetrable maze of strings and frets, the guitar fretboard can indeed be demystified, revealing a logical, approachable grid that can be learnt, memorized, and manipulated to create magical music.

Introduction to Choro with Cesar Garabini, Andrew Finn Magill and Ian Coury

11:35-12:35

Discover Choro history and the role of our instruments within Choro. Explore music styles, interpretation of melodies and basic improvisation.

If you’d like to join a workshop (or two…or three!), please email Greg & Erika at gypsyjazzcolorado@gmail.com.

Greg & Erika hope that these workshops will be well attended and that they serve to bring Gypsy Jazz to a whole new, exciting level for the participants.

For more information on the festival, please visit www.gypsyjazzcolorado.com