Dave Holodiloff never ceases to amaze me. Not only for his brilliance in performance, but his interest in bringing together a galaxy of talented players for conceptual concerts that highlight past musical luminaries and their music. Coming to both Monterey and Santa Cruz this weekend are the Django Reinhardt Tribute Shows, presented by “Hot Club Holo.” The show on the other side of the bay is being held on Friday, the gypsy jazz guitarist’s actual birthdate. Here on the south side of Monterey Bay, the trio will perform the third annual Gypsy Jazz Birthday Bash on Saturday at the Stanton Center Theater, inside the Monterey History and Art Museum on Custom House Plaza.
Featured alongside mandolinist Holodiloff are two outstanding musicians, manouche guitarist of the Hot Club of San Francisco and Modern Jazz Hot Club, Nelsen Hutchison, and the number one upright bassist for top Monterey Bay Area jazz groups, including the Latin Jazz Collective and Andy Weiss Trio, Steve Uccello. Known as the Hot Club Holo Acoustic All Stars Gypsy Jazz Ensemble, the trio will perform music by the legendary Django Reinhardt, as well as Hot Club Swing standards, Bolero, Bossa and original music that celebrates the music and legacy of the first hugely influential jazz figure to emerge from Europe and the person most credited with developing the style known as gypsy jazz, jazz manouche, or hot club jazz. Special guest performances are promised.
Born Jean Reinhardt, Jan. 23, 1910, to a French family in Belgium, but who lived most of his life in France, he became known by his Romani nickname Django. At a very young age, he first took up the violin, and at 12 years old, he received a banjo-guitar as a gift. He quickly taught himself to play by mimicking the fingerings of musicians he watched. He was making a living in music by the time he was 15, busking in cafés, often with his brother.
His first recording was in 1928 with a group of French artists, and soon his name was drawing international attention. British bandleader Jack Hylton came to France just to hear him play and offered him a job on the spot. Before he had the chance to play his first gig with the orchestra, tragedy struck. A fire that ignited in the caravan wagon he shared with his wife engulfed their home and luckily they were able to escape, but Reinhardt suffered extensive burns over half his body. He was hospitalized for 18 months and the doctors wanted to amputate his right leg, but he refused and was eventually able to walk with the aid of a cane. More crucial to his future as a musician, his fourth and fifth fingers of his left hand were badly burned. Doctors feared he would never be able to play the guitar again.
During his many months of recuperation, he retaught himself to play using primarily the index and middle fingers of his left hand, using the two injured fingers only for chord work. His brother Joseph bought him a new six-string steel-strung acoustic guitar. His wife gave birth to a son within a year of the fire, but soon after, the couple split up. He continued to experiment with his new guitar in a wide range of musical styles. He was introduced to American jazz by an acquaintance who had a record collection that included music by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Joe Venuti, and more. Their music inspired him to pursue the goal of becoming a jazz professional.
And so the music grew in his heart, and he found the way to play with his limitations. He met violinist Stéphane Grappelli, and several years later, they began a musical partnership. From 1934 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Reinhardt and Grappelli worked together as the principal soloists of their newly formed ensemble, the Quintette du Hot Club de France in Paris. It became the most accomplished and innovative European jazz group of the period. The horrors of WWII interrupted his musical path, but through circumstances that evolved during the war, his chosen life in Paris gave him the opportunities to continue performing and he worked steadily during the early war years, earning a great deal of money, yet he was always under threat due to his being a Romani gypsy.
His story continues under the duress of the war in Europe, eventually leading to postwar touring widely and recording. He reached legendary status with a style derived through intense dedication and the idiosyncrasies of his fretboard fingerings with his injured hand. He was virtuosic in all aspects of the guitar, and everyone who encountered his recordings or were able to hear him play in concert, were absolutely amazed with his technique, musicality and unique approach to playing. Reinhardt is regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all time. During his career he wrote nearly 100 songs. His influence continues to ring through the ages, and so it is no wonder Holodiloff has taken the steps to pay tribute through his annual Django Reinhardt Birthday Bash Tribute Concert.
Tickets to the concert are available through eventbrite.com for $40 in advance, or $50 at the door. VIP ticket packages are already sold out. Advance reservations are highly recommended. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show is at 7 p.m. The small, intimate theater is perfectly suited for this type of band. It’s a great live music venue. Visit Dave’s website www.daveholodiloff.com for more details on both the Monterey and Santa Cruz shows.
There are more than a few local and regional artists appearing on our local stages this coming fortnight. Featured band at Wave Street Studios in Monterey, Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. is Music and Lyrics by John Morris. Morris is a songwriter/guitarist based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. While he is not currently very well known here locally, he performed quite extensively in this area years ago. He is bringing with him three stellar musicians, saxophonist Jeff Meyer, bassist Patrice Wallace and drummer Kevin DiNoto. Opening the show at 7 p.m. are local jazz couple Miranda Perl (vocals) and Adam Astrup (guitar).
Morris has had a long and varied career in music, getting his start in the business in San Francisco, playing guitar with Curtis Lawson and The Unforgettables at the Checkmate Lounge and Dori’s 21 Club at the Embarcadero. He received his jazz education in Santa Cruz at Cabrillo College with the renowned educator and jazz trumpeter/bandleader Ray Brown. His background in jazz theory, arrangement, composition and improvisation with Brown informs his original music, featuring his ballads, love songs and jazz.
I was surprised to hear how far back his local connections went. He said he started with the Holehouse Blues Band in the ’80s, and that group eventually evolved to be the John “Broadway” Tucker Blues Band. Later on, he played with Sista Monica at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival and the following year brought his own group to the festival to play on the Garden Stage. In more recent years, he played at Esalen Institute’s 50 Anniversary with Tammi Brown.
Tickets for this show are $25 plus service fee, available at www.wavestreetlive774.com/events/music-and-lyrics-by-john-morris-at-wave-street-studios. As always, Wave Street Studios provides a top-level listening room with great acoustics and sight lines. Each show is recorded and videotaped and available later on Wave Street’s website. The cafe has light food, specialty coffee, craft cocktails, local beer and wine with a laid-back hospitality. It’s located at 774 Wave St. above Cannery Row.
Saturday is jam-packed with great local shows, besides the Holodiloff/Django event. My friends in the band Slim Checkers have their first gig at Pop and Hiss in Pacific Grove. A project brought to you by esteemed guitarist Tom Ayres, the music is unlike any you normally hear played by local cover bands. This outfit takes you back to the roots of rock ’n’ roll, to music you may not even recognize as rock unless you’re of a certain age. Devised to bring back the vibe of Fats Domino, who pioneered the early rockabilly/crooner sound of the 1950s and who performed as a contemporary to the better known rock pioneers Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, you’ll get a kick out of their song choices that most likely will get folks up and dancing. The quintet is Ayres, keyboardist Luca Fredericksen, vocalist Jon Gorman, upright bassist Bill Sullivan and drummer Shaun Elley. Show time is 7 p.m., no cover. The following Saturday, Jan. 31, at Pop and Hiss, enjoy the music of the Chuck Brewer Band.
I got a heads up that flautist Kenny Stahl has put together a great jazz combo for your listening pleasure at PG Meetinghouse, Saturday, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. With the fabulous bandleader will be guitarist Bruce Forman, bassist Dan Robbins and drummer Billy Jones. No cover.
And to top it all off, Palenke Arts is presenting a special show with singer/songwriter/composer/social justice activist based out of San Francisco Diana Gameros on Saturday. She has a new album she’ll be introducing. She was born in Juárez, México and she came to the U.S. as a teenager. In the last decade in the Bay Area she has released two albums of original songs written in Spanish and English. She’s been highlighted by NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series and has had a documentary film about her made, titled “Dear Homeland,” released by KQED in 2020. Her music speaks to stories about family, migration and home. The concert takes place from 7 – 9 p.m., at Palenke Teen Arts Center, 530 Elm Ave. in Seaside. Tickets are $30, available in advance online at eventbrite.com.
