Adrien Moignard and Tokyo Django Collective interview
Django Festival Tokyo 2017
September 30, 2017
We had the privilege of interviewing Adrien Moignard and Tokyo Django Collective, a young local gypsy music group with whom Adrien has collaborated for the first time. Fumihiko Kono, a name not unfamiliar in Asia and a member of the Tokyo Django Collective, is also the music producer of the popular Japanese television series “The Solitary Gourmet” (Kodoku No Gourmet).
> 王慧思 （Eliza Wong）, Chris Lui
JazzEspresso (JE)
Adrien Moignard (AM)
Tokyo Django Collective (TDC): Fumihiko Kono (吉他)， Daisuke Teshima(吉他)，Kyohei Abe (貝斯)
Adrien Moignard (AM)
Tokyo Django Collective (TDC): Fumihiko Kono (吉他)， Daisuke Teshima(吉他)，Kyohei Abe (貝斯)
JE: How many times have you come to perform in Asia?
AM: This is my third time in Japan. Also earlier this year, I was invited to the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival.
AM: This is my third time in Japan. Also earlier this year, I was invited to the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival.
JE: Gypsy jazz has its origins in Europe and has thrived particularly in France. Where would you suggest the fans of Django go to find the soul of Django’s music in France?
AM: If you want to listen to real gypsy music, of course you have to go to Paris. In the downtown area there are many different jazz venues where you can enjoy wonderful performances. And another thing that you can’t miss is the Festival Django Reinhardt which is held annually at the end of June at Samois-sur-Seine in France. The festival lasts for one week, and there are many jam sessions in which you can participate with all other gypsy jazz players. It’s the best gypsy jazz festival in the world.
AM: If you want to listen to real gypsy music, of course you have to go to Paris. In the downtown area there are many different jazz venues where you can enjoy wonderful performances. And another thing that you can’t miss is the Festival Django Reinhardt which is held annually at the end of June at Samois-sur-Seine in France. The festival lasts for one week, and there are many jam sessions in which you can participate with all other gypsy jazz players. It’s the best gypsy jazz festival in the world.
(photo credit: Wikipedia)
JE: What do you think about the gypsy jazz development in Japan? Is this your first time playing with Japanese musicians?
AM: I think gypsy jazz is developing quite fast here in Japan, there are more and more gypsy jazz guitarists. And I hope that it will continue to be like this, getting better and better. This is my first time here for the Django Festival Tokyo which is a big, local gypsy jazz activity; and yes, also my first time cooperating with Tokyo Django Collective.
AM: I think gypsy jazz is developing quite fast here in Japan, there are more and more gypsy jazz guitarists. And I hope that it will continue to be like this, getting better and better. This is my first time here for the Django Festival Tokyo which is a big, local gypsy jazz activity; and yes, also my first time cooperating with Tokyo Django Collective.
JE: When did you start to play gypsy jazz? Besides Django, who has inspired you?
AD: I’ve been playing guitar since I was little, starting with blues and rock music. Gypsy jazz came to my knowledge later but since the time I listened to the albums of Django and Grappelli, I am in love with gypsy jazz. I dedicate myself to playing only gypsy jazz, and it became my career. I am self-taught. I lived in the South of France for the first twenty years of my life before moving to Paris where I spent a lot of time playing music with many gypsies. I really learned a lot. Besides Django, I have been inspired by many great musicians such as Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Keith Jarrett, etc. I also like classical music.
AD: I’ve been playing guitar since I was little, starting with blues and rock music. Gypsy jazz came to my knowledge later but since the time I listened to the albums of Django and Grappelli, I am in love with gypsy jazz. I dedicate myself to playing only gypsy jazz, and it became my career. I am self-taught. I lived in the South of France for the first twenty years of my life before moving to Paris where I spent a lot of time playing music with many gypsies. I really learned a lot. Besides Django, I have been inspired by many great musicians such as Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Keith Jarrett, etc. I also like classical music.
JE: What are your current plans？
AM: Lately, I’ve been discussing with Stochelo Rosenberg some of the projects that we can work on together. I think it’s going to be very interesting. And, I just released my newest trio album with Mathieu Chatelain and Jérémie Arranger which is the recording of our performance at the Maison-Laffitte Jazz Festival in France. The world-famous violinist Didier Lockwood was our special guest, how cool is that?!
AM: Lately, I’ve been discussing with Stochelo Rosenberg some of the projects that we can work on together. I think it’s going to be very interesting. And, I just released my newest trio album with Mathieu Chatelain and Jérémie Arranger which is the recording of our performance at the Maison-Laffitte Jazz Festival in France. The world-famous violinist Didier Lockwood was our special guest, how cool is that?!
JE: Tokyo Django Collective, can you introduce yourselves?
TDC: All three of us are gypsy jazz players mainly performing in Tokyo. The fact that we’ve all been playing gypsy jazz for twelve years happens to be another thing that we share in common. Fumihiko has been playing guitar for 20 years. Like Adrien, he used to like blues and rock music. It was all because of the movie “Swing”, directed by Tony Gatlif, that he saw maybe in 2002 or in 2003, and another movie “Sweet and Lowdown”, directed by Woody Allen, that he began to like the gypsy music.
TDC: All three of us are gypsy jazz players mainly performing in Tokyo. The fact that we’ve all been playing gypsy jazz for twelve years happens to be another thing that we share in common. Fumihiko has been playing guitar for 20 years. Like Adrien, he used to like blues and rock music. It was all because of the movie “Swing”, directed by Tony Gatlif, that he saw maybe in 2002 or in 2003, and another movie “Sweet and Lowdown”, directed by Woody Allen, that he began to like the gypsy music.
JE: Playing with Adrien is quite challenging, isn’t it?
TDC: Haha, you bet! Our guitarists are very nervous about this. This is out first time playing with Adrien. After this, we’ll perform together in Osaka. We will also move on to our next project which is to record our own album. Hopefully that can be released very soon.
TDC: Haha, you bet! Our guitarists are very nervous about this. This is out first time playing with Adrien. After this, we’ll perform together in Osaka. We will also move on to our next project which is to record our own album. Hopefully that can be released very soon.
JE: In which regions of Japan are there more gypsy jazz players, in the Kansai region (West of Japan) or in the Kantō region (East of Japan)? Where in Tokyo can we see or join the jam sessions?
TDC: Actually, there are plenty of people playing gypsy jazz in these two areas, for example in Kobe and Osaka. In Tokyo, there are some jazz pubs where you can listen to gypsy jazz music and even join the jam sessions. Among them, the most famous venue is called “Mash Records” in the Kagurazaka area in Tokyo.
TDC: Actually, there are plenty of people playing gypsy jazz in these two areas, for example in Kobe and Osaka. In Tokyo, there are some jazz pubs where you can listen to gypsy jazz music and even join the jam sessions. Among them, the most famous venue is called “Mash Records” in the Kagurazaka area in Tokyo.
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Jazzespresso es una revista de jazz y también un sitio web, una red, un centro que desea conectar las diferentes almas del mundo del jazz: americano, europeo, asiático, australiano y africano. Un punto de referencia multicultural en lengua inglesa, china y en castellano para los amantes de esta música en todos los países que quieren estar al tanto de lo que está ocurriendo en todo el mundo. Manténganse informados!
Jazzespresso is a jazz magazine, but also a website, a network, a hub wishing to connect the different souls of the jazz world: American, European, Asian, Australian and African. A multicultural reference point in English, Chinese and Spanish language for the lovers of this music in every Country, who want to be updated about what is happening all around the world… Stay tuned.
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