Record Reviews

DJANGO DELUXE / NDR BIG BAND ~ DRIVING MPS 4029759101857 (Barcode: 4029759101857) ~ GERMANY ~ Gypsy Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the 2nd album by the delightful Gypsy Jazz German Django DeluxeFind albums by this artist trio (solo guitarist Giovanni WeissFind albums by this artist, rhythm guitarist Robert WeissFind albums by this artist and bassist Jeffrey WeissFind albums by this artist), recorded with the brilliant German NDR Big BandFind albums by this artist, conducted by Jorg Achim KellerFind albums by this artist and guests like guitarist Stochelo RosenbergFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents eleven tracks, four composed by Giovanni Weiss, one by Rosenberg, two are Jazz standards and the rest are from various sources. All the music was arranged by Keller and beautifully recorded at the NDR studio. The music is absolutely divine, a superb mixture of Gypsy Swing and Big Band arrangements, simply breathtakingly performed by all the musicians involved. Giovanni Weiss plays some incredible soli here and so do the guests and several of the NDR members. Of course the spirit and soul of Django ReinhardtFind albums by this artist is strongly present for the entire duration and I can’t recall any other contemporary recording of this kind, which combines Gypsy Jazz and Big Band? For some strange reason the trio somehow disappeared following the recording of this album, which is simply inexplicable. I’d really love to hear more from them, but alas nothing seems to be available. Overall, this is an absolute bliss and joy of an album, obviously for Gypsy Jazz lovers, but honestly I can’t imagine any Jazz lover on this planet not loving this music to bits!

Updated: 16/02/2025Posted: 16/02/2025

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend