Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Evan Christopher's Django a la Creole: Finesse

Evan Christopher's Django a la Creole: Finesse

By Raul d'Gama Rose
August 22, 2010
View read count

Evan Christopher's Django a la Creole: Finesse

The epithet "flawless technique" does not even begin to describe Evan Christopher's manner of playing, perhaps, the most challenging reed instrument: the clarinet. His polished intonation is marked by the perfect annunciation of the notes that gush forth from his clarinet sometimes at great speed. His rhythmic attack is so full of surprise, especially when he injects elements of Brazilian and other Latin American colorings into the long, loping lines he plays. He has a spiritual connection with

Django Reinhardt

guitar
1910 - 1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Django Reinhardt and the Romani tradition of Europe, and it is as deep and enduring as the one he shares with

George Lewis

trombone
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">George Lewis,

Barney Bigard

clarinet
1906 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Barney Bigard, and the magicians in the New Orleans Creole tradition. This is beautifully brought out in the swaggering glissandos and with tremulous wonder in the stately version of "Mood Indigo" that he and the quartet play on the memorable Finesse, a joint release by lejazzetal and Fremeaux & Associates, in France.

It is Christopher's reverent sense of history that enables him to revisit the work of New Orleans' great legendary son,

Sidney Bechet

saxophone, soprano
1897 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Sidney Bechet. The album opens and closes with the great clarinetist's "Tropical Moon" and "Passaporte ao Paraìso." His rendition of

Bix Beiderbecke

cornet
1903 - 1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Bix Beiderbecke's bustling masterpiece, "Riverboat Shuffle," is a snorter. His own "Django à la Créole," which is based on Django's solos on "Improvisation No. 3 (Parts 1 and 2)," melded into Latin pieces played by that other master of the New Orleans idiom,

Jelly Roll Morton

piano
1890 - 1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Jelly Roll Morton. This remains the centerpiece of this second memorable album that brings Gypsy music together with jazz from that charmed era, cooked in the place of its birth, New Orleans.

Throughout this magnificent album, Christopher's control over melodic content is matched by his inspired use of harmonic ingenuity. On songs such as "Finesse," "Féerie Eyes" and "Mood Indigo," it sometimes feels as if Christopher has a hidden reed in his clarinet, which enables him to create a harmonic force that adds density to the colors he is able to paint, from a palette already rich in hues from the luscious tones that he is able to draw out of his beautiful woodwind instrument. Christopher's genius emerges further as he fuses together musical idioms from the Caribbean, Brazil and Cuba into the Creole world of New Orleans with rare finesse and charm; more than that, it's the clarinetist's ability to create all this in an environment that is at once reverential as well as completely new and timeless, so that it appears wholly new.

Christopher's mission is enhanced by the accompaniment on his journey from three other musicians equally passionate about the roots of swing: guitarists Dave Kelbie, who has almost single-handedly kept the flame of Gypsy music burning brightly—not only in Europe, but also in the rest of the world—and the talented David Blenkhorn, who plays his Django-like role to perfection throughout; and the remarkable bassist Sébastien Giradot, who contributes more than solid rhythmic accompaniment, brilliantly showcased on the spectacular title tune of this album of rare beauty.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Tropical Moon; Finesse; Riverboat Shuffle; Django à la Créole; Solid Old Man; Songe d'Autome; Jubilee; Créole Eyes; Féerie Eyes; Mood Indigo; Passaporte ao Paraìso.

Personnel

Evan Christopher

clarinet

Evan Christopher: clarinet; David Blenkhorn: solo guitar; Dave Kelbie: rhythm guitar; Sébastien Giradot.

Album information

Title: Finesse | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Lejazzetal Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Quadrangle
< Previous

Land of Cockayne
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.