‘Manouche @ Alliance Française Cape Town’
24 February 2011
I heard the
Manouche band at Loop Street’s Alliance Francaise, Cape Town, on Thursday, 24 February. Bouncy, sometimes unorthodox in their instrumentation, and always swinging with humour, this funky group specializes in ‘Gypsy Jazz’, a genre emanating from the 1930’s swing era of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli. And boy, did they swing! These South Africans have launched their first album, ‘The Bloomsbury Incident’ which weaves together various rhythmic and melodic concepts, ranging from American jazz standards to upbeat gypsy-style busking to hotter jazzy expressions. Hard to describe.
They also dressed in the fashion of that swing era: in tuxedos, and dresses with laced half gloves.
The group’s accordionist,
Lize Dekker, enthused the audience with her vibrant piano sounds. But it was violinist
Rene Stander who kept the two-set evening’s offerings full of bounce with sassy chord runs reminiscent of the Parisian ‘hot jazz’ of the roaring ‘30s. Other band members were fun to watch as they playfully exhibited their instruments.
Bernard Kotze on lead guitar composed most of the band’s songs.
Thomas Hugo on rhythm guitar also brought out a metal saw which, when bent, resonates tones and blings to add to a song. Unfortunately, this unorthodox instrument’s contributions were drowned out by the frenetic pace of the band.
Eldred Schilder (of the musical dynasty family of
Schilders) on double bass added the required thump-thump rhythms so characteristic of the gypsy jazz era. Then,
Martijn Van Der Merwe added his rhythm from a soap box which he sat on, along with the minimal set of drums.
This was a memorable evening, indeed, with a mixture of fast paced and slower ballad type songs. I should have dressed up in my finest 1930’s Parisian dress, hat, and heels, with lots of make-up, and worn those white laced gloves with which to hold that long cigarette holder!
Review By
Carol Martin
Photos: Gregory Franz
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