I've seen Les Doigts de l'homme for the first time at the Django Festival 2008 at Liberchies(hometown of Django Reinhardt in Belgium)and I was completely blown away from their fresh and original gipsy jazz. Lead guitar player, Olivier Kikteff, demonstrates an extraordinary virtuosity, rarely seen, but the songs are very original and beautiful as well. The mix of Selmer guitars, banjo's, ouds and cajon and the different tempi are the trademark of Les Doigts de l'homme. I can highly recommend this most recent CD from Les Doigts de l'homme to everyone who loves the guitar, loves manousch jazz, cross-over music,etc… Buy this, you won't regret it!!!
Voici Les Doigts de l’homme, un album pour ceux qui aiment le jazz, et surtout le swing du jazz manouche, Les Doigts de l’homme est un trio d’origine bretonne et vivant entre la Drôme et l’Ardèche.
Les deux guitaristes et le contrebassiste proposent un voyage dans le monde, d’où les différentes influences orientales, avec un zeste de rythmes latinos (les doigts dans la bossa) ou encore de musique classique (La valse des rois). Les compositions et arrangements sont signés du guitariste Olivier Kikteff. Le morceau Rythme du futur est assez drôle, on y entend quelques accords du générique des Simpsons.
Les textes sont assez rares, sauf sur 140 C, Faites du bien, ou encore Être ou Avoir, c’est dommage car ils sont plutôt décapants et surprenant. Et je trouve que la voix un peu retenue colle parfaitement avec le swing accrocheur des doigts de l’homme.
Ce groupe utilise à merveille leurs doigts, pour nous en mettre plein les oreilles.
“I grew up in the jazz Manouche circles, which are dominated by swarms of guitarists – it’s not always easy to fit in as a singer! Most of the music has no lyrics, and the melodies are often too guitaristique to be sung. The microcosm fascinated me and I too wanted to participate in the Django repertoire… I saw only one option: I had to write my own lyrics, tell my own stories, reinvent his music in my own image.”
The "Gypsy jazz" - also known as Gypsy swing - is an expression that is often said to be born with the guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 30's. Because its origin is, to a large extent French, it is often referred to as "Gypsy Jazz" or "Manouche Jazz" even in English texts. Between 1930 and 1950, Django was at the head of a group of gypsy guitarists working in Paris and around.
Angelo Debarre is the world's foremost guitarist in the manouche gypsy swing style championed by Django Reinhardt. Exuberant, carefree jazz that recalls the days of Django and Stephane Grappelli. Charming compositions include Django's classic Bolero and Speevy.
Combining traditional ‘Manouche’ repertoire with tasteful originals and gypsy influenced modern classics, Spyglass Gypsies deliver an energetic and playful performance, displaying all the subtleties and nuances of a highly communicative and intuitive ensemble, while still retaining the fire and passion of the gypsy jazz style. Performing regularly throughout Sydney since early 2010, Spyglass Gypsies have been steadily carving out a niche with their own brand of French gypsy infused jazz and swing…