Festival de Jazz de Django Reinhardt, Samois-Sur-Seine, France

Posted by Jackie Hewett on Mon 9th April 2007 at 08:43 PM, Filed in June

Every June since 1983, in a small town about 40 miles south of Paris, a three day music festival that show cases a particular ‘flavour’ of jazz music.

It is in Samois-sur-Seine that Django Reinhardt died whilst fishing in 1953 at the age of 42, having settled there 2 years previously.  This gypsy festival attracts many Romany caravans with many making a sort of pilgrimage to commemorate and celebrate the life and unique style of Django’s music.

To use a clichéd pop-idol term, Django made the gypsy style of jazz guitar ‘his own’.  This style features primarily acoustic guitar and violin, which are used in a very distinctive percussion-like style.  Django frequently use to ‘pair-up’ with Stephane Grappelli for live performances and in the recording studio.  Amazingly Django still managed to play well after losing 2 fingers on his left hand in a fire.

Some 80 or more musicians (including very competent child muscisians) gather to play at the festival that has become a guitar player’s heaven.  The venue is a small island in the middle of the river Seine with a 600 seat outdoor arena.  The formal sessions aside, the musicians who congregate appear to enjoy jamming with like-minded individuals, so un-official sessions often continue into the small hours. 

Samois-sur-Seine is often described as an idyllic river village and the festival has a very laid back feel.  There is a small 2 star hotel (calls itself a ‘country club’), and many people camp at the festival through both choice and necessity (lack of other lodging in close proximity).

There are quite a few things to do in the vicinity – fishing (of course), horse riding, you can rock climb nearby, and the beautiful Fontainebleu Chateaux is well worth a visit.

If you are interested in the festival but haven’t heard Django’s music before there are plenty of CD’s to choose from.  This one is a great example of Django’s work with Stephanne Grapelli

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