Django Music

The European quartet Hot Club de Norvège has specialized in Gypsy Swing since they got underway around 1980, yet it is amazing that three of the original members (guitarist Jon Larsen, bassist Svein Aarbostad, and guitarist Per Frydenlund) are still part of the group 27 years later, with violinist Finn Hauge being the newcomer who also doubles on harmonica. An excellent tribute to the music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, the quartet covers a number of songs that were staples of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France's repertoire, including a playful "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" featuring Frydenlund's slightly accented vocal, a warm treatment of Django's "Manoir de Mes Reves," and the bittersweet "Tears" (penned by Reinhardt and Grappelli. "Nuages" almost seems to float in the leisurely setting, while "Swing '42" indeed swings like mad. The group also mixes things up by adding Frydenlund's warm ballad "Echo" and the traditional Norwegian folk tune "Danse Norvegienne." The lack of liner notes is a bit frustrating, as one can never tell if Larsen is exclusively playing lead guitar with Frydenlund sticking to rhythm (a typical setting on most two- or three-guitar Gypsy swing tributes), or if they switch roles. ~ Ken Dryden|