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Left: John Williams with John Etheridge |
It takes two to Django
PREVIEW: JOHN ETHERIDGE
Pizza Express
HAMPSTEAD guitarist John Etheridge will be displaying his different styles of playing during a seven-day residency at Pizza Express in Soho starting next Thursday.
To begin with, he’s giving one of his legendary solo performances that has to be heard to be believed, as he moves through driving gypsy jazz and soaring blues renditions to “finger style with bass line” interpretations of standards and hard-edged modern jazz.
Then there two evenings featuring his Sweet Chorus quartet playing “hot club” jazz in the style of Stephane Grappelli, the French jazz violinist.
A new CD album paying homage to Grappelli is to be launched at the quartet’s opening session. Etheridge played with Grappelli for six years during the 1970s filling the slot once occupied by gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.
Although not a “Django” player by any means, Etheridge knew the repertoire and was a good improviser. The years with Grappelli were among the happiest in his life, he says, the French violinist being a tremendous influence on his musical development.
Chris Garrick is the violinist in the Sweet Chorus quartet and he’s staying on to play duets with Etheridge on Sunday evening, getting just about as close to the great Reinhardt/Grappelli gypsy jazz style as you’re likely to get.
Last up to play with Etheridge for the final three sessions will be John Williams, the Camden classical guitarist widely regarded as the most accomplished of his generation.
The two guitar-playing Johns (pictured) started collaborating in 2006. Their pairing of acoustic classical gut and jazz steel strings is a unique combination, which has enabled the guitarists to explore ethnic world music alongside the treasure trove of classical and jazz music.
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