Four Fingers of Jazz An interview with Kung Pao Chickens, Portland's favorite hot club quartet by A. Raitano Django Reinhardt was a two-finger using, melodic genious. He changed the shape of jazz, especially for guitarists, just as much as Miles, Coltraine, Louis, and Monk. For those uninitiated, gypsy jazz is two or three guitars, a stand up bass, and at times some other instrument such as a violin or clarinet. It's fast, dancable, and fun. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Hot Club of France, Stephan Grappelli, he's in the Jazz section of your music store. How did the band form? John Neufeld: It formed with me and Jason Okamoto, Ty North and Pete Krebs. Pete Krebs asked me if I wanted to play this kind of music. I thought he was kind of crazy. Once I heard it I thought it was completely nuts, to want to start a band playing this kind of music. Who's Ty North? John: He's a bass player, a really fantastic bass player. He used to play in a band called Leftover Salmon. It started with that and then Gary started coming down and listening to us. Gary Guenther: By the way, Ty North's father is Rodger North who is a drummer with a band called the Holy Mogel Rounders, sort of hippy, folk-rock stuff. John: Now he plays with the Freak Mountain Ramblers. Tim Renner: He invented the north drums (the kind of drums with the rounded tube coming off of the toms). Gary: I asked him if he used certain kinds of equations to do the drums and he said no. He has a masters degree in engineering. Tim: He does? Gary: Yeah. But he said, "No, I just kinda made the shape". What drew you guys to Gypsy Jazz? John: I was the first one Pete had addressed and he told me about it and I said, "Yeah, I had kind of heard it before". Then I started buying a bunch of CD's and I was, like, holy shit. This music is unbelievable. I really couldn't fathom in my mind playing it. What were you doing at the time? John: I was playing bluegrass and I was taking theory and I had played jazz music before but this gypsy stuff is completely a whole nother... realm. Playing Django Reinhardt is balls-to-the-walls guitar. If you want to play it right, it is. Gary: Here's the thing you have to understand, the gypsies, they not only play totally by ear but they are illiterate; they can't read or write. In the last few years of his life (Django) learned how to read music but he played his whole life without being able to read music at all but he could play anything in any key. He was a genius without question. John: There a lot of guys that are technically as good as him but nobody can play with the same feeling as him. He was very melodic. Tracy Kim: Passionate. John: He's the best. Gary: And inventive. Does anyone here play any other style of jazz? Gary: I've tried to shy from the really modern jazz because it's gotten kind of technical, very cognitive, almost mathematical. I play from an emotional, much older style. What is your opinion of the jazz scene in Portland? Tim: I love Nancy King. She's a national treasure and people should go and see her. She is the real thing. Why do think there is a ressurgance of this style of music? John: I think it's because of the movie Tracy: Sweet and Lowdown. John: It's like the bluegrass revival because of "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?". Anytime you get some major actor in a movie with some certain style of music, all of a sudden everybody goes, "Oh, I love that." And they ask, "What are the roots of that?" What do you see as the connection between bluegrass and gypsy jazz, because it seems to have a similar style? Tracy: Very similar. John: Personally, I don't think it's similar at all. Gary: I don't either. John: The only thing that's similar between them is trading solos. There are similar chord progressions and certain people that are stuck in their ways. Bluegrass music started in 1959. There were more roots in blues and country music. As far as gypsy jazz music goes it's rooted more from gypsy music. There's nothing like gypsy jazz. It's two different folklores. You could say there are solos and they both play fast tunes and slow tunes and they both play traditional tunes but I really don't think they have any connection. Gary: I don't either. I don't see any real connection between bluegrass and gypsy jazz at all. Tracy: I think a major element is that they both are guitar driven music and the tempos are usually, generally fast. Gary: They are high energy. John: Bluegrass music, until recently, wasn't guitar driven. It was always mandolin, fiddle and banjo. Guitar didn't enter into it until about 1975 or so. Tim: Who changed that? John: Doc Watson. All they did with bluegrass is take old-time music, speed it up, added solos and made it show music. What other projects are you in right now? Tim: I'm playing with Petty Cash, regularly. Also there is Cave Studios. Cave is kind of an experiment ground for me and a partner. We rent a room downtown and keep it there as a playground. John: Jackstraw. Gary: I almost exclusively do this kind of stuff but I occasionally play in a band with Turtle Van de Mar (Freak Mountain Ramblers) for about three years downtown at Rock Bottom Brewery called Speakeasy. Tracy: I play with McKinnley. One last quick question. If you had an hour to spend with Django, what would you do? John: Play tunes. You wouldn't want to pick his brain. There would be too much in there. Tim: You might want to go fishing. John: Yeah. Go fishing and then play some tunes. Tracy: He liked to play pool too. John: Yeah, you could play billiards, go fishing and play some tunes. Tim: The short list. Where to see Kung Pao Chickens: Mondays at Laurelthurst Tuesdays at Moon and Sixpence |
