For Immediate Release
July 20, 2009
Contact: Jeannine Chartier: 725-0247
Martha Lenihan: 282-0304
WHAT:
URBAN ALCHEMY 3: Gypsy Jazz with AMERANOUCHE
WHEN:
Thursday, August 20, 2009 – 7pm till sundown (rain: 8/27)
WHERE:
Outdoors on the ALCO Green with Everyman Bistro
(555 Valley Street at The American Locomotive Works)
WHO BENEFITS: VSA arts of RI’s Robert Pryhoda Scholarship Fund
for students with disabilities
HOW MUCH:
Donations Gratefully accepted, pay what you can
On Thursday, August 20th from 7pm till sundown, Ali Cabral of Providence InnerCity
Arts and Jeannine Chartier, Director of VSA arts of RI, will host the third “Urban Alchemy”
artist salon with Everyman Bistro to raise funds for VSA arts of RI’s Robert Pryhoda
Scholarship Fund for students with disabilities.
This event, part of the “Live at ALCO Summer Series” will feature the award winning
Ameranouche trio, a rip-roaring ensemble of hot acoustic Gypsy jazz that opened for
Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins at the 2008 JVC Newport Jazz Festival last August.
Though Ameranouche is a modern, original group, it's members – guitarist Richard
Sheppard, rhythm guitarist Ryan Flaherty and upright bassist Xar Adelberg – pay homage
to the great guitarist Django Reinhardt -an artist with a disability/see following info- who
originated the style of music often categorized as Gypsy Jazz, as an essential inspiration.
VSA (Vision, Strength, Access) arts of Rhode Island is a state wide, nonprofit arts
and education organization providing programs in the arts for people with disabilities.
Since its inception in 1986, VSA arts of RI has developed, promoted and implemented
programs in the visual, literary and performing arts supporting thousands of children and
adults with disabilities to actively participate in and contribute to the cultural life of our RI
community.
For more information see www.vsartsri.org, please contact VSA arts of RI at
401.725.0247 or email [email protected] Everyman Bistro is wheelchair accessible
and located at 311 Iron Horse Way (off 555 Valley Street at The American Locomotive
Works) in Providence; www.everymanri.com
DJANGO REINHARDT, BACKGROUND INFOMATION
In working with Everyman Bistro to bring “Ameranouche” to their outdoor summer concert
series as an Urban Alchemy Event, VSA arts of RI and Providence InnerCity Arts hope to
not only raise funds for their scholarship fund but also bring awareness to the
accomplishments of renowned artists with disabilities such as Django Reinhardt.
The story of Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt is legend. Born in a gypsy caravan the night
of January 23, 1910 in a Belgian town, his unmarried mother was a dancer and acrobat
working with a wandering troupe of Gypsy comedians and musicians. Django learned to
play first violin, then banjo and showed a rare talent as a musician, an ability respected
and admired among Gypsies. In 1928, at age 18, Django was injured in a fire that ravaged
his caravan leaving him with first- and second-degree burns over half his body; his right leg
was paralyzed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand badly burnt.
While Doctors and his family beleved that he would never play music again and intended
to amputate one of his legs, Django refused to have the surgery and left the hospital. He
was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane and with painful rehabilitation and
practice on a guitar his brother brought him Django relearned his craft in a completely new
way using his partially paralyzed third and fourth fingers to invent a new style and sound.
Griping the guitar with his little finger on the E string and the next finger on the B he
created new chord progressions that Django was the first to perform on guitar.
After Django met Stéphane Grappelli they formed in 1934 a jazz quintet named The Hot
Club and their music came to define the era. From 1928 to 1953, Django recorded some
750 to 1,000 sides—counts vary. On May 15, 1953, at age 43, Django died of a stroke. As
Stéphane Grappelli summed up Django's playing in a 1954 Melody Maker interview: "He
did more for the guitar than any other man in jazz. His way of playing was unlike anyone
else's, and jazz is different because of him. There can be many other fine guitarists, but
never can there be another Reinhardt. I am sure of that."
AMERANOUCHE: Acoustic Gypsy Jazz Power Trio
www.ameranouche.com
The award winning Ameranouche trio features the melodic virtuosity of guitarist Richard
Sheppard, the vehement rhythm chops of guitarist Ryan Flaherty and the dulcet low end of
upright bassist Xar Adelberg. Together, this rip-roaring ensemble is a super force of hot
acoustic jazz, sometimes referred to as hot swing or Gypsy jazz. The contrast of other
influences like American Soul music, Flamenco and Bop are what give the fast fingered
trio such a recognizable sound. All played on acoustic instruments, the music is rhythmic,
vigorous and strangely elegant. It’s hard to believe only three people are creating such a
big sound.
Ameranouche formed in 2004 and has played venues from the prestigious JVC Newport
Jazz Festival and Djangofest Northwest, to busking and club gigs throughout New
England, the Mid Atlantic and the South, including tours through Midwest and Southern
regions.
“The fire and sparks come from Sheppard, whose fingers move with blinding speed cross
the fret board of his guitar, producing perfectly-pitched, rapid-fire licks and melodic runs up
and down the neck ” writes Bob Mckillop of Mainefolkmusic.com. “The riffs and melodies
coming off Sheppard’s guitar entertained the ear, through their brightness and joy; but
also, Sheppard’s hands entertain the eye and the mind. Watching him execute these notes
on his instrument is truly a wonder to behold.”
“Ryan Flaherty is a great example of a rhythm guitarist” writes Mickillop. Sheppard creates
his amazing lead parts by riffing off the expertly maintained rhythms and changes in tempo
that Flaherty lays down like a machine. But Flaherty is a machine with a soul that is filled
with romance and high spirits. I watched his supple wrist drive his right hand into a blur, as
he strummed the complex backing guitar part, playing it as easily as if he were merely
breathing.
Xar Adelberg is a young woman with a double bass who stands in the background
between these two firebrand guitarists, out of the limelight. The primary role that the lead
and rhythm guitar parts play in this music leads one to assume that a supporting
instrumentalist such as a bassist would be merely trying to keep up. This is not the role
that Xar has taken in this trio. Her lyrical bass lines appear assertively in the mix, as they
should, and stitch the lead and rhythm guitar parts together into the whole cloth. To watch
her hands move expertly and nimbly across her instrument’s four large strings at such a
rapid pace, is also to suspend belief in what a person can do with their body if they are
driven to it by a passion for art.
“These three astounding musicians are constantly watching each other as they play, but
they do not focus on each other’s hands. Instead, they are constantly locking into each
other’s eyes, for insight into plans for the next passage, the next riff. It’s like a high-stakes
game of poker, and each player has a royal straight flush. They challenge each other and
cajole each other, but ultimately, they support each other in creating
amazing music.” concludes Mickillop.
Ameranouche continues to follows the band's format and evolution from its gypsy jazz
origins to the catchy, acoustic originals that grabbed the attention of movie producers,
magazine editors and major festival circuits. Three original songs from the band's debut
album Homage A Manouche were featured in National Lampoon’s feature film “Beach
Party at the Threshold of Hell.” The group was also awarded Best of New Hampshire 2008
by New Hampshire Magazine. A recent highlight for Ameranouche was opening for Herbie
Hancock and Sonny Rollins at the 2008 JVC Newport Jazz Festival held last August. The
trio received a standing ovation at Newport, one of the oldest jazz festivals in history.
Richard Sheppard comes from southern New Jersey. He attended the Berklee
School of Music, studied guitar and composition with Pat Martino in Philadelphia, and
studied guitar with Attilla Zoller in Southern Vermont. He has taught guitar, composition,
and music theory as a faculty member of Bennington College (Bennington, Vermont) and
Pittsfield Community Music School (Pittsfield, Massachusetts). He has performed and
done shows with many different artists. Among these are John Jorgenson, Ritary
Ensemble, Rick Danko, Taj Mahal, Hot Tuna, and Vassar Clements, to name just a few.
His passion for Gypsy music and love for the guitar in general are what drew him to form
Ameranouche. He has written hundreds of compositions and continues to invest his time in
the evolution of Ameranouche.
Ryan Flaherty was born and raised in Rock Island, Il. From the age of 6, Ryan has been
performing in front of audiences. He has performed with many groups as a vocalist,
guitarist and songwriter. Ryan has been busking on streets and playing solo on the coffee
shop circuit since 1998 and has performed all over the U.S and abroad. In 2005, Ryan was
living in Knoxville, TN playing off and on with a group called Swingbooty, with members
Andy Bryenton of the Knoxville Symphony orchestra and Brandon Johnson, a fantastic and
well known musician to the Knoxville community. Ryan flew up to New Hampshire and
played several shows with Shepp. The musical chemistry was something you just don't
find everyday so they decided to keep playing together as Ameranouche. Ryan listens to a
variety of music but his most recent influences are Buddy Rich, Bela Fleck, James Brown
and Paco De Lucia
Xar Adelberg Hailing from Maine, Xar joined Ameranouche in January of 2007. She has
studied bass with Scott Lee and John Hebert and participated in masterclasses with the
likes of Reid Anderson and Frank Carlberg. She credits major influences with tremendous
gratitude, including John Hollenbeck, Mike Sarin, Tomasz Stanko, Brad Mehldau, Scott
Lafaro, Tin Hat, Tom Waits, all their respective groups, and most everything/everyone on
labels like Fresh Sound and Tzadik. Xar has performed in the US and Europe.
A little info on the name Ameranouche, AKA the Nouche
The name is derived from two words; American and Manouche, the latter word actually
meaning Gypsy, also referring to a specific tribe of Gypsies from which the great guitarist
Django Reinhardt originated and the style of music often categorized as Gypsy Jazz.
Though Ameranouche is a modern, original group, it's members acknowledge Django as
an essential inspiration and spirit behind the groups ethos, and could never deny his
influence, nor the encouragement and guidance of the Gypsy, Flamenco and Jazz
community worldwide. So in a way, it is a way to say thank you and pay homage to all our
influences. Thus you have the name, Ameranouche!