Romani Rendezvous



The forum has been a little slow lately, so thought I'd post another one. I wrote this day before yesterday - another quick write - about 5 or 6 hours.

When I was in college (University of Maryland), I wrote a paper on the origin and evolution of the Gypsy culture. They were known under 3 different names in the beginning years, but Romani is the one that was most widely used and accepted and is the traditional reference for the "Gypsies" in modern culture. Thus, the title of the song.

I've been a huge fan of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli for many years. This was written with them in mind, trying to create that unique Gypsy Jazz sound that was so popular in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

I mixed the rhythm guitars a little more forward in the mix than usual. What do ya think?


File:Romani Rendezvous.SGU
Key=Dm , Tempo 201, Length (m:s)=2:04
4 bar intro, 32 bar chorus, from bar 5 to bar 36. Repeat x3 choruses

Style is _GASLITE.STY (Gas Light Gypsy Accordion Combo)

RealTracks in style: ~~1204:Bass, Acoustic, GypsyJazzBallad Sw 110
RealTracks in song: 1202:Guitar, Acoustic, Soloist GypsyJazzFastJohn Sw 220
RealTracks in style: 2404:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm GypsyFolk Sw 190
RealTracks in style: ~1198:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm GypsyJazzFastGonzalo Sw 220
RealTracks in song: 1196:Fiddle, Soloist GypsyJazzFast Sw 220
RealDrums in style: GypsyJazzSw: a: GypsyJazzSwb: GypsyJazzSw

Love this one guys, really good swingy feel to it.

Great work on this, Alan! I loved the groove of, it's super easy to tab your foot to and instantly put me in a good mood The arrangement and mixing job on this is seriously on point as well.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Nice song and great sound for dancing.

Sergio

Thank you, Graham. It was another overnight throw-together. Glad you enjoyed the swing!

Alan

Hi Derek!

Thanks for the visit and very kind words. You PG Music folks are the best! And yes, it is a bit of a toe-tapper. Glad your toes took the cue!~ Thanks so mu8ch for the kind words. I always appreciate your input. Wishing you, and the PG Music Family, the very best.

Alan

Sergio,

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! Wishing you the best.

Alan

Very cool swing.
Thanks for listing. Rob

Great swing, you certainly captured the Gypsy Style, perfectly.

The balance sounded great to me. The lead break slotted in perfectly, too.

Alan, I think this sounds great and a great arrangement as well!! Very enjoyable piece! Thanks Torrey

Hey Alan this was so cool. At first I thought roaring twenties and the Charleston. But then the gypsy music came through. Loved this. And your playing was so good. Well done...

Hello, Alan

Very nice Gypsy jazz!
I also have been a huge fan of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli for many years.
Your mix this time is also nice.
I think that rhythm guitar did not disturb other instruments at all.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Alan,

This is incredible! .... outstanding, too!



I love jazz like this and it's so easy to tell that you are totally at home in this style. Is this the sort of music you like to play on guitar? It's incredibly impressive.

I'm a bit green with envy at the moment because while I love to listen to this style of music, I think composing in it is something that I will never be able to accomplish.

I really enjoyed what you brought along with you in this thread. Thank you

All the best to you and Di,
Noel

P.S. Please tell Di that she is always in my thoughts. I really look forward to hearing her sing again on the forum when she's strong enough. You are both very talented musicians.

Al,
Irresistible toe-tapping swing. This is a style I like very much and know nothing about!
You have a good feel for swing styles as evidenced by previous posts and this is right in the pocket.
Very enjoyable: a two minute smile!

Robert

Very well done, Alan.

Your mixes are always outstanding. Clear and well balanced.

A good listen.

fj

Rob Glad you liked it. Thanks a bunch!

Alan

Howdy,

Thanks so much for those nice comments! Sure do appreciate them. Also, thanks for the feedback on the mix!

ALan

Torrey,

Glad you enjoyed it ... thanks for letting me know. Have a great weekend comi9ng up.

Alan

Hi Scott,

Thanks a bunch! And yeah, it could have gone either way, based on the intro. Both genres are from the same era. And, unfortunately, that's not me playing - it's a BIAB track. I do play pretty decent Gypsy Jazz but my hand hasn't yet recovered enough from the chemo to play it well. I have but 70% feeling in my left hand.

Glad you liked it, nonetheless!

ALan

Hi Shigeki,

Thank you for the kind words and the feedback on the mix. It's always nice to hear you enjoy my music! Have a wonderful weekend,

Alan

Really nice.

You're a songwriting machine Alan.

Hi Noel,

You are always much too kind! But I appreciate your nice comments all the time. And yes, I love this genre of music - both to listen to and to play. But I didn't play on this one. It's a BOAB track - I have but 70% feeling in my left hand due to the effects of 8 months of chemo. The sensations are very slowly returning. My oncologists estimated another 12 - 15 months to get all the feeling back.

And thank you for the well wishes for Di. I appreciate it and so does she. I think the folks on the forums are a little tired of hearing about it, so I try to minimize how often I mention it. Every time I'm away for a period of time, that's almost always the reason., She had a terrible week this past week, but we keep hanging in there! best to you & yours,

ALan

Thank you, Floyd! Mixing is something I've been working very hard to improve. I've been going to You Tube and scrutinizing the mix in various genres - I spend bout an hour a day, several days a week doing that. I analyze the placement of the various instruments, when they come in ans go out, how loud and the tone of the various instruments. I think it has helped me.

Thanks again.

Alan

Thanks, David! I keep at it. I'll be 71 pretty soon - gotta work hard to get things done! I still have dozens of ideas for songs. O told that guy at the funeral home to be a little more patient! Thanks agaion. Have a great weekend!

ALan