Artist info

If ever there were a charter member of the modern eclectic musical club it would be violinist Mark O'Connor, who arrives with his Hot Swing small group, in part to celebrate the Django Reinhardt Centennial. O'Connor, a master musician and defacto musicologist feels equally comfortable in the jazz, bluegrass/newgrass and classical settings. He contributes music to each genre and in fact his last visit to Columbia -- in March 2009 -- he worked with the Missouri Youth Orchestra under the auspices of the MU School of Music. The previous time before that he performed at the Blue Note in a jazz context as part of the "We Always Swing" Jazz Series.

Upon hearing that O'Connor's Hot Swing project was going to be actively touring it seemed like a perfect fit for what we had in mind: recognizing the historical significance of the famed guitarist Django Reinhardt in this his centennial birth year. As it turns out, the concert will take place two days in front of Reinhardt's actual birthday.

Born January 23, 1910, Reinhardt carved out a remarkable place for himself from the 1920s until his premature passing in 1953. Born in Belgium but known more as a French/gypsy guitarist, he gained wide-spread recognition as the first widely accepted European jazz artist. Reinhardt's innovative and distinctive playing -- much of it in partnership with master violinist Stéphane Grappelli -- impressed peers, colleagues and critics alike. He and Grappelli formed the Quintette du Hot Club de France, described by critic Thom Jurek as "one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz." Among Reinhardt's most popular compositions are "Minor Swing," "Djangology," "Swing '42" and "Nuages"; all became standards, and it's likely that O'Connor's Hot Swing ensemble will delve into at least some of them during this concert.

O'Connor is closer to this music then one might imagine given the time differential. However, the violinist studied and played with Grappelli. As one critic wrote: "... [The] violinist knows the music of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt is practically capable of stopping the rain. Their joyous interplay is one of the most glorious sounds found in jazz. O'Connor's [Hot Swing] attempt to use this wonderful music as a stepping off point, and succeeds admirably."

In 2001 O'Connor released Hot Swing! Two years later he followed with In Full Swing. On this tour Vignola, who himself possesses deep early swing credentials, joins colleague O'Connor. In trying to describe the group O'Connor has said: "We began as a specific tribute to Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt." Then we built on that, much as 'gypsy jazz' grew through several stages of evolution, until we reached the broad range represented on Live in New York, encompassing influences of American culture in our ensemble playing, improvising, and composition."

Don't miss O'Connor & Cos. wonderful concert and their nod to the Reinhardt Centennial Celebration.