Gipsy Project & Friends

by Scott YanowGuitarist Biréli Lagrène debuted on records in 1980 when he was 13, sounding exactly like Django Reinhardt. Since then he has explored fusion and post-bop jazz, eventually finding his way back to gypsy swing. On Gipsy Project & Friends, Lagrène teams up with up to four other guitarists, violinist Florin Niculescu (who recalls Stephane Grappelli), and bassist Diego Imbert. Unfortunately, the CD jacket does not tell which guitarist solos when, although chances are that nearly all of the guitar solos are Lagrène's. A few of the songs were written after Reinhardt's passing, but all of the hard-swinging and passionate music is very much in the tradition of Django's brand of swinging jazz and constantly displays effortless virtuosity.