L'Esprit Manouche: A Comprehensive Study of Gypsy Jazz Guitar

This massive book offers a comprehensive study of the Gypsy jazz or Manouche guitar style as perceived by French guitarists Derek Sebastian and Romane, two of the finest modern day practitioners of the Django Reinhardt style.

Each of the book’s thirty-six progressive chapters consists of four parts: A.) Technique developed through exercises, chord progressions/diagrams, and illustrations of fingerboard positions; B.) A harmony lesson with leads in the Manouche style; C.) Soloing techniques based on the harmonic structure of a given theme; and D.) Self-testing materials with answers provided at the close of the book.

The companion CD for L’Espirit Manouche is unique in that it provides 98 play-along MIDI files that exactly parallel the order of the exercises, examples and pieces in the book as well as audio tracks of excerpts from eighteen Romane favorites from the Gypsy jazz repertoire. The MIDI tracks, which can be accessed via most audio players on PC or Macintosh computers, allow the student to play along with both short phrases and extensive rhythm tracks- at any desired tempo; The audio tracks on the companion disc can be played on any CD player.

L’Espirit Manouche not only makes Gypsy jazz accessible; it offers an opportunity to master the Manouche style. While many exercises and tunes appear in both standard notation and tab, not to mention chord or fretboard diagrams, standard notation is predominant.

Romane is, in reality and without a doubt, one of the most talented heirs of Django Reinhart's guitar playing style as well as an interpreter of his compositions. When he was twelve years old, he started to learn the guitar in the company of "gypsies", his adopted brothers who introduced him to gypsy music. From jazz clubs to festivals and concerts, he is part of our musical landscape of Manouche type jazz. Romane is also successful in the United States where he recorded an album in Nashville. With the qualities of a composer and his talented interpretations, we shuold also mention his meticulous pedagogy, which is the result of his ultimate imposing accompaniment and exhaustive work.

Derek has been in music for almost thirty years. Today Derek spends his time speaking about the "standards", and visiting his jazz friends and blues men. He is a music teacher at the ATLA School of Paris, an editor of the French Guitar magazine, and a programmer for the synthesizer. He has created pedagogic musical works, of these; nearly forty have been published (in the French language). This has gained him quite a solid reputation. He is also involved with the newer type (new age) compositions.