Lulo Reinhardt (guitar), Christophe König (violin), Winfried Schuld (piano), Harald Becker (electric bass) & Uli
Krämer-Ragusi (percussion)
(Review by Russell).
Babik Reinhardt played the Newcastle Jazz Festival in a band
featuring the teenage Bireli Lagrene. Some three decades later Hot Club
devotees, a cross section of music lovers and a birthday girl filled the ground
floor in Hall Two at Sage Gateshead keen to give a warm Geordie welcome to Lulo
Reinhardt, great nephew of Django.
Lulo, tall, pony-tailed, walked onto stage with his regular
touring band, smiled, sat down and spoke engagingly in excellent English to an
adoring crowd. Lulo described his music as ‘Latin Swing’, alerting Hot Clubbers
to the fact the evening wouldn’t be a pastiche of the Django-Stêphane oeuvre.
Lulo performed two sets (including an encore) in excess of two and a half
hours, taking the audience on a world music tour stopping off in far-flung
places.
To the disappointment of some, Lulo and band used
amplification, at times unsparingly. Violinist Konig dazzled
throughout with virtuoso playing, soloing as often as his bandleader.
Percussionist Uli Krämer-Ragusi shone behind the kit and with an array of additional
instruments including udu, beat box, gong and water-filled tupperware box. Lulo
spoke little of Django; one story revealed a through-the-keyhole glimpse of the
life – days in Montmartre and trips to Samois sur Seine .
Hot Club swing surfaced from time to time, otherwise Lulo Reinhardt played it
his way. A brilliant technician, breath-taking at times, a standing ovation
across the hall affirmed Lulo’s musical vision. Hot Clubbers raised little
objection, going with the flow. Their mission will be to seek out Lulo at the
annual celebration of all things Django at Samois.
Russell.
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