Vavavoom: New Orleans Gypsy Jazz
VAVAVOOM? Think speed, energy, a hot chick, maybe a burlesque queen in a smoky bar on her night off. But what style of music? The short answer is a synthesis of New Orleans jazz and the French Gypsy tradition of Django Reinhardt, as well as what Jelly Roll Morton called, "the Spanish tinge." But that's only part of the story.The fact that guitarists Raphaël Bas and Pierre Pichon have been playing together since high school in Bourges, France speaks of their authenticity, and from their renditions of the classic tunes Swing 42 and Nuages, it is clear that they know their Django. But since emigrating to the United States independently of each other over a decade ago, they have played many styles, including blues, funk, reggae, and other types of jazz. Bas once backed former Big Brother and the Holding Company guitarist Sam Andrew, and Pichon toured with the popular Austin swing band, The Asylum Street Spankers. These influences are there in the music, too—particularly in the intricately interwoven guitar parts they play, whether backing each other or other band members, rather than following the more traditional approach of just playing block chords behind the soloist.
Bart Ramsey (piano, accordion) has performed for audiences on three continents, several islands, and one isthmus. He got his start as a musician when hired on as the organist for a band in the West African highlands of Cameroon. For a decade he toured Britain and France as a piano player/singer-songwriter. In the latter country he was seduced by the language of cockatoos, fermented grapes, and Gypsy jazz, and fell hard for the ol' stomach Steinway. In Italy he discovered the dangers of driving on espresso before returning to France and having his spleen removed after a freak corkscrew incident.
Nathan Lambertson received an electric bass for his 12th birthday. Months later he moved to the standup bass. In no time at all he learned everything from the most basic fundamentals to the more advanced concepts of music performance and theory. And all, as legend has it, before his 13th birthday. His band members were relieved when he turned 21 and could no longer be hauled off to Central Lockup for playing jazz in late-night smoky clubs. Meanwhile, he continues to fuse the contemporary music sounds with the traditional and modern jazz sounds of his hometown of New Orleans. Nathan has done gigs with Alvin Batiste, Nicholas Payton, Ravi Coltrane, Trombone Shorty, Steve Masakowski, David Torkanowsky, and Jason Marsalis. He plans to own a volcanic island in ten years.
Awards
Vavavoom won the Big Easy Award in New Orleans for Best Emerging Band of 2007.Melomania
The repertoire on Vavavoom's first record, "Melomania," is indicative of what one might hear at a live Vavavoom performance. Bossa Dorado and For Sephora are lively tunes that show that Latin music has become an influence on European, as well as North American jazz. On Blue Drag, Bas demonstrates his unusual technical of playing a rack-mounted harmonica in harmony with his guitar lines, and the song features vocals and some fine piano work by Ramsey. The Louis Armstrong classic Some Of These Days features a bouncy trad-jazz New Orleans groove, featuring special guest Jack Fine's cornet, with a bass solo by Spike Perkins. The well-loved La Vie En Rose, sung by former band member Neti Vaan, reveals a sensitive lyricism in both her voice and her violin.The Bossa Nova standard Black Orpheus is sung by Ramsey in French, with his own translation. Dark Eyes is a high-energy rave up, with lead vocals by Pichon and group vocals by the band. Caravan, one of the group's show stoppers in performance, features Arabic-style scatting by Bas and some smoky cornet work by Fine. The two original tunes on the recording are a study in contrasts. You Want More, by Bas, is a spooky minor blues about a haunted lake. Atomic Stomp, an instrumental by Ramsey, is squarely in the European tradition, except for a vamp between choruses that sounds as if it could be by Billy Preston if he played the accordion. The classic Brazil grooves with a light-hearted energy, and the group vocal often inspires sing-alongs, not to mention a packed dance floor. The two classic Django tunes, Swing 42 and Nuages, round out this dynamic record.
