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Line up:
Michael Gray – Violin
Troy Chapman – Guitar
Ryan Hoffman – Guitar
David Lange – Accordion
Rick Leppanen – Bass
Now in their sixteenth year of performing, Pearl Django continues to be one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups. Pearl Django is a founder band at Djangofest Northwest and has performed here every year during the last eleven years.
This year, Pearl Django will play with guest artists, the great British guitarist Martin Taylor on Thursday night.
Though still strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, Pearl Django’s repertoire now includes many original compositions. Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of audiences. The band's fervent followers include Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli fans, guitar enthusiasts (and guitarists!), lovers of string music, including bluegrass devotees, who relish nimble, clean, intricate picking, "world music" fans drawn to French and Gypsy accents, plus jazz buffs and aficionados of the new swing music. Transcending simple categorization, Pearl Django packs in enthusiastic audiences at dancehalls and nightclubs, at folk music festivals and jazz festivals alike.
The group’s inception was as a trio in Tacoma, Washington in 1994. The focus of Pearl Django was, and is, to incorporate the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli with American swing music. They quickly expanded to a quintet, adding a violinist and a third guitarist. A 2001 interview on National Public Radio brought the group to national attention. In June 2002, Pearl Django performed at the prestigious Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois sur Seine, just outside of Paris, France. As of 2007 Pearl Django is working as both a quartet and a quintet (with accordionist, David Lange) All the members contribute original compositions to the band’s expansive repertoire. They’ve released 10 CDs to date, including their latest CD, Systeme D, which introduces newest guitarist Troy Chapman, and is dedicated to founding guitarist Neil Andersson who retired from Pearl Django after 16 years.
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