As I sit with my vodka tonic
and look around the room, I see what I would not expect to see at a San Diego
bar on Tuesday night: a large group of patrons actually listening to the
musicians who are working hard to entertain them. The crowd looks like they're
equal parts delighted and hypnotized by this seductive music and I find myself
caught up in the magic as well. Some of the crowd seems to know the performers
while others have just wandered in and become caught up in the sounds and, to
my surprise, I see every age group represented, all showing equal enthusiasm
for what they hear. In a thick French accent, the guitarist greets the
audience, and the uninitiated among the crowd discover that they owe their
current state of musical bliss to Patrick Berrogain's Hot Club Combo.
Born
in the south of France, San Diego jazz guitarist Patrick Berrogain grew up in
the country where Django Reinhardt and his Quintette du Hot Club de France
began enchanting audiences with their new sounds back in the mid-1930s. The
innovative melodic and rhythmic approaches that Django and his counterparts
began to incorporate in those early days would push the boundaries of jazz and
go on to create a lasting musical sensation known as 'Gypsy' and/or 'hot club'
jazz. Some refer to this music as simply 'Django' style jazz, but whatever you
call it, there is no denying the world-wide appeal associated with this genre.
For my money, one of the most intoxicating elements of this music is its
ability to transport the listener to another place, time, and state of mind. If
a trip to France and/or a time machine isn't in your travel budget this year, I
suggest putting on some French duds and getting to where you can hear some 'hot
club' music. And if you're in San Diego, the only real game in town is Patrick
Berrogain's Hot Club Combo.
Ironically,
it wasn't until 1998 (long after leaving France and relocating in the U.S.)
that Berrogain really embraced the Django style and began to pursue making
music in that direction. Up until that time, he was busy establishing himself
in the broader world of jazz and jazz/fusion as a guitarist and composer/arranger.
After graduating (with special honors) from the world famous Musician's
Institute of Technology and also the renowned Dick Grove School of Music,
Berrogain made his way to San Diego. While at M.I.T., the young Berrogain was
fortunate enough to study with some of the great jazz guitarists of our time
(including local hero Peter Sprague, who was a big part of the move to San
Diego). Back in the late '90s, in an effort to give an outlet to his new-found
passion for Gypsy/hot club jazz, Berrogain formed the successful Hot Club of
San Diego, building a loyal following and garnering rave reviews over a
nine-year run. In addition to leading his band, Berrogain also kept himself
busy with other projects such as collaborations with world famous Gypsy jazz
master Angelo DeBarre, plus other playing and composing/arranging gigs outside
of the Gypsy genre.
This
brings us up to 2007 and the birth of our subject's latest project: Patrick
Berrogain's Hot Club Combo. With a brand new CD (reviewed this month, page 13),
a steady Tuesday night gig at the Prado restaurant in Balboa Park (where the
band continues to enjoy a robust attendance) and an upcoming recurring weekly
show at the House on the Hill in Poway (starting July 18,
www.house-on-hill.com), the band is in full swing (pun intended). The personnel
of the Hot Club Combo is fluid (with the exception of Berrogain), employing a
variety of musicians for different shows. The main difference from the days of
the Hot Club of San Diego is the switch from a two-guitar lineup to guitar and
accordion (played with blistering mastery by Lou Fanucchi).
I
recently spoke with Berrogain and asked him to explain his own personal
approach to this much beloved form of music that now takes up most of his time.
For me, personally, one stumbling block I've had with regard to really tuning
into the current Gypsy/Django school of playing is the fact that it tends to be
highly stylized, and players seek to stay very true to a uniform approach. In
other words, I have found a certain redundancy in this genre, making it
sometimes hard for me to connect to the music amid all of the rapid-fire notes
and familiar riffs. Berrogain shares my view on the dangers of falling into a
rut of form vs. substance while playing this kind of music and explains, 'If
you take five hardcore Gypsy-style guitarists and listen to them all, you would
have to be very familiar with this type of playing to even tell them apart.' He
went on to say that while he has always had great respect for the technical
virtuosity that Gypsy/Django style guitarists typically possess, Berrogain has
'no desire to be known as the fastest or most technically proficient Gypsy
guitarist out there.' For our subject, the trick is to bring his own musicality
to the art form and create a sound that pays supreme honor to the past while
also striving to make it fresh. While Berrogain certainly does dazzle with his
fretwork (and Fanucchi on accordion will make your head spin!), the main focus
here is not to show how fast someone can navigate their instrument, but rather
making music that sounds beautiful and exciting - something an audience can
connect with.
This
brings us back to me and my vodka tonic (okay, maybe my second one) and a night
that is about to be over for this wonderful band and their enthusiastic
listeners. The music ends too soon, but this is San Diego (the land of early
closing times) and it's a weeknight, so the band says goodnight and we all say
thank you. There is only one CD left on the merchandise stand and I have a feeling
that many of these people will be back for more. Patrick Berrogain and his Hot
Club Combo stand poised to serve up Gypsy jazz with an overriding musicality
that elevates the experience into something truly unique. Vive le Hot Club!!
For
more information, including an upcoming date for the Hot Club Combo's CD
release, go to www.patrickberrogain.com