How the unique style of Jazz has influenced local bands like The Lucky 5.
Jazz is more than melody, it’s more than the sound of trumpets and bass guitars cutting through the thick cigar smoke of a trendy bar room where music aficionados knowingly tap there heeled shoes on an old wooden floor. Jazz is the musical equivalent of a melting pot of cultural significance, it borrows and then creates the sounds of our collective experiences. Jazz connects our musical tastes in temporal musical moments that are both familiar and unique. Gypsy Jazz, is a blend of Parisian motif and Romani rhythm. Generally believed to have origins in 1930s France, the unique genre is credited to guitarists like Jean “Django” Reinhardt who helped to expand the sound in a time when volume control and amplification were limited. Gypsy Jazz relies on its use of stringed instruments to convey a sound reminiscent of the urban streets of Paris mixed with the nomadic lifestyle of early twentieth century Europe. The enigmatic lead singer of The Lucky 5 Kip Beacco explains, in his own laid back way, just how influential Gypsy Jazz, and it’s one of a kind sound, has been on Jazz in the tri-state area. Check out the audio clip and listen for yourself.