Brisbane’s annual gypsy jazz festival Oz Manouche celebrated its 10th anniversary this month having lost none of its verve or popular appeal with fans packing out the Brisbane Jazz Club over the four-day event.
This year the headline act was none other than 1960s guitar legend Hank Marvin with his Gypsy Jazz Quartet. But before we get absorbed in the sheer brilliance of the performance, let’s take a step back and look at the man and his music.
So who is Hank Marvin? Hank Marvin is a 74-year-old English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter best known as the driving force behind 1960s instrumental group The Shadows who became the 3rd most successful act in the history of UK music (behind their former front man Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley) with 69 Top 10 UK chart singles. An astonishing 35 of those are credited to The Shadows and the other 34 to Cliff Richard and The Shadows.
Nunzio Mondia Known as a ‘guitarists’ guitarist’, Marvin inspired the likes of George Harrison, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Brian May and Mark Knoplfer – all of whom have publicly acknowledged his influence on their careers – while musical polymath Brian Wilson described him as ‘a guitar genius’.
Fifty years on Hank Marvin has changed direction and his Gypsy Jazz Quartet sees Hank joining virtuoso accordionist Nunzio Mondia, rhythm guitarist Gary Taylor and guest bassist Robbie Pisano as they explore the world of Gypsy Swing – a style of jazz most often attributed to guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grapelli who together founded The Quintet du Hot Club de France during the 1930s.
OK, with the history lesson out of the way, let’s get back to the Brisbane Jazz Club which was packed to the rafters with a mix of old school gypsy jazz aficionados – rubbing shoulders’ (quite literally) with a bevy of young, aspiring guitarists who wanted to see the man in the flesh. And they weren’t disappointed. Hank played his part flawlessly while his fellow band mates tied it together in a performance that was as tight and as free and as spontaneous as it was structured.
The on-stage patter was sharp but casual with the audience treated like old friends in a lounge room jam. Of course Marvin has been doing this for more than 50 years so needless to say, he is superbly comfortable on stage and for 90 minutes he held the audience in the palm of his hand.
It was about as cool as it gets and as the fans gathered around the merchandise table after the show, it was clear that Marvin was happy with his place in the world – grateful that after 50 years he has remained relevant in the ever changing world of contemporary music.
If you want to be part of the gypsy jazz music revolution – don’t miss Oz Manouche next year!
