DJANGOLOGIE

“ Djangologie evoke the authentic sounds of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli ”

(Desmond Carrington, BBC Radio 2)

 

“ A spirited celebration of the Hot Club ”

(The Times)

 

“ Amazing! the applause had to be heard to be believed.”

(The Sage, Gateshead)

 

"One of the hottest quartets on the circuit"

Lancashire Telegraph

 

" Hot club at it's best "

(Bebop Spoken Here - jazz blog)

 

“ An astonishing display of virtuoso playing from Emma, James, Giles and Mick. Skillful, moving, entertaining – full of joie de vivre! ”

(Hexham Post)

 

“ Djangologie do Django as well as anyone. No, make that better than anyone ”

(Stockton Riverside Festival)

 

“ Djangologie, a band who take the Hot Club approach and invest it with love, skill and originality. ‘Nuff said.”
(Jazz Alert)

 

" Incidental entertainment is provided by Mick Shoulder’s announcements, with the worst French accent this side of Inspector Clouseau."

(Paul Bream)

 

“ If you missed them, well hard lines. Probably our greatest night ever. Thanks Djangologie “

(Ashington Jazz Club)

 

 

Scarborough Jazz Cllub

August 2014

Djangologie delighted one of the largest audiences ever seen at The Cask...

These four very accomplished musicians  sparkled throughout the evening, generating an infectious swing regardless of tempo...

They displayed musicianship of a very high order and listening to them was a wonderful treat...  

Djangologie will be invited to return - that's certain. 

 

 

Gateshead International Jazz Festival

April 2014
On the opening night off this year’s festival the late night session on the concourse featured none other than Djangologie. Mick Shoulder’s Hot Club quartet played a first set to an appreciative crowd of three or four hundred transient souls. On this occasion many appeared to be astonished. Who’s this? They're fantastic…

Emma Fisk (violin) and James Birkett (guitar) – crafted impeccable solos, making it look easy…

Bassist Shoulder composes in ‘the tradition’ and one such example – a tail of unrequited love – Beautiful Till 3 stands alongside classic Hot Club material...

Shoulder’s engine room mate Giles Strong (rhythm guitar) dropped anchor with his customary faultless display...

Festivals by their nature – so much/too much to hear – create highs and lows. Djangologie on the concourse scored highly – ten out of ten, no less. 

 

 

Jazz Café.

February 2014
Djangologie, the north east of England’s ambassadors of all things Django…

From the first chords struck by guitar masters James Birkett and Giles Strong we were in Hot Club paradise…

Stupendous playing, tumultuous applause. The quartet took a bow and this just the interval…

Mick Shoulder writes for the band and such is the quality of the writing one could be forgiven for confusing a Django number with a Shoulder composition…

The Sheik of Araby, taken at whirling dervish tempo, produced near impossible feats of musicianship form the quartet; Shoulder and Strong immense, Fisk and Birkett bagging the eye-catching solos…

 

 

Jazz North East

Xmas Party 2013

This Jazz North East celebration of Christmas was indeed a Cracker...

An absolutely perfect gig by four immaculate players…
Mick Shoulder's bass credentials are written in tablets of stone but his composing abilities are less well known. Several of his pieces were included in tonight's program and it must be said, they were so much in tune with the idiom they could have been written by Django or Stephane themselves...
 

 

The Lit & Phil.

July 2013
Summer at last on Tyneside, it was hot, Le Jazz Hot, in the Lit & Phil. There was a full house, standing room only. Magnifique…

 

 

Ashington Jazz Club.

March 2013
Yet another great performance from Djangologie…

The wonderful Emma Fisk filled the stage with her presence, and at times' that violin just seemed to positively sing…

James Birkett takes this music to 'another' level with his interpretation…

Giles Strong is the unsung hero as he anchors the rhythm throughout the two sets and is a star in his own right, holding the group together…

Finally, back to Mick Shoulder, both 'MC' and Double Bass with aplomb, soul and confidence…

This is a force to be reckoned with and are as good as it gets when playing tribute to the jazz greats of Django and Grappelli…

 

 

January 2013

Great news - Djangologie chosen to be ambassadors for the Northern Jazz Scene

 

 

St Cuthbert’s Hall

November 2012

The opening numbers transported us to 30’s/40’s Paris and the boards echoed to tapping feet from the off…

James Birkett was inspired to a barrage of a solo which cranked up the audience from tapping and clapping to whooping and whistling, at which altitude they remained all evening…
The penultimate number, Dark Eyes, trumped even those: starting tremulously then building and building to a frenzy from which it managed to get even faster again! Exhausting to watch, let alone to play…

The audience loved it all and left the band in no doubt that a swift return would be expected, not merely hoped for. Tremendous!

 

 

The Sage.Gateshead

October 2012

The Sage Gateshead’s intimate four hundred capacity Hall 2 hosted the opening concert of this year’s International Guitar Festival. Hot Club specialists Djangologie could not have wished for a better platform on which to launch their new CD…

Emma Fisk, virtuoso that she is, gave a stunning performance eliciting a rapturous reception…

Shoulder’s writing skills are such that his own material stands fair comparison with the more familiar hot lub classics…

The first set at an end, the applause had to be heard to be believed…

Master guitarist James Birkett brought the house down…

Rhythm guitarist Giles Strong is a musician’s musician…

Perfect.