A feature on an amazing podcast and really cool online distancing festival. The new recording, Songs For Socially Distant Feet And Hearts! is featured, check it out!
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Hey Mister Jesse Podcast
The new recording is featured alongside some other amazing musical works on an ultra cool podcast, have a listen: http://www.yehoodi.com/hey-mister-jesse-episodes/2020/4/28/hey-mister-jesse-171
The Social Distancing Festival
I found this festival online and was intrigued by a number of artists, realized the new recording might be a good fit, they loved it! https://www.socialdistancingfestival.com/featured Bye
Mississippi Rag / William J. Schafer (Gypsy Tendercies)
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Bell's solo album Gypsy Tendercies (2004) was made by dubbing solo guitar lines over a pre-taped rhythm guitar plus bass background with Bell playing both guitar parts and Matt Senjem providing the bass part. The CD revisits some TCHC numbers - 'Jersey Bounce,' 'Artillerie Lourde,' and 'Minor Swing.' The comparison is instructive as Bell is the sole lyric voice and must spread his talents wider and suppress his tendencies toward a laconic lead. He still retains an understated approach, and his staccato picking is even more incisive than with the full quartet. The absence of the fiddle lead makes Bell display his talents for invention and his ability to push the trio (pre-recorded or not!) along subtly. Bell spreads out his romantic sensibilities in pieces like 'I'm Confessin,' echoing Louis Armstrong's classic version. He also renders 'Ain't Misbehavin' as a thoughtful ballad, not a jump number. His brief original tune 'Minor Blues' is like an echo or answer to the classic 'Minor Swing' and frames a nifty high-velocity bass solo. this is more than an interesting footnote to the band CD.-William J. Schafer
Mississippi Rag / William J. Schafer (TCHC)
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The Twin Cities Hot Club's eponymous CD features a quartet: violinist Gary Schulte, bassist Matt Senjem, rhythm guitarist Reynold Philipsek and solo guitarist Robert Bell. They are all highly proficient and endowed with enough natural swing without a second rhythm man. Bell alone generates a powerful drive, well amplified by his compatriots. Schulte has a flamboyant and florid style, while Bell counters with a restrained and modest lead voice. Their repertory is firmly focused on the Hot Club of France book, but they freely interpret the warhorses. On uptempo numbers, they adopt an obvious two-beat rhythm accented by Bell's elliptical, staccato picking. At times there is a Zen-like sparseness to the band's texture, with silences operating as dynamic forces. The riff tune 'Artillerie Lourde' demonstrates this vividly, as does the string-jazz touchstone number 'Minor Swing.' Bell is also highly capable on the sentimental-lyrical numbers like Sweet Chorus' and 'Butterfly.' A well-rounded and interesting band. -William J. Schafer
Vintage Guitar / Michael Dregni
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May 2007 Twin Cities Hot Club live at the Times DVD
Minneapolis-St. Paul's own Twin Cities Hot Club has quickly proven itself one of the most exciting Gypsy jazz ensembles in the country. The band lives up to it's name: they are one truly hot club.
The ensemble plays a Sunday-night gig each week at Minneapolis' Times Bar & Cafe, and the show attracts jitterbugs from out of the woodwork. The scene is charged - and it's captured here with great style on this concert DVD.
Best of all, this quartet features two inspired solists in Robert Bell and Reynold Philipsek. Trading off rhythm duties and leads, they come at songs with very different takes, adding to the bands dynamics. When Bell plays an improvization on the cutting edge, Philipsek dives into a solo from a cool American jazz angle. In the next number, they'll turn the tables, Philipsek going for daring, Bell playing a chord-melodyrun.
Gary Schulte is their foil, playing stylish violin that swings with Stephane Grapelli's inspiration. Bassist Matt Senjem holds down the bottom end with a rock steady beat.
But this isn't your typical concert video.Live at the Times features fluid filming and editing capped by stylish art direction throughout. The sound is clear and warm and the dancers add to the charm as the movie captures the joy of the scene. -Michael Dregni
Jazz Police Review
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Whether you are a dedicated swing dancer or a more passive fan of the genre known as “gyspy jazz,” chances are that you are already well acquainted with the music of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grapelli and the Hot Club of Paris. Popular in the 1930s in Europe, the music has been undergoing a revival, attracting particular attention in the Twin Cities through the performances of groups such as the Clearwater Hot Club, Parisota Hot Club, and since Fall 2004, the Twin Cities Hot Club. This weekend (February 9-11), TCHC celebrates their first DVD at the Times Bar and Café, where their live gig was filmed last September. Grab your dancing shoes and come early—the small dance floor at the Times will be jammed!
The DVD includes over 2 ½ hours of music, interviews and fan testimonials, offering a good introduction to “gypsy jazz” and to these four amazing musicians. Each is a virtuoso performer in his own right: As a youngster, Milwaukee native Robert Bell overhead the guitar while waiting for his piano lesson, and at 13 his fate was sealed. Yet he did not pursue guitar professionally until his late 20s when he was pulled in by the music of Django. Attraction to theater work led him to form the septet, the Bellcats. But it was his Django tribute shows in 2002 that led to weekly bookings at the Times Bar and Café, and ultimately to his first encounter with Reynold Philipsek. Guitarist Philipsek first heard the music of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt as an eighteen-year-old, and has been pursing the spirit of Django and Stephane Grapelli ever since. With 25 recordings to his credit, this St. Cloud native first met Robert Bell when the two were independently playing in the same building--Bell on the upper level (Times) and Philipsek on the lower level (Jitters). The two were soon performing as a duo.
Although a math major in college at the U of M, and a computer programmer/analyst for the Mayo Clinc, bassist Matt Senjum has been active on the Twin Cities Jazz scene for the past 12 years, including appearances with the Creole Four, Parisota Hot Club, and Robert Bell’s Bellcats. When the new Bell-Philipsek duo was ready to expand, Bell wasted no time bringing in Senjum. Master of improvisation on violin, Gary Schulte is a veteran of Prairie Home Companion who has appeared with numerous theater and music ensembles, including the Parisota Hot Club, over his 40-year career. After playing a few times with Bell, Philipsek and Senjum, The Twin Cities Hot Club was permanently a quartet. A year later, the band released its first CD; they’ve since been featured on KBEM and MPR, and were nominated as Best Jazz group for 2006 by the Minnesota Music Academy. Not a bad resumé for a two-year-old band!
Viewing the performance portion of the DVD is much like sitting in the back of the Times’ dining room and watching the weekly (Sunday night) TCHC gig, with the dance floor crowded with swing dancing couples, the band on the raised stage at the far end of the room. One immediate difference, however, is the much improved sound (thanks to sound engineer John Hammond). Another enhancement is the close-up views of the musicians, although the video resolution suggests a thin veil of smoke hanging in the air—given the six-month old smoking ban at the time of this recording, one has to assume this reflects imperfections in resolution rather than a nicotine haze!
The performance component of the DVD—filling about half of the recording'is straightforward, no commentary, no obvious post-recording edits. What you see and hear is the quartet at their standing Sunday night gig. Eleven tunes are included, all popular hotclub fare ranging from the McHugh/Fields classic, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (Baby)” to “Sweet Georgia Brown,” a couple Django pleasers, and a few originals from Bell and Philipsek. Guest vocalists Maud Hixson (with impeccable French on “Chez Moi”) and Erin Schwab (steaming on “Nature Boy”) round out the cast. Overall, Bell’s description of the genre describes the vibe of the TCHC, perhaps most definitively displayed on Reinhardt’s “Nuages”: “There’s so much heart involved in the music, a minor modality and infectious rhythm, and somehow there is joy in all that!” These guys swing hard at all times while never masking the emotional nuances and melodic tone. And it’s a treat to sit back and listen to, and watch, acoustic strings.
There’s a fifteen-minute testimonial segment following the live performance, a series of brief interviews with the fans at the Times during the gig. And these are fans, not just patrons of the Times. They love the Twin Cities Hot Club and are at no loss for words in communicating their respect and enjoyment. But fifteen minutes is a bit much—and after a while I was ready to skip ahead to the interview segment, a much more engaging and informative fifteen minutes. The foursome discuss their attraction to gypsy jazz, the background of their partnership, their goals for performance. Philipek in particular describes how performing for dancers has shaped the group’s approach, noting that hot club music involves more audience participation than does mainstream jazz, and to cater more to the ever-present dancers, the band has cut back on the length of individual solos.
Live at the Times on DVD will help bring an evening with the Twin Cities Hot Club right into your living room, and you won’t have to wait til Sunday night to enjoy the show or spin across your own dance floor. But it still isn’t quite like being there—so plan to come to the Times Bar and Café this weekend, Friday and Saturday (February 9-10) at 9:30 pm, and the usual Sunday slot at 8 pm. No cover, just joy!
The Times Bar and Café is located at 201 E. Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis; visit www.timesbarandcafe.com. For more about the Twin Cities Hot Club and the new DVD, visit www.twincitieshotclub.com
Strutter's Quarterly-TC Swing
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The Twin Cities are flush with excellent swing musicians and the Twin Cities Hot Club is certainly up there with the cream of the crop.
I’m not an expert on “gypsy jazz” and am certainly not the genre’s biggest fan. That being said, I think you will really enjoy this CD. Dancers will find 6 of 10 of the songs suitable for swing dancing. You’ll recognize familiar tunes like Honeysuckle Rose, Minor Swing, Jersey Bounce and All of Me. All of these are quite danceable. In addition, lesser known songs, Dark Eyes and Artillerie Lourde also will get you out on the dance floor. These songs range from 139 to 206 beats per minute.
The other songs include the waltz, Butterfly and a latin tune, Bossa Dorado which allow you to dance those other dances for a spell. The rest are nice ballads suitable for slow dancing or listening to the excellent musicianship from the band.
This popular Twin Cities band rivals any band from this genre, whether from gay Paris to Los Angeles. They have definitely honed their skills and demonstrate as much on this CD. If Django and Stephane are your heros, you’ll be very pleased when you buy this CD. If you are like me and listen to this CD more as an occasional change from more traditional big band swing, you couldn’t pick a better band to show off this style of music. The violin’s melodies dance over the rhythm of the guitars and bass creating a pleasing sound for both listeners and dancers alike.
So, pick up a copy and take a listen. You’ll be glad you did.Bottom Line: To buy or not to buy….. BUY!
20th Century Guitar
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20th Century Guitar
Robert BellGypsy Tendercies
A tasty album of colorful guitar jazz inspired by the original Gypsy jazz guitarist himself Django Reinhardt, Gypsy Tendercies is a splendid introduction to the guitar craft of Minnesota guitarist Robert Bell. Playing a trio of his own Gypsy Jazz guitars, with added accompaniment from Matt Senjem (bass), Bell swiftly handles both the driving rhythm and solos skillfully overdubbing parts. A mix of Bell originals and true to life covers of songs made famous by the songwriting team of Django and his partner Stephane Grappelli, Gypsy Tendercies seals the deal with a full-bodied sound that brings Django's revered Gypsy jazz guitar sound into the here and now. - Robert Silverstein<nullwww.tcguitar.com
Vintage Guitar
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June 2005 Vintage Guitar
Southside Aces All Aboard!
Minneapolis' Southside Aces prove themselves worthy of their name on their live debut, All Aboard! (KGC records). This is traditional hot jazz with an emphasis on the fire. Tony Blauff's clarinet tone is gorgeous while Robert Bell's Django- influenced guitarwork is dazzling. - Michael Dregni
www.vintageguitar.com
Vintage Guitar
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December 2004Vintage Guitar
Robert BellGypsy Tendercies
Robert Bell, Gypsy Tendercies (self released) A tribute to Django Reinhardt, it tracks both the rhythm and lead pieces, he covers a handful of Hot Club classics - from the usual to the offbeat, 'Minor Swing' to 'Artillerie Lourde' - with alacrity, reeling off fiery virtuosic solos. -Michael Dregni
www.vintageguitar.com
The Rake
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The Rake
Secret of the Day
Secret for 09/12/04
Robert Bell and Reynold Philipsek - Two Gypsy Jazzy releases
What's not to love about a gentle-faced man perched upon a stool, strumming away on a guitar with apparent ease yet pumping out a hauntingly beautiful sound? Three cheers for Robert Bell. Chances are you've caught sight (or sound) of this cat, as he's practically a fixture of The Times' and Jitters' stages, working a solo act, fronting his little combo The Bellcats, and providing accompaniment for the sassy songstress Erin Schwab and her brassy cabaret shows. Tonight Bell shines as he celebrates the release of his debut album Gypsy Tendencies. Joining Bell will be fellow Gypsy Jazzster Reynold Philipsek, also celebrating a release. The two will swap rhythm and solo duties throughout the evening, treating you to a myriad of original material as well as good ol? standards of the Gypsy Jazz genre. Sit back, relax, and let the music take you. 8:30 p.m. The Times Bar and Cafe, 201 E. Hennepin Av., Minneapolis. 612-617-8098. www.rakemag.com
