Ed note: John Jorgenson will bring the Black Swamp Arts festival to a close with a show on the Main Stage
Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m.
While weaving through a capacity crowd at a recent Grounds For Thought concert in July one thing was
crystal clear… instrumental jazz in the hands of John Jorgenson and his Quintet is here to stay.
The proof was not only in the standing ovations and enthusiastic response throughout the recent show, but
also in the level of intensity that the audience connected with a style of music that has roots in early
20th Century Europe and is not regularly heard outside of jazz clubs, jazz festivals and jazz music
collections.
But, there is jazz, and then there is Jorgenson’s approach, effortlessly combining elements of rock and
blues with tinges of Latin and Middle Eastern music all under an umbrella of Django Reinhardt-influenced
gypsy guitar.
It is a live show that is mesmerizing, irresistible and most importantly a lot of fun.
“I think (the genre’s popularity) is because this music is so accessible,” Jorgenson said in a 2008
telephone interview. “It is more melodic, people love the sound of an acoustic guitar and a violin and
this kind of jazz is more high energy and is a lot of fun.”
From the chart-topping country cross-over Desert Rose Band in the 1980s to a six-year stint as lead
guitarist for Elton John in the late 1990s, Jorgenson has cut his musical teeth with the some of the
best musicians in the world, including his first professional gigs as a teenager in Benny Goodman’s
Orchestra.
But something about the technical demands, compositional freedom and heart-pounding energy of gypsy jazz
continues to bring this Grammy Award-winning musician back to his roots, and the roots of the genre
itself.
Starting with a spot-on role as Reinhart in the 2004 film “Head in the Clouds” and continuing with the
release of two gypsy jazz-influenced instrumental albums, Franco-American Swing (2004) and Ultraspontane
(2007), Jorgenson has forged a new path in the world of gypsy jazz as a Renaissance Man of the genre.

“It has the improvisational element of jazz, it has the technical elements of classical music, it has the
energy of rock, it has the acoustic string band sound of bluegrass (and) it mixes in so many different
things that I like and so many different things that I have played over my career,” Jorgenson said.
Led by Jorgenson on guitar, clarinet and bouzouki (and occasionally vocals), The John Jorgenson Quintet
takes listeners on a musical journey, from the smoky hot jazz clubs of Paris in the 1920s to the
countrysides of Greece and Hungary and back again.
The very talented quintet also features violinist Jason Anick, rhythm guitarist Kevin Nolan, drummer Rick
Reed and bassist Simon Planting.
The emotional and technical connection between these five musicians, especially Jorgenson and Anick, is
the hallmark of their success, and ultimately the clearest indication of Jorgenson’s genius as a
guitarist, composer and band leader.
In addition to touring the world, Jorgenson and his quintet are working on a new album that will be very
similar to their live show, stripped down and energy packed. Audiences at the Black Swamp Arts Festival
can expect to hear several cuts from that recording, slated for release this fall.