Don Vappie & Jazz Creole
HE CAN START THE PARTY WITH HIS BANJO, HE SURE CAN !… IGGY POP
Don Vappie & Jazz Creole
Don Vappie & Jazz Creole. A quartet led by Don Vappie, the Creole banjoist/vocalist from New Orleans. – Steve Martin Banjo Prize 2021, American Banjo Hall of Fame 2022, Jazz album of the year The Times 2020 for the debut CD
DON VAPPIE – Vocals & Banjo
DAVID HORNIBLOW – Clarinet
DAVE KELBIE – Guitar
SÉBASTIEN GIRARDOT – Double Bass
Jazz Creole leader Banjoist guitarist vocalist, considered one of the best banjoists in the history of New Orleans and credited with preserving Creole culture
STEVE MARTIN BANJO PRIZE 2021
AMERICAN BANJO HALL OF FAME 2022
JAZZ IN MARCIAC 2022
JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2020 – THE TIMES UK
BEST OF THE BEAT NOMINATION 2020 – OFFBEAT USA
DEBUT ALBUM
What’s exciting about this project is that we get to explore the music as it evolved in the Crescent city through the medium of the string band and the roles that our instruments played in the music. The very first bands of New Orleans were string bands. From the beginning strings played a big part in New Orleans music. The banjo was a staple of the rhythmic pulse in early jazz just as the the guitar spoke the language of the blues. The string bass took over from the tuba and by mixing 2/4 grooves with 4/4 grooves created a smooth pathway to the R&B shuffle. Interestingly, the bass lines of modern-day New Orleans R&B and Funk are reminiscent of the melodic unifying role played by the African predecessor to the banjo, the ngoni.
Our journey is to explore the widest range of possibilities our instruments can offer through a nontraditional approach within the tradition of Creole songs, R&B, New Orleans funk, second line and all that New Orleans has inspired around the world. After all, it was James Brown who said, “every instrument is playing the drums”. And this beat will go on.”
Don Vappie
The Blue Book of Storyville – 2019
He can start the party with his banjo, he sure can!
IGGY POP
He demonstrates a sure taste and a remarkable technique
JAZZ DIXIE | SWING, FR
Horniblow’s clarinet is both passionate and reflective by turns
VINTAGE JAZZ MART, UK
Vappie shows the importance of the banjo in New Orleans music and its often-overlooked relevance in jazz
NEGOCIOS, PORTUGAL
It’s about time someone showed the jazz world what the banjo really can do
THE OBSERVER, UK
Mr Vappie is a born storyteller—an urban griot who has lived the music and has consigned all of it to the centre of his being
JAZZ DA GAMA, CANADA
Music that’s languid and lively and Creole in character
SONGLINES, UK
Don Vappie is not only a solid banjo virtuoso but also a beautiful singer
JAZZ HOT, FR
Beautifully recorded, you can hear right around the instruments… Gorgeous!
CLARE TEAL, BBC
Jazz virtuosity with buoyant blues riffs and a splash of Caribbean rhythms
THE TIMES, UK
Do you want to travel without leaving your home? Don Vappie & Jazz Créole gives you the opportunity
LA GAZZETTE BLEUE, FR
Lejazzetal’s reputation goes before it; this new Don Vappie album serves to reaffirm it
BEBOP SPOKEN HERE, UK
The banjo has a Jimi Hendrix
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE, US
A superb musician and improviser
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, US
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