Gypsyjazzacademy is proud to welcome John Wheatcroft both as a subscriber and as contributing advisor.

 

John is a great player, not only of gypsy jazz, but of many contemporary guitar styles.  He is well respected as an author and teacher of the guitar and he is a regular contributor to Guitar Techniques and Guitarist magazines.

 

John is a major Django enthusiast and even wrote part of his Masters degree on Reinhardt’s two-fingered technique.

 

Gypsyjazzacademy.com asked John a few questions about his life-long passion for this music.

 

 

What was your first introduction to Django’s music?

 

I can remember it well. I was around fourteen years of age and was being told off by my dad yet again. ‘Turn that racket down, and anyway; that music’s terrible. You should listen to this gypsy guitarist. He’s by far the best around!’ Certain that my dad’s recommendation was bound to be rubbish and that my pointy-headstocked Super-Strat wielding, spandex-wearing, uber-shredding hero could not possibly be topped (it was the ‘80s, after all), I begrudgingly checked him out anyway, mainly so that I could point out how unbelievably misguided and out of touch he was. As they say, such is the impetuousness of youth. 

 

 

How wrong could I be! Django’s playing had it all, technical dexterity beyond anything I’d ever heard before (or since for that matter), filled with sense of joyful playfulness. There was the feeling of no restrictions whatsoever, with such a complete expressive and dynamic delivery, and all executed with obviously total ease. I literally couldn’t believe that the guitar could sound that beautiful, and when I then learnt that he was executing all of this stuff with mostly just his left hand index and middle fingers I became a fan for life.

 

Also, coming from Liverpool, we had the omnipresent influence of Gary Potter.. We’re really good friends now, and have done loads of gigs together, but at that time he was literally a legend round my way, and for good reason.. And, he’s got better since!!! 

 

So, Django’s been there, sometimes in the background whilst I’ve been concentrating on other things, but I always come back to him.. It’s such a social style… Take the Gary connection.. Once we’d hooked up, we’d meet to play whenever we were free, usually every other week or so, and have a common point of reference.. I never felt that with the kind of technical rock that I was playing for a living at that time.. Learn the tunes, record them with a bunch of programmed stuff, perhaps play them live once in a blue moon… Whereas, this was a living and breathing thing…

 

 

Do you still play other styles?

 

I play fusion, straight-ahead and rock things, but I’m always happy to pick up the acoustic and get back to this style… It’s very immediate, and totally compelling.. Professionally, I’ve done a whole bunch of varied stuff, from touring with Carl Palmer, performing with guys like Stu Hamm, Frank Gambale, The Headhunters, and even Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

 

At this point I must mention Andy Mackenzie.. He’s like no other guitarist in the world.. When he met me, I was hungry to play, and super-focused on playing… Andy was, and continues to be, an amazing mentor, and a wonderfully giving person, with complete absence of ego… Experience tells me that this is a rare and valuable trait.. He was taking me on gigs, to give me both experience and exposure, which led to meeting up and playing with guys like John Jorgenson.. Andy is still my favourite rhythm player in the world, and he’s an irreplaceable part of the sound of my current acoustic album… 

 

So tell us more about this new music project?

 

Well, the inspiration is a bit abstract to be honest… I was playing with Andy at the Abersoch Jazz Festival, a few years back. Well, a very talented artist in the audience at one of the gigs did an amazing charcoal drawing of me playing, and I though it captured something that perhaps I’d never seen in myself, a certain passion or urgency for playing music, and specifically this kind of music… I always thought this could be the centerpiece for an album, so I’ve worked towards producing something that will do justice to this image…

 

One of the problems of playing a whole bunch of styles is that you can end up with no identity, so to speak… I’ve been extremely critical of how this record will sound, and how it may reflect a number of aspects of my musical identity to form some kind of cohesive whole, at least for the moment…

 

First off, I’m in no way a Django clone.. I love his playing implicitly, and sometimes I wish I was, but Allan Holdsworth, or Michael Brecker, or John Scofield and a million others, equally influence me, and this is reflected in the way I write and play… So, for this project, the first influence and reference is Django, but from here we go any direction the music takes us.. I’ve just completed the bed track for the final track on the album, which is a waltz in 5, if this gives you any idea where I’m coming from? I know this is a bone of contention for the Django purists, but to be fair, I’m not a gypsy so I may as well be true to myself and produce something with artistic integrity that I can fully believe in, and be able to sleep at night!!! 

 

 

I believe John Jorgenson plays on the album?

 

Yes, he plays clarinet on my reharmonised and totally twisted version of Swing 48, I’ve got the accordion/piano virtuoso Huw Warren on three tunes, who’s playing is absolutely killing in every respect… The rhythm section comprises Andy Mackenzie, the amazing Simon Thorpe on bass, and a new up and coming London session ace, James Oscroft on kit and percussion… I think that it’s likely that before we’re complete that the scouse rhythm ace Micky Dunne will also make an appearance.. He’s another amazing talent that will surely have his day!

 

 

But to many you are better know for your work in musical education.

 

Well, I think it’s fair to say; I’m probably better known as a teacher than a player… I’m totally happy with this, as I take teaching really seriously and I care passionately about how it’s done.. I’ve taught professionally since I was a teenager, so that’s well over twenty years now…  I’m extremely happy to be involved with Dave, Lollo and Fapy’s project, as firstly, I can identify with the passion of the instigators who have put this together, and secondly, as it will help to continue to promote a community element to what is a growing style of music, with many many passionate fans and participant....I see my role not as the font of all wisdom, lecturing my minions, but more like someone who has spent most of their waking life playing music, living and breathing it… I’m more that happy to share my experiences, and in turn happy to receive information from others and learn from this, for the greater good of the artform… 

 

I’m extremely active as a teacher.. I do loads of stuff for Future mags like Guitarist, and Guitar Techniques (just finished an article before this!!!), plus I’m Head Of Guitar at Tech Music School in London, Head of Guitar for the IGF, and currently leading the creation of Rock and Pop Guitar Grades for the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM)… I love teaching… I’m really into it and passionate about how it is done…. 

 

So, what’s next?

 

Well, finish the flippin’ album!!! The next stage then will be to book a bunch of gigs to support the release. I’m aiming to get this done by the end of the year, and then there are a bunch of gigs in the New Year coming up that I need to prepare for also… I’ve done some stuff recently with amazing modern acoustic guitar players like Stuart Ryan and Jon Gomm.. 

In fact, I have some clinics and gigs early next year with Jon… The main priority is to finish this album, although along with this it’s looking like I may have another electric guitar book to complete too.. I finished the first one a couple of years ago (Improvising Blues Guitar), which, to be fair, nearly killed me, ha ha!!! It has, fortunately, been very well received, which makes me very proud, as to be honest, I’m not in this for the money… I’m really quite obsessed by all things music, and in turn, guitar, so that for me is a big honour!

 

I’m extremely happy and proud to involved in this tuition project. Dave Rattray is a kindred spirit, in that his passion for this music is readily apparent. We don’t play this style to ‘make it big’, or to become millionaires, we do it because there is something real, something human, and something that really touches upon the artistic spirit that we should nurture to keep alive.. And I, for one, am complete behind this endeavor and will support it fully when and wherever I can…

 

Cheers, John Wheatcroft.

 

 

John has very kindly provided a transcription of Minor Swing and an arrangement based on Stephane Grapelli's solo on the 1937 recording of the tune for educational purposes for our subscribers.