Ben Givan

Dr. Benjamin Givan is music professor at Skidmore College and author of The Music of Django Reinhardt. We spoke with him about his studies of Django’s music and it’s origins in jazz tradition, Django’s musical evolution, the improvisatory vocabulary of Gypsy jazz, and how he transcribed 200+ Django solos.

Interview

Chapter 1 - PhD in Django Studies

 

Chapter 2 - Demystifying Django

 

Chapter 3 - Up Close on Django's Technique

 

Chapter 4 - Django in the Jazz Tradition

 

Chapter 5 - Shaping a Signature Sound

 

Chapter 6 - Coming of Age in the Jazz Age

 

Chapter 7 - Django's Musical Evolution

 

Chapter 8 - Transcribing 200+ Django Solos

 

Chapter 9 - A Vocabulary of Improvisation