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Occidental Gypsy is a nationally-touring acoustic band that plays an exhilarating blend of gypsy jazz and folk music. Their pioneering approach to traditional hot club jazz music pays homage to Django Reinhardt and expands the genre to include elements of western (Occidental) sounds and rhythms, including blues, Klezmer and Latin. Their unique gypsy sound is burnished by smooth vocals by Jeremy Frantz that are reminiscent of the first era of swing.
Their newest songs are complex and challenging to execute, and are often considered a natural evolution of Reinhardt’s sounds were he still alive today. Their most notable new piece is the title track of their latest CD 44070. “Song for Vrba: 44070” tells the story of the heroism of Rudolf Vrba, a man who escaped a concentration camp in WWII and is credited with saving the lives of 100,000 more. While a strictly instrumental piece (other songs by the band include vocals), the scale and emotion of the song has a cinematic feel.
The popular quintet has played over 200 venues in 30 states including selling out venues like the legendary Nighttown in Cleveland, Green Mill in Chicago, Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis and others. The group features prodigy Eli Bishop on violin. Bishop has performed with Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center and also been awarded a Guinness Record for Worlds Fastest Clapping— a unique rhythmic element which can also be heard on the band’s new song “Messalina Lover Lamb.”
The Chicago Tribune says of their shows, “there are sonic pleasures to be had, particularly in an energetic, gypsy-jazz transformation of Duke Ellington’s ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).’ More than once, vocalist-guitarist Frantz brought the large crowd to near silence through the warmth and openness of his singing, as in ‘Georgia on My Mind’.” Occidental Gypsy’s energized shows have garnered them fans among the most discerning musicians, and new gypsy lovers alike.
Occidental Gypsy’s Eli Bishop – 2020 side project:
“The expert musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, alongside special guests Brianna Thomas (vocals) and Eli Bishop (violin), are perfectly equipped to tackle its stirring stylistic breadth. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s spirited take on Ellington’s epic work pays tribute to some of the maestro’s most personal work while adding another important chapter to its enduring legacy.” From Broadway World. Full article: https://bit.ly/32OZ5IN
Short Band Bio
Hailing from New England, Occidental Gypsy plays a dynamic, multi-genre mix of original vocal and instrumental pieces. They are a nationally touring acoustic act championed by critics and fans here and overseas. “OG” has played to packed houses at the legendary Nighttown in Cleveland, Green Mill in Chicago, Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, World Cafe Live, Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, The Ark in Ann Arbor, the Blue Wisp in Cincinnati and many others.
Occidental Gypsy has played over 200 concerts, and shared the stage with greats like Rikki Lee Jones, Jorma Kaukenen, Stanley Jordan, Joe Sample, and David Bromberg, who also said, “These guys have great singing, fantastic guitar and violin work, and high energy originals that leave the crowd crazy. An awesome band.”
One Sheet
Instrumentation
Brett Feldman: lead guitar, composer, co-arranger
Eli Bishop: all strings, co-arranger
Jeremy Frantz: lead vocals & rhythm guitar
Jeff Feldman: bass
Jon Chapman: percussion
More about Occidental Gypsy
Occidental Gypsy is a nationally-touring band that plays an exhilarating blend of gypsy jazz and folk music. Their pioneering approach to traditional hot club jazz music pays homage to Django Reinhardt and expands the genre to include elements of western (Occidental) sounds and rhythms, including blues, Klezmer and Latin. The music this act writes has been noted as a natural evolution of Reinhardt’s sounds were he still alive today, and the lyrical pieces are burnished by smooth vocals by Jeremy Frantz that are reminiscent of the first era of swing.
Occidental Gypsy has been featured in several of the biggest DjangoFests in the US. The accomplished band members have also participated in side projects that have brought them around the world alongside legends, like the 25 year old Eli Bishop who has played with Wynton Marsalis, and regularly performs at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Bishop, is considered a Nashville prodigy who has won the Mississippi Fiddle Championships. In his role in “OG,” Bishop stuns crowds with his lightning-fast and emotional violin playing. He also has a surprising talent that has gained him a Guinness World Record for “fastest clapping,” a sound featured on one of their recent songs “Messalina, Lover Lamb.”
Lead guitarist and primary composer Brett Feldman drives the sound with masterful gypsy swing guitar, self-taught as Gypsy musicians traditionally do, “by ear.” His pieces are complicated and often feature varying movements. His songs are challenging to execute even by the most seasoned gypsy jazz artists, and they crafted as emotional renderings of important ideas, even when purely instrumental. Because of this, Occidental Gypsy is well-respected among their peers as capable heirs and nouveau pioneers of the music of Reinhardt, and gypsy jazz on the whole.
Jeremy Frantz — a protege of legendary jazz guitarist Joe Negri— brings his sultry, retro vocals and expert jazz guitar to the front line, and serves as an exquisite counterpoint to the down-and-driving sound brought by Feldman. He is noted for his soulful singing on classic standards like “Over the Rainbow,” garnering reviews from the Chicago Tribune and others. Frantz also hosts a popular YouTube Channel where he plays and sings American standards.
Percussionist Jon Chapman and bassist Jeff Feldman enhance the quintet’s rich sound and keep crowds moving with beats and complex rhythms that make their audience keep coming back for more. Rhythms with roots in Latin music and even Klezmer are well-integrated into these original compositions and support the richness of the music in a way that makes them sound like they could even be “plugged in” (the band is acoustic).
Occidental Gypsy’s sound is appealing to a wide spectrum of people, and their shows consistently attract enthusiastic audiences at colleges, arts centers, festivals, concert halls and clubs. Their fans include musicians who enjoy the sophisticated compositions and masterful play, but most folks just come to enjoy the music and dance. The band has found a unique beat and brings to every show a dynamic mix of original vocal and instrumental pieces– and a few memorable standards– in fun, exhilarating performances. Their between set wry banter and personal dynamics only adds to the entertainment. Occidental Gypsy’s music cannot be easily classified; a bit of jazz, a catchy strain of blues, a seismic swing experience, and “a whole lotta’ gypsified groove…”
Band Member Spotlight
“The expert musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, alongside special guests Brianna Thomas (vocals) and Eli Bishop (violin), are perfectly equipped to tackle its stirring stylistic breadth. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s spirited take on Ellington’s epic work pays tribute to some of the maestro’s most personal work while adding another important chapter to its enduring legacy.”From Broadway World. Full article: https://bit.ly/32OZ5IN
Eli Bishop – violin
Violinist Eli Bishop began his musical studies with the violin at the age of three. Over the years he continued his musical education at the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music in Nashville and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. His studies of various musical styles–including classical, western swing, rock, country, and jazz– provided him with the opportunity to perform with a wide variety of musical artists ranging from Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers, to the Wooten brothers, to Bill Evans of the Miles Davis Group and Wynton Marsalis. In 2013, Eli placed in top ten at the Mississippi Grand Master Fiddler Championship. In 2014, he won the Mississippi Bluegrass Championships, best senior fiddle. In 2016 Eli was awarded a Guinness World Record for being the world’s fastest clapper, a talent that clearly informs his stellar and lively violin. See him featured on this viral video with over 2 million views.
Jeremy Frantz – guitar and vocals
Hailing from Pittsburgh, Jeremy will be earning his Masters of Music in Guitar Performance in Spring 2015 from Duquesne University, where he studies extensively with legendary jazz guitarist Joe Negri. His background and performance history includes powerful jazz guitar with sultry and smooth vocals reminiscent of the bygone era of swing. Jeremy is the most recent addition to the band, and brings a straight-ahead jazz sensibility and tight playing that serves as a fantastic counterpoint to the wildly driving gypsy rhythms. More here.
Brett Feldman – composer, lead guitar
‘Mr. Feldman began to reveal his mastery on the guitar, cajoling and coaxing a symphony of sound from the instrument he so clearly held jurisdiction over.’ – Concert Review by Near North
Feldman is one of the founding members of Occidental Gypsy, and plays and learns music in the true gypsy tradition: by ear. When Feldman first heard Django Reinhardt’s Hot Club Jazz, a passionate love affair with this spirited music (and it can be argued, the gypsy lifestyle) began. Within the band, his talent for composing and arranging this complex music is showcased in a number of original works. In a recent concert review, N. North writes: “One of the many highlights came before a song when Mr. Feldman spoke of a number he had written and dedicated to the memory of Rudolf Vrda an Auschwitz escapee whose reporting of the atrocities occurring in the camp led to an end to Hungarian deportation of Jews to Germany saving some 200,000 lives.
The tune was rather remarkable with a performance that wove it seamlessly into the story and Mr. Feldman’s intro also led this listener to a little research on the man who inspired the effort, a man deserving of innumerable accolades for his courage and fortitude.”
Contact the Band:
occidentalgypsy[at]gmail.com
Press Kit