Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne
It’s testament to legendary guitar player Hank B Marvin’s stature that at the age of 83 he can fill St.Kilda’s Memo Music Hall, not once but twice on the same weekend. I’m not so sure how many were familiar with the Gypsy Jazz fare Hank and band were about to present but certainly everyone had come to pay respect to one of contemporary music’s original guitar heroes. Long before Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, and Page there were Hank B Marvin’s signature guitar licks.
Joining Hank on stage on this cool Sunday St.Kilda afternoon were piano accordion player Nunzio Mondia, rhythm guitarist Gary Taylor (who first came to our attention, along with Peter Frampton in the British band The Herd in the sixties), and Peter Jeavons featured on upright bass.
Before a note was played Hank explained that most of the repertoire to follow would be from the band’s two CDs, ‘Django’s Castle’ and ‘Foolin’ with the Feds’, loosely based on a form of music developed by guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stefan Grappelli in Paris in the early 1930s, labelled Gypsy Jazz as Django and his brother Joseph (also in Django’s band) were both French gypsies. Hank suggested that while he and his band don’t pretend to be masters of the form, they do try to capture the essence of what those pioneers created. While I didn’t see any Gitane cigarettes wedged between fingers in the audience this afternoon, the crowd were clearly up for the Parisian flavoured experience too.
To begin proceedings, the quartet eased into a joyous version of Fats Waller’s ‘Honeysuckle Rose’, featuring Nunzio’s delicate finger work on the piano accordion. Of course Hank’s first guitar solo was met with enthusiastic applause. A wonderful performance of Duke Ellington’s ‘Caravan’ followed, giving the tune a gypsy jazz treatment with a little added middle eastern spice. Hank introduced the tune ‘Nivram’, telling us that it appeared on The Shadows first ever album. For those playing at home, Nivram is Marvin spelled backwards! He also joked to look out for bass player “Peter Jeavons’ virtuosity on this one … which he carries in a small plastic bag!”
In fact, part of what makes this band’s performance so enjoyable is Hank’s amiable attitude and a wicked sense of humour. After introducing Django Reinhardt’s ‘Swing Guitars’, he launches into the opening riff of Cream’s ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’, claiming that it’s a little known fact that it was written by Django!
In reference to the next Reinhardt song, Hank tells us that it used to be called ‘Mansion of my Dreams’ but Chet Atkins recorded it and renamed it ‘Django’s Castle’. Hank Marvin’s Gypsy Jazz not only recorded Chet’s version too but used it as the title track of their 2012 debut album. The guys then proceeded to play a sublime interpretation of the song.
The Gershwin brothers’ ‘Oh, Lady Be Good’ turns out to be quite the toe-tapper. As the afternoon unfolds and the band kick into an unstoppable groove, the level of intoxicating musicianship becomes even more evident. All of the musicians on stage listen intently, respond to each other respectfully and most importantly, do it all with a smile on their faces. The opening strains of The Shadows’ ‘Guitar Tango’ immediately earns a round of applause from those who know their music history. ‘Foolin’ with the Feds’ captures the band in full flight with Hank and Gary’s vintage jazz guitars combining perfectly with Nunzio’s extraordinary piano accordion skills. Meanwhile Jeavons at the back keeps the vibe chugging along with his tasteful bass notes choices.
Si Tu Savais brings the mood down a notch, conjuring a nostalgic Parisian club atmosphere before the Duke Ellington’s standard ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Aint Got That Swing)’ raises the tempo level. ‘Bossa’ with it’s James Bondesque intro is an intricate piece, once more showcasing the amazing musicianship on stage. Snippets of The Rolling Stones ‘Paint it Black’ and The Shadows’ ‘Apache’ appear in the mix to the crowd’s delight, followed by a few bars of The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’, provoking a short singalong. Shadows fans may have picked a wee ’Summer Holiday’ motif earlier in the set too. Irving Berlin’s ‘Russian Lullaby’ has the audience’s toes tapping and heads nodding again as does Django’s ‘Belleville’, a song Hank implies is about a dodgy district of Paris .. “much like St.Kilda,” he cheekily adds.
For an encore the quartet return for a fabulous version of Chick Corea’s ‘Spain’ complete with dramatic ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ intro. On this final tune, Hank displays some dexterous Spanish guitar licks ending an entertaining afternoon of top quality music performed by a brilliant band of musicians, one of whom just happens to be a walkin’, talkin’, livin’ legend.
https://hankmarvingypsyjazz.com/
