Martin Taylor's Spirit of Django - Gypsy (1998) [Linn Rcords]

Review by Ken Dryden (AMG)
Martin Taylor's first CD of live dates as a leader proves to be very rewarding listening. With his delightful Spirit of Django band, he sticks exclusively to the acoustic guitar throughout the release, giving a new look to pieces either written by Django Reinhardt ("Tears" and "Nuages") or performed by the late Gypsy guitarist ("Chicago" and "Sweet Sue Just You"). But that's not all – the opening medley centers around David Grisman's engaging "The Tipsy Gypsy," and there are several strong originals by Taylor as well, including the mellow but upbeat "Chez Fernand." Accordion player Jack Emblow and saxophonist Dave O'Higgins (who is especially compelling on soprano) are also strong soloists who complement Taylor's work; hopefully Taylor will keep this group going in addition to his fine work as a solo performer.

Tracks:
01 Gypsy Medley: Cold Winds/The Tipsy Gipsy/Czardas (Grisman, Monti, Traditional) 8:08
02 My Vardo (Taylor) 7:20
03 Chicago (Feldman, Fisher) 4:58
04 Chez Fernand (Taylor) 6:07
05 Tears (Grappelli, Reinhardt) 2:31
06 Kushti (Taylor) 6:38
07 Nuages (Reinhardt) 5:06
08 I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Fields, McHugh) 4:57
09 Dreaming of You (Taylor) 5:02
10 Sweet Sue, Just You (Harris, Young) 7:06
11 Musette for a Magpie (Taylor) 6:34
12 Chillin' With Oscar (Taylor) 4:19
13 Squid Kid (Taylor) 5:36