2:15pm | The second event in the Alamitos Bay Landing Summer Concert Series kicks off this Sunday afternoon with a series of performances in support of Wilson High School Athletic Transportation. Starting at 3 PM, the show will include performances by Ocean Blvd and The Wilsons. First up, at 4 PM, will be the Gage Hulsey Quintette, featuring recent graduates from Poly and Wilson, who play Gypsy Jazz.
Luca Pino, one of the group’s three guitarists, explained that he and guitarist Kale Stiles began as a duo. “Kale and I played Gypsy Jazz together at parties and restaurants,” said Pino. “We always thought it would be nice to have more members, though.
“A few months later,” Pino continued, “I met Brandon Baker, who was still a Poly senior then, and found out he too liked Gypsy Jazz. He then lead me to Gage Hulsey, who is the biggst Gypsy fan I know. He was also a Poly senior. We’ve been through a couple bassists, but I found Jordan Jones through our Jazz combo at LBCC. Both Kale and I are Wilson grads.”
Pino spent a year in the Wilson High School Jazz Ensemble, under the leadership of Eric Messerschmidt. “I was one of three guitarists,” said Pino, “in a small group of about 22 students. We played everything from swing to funk, and Dixieland. Because of the small group, I easily made friends with everyone. Especially the rhythm section, which formed a band of our own. I had first heard about Gypsy Jazz from a fellow guitarist there and, from then on, acquired a love for that unique sound.
“Gypsy Jazz,” Pino continued, “has been played and passed down through generations of the Gypsy (Romani) people of Eastern Europe. It became popular when the guitarist Django Reinhardt, along with violinist Stephane Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France, swept europe with this music. It is essentially swing music, done simply with guitars, violin and bass. Its unmistakable sound comes from the powerful “La Pompe” motion of strumming the guitar. It really makes the music swing, and the people dance!
“What’s incredible about Django,” said Pino, “is that he burnt his left hand in a caravan fire at 18, severely injuring his ring and pinky finger. But he still managed to become one of the most influential jazz guitarists in history.
“Aside from the popular Jazz standards of the Swing era,” Pino said, “we like to play originals from the Gypsy masters. Several of them are gypsy waltzes, and differ from traditional waltzes. There is a definite Eastern sound in them, and are some of my favorites.
“We spend alot of time on getting our Gypsy sound to be as authentic as possible,” Pino confessed, “and alot of time on learning the original solos to these songs as an homage to the artists.”
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Tickets, including VIP dinner packages, are available at McKennasOnTheBay.com/entertainment
