Crow Art Records
2004
Django Latino
About This Album
Multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven has been an important asset to the David Grisman Quintet since joining the mandolin great in 1989, playing various roles on violin, mandolin and percussion. But Craven's solo CDs are an even better opportunity for him to display his talents as an arranger and player, as well as overdubbing a number of different instruments. This session finds him interpreting the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli (mostly from their days together co-leading the Quintet of the Hot Club of France) with a Latin flavor, though he alters the instrumentation for each track to fit styles heard in several Latin American countries. Craven's mandola is the lead instrument (backed by his various overdubbed instruments), though he also takes a hot violin solo, in the Puerto Rican plena arrangement of "Minor Swing," accented by Rick Montgomery's steel drum and Sam Bevan's bass. His interpretation of Django's timeless ballad "Nuages" is set to the rhythmic Cuban danzon style, featuring the leader on multiple violins, along with fellow Grisman sideman Matt Eakle on flute. Percussion comes to the forefront in "Douce Ambiance," set in the Haitian Ibo tradition.
Track List (try tracks 1 and 10)

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