Franklin "Chico" Welch

I've been a working musician for 31 years, most of that time in Chicago. One of the main reasons I live here is the quality and variety of music and musicians the city has to offer. My original music draws from a wide variety of traditions too long to list here. Of course Chicago is known for the Chicago Symphony, its music education opportunities and, of course, its blues and jazz; Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Sun Ra, and Kurt Elling were all Chicagoans. Rock and pop groups based here include The Ides of March, Styx, Smashing Pumpkins, and Wilco. In the 50s and 60s, the Chess Records studio and warehouse on S. Michigan Avenue was a major source of blues and rock recordings and a Mecca for blues and rock enthusiasts worldwide.

In addition to popular music, Chicago also serves as a base for every kind of ethnic music you can think of, and possibly a few you wouldn't expect! I don't believe there is another place on earth where I could have assembled the ultimate Chico Malo Band that I have right now. Then too, as you'll see in this article, Gypsy jazz is alive and well in Chicago.

I met Alfonso Ponticelli in 1995 while playing Irish music at the Irish Times pub in Brookfield, Illinois. I was amazed by his technical abilities on dulcimer, mandolin, tenor banjo, tin whistle and guitar. I quickly found out he didn't play just Irish music and soon we were working together playing Latin, rock, bluegrass, and jazz. At that time I had a large apartment near Wrigley Field. One of my housemates moved out and Alfonso was in search of a place in the city, so he moved in.

One night on the way to Irish Times, we stopped at a record store and Alfonso came across an anthology of Django Reinhardt's recordings. I was already working on "Swing 42" and "Minor Swing" so I was happy that he was interested in Django's work as well. Alfonso had just recently returned from studying flamenco guitar in Spain, and his time there sparked an interest in the music of the Gypsies. His father had recently died, and these two experiences combined to send him in a new musical direction. After the gig that night, Alfonso stayed up into the wee hours listening and playing along with his recently acquired Django LPs. The next morning, I was more than a little deflated to learn that he had surpassed my Django/Gypsy jazz capabilities as I slept! At the time I didn't realize that this was the beginning of a new music scene in Chicago.

Within weeks Alfonso, Louie Marini, Gus Friedlander, and Steve Gibons had started what would become The Hot Club of Chicago. Looking for a unique voice, Alfonso began focusing on a more spare sound, crossing jazz with bluegrass and working in a trio setting with Keith Baumann on mandolin and Louie Marini on bass. The band Swing Gitan was born. The trio later became guitar, bass and drums when Alfonso met Joe Ademik and the group appeared regularly at the California Clipper.

Soon Alfonso began teaching Gypsy jazz guitar classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music and gave private lessons as well. One of his students, Carter O'Brien joined the group. Then John Eichleay and Emily Randel came onboard. When Emily left for military service James Sanders took over on violin. This new larger sound, with two rhythm guitars, moved the group towards the musical roots of the original Hot Club of France. Swing Gitan began a regular Tuesday night gig at Katerina's in Chicago, and the group began touring, journeying first to Pittsburgh, Eichleay's home town.

When invited to perform at the prestigious DjangoFest Northwest on Whidbey Island a ferryboat ride from Seattle, Alfonso looked up his old friend Steve Gibons. At the time Steve was in Romania researching Gypsy music and making field recordings. Once at the DjangoFest, Alfonso and Steve were reunited with the famous Gypsy guitarist Patrick Saussois. The three had met in 1996 in Samois-sur-Seine, the town where Django had gone to fish and retire from the frenetic world of Gypsy jazz. Patrick invited them to play at the 2004 Django festival in Samois Sur-Seine France, bringing international attention to the Gypsy jazz scene in Chicago.

During this time a regular Gypsy jazz jam began at the Ten Cat, a local bar on the north side of Chicago, and I had my own Django jam at the Edgewater Lounge. Other Gypsy jazz groups began to form in Chicago including Uptown Strings, Ten Cats, Rhythm Futur, Baba Manouche, Grasslands and my own group, Econosize Swing Orchestra. Interest in Django's music was definitely swelling on the north side of Chicago. Madison, Wisconsin had its own Gypsy renaissance with bands Harmonious Wail and Caravan.

Alfonso recognized this interest and began the Chicago Gypsy Jazz Festival, now in its fifth year. The first year featured Bireli Lagrene and Florin Niculescu at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Since that momentous beginning such international acts as Kruno Gyspy Jazz Ensemble, the Rob Nolan Trio, Stephane Wremble, and Tim Kliphuis have brought Chicago audiences their dynamic interpretations of Gypsy Jazz.

The now defunct Hot House, recognized internationally for innovative musical offerings, was one of the first homes of the festival and featured the John Jorgenson band. The legendary Green Mill joined in 2006 as a venue for the festival. Alliance Français, The Chicago Cultural Center, Martyrs', The Old Town School of Folk Music, and Katerina's have all hosted concerts and events for the festival.

To me, the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli represents an ideal that is seldom realized. Their combination of virtuosity, humor, dynamics and impeccable taste is a constant inspiration to musicians all over the world. Gypsy jazz began when Django and Stephane heard Louis Armstrong's recorded music in the cafés of Paris. Given Chicago's historical importance as a crucible for the likes of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Johnny Frigo, it is fitting that swing jazz music has come full circle here.

The Chicago Gypsy Jazz Festival demonstrates this fusion of like-minded artists, and celebrates its continued relevance to musicians throughout the world. As a violinist and a guitar player, I always hear something new in the music of Django and Stephane. I encourage anyone who has never experienced this music to come and hear what it's all about. Just realize the cognoscenti will already have the front-row seats reserved.

The Fifth Annual Chicago Gypsy Jazz Festival runs the week of October 2-6, 2007.For more information you can check out http://www.gypsyjazz.us. To find out more about Swing Gitan's schedule you can check out http://www.swinggitan.com. The schedule for the festival is:

Thursday, October 4, 2007
Katerina's
1920 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL
7 p.m.-1 a.m.
Alfonso Ponticelli Presents "Flamenco Night", Featuring Chiara Mangiameli
7 p.m. performance film: "Latcho Drom"

Friday, October 5, 2007
The Green Mill
4802 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL
9 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Alfonso Ponticelli Presents "Flamenco Night" 9:00-10:00
Stephane Wrembel (New York/France) 10:00-1:00

Saturday, October 6, 2007
The Green Mill
4802 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL
8 p.m.- 12:00 a.m.
Kruno Gypsy Jazz Ensemble
Steve Gibons Gypsy Rhythm Project

About the Author

Franklin "Chico" Welch has been a working composer and performer for over 25 years. In the early years of his career he traveled extensively throughout the United States and Mexico singing and songwriting while honing his skills as a fiddle, mandolin and guitar player. He drew from and expanded on his knowledge of R&B, jazz, country and Irish musical traditions, adding his own energy to each style. While in Mexico he played in the Brujos Band, led by trumpeter Luís Gasca who is renowned for his work with Santana, Malo and Janis Joplin, among others.

In 1984 he settled in Chicago and continued his work as a street musician and Irish fiddle player. He founded the "Open Jam Session" at the Abbey Pub which quickly became a tradition in the city. He did the same at Celtic Crossings. In 1998 he recorded his first studio album, Which Way to the Beach, Frank?. This album highlights Chico's musical diversity, being influenced by Little Feat and Celtic rock. Original compositions on this album include "Spoon River Reel" and "Gigi."

In 1997 Chico began a partnership with drummer/guitarist Barry Capaul which became the Bucketboy Bluegrass Band. Their enormously successful partnership drew large crowds each day in downtown Chicago. The crowds repeatedly requested a CD of their work, and in 2000 they released Live at Angel City. This CD included another of Chico's original compositions "Golden Eagle Rag."

In recent years Chico has added Gypsy Jazz to his musical repertoire, forming the Econosize Swing Orchestra and the Tamarindo Trio. His work as a composer has yielded a new CD of original compositions entitled Tamarindo, featuring the songs "Django's Shoes," "Burning Up the Dirt Road," and "City that Care Forgot," the latter written in response to the crisis spawned by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Tamarindo is available on CD Baby.

To learn more about Frank "Chico Malo" Welch and his music please visit:
http://www.tamarindomusic.com