Adrien Moignard joins David John Martin at The Pheasantry for a rousing finale to the London Gypsy Jazz Festival

Since its inception in 2019, The Gypsy Jazz Festival of London has gone from strength to strength. This year has been no different. Following a week of top-notch gigs in various venues across London, the festival culminated in this high-energy finale at The Pheasantry in Chelsea. Featuring a stellar line-up fronted by a guitarist Adrien Moignard and violinist David John Martin, the quartet paid homage to the playful improvisational flair pioneered by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.

Moignard was simply extraordinary, and his dizzyingly fast solos were both flawless and inventive. Martin matched him for dexterity and creativity, and also brought a heavy dose of charm and humour to the evening. These solos were expertly accompanied by Julien Cattiaux on rhythm guitar and John Wheatcroft on double bass. Steeped in the seductive charisma of Parisian gypsy jazz traditions, the band romped their way through a setlist of well-known jazz standards, including tunes such as ‘Autumn Leaves’, ‘It Had to Be You’, ‘Dinette’, and ‘Moon River’. A particularly touching rendition of ‘La Complainte de la Butte’ was played in memory of Sylvain Luc, the virtuoso guitarist who sadly passed away only a matter of weeks ago.

The gig ended with a spirited old-fashioned jam session, which featured a number of the musicians who had performed throughout the festival. A notable mention goes to Tobie Medland, the curator of the whole festival and a fine violinist, who excelled on improvised jams on ‘Nuages’ and ‘How High the Moon’.

Be sure to look out for the next Gypsy Jazz Festival of London when comes round in May 2025.