KATHMANDU: Upbeat rhythms of the guitar and the violin created free and warm ambience at Alliance Française of Kathmandu (AFK), Tripureshwor on March 12. The occasion was Gypsy Jazz Festival 2016 and artistes from Nepal, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the USA gave engaging performances.

Tunes — Anthropology, Stella By Starlight and I cannot Give You Anything But Love among others — along with skilful improvisations on stage reflected flavour of gypsy jazz. Artistes Daniel Givone (France), Vincent Millioud (Switzerland), Gage Husley (USA), and Irene Ypenburg (Holland) among others, performed in different sets to present the music.

“Gypsy jazz is my music. I love this music and I am happy to share it in Nepal,” Givone expressed. He came to Nepal 16 years ago for the first time where he met gypsy jazz guitarist Hari Maharjan. And Givone has been a part of the fest since its inception in 2014. He added, “We played in very nice places this year and more Nepali audiences seemed interested in gypsy jazz music.”

Meanwhile Hari along with Rigzin Lama on guitar, Rubin Shrestha on flute and Raju Maharjan on tabala played an enthralling fusion number Rhythm — a blend of gypsy jazz and traditional Nepali music.

Together with live performances, the event also saw workshop on the techniques of gypsy jazz, conducted by visiting artistes. One of the participants Sudhamsu Khanal shared, “In the workshop, I got to learn directly from the professional international musicians and we discussed about how playing guitar in gypsy jazz is different from rock music.” It was “a fruitful session for guitar enthusiasts” like him.

The festival, that started on March 4, also became a “platform of sharing and learning music” along with promoting the country.

Hari, also the founder of Nepal Gypsy Jazz Pvt Limited (that organises the festival), elaborated, “Gypsy jazz was new to Nepal when I began to play this music. Those interested to learn this music need to know about its variation while bringing newness to it. Thus, to improve our music and bring uniqueness in Nepal’s gypsy jazz music, we have been organising the festival.” The Festival that ended on March 13 was held in many venues in Pokhara and

Capital.