Jazz Manouche – In the style of Stochelo Rosenberg

Producer Denis Chang’s concept for the “In the Style of…” series is well-suited for illustrating the basics, as well as, the finer points of the “Stochelo Rosenberg” style. The DVD is divided into two parts. In “The Songs”, Stochelo is accompanied by Denis as they demonstrate Stochelo’s style at slow, medium and fast tempos on 35 songs, in the Django style. The songs were selected to demonstrate all of the common chord changes in the contemporary jazz manouche repertoire.

The second section is divided into two parts. “Rhythm Overview” is where Stochelo gives valuable insight into his approach to rhythm playing. Stochelo demonstrates good and bad rhythm as well as his approach to bossa, rumba, waltz, rumba-waltz and bolero rhythms. Proper chord shapes and sequences are shown for four songs. Finally in “Lead Guitar”, Stochelo deals with vibrato and right-hand technique before explaining his personal technique. He then clearly demonstrates 29 phrases and 2 endings. All phrases are initially played at tempo and are then clearly demonstrated for the viewer.

This DVD follows the traditional gypsy method of instruction. No tab is provided and students are encouraged to learn by watching and repeating. Alternate close-up angles are provided for more in-depth analysis. Careful placement of chapter markers allows the viewer to repeat phrases precisely. The total running time for the DVD is over 3 hours.