Charles Wizen brings his string jazz to town

In 1933, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli formed a quintet at the Hot Club de France. It didn’t take long for the group to develop a reputation for the uncommon, with an ensemble composed entirely of strings, creating this 'swing' style typical of the Hexagone. From time to time, an accordion may be added, but above all a departure from the brass and electric guitars of American jazz.

In the Wizen household of the time, the grand-father was a violin maker, his sons played and taught the violin. At the tender age of three, Charles, one of the grandsons, follows in the family tradition and begins to study and train in classical music. At 12, the boy hears the first record put out by Reinhardt and Grappelli.

"I caught the jazz bug and was never able to shake it. To play jazz, you have to think jazz. A style can't be learned. You can't make it up. You have to have perfect knowledge of the music and its instruments, then throw away the music sheet," Charles Wizen explains.

"When I came to America in 1960, nobody played string jazz," says Wizen who taught the jazz violin in a New York University for many years.

It's no secret that Charles Wizen made musical history with his Djangology album, recorded with gypsy guitarist Raphael Fäys. Together, they created this cross-breeding of jazz flavours served with all sorts of sauces for all sorts of tastes. It was this same Raphael Fäys who was instrumental in introducing Charles Wizen to Quebec, and it wasn't long before the Parisian-born artist developed an infatuation for La Belle Province, even taking up residence in Sherbrooke, where he lived from 1999 to 2002, while becoming a regular feature at the Montreal and Rimouski Jazz Festivals.

On his current tour, Wizen is accompanied by Marin Nasturica, on accordion, Eric Lagace on bass, and Denis Chang on guitar.

"The essence of jazz remains the beating of the heart and syncopation, the rhythm that makes one want to move and tap the feet," concluded the musician.