Over the past century, the popularity of gypsy jazz, also known as hot jazz, has fluctuated across continents and over time.
Today in Knoxville, gypsy jazz is back.
At the forefront of the resurgence is Christian Lange, director of jazz at Ijams and founding member of local band Swingbooty.
The Jazz at Ijams monthly series kicked off this April with an unexpectedly large showing for its opening night with 300 audience members.
“It kind of took us by surprise,” Lange said. “I think it took everyone by surprise. No one thought it would be this popular.”
Lange, who is originally from Atlanta, previously attended a concert series in a park there featuring the city’s symphony orchestra.
“My friends and I would walk to the park and take picnic blankets and a bottle of wine and have just the best time out there in the open air,” Lange recalled. “I thought well, why not Knoxville? And why not jazz?”
Since Swingbooty’s formation in 2003, Lange has watched the jazz scene of Knoxville steadily grow.
“It’s really a situation that was ripe for Jazz at Ijams because there’s a lot of great acts in the city right now, which is not that common for a town our size,” Lange explained.
The venue at Ijams is an open-air amphitheater. The fully equipped stage is the sole concrete structure at the center of a grassy valley.
Local food vendors, such as King Tut’s and Viet Taste, and artists add an additional facet to the experience.
Wilson Browning, local music photographer, noticed the variety of the attendees, which included elderly couples, families with children, college students and a multicultural crowd.
“That’s the interesting thing about it, is you get all kinds of people who come down,” Browning said. “It’s kind of a community building event. There’s a lot of creative-type personalities there, and everyone just comes together to meet and hang out.”
As a long-time Knoxville resident, Browning voiced excitement that Knoxville may have found a replacement for what Sundown in the City used to offer.
“There hasn’t really been a monthly thing that happens where people can get together and listen to some good music and hang out,” Browning said. “It brings the right people together to do even cooler stuff for the community.”
However, Lange encourages attendees to do more than simply listen to the music.
“People who are into swing dance, or just dancing period, they have plenty of space to dance,” Lange said. “People who are into poi, spinning or hula hooping, they have lots of space to do their thing. I think that’s part of the fun, of the event, of the party. We like a festival atmosphere in the park.”
For Swingbooty’s upcoming performance in the series on June 21, Lange hopes the crowd will be engaged.
“I think we play better when the crowd is having fun, when they’re dancing, when they’re interacting with us,” Lange explained. “It’s really what differentiates hot jazz from other types of jazz — the fact that it is danceable.”
Lange said upbeat dance rhythms distinguish hot jazz from its more mellow counterpart, cool jazz.
Browning sees this more interactive form of jazz as a key to the success of the series.
“I think it’s going to continue to snowball, and I think it’s a really good thing that brings a lot of people to Ijams and helps them out,” Browning said. “I think eventually it will create a platform for these bands to get more acts and stay booked because people will know about this type of music and want to play it.”
Lange remains uncertain, yet still positive about the series’ future.
“Who knows what shape things will take in the future,” Lange said. “We’re consumed right now in the here and now, but I see nowhere but up for a thing like this.”
If gypsy jazz in Knoxville continues to reflect the genre’s worldwide popularity, Lange predicts the Knoxville jazz scene will continue to grow.
“Regardless of what we do, the style of music is on a forward momentum,” Lange concluded. “No matter what happens here, no matter what we do. We’re just part of this wave.”
The next Jazz at Ijams will take place Sunday, June 21. Music begins at 5:30 p.m. and admission is $2.
Jazz at Ijams is a monthly series that started in April. Around 300 audience members attended opening night.
