The Jimmy Grant Trio performs primarily in the style of Django Reinhardt, infusing swing-era pieces, original work, and traditional gypsy tunes with the jazz guitar pioneer’s crunchy rhythms and hot harmonies.

Jimmy Grant was recently a finalist in the John Lennon songwriting competition for his original song “Insomnia,” and also had an interview with Guitar World for his “5 in 5″ project, in which he wrote five different songs in five days. His style synthesizes a rich blend of Russian folk, bluegrass, Celtic, and classical music while remaining true to Django’s innovative guitar technique. The Jimmy Grant Ensemble will bring together two guitars, bass, and violin in an intimate yet energy-charged performance.

Nelsen Hutchison grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where he began playing guitar and developing an eclectic taste for music at a young age. He went on to pursue his musical education by studying jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music before transferring to the New School for Jazz where he received his BFA in guitar performance. Upon returning to the Bay Area Nelsen began his graduate studies as an MA student in Ethnomusicology at UC Santa Cruz. His MA Thesis explored the critical reception of soul jazz and the ways jazz organists of the 1960s signified conventional performance practices. After completing his MA, Nelsen continued his studies at UC Santa Cruz where he is now a Ph.D. Candidate in Cross-Cultural Musicology. His PhD research employs ethnographic methods to analyze the political economy of the Bay Area jazz scene and the working lives of musicians. In addition to being a scholar and educator at UC Santa Cruz, Nelsen also regularly performs in the region as a freelance jazz guitarist. As a performer, Nelsen has toured with the viral Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gunhild Carling, performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and recorded mandola on Larry Polanksy’s New World Records album “These are the Generations.”

Dutch double bassist Simon Planting lives near San Francisco but studied Classical bass with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Jazz at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam before embarking on a professional career. He has performed in concerts and festivals the world over and has compiled an impressive discography with artists like Mathilde Santing, Fapy Lafertin, Jimmy Rosenberg, Stephane Wrembel, and John Jorgenson. Simon Planting is the DjangoFest NW Artistic Director.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvJl4zlZdNA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMqDqgpr-sc
https://linktr.ee/ampsmasher
https://www.jimmygrant.net/