The band Gypsophilia: in the top row, from left, are Adam Fine, Sageev Oore and Ross Burns, and in the bottom row, from left, are Matt Myer, Nick Wilkinson, Alec Frith and Gina Burgess.
With seven people coming from seven different backgrounds, it’s only natural that Gypsophilia can meld so many different styles of music.
The jazzy Halifax band takes different genres, including gypsy jazz, klezmer, funk, indie and reggae, and synthesizes them to create a unique sound.
For example, double bassist Adam Fine brings a lot of the klezmer and Jewish aspects to Gypsophilia’s material. The band’s repertoire even includes a song called Jewish Dance Party, which has a simchah flavour.
“It started one Sunday morning when I sat down and wrote some Jewish music,” Fine said. “I decided I’d take all the Jewish clichés that I knew and put it into one song.”
Fine is originally from Toronto, though his mother came from Yarmouth, N.S.
“When I mentioned I wanted to move to Halifax, both her and my dad said, ‘What the hell do you want to move back there for?’” he says. But he has found the beauty of living in a small city.
“It’s a much smaller scene. You can get to know everybody who’s playing here,” he says. “I like how social it is. You walk into people you know everywhere.”
But he describes the Halifax Jewish community as quite small, with around 1,500 people.
“I have to go home to get deli,” Fine says, laughing.
One of the best things about Halifax is the lack of competition, he says.
“If I started a klezmer band in Toronto, there are already 50 really great klezmer bands you’re competing with, and here there are only one or two,” he says.
His grandfather initially introduced him to klezmer music when he was in high school, though Fine says some of the klezmer bands he’s heard, such as Masada, led by American saxophonist and composer John Zorn, are a bit too noisy and “avant-garde” for his taste.
It was also his grandfather and father, both of whom were trumpet players, who inspired him to request to play trumpet in his Grade 4 concert band. Unfortunately, the teacher thought he would make a better French horn player.
And for the next five years, he was stuck with the instrument.
“These days I love the sound of the French horn, but only when it is played by other people,” Fine says.
Then, about 14 years ago, he took up the electric bass, which he describes as the first instrument he ever liked to play.
However, two years later, another bass player advised him to switch to the double bass if he wanted to maintain a career in the jazz scene. This transition was a bit difficult due to the physical-strength requirements for pushing down the strings, but it got easier over time, he says.
Fine is keeping busy, with seven side projects, including one called Der Heisser, which is purely klezmer music.
Gypsophilia’s music is often described as bridging the worlds of jazz and indie rock, drawing both the regular jazz crowd as well as indie hipsters to the shows, which have been described as highly energetic and almost like a party.
It’s a mix of danceable music and listening music, sometimes both in the same night, Fine says, adding that the band has opened for hard rock and punk bands in the past. The music, while clearly in the jazz genre, is less improvised than a typical jazz band, which might make it a bit more accessible.
“Some of the stuff is rhythmic and driving,” he says, “and other stuff is very dynamic and a little more developmental.”
He draws inspiration from many different places, with one of his songs incorporating a rugby chant from southern France. He told The CJN he was at a rugby game, heard the chant, wrote down the music – exemplifying an obviously great ear for music – and brought it to his bandmates – keyboardist Sageev Oore, guitarist Ross Burns, trumpet player Matt Myer, guitarists Nick Wilkinson and Alec Frith and violinist Gina Burgess.
Gypsophilia’s latest album is called Sa-Ba-Da-OW! and refers to the ways musicians talk when they’re trying to explain a part of the music.
For example, he might say he’s referring to the sa-ba-da-ow part, and the other musicians would know exactly which part he means.
The album has garnered attention from the East Coast Music Association, which gave Gypsophilia a Jazz Recording of the Year award for Sa-Ba-Da-OW!
Right now, the band is working on material for a followup album, which is set for recording in Montreal in December and for a 2011 release.
Although the musicians haven’t determined which direction the album will go, one thing is sure: there will be waltzes.
“I’ve got a bit of a curse,” Fine says, laughing. “That’s all I can write these days.”
Gypsophilia will play a few shows in the Maritimes in August and September. Visit
www.gypsophilia.org and
www.adamfine.ca for more information.
