Fiddling with a legend
L’ESSOR SAVOYARD
LA TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE
REVUE ETUDES TSIGANES
Scott Yanow Los Angeles Jazz Scene
There are many brilliant musicians currently exploring Gypsy Swing… Intrator and Felix are two of the finest.
Fiddler Magazine
Intrator is an excellent violinist who is able to play both bop and swing with equal facility…a creative player with a fine feel for melodic improvisation and a sure sense of rhythm.
FESTIVAL de JAZZ de SERRES
Crazy rhythms, skill, technical mastery …John Intrator certainly deserves the compliments he received from Stéphane Grappelli… Quite simply superb!
Washington Post
Most of the fireworks were reserved for the second set, when Wrembel augmented his band … including the French virtuoso John Intrator.
Matt Glaser, Chairman Strings Department, Berklee College of Music, Boston USA
John Intrator is forging a personal language composed of elements from swing fiddle and a nice touch of bebop.
khamoro world roma festival
Sebastien Felix and John Intrator have been performing together for over 15 years, playing the music and repertoire of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli at festivals throughout Europe and the USA. Sébastien Felix comes from a well-known and musically illustrious French Sinti family and his musical personality is deeply rooted in his gypsy origins. Sébastian’s sensitivity, his lyricism and his virtuosity always serve the music, which is why he is so appreciated by musicians such as Tchawolo Schmitt, Mandino Reinhardt, Lulu Reinhardt and the Rosenberg trio, among others. He performs regularly in France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and in the USA with his musical partner, John Intrator. With major impact by the late Stephane Grappelli, John has been equally influenced by the famous American violinist Claude Williams, with whom he also performed. As to John’s own style, it is characterized primarily by his love of swing and his pleasure in sharing it. On this occasion Sébastien and John will be accompanied by Sébastien’s sons Jonathan (guitar) and Esteban (double bass), as the gypsy musical tradition is passed on from one generation to the next.
JERSEY JAZZ
Violinist JOHN INTRATOR and guitarist SÉBASTIEN FELIXfront a new album titled Open House (Round Stake – 2327), and listening to it is an unmitigated joy. The duo has recruited a variety of guest artists to join them in various groupings to explore fifteen selections, all grounded in the style of gypsy jazz. The performers, with the exception of guitarist Howard Alden who appears on two tracks, are all based in Europe. The recording was made at La Forge Sound Studios in Versoix, Switzerland. Intrator was born and raised in the United States, but has spent most of his time living in Geneva since 1968. Felix is from a French Gypsy family. Both are steeped in the music made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Three of the selections, ‘Swing 39,’ ‘Oriental Shuffle,’ and a medley of ‘Souvenirs’ and ‘Black and White,’ come from the book of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, the group led by Reinhardt and Grappelli. Most of the other tracks are standards from the Great American Songbook. While there are various combinations of artists and instruments, the album has a feeling of unity to it. Whichever combination is playing, the results are swinging and enchanting. If you dig ‘feel good’ music, this is an album for you.