Just got back from a 3.5-week tour across the U.S. with Tim Kliphuis and it was quite the run. One of the final concerts brought us to Baltimore—in my opinion one of the most underrated cities in the country. The people are authentic, hospitable, and genuinely care about each other. A pretty great way to wrap up the tour. Big thanks to Michael Joseph Harris for bringing us out. While touring I wasn’t able to post as many lessons as I’d like, but now that I’m back I’ll be adding more content here soon—some new material on rhythm, phrasing, and a few tunes we were playing on the road. In the meantime, keep working on the lessons already here, and feel free to post videos of your progress. I love seeing what everyone is working on. Next up we’ll be in Atlanta (GA), Athens (GA), and Carrboro (NC) from March 18–22. I’d love to see some of you there! I’ll also be doing workshops in Carrboro on March 21. I’m also thinking of doing a free lesson on the tune “Swing Gitane.” Let me know in the poll below if that’s a tune you’d like to learn!

Hello Everyone, This year we’ve got an amazing lineup: Paulus Schäfer, Tim Kliphuis, Sam Farthing, Eva Slongo, and Simon Planting will be joining us on bass for October 8–9. We’ve also made a few changes this year. We now have the entire Columbia hotel reserved for the camp, which means the late-night jam sessions are officially back on (and yes… that means jamming overnight). There’s also a new system for booking rooms. After you purchase tuition, you’ll receive a link where you can reserve your room directly. Rooms are limited — we only have 20 available, so if you’re planning to stay at the hotel, I recommend booking early. That said, staying at the hotel is not required to attend the camp. I’ll also be arranging discounted rates at a nearby hotel, which I’ll share soon. You can check out the details and register here: CAMP DJANGO! Hope to see some of you there!🎸

I think it is doable and enjoyable, probably with members of this group and some violins from the Jazz Violin Academy. Besides being my opinion I also questioned my AI co-pilot and here is what it says : Short answer: yes — a gypsy‑jazz ensemble split between St. Augustine and Boston can be enjoyable, as long as everyone understands the feel will be slightly more relaxed than an in‑person jam. And for gypsy jazz, that’s not a deal‑breaker at all. Let me break down why. 🎸 Why Gypsy Jazz Works Surprisingly Well Online Gypsy jazz has a few built‑in advantages for remote performance: 1. The rhythm is elastic, not rigid La pompe is driving, but it’s not a metronomic pop groove. Players naturally “breathe” around the beat, and that flexibility absorbs a bit of latency. 2. The ensemble is small Usually 2–4 guitars, maybe a bass. Fewer players = fewer timing conflicts. 3. The attack is percussive but forgiving Gypsy picking has a strong transient, but the harmonic rhythm is fast enough that slight timing offsets don’t feel catastrophic. 4. Solos and accompaniment alternate Only one soloist at a time means fewer simultaneous timing dependencies. 🎧 What the latency numbers mean musically From the earlier calculation, a Boydton, VA JackTrip studio gives: - 48–68 ms total round‑trip latency between St. Augustine and Boston. Musically, here’s how that feels: Latency Range Musical Feel < 30 ms Feels almost local 30–50 ms Noticeable but playable with relaxed styles 50–70 ms Playable for swing, bossa, gypsy jazz, folk; not ideal for tight funk > 80 ms Starts to feel like call‑and‑response Your expected range sits in the “playable for swing/gypsy jazz” zone. 🎼 So… will it be enjoyable? Yes — if you approach it like a slightly looser, more conversational jam. Players will adapt quickly: - Rhythm guitar can lean a hair ahead. - Soloists can phrase with a touch more legato. - Everyone listens more intentionally. Gypsy jazz is already conversational by nature, so the slight latency becomes part of the vibe rather than a flaw.

Hey everyone, I have a new single out today! Back in 2020, during the pandemic, I started studying guitar online with Hungarian Gypsy guitarist Csabi Olah 🇭🇺. We only did a handful of lessons, but they were incredibly inspiring and opened a new door for me musically. Around that time, I became deeply interested in Hungarian Gypsy jazz through two records:🎧 Tziganskaïa – Matelo Ferret🎧 Gypsy Guitars – Angelo Debarre, Serge Camps & Frank Anastasio Through this music, I discovered the legendary guitarist Kosta Lukacs, who sadly passed away years ago. His playing revealed an entire jazz guitar world I had never heard before. In 2023, I finally made it to Budapest, spending several days with Csabi and soaking in the local music scene 🇭🇺✨ This piece is a composition by Kosta Lukacs — a beautiful etude he used to teach his students. https://open.spotify.com/track/4nAYbne8JyPwNjhbzXB58Q?si=4d0594615781418f The single is now available on all streaming platforms 🎵Enjoy!

I recently pulled up this waltz I used to play by Wasso Grunholz, known as Valse De Wasso! I've been obsessing over his compositions the last few days. I find it incredible that one guitarist who never recorded anything, still has managed to leave a legacy.