Stir Q&A: Van Django violinist Cameron Wilson sounds off on the ensemble's upcoming concert with the VSO
Known for crisscrossing musical genres, the musician talks gypsy jazz, his violin, and staying sane during the pandemic
Cameron Wilson (foreground) performing at the Orpheum for the virtual concert Van Django With the VSO.
Van Django With the VSO premieres March 13 at 7:30 pm via TheConcertHall.ca and streams for the remainder of the VSO season.
IN THE SPIRIT of Belgian-born Roma guitarist Django Reinhardt, Van Django is an acoustic string jazz quartet that specializes in gypsy jazz of 1930s Paris. The ensemble’s violinist, Cameron Wilson (who’s also a composer and arranger) launched his career as a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, where he played for 17 years before becoming a freelance musician. (He still plays with the VSO on occasion.) Now, the two groups are joining forces for a virtual concert that will swing in some wild directions.
Conducted by Andrew Crust and recorded at the Orpheum Theatre, Van Django With the VSO is a mixed program with pieces like “Blue Moon” (by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart), Reinhardt’s “Impromptu”, and “Sweet Georgia Brown” (Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, and Kenneth Casey). Van Django (which includes guitarist Budge Schachte, guitarist/cellist Finn Manniche, and bassist Brent Gubbels) will also perform a number of songs independently, including original compositions such as “Rue Fir”. (Written by Wilson and Manniche, it’s is named in honour of the street the former lives on; it just sounds so much better in French, the prolific musician says with a laugh.)
Stir connected with Wilson to find out more.
How did you end up discovering gypsy jazz and what drew you to it?
I actually had the luxury and privilege of seeing Stéphane Grappelli when I was 13. [The French jazz violinist collaborated with Reinhardt in their legendary Quintette Du Hot Club De France.] I grew up in Edmonton, and he was touring North America. He was playing at the Jubilee [Auditorium]; my dad took me.
Grappelli was classically trained, but he also could improvise. I find that style of music really appeals to me because I can use classical technique but also play by ear and incorporate other styles.
The guitar generates the rhythm; there are no drums like in pop music. It’s all strings. It’s beautiful and elegant but very energetic at the same time.
I’m excited about people discovering this genre of music. People might not even realize they’ve heard it before. It’s on soundtracks, in films, in TV commercials; I’ve heard it on cooking shows and home improvement shows. It works with everything.
We were so honoured to be asked to do something like this with the VSO. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do. I hope when we’re back to live audiences, we can do more of this kind of programming. And it was so nice being able to play music in the same room as other people.
How have you been dealing with the pandemic?
When it hit, I had just started to tour with Marc Atkinson. We had done one show, then tour got cancelled. Within about five days, I lost six months of work. It was like dominoes, they [bookings] just kept falling—boom, boom, boom.
It was challenging. I basically kept sane by doing these Facebook solo-violin videos where I’d cover a pop tune, work on it all week then put it up on Friday. It became a routine, a ritual. I did that for eight to 10 weeks. I started online teaching. In the fall, I played one week with the VSO, which was very nice. I started doing online concerts, which a lot of people have been doing. Van Django has been pretty quiet since the end of January, but I’m hoping things turn around….I’m hoping we’ll all be vaccinated by the end of summer, but there’s a lot of ifs.
Can you tell us about your violin?
It’s an English violin that was made in 1841. I bought it in Seattle back in 1989. The maker is Fendt; it’s a real violin-making family. Bernard Simon was his name, so the initials “BS” are on the inside.
It’s a long-neck Stradivarius copy. It’s about an eighth of an inch longer than a normal violin, so I had to get used to it a little bit.
I tried half a dozen before I saw this one, and I was immediately drawn to it. I remember trying a Stradivarius a few shops down, and I couldn’t play it very well. I’ve heard that with certain Stradivarius', they’re not easy to play. You have to break them in and play them for a while.
It has a really nice tone. Instruments change over time. The first time I played it, it was very loud and very bright. Now it’s kind of mellowed a bit. It’s a lovely instrument. I love it. Sometimes a bow can make a certain instrument sound better. The bow I have now is from Montreal. It's a Francois Lotte bow; it's nice and mellow.
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