Last weekend I had a completely blocked right nostril, a left one that ran nonstop, and two ears that felt like they were plugged with cotton. I wanted nothing more than to burrow under a blanket while cradling a bottle of Nyquil. I’m so glad I chose option B.

Option B was to drag my slightly miserable and snotty-nosed self to Ashland Coffee and Tea. Not only did I have a nice cup of tea and some tasty chicken chili, but I was treated to three hours and three bands’ worth of fantastic gypsy jazz music, a genre I have been woefully ignorant of for most of my life. Too bad for me, particularly since accordions (and violins) play such a pivotal role in that music.

Three bands performed that night at the second annual Djangouary to play music inspired by the late great European jazz guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt. Last Sunday was Django’s birthday. I can now quite confidently call myself a Django fan,

The lineup:
1. From Philly– Dallas Vietty and his Musette Project. Dallas is a phenomenal player, and he’s so young! I met Dallas online (social media makes our large world rather small, and it becomes even smaller when you’re interested in accordions!).it was way cool to meet and hear him in person. Here’s a taste of his performance that night. He brought two kick-ass guitar players from the Hot Club of Philadelphia to accompany him…and what a trio they made! You can learn lots more about his musette project on his blog.

2. From West Virginia — The Woodshedders I loved this band! Unfortunately I didn’t grab any video that night on my iPhone, but I did find this video on Youtube.

1. From Richmond–Thomas Wakefield’s Gypsy Roots–my fabulously talented accordion teacher Bob Jacobs is the accordionist in this wonderful AND LOCAL gypsy jazz band. The next time they are playing around town, Richmonders need to check them out.

I was down to my last tissue when the night ended delightfully by pulling every member from every band up on stage to play together–Tres magnifique! Enjoy this clip of their final Djam.