Gypsy Lady

Connie Evingson, the Iron Range native with silky vocal phrasing and an indelible sense of swing, is becoming something of a celebrity in the world outside the Twin Cities jazz scene. Her career has always taken her on the road, but during the past year, her frequent flier account has swelled. It’s not her alluring delivery of jazz standards or her finely honed tribute to Peggy Lee that’s landing her gigs in Seattle, Stockholm, and Tokyo. It’s her creative take on hot club music—or gypsy jazz. Evingson’s latest effort, Stockholm Sweetnin’ with The Hot Club of Sweden, is her second album of gypsy jazz and received praise following its release in Europe in May. (It was released in this country in July.)

Hot club music, which surfaced in the vibrant cabaret society of Paris in the mid-1930s, is a sophisticated combination of French musette music and Ellington–era swing jazz masterminded by the idiosyncratic and brilliant gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. The mix of guitars, violin, and bass, which distinguished hot club ensembles from other jazz combos, was unusual in those days, and the primarily instrumental songs touched listeners in a unique way. It seems they still do. “Hot club music captivates me because it expresses the full range of emotions and experiences,” says Evingson. “Romance, mystery, sweetness, pathos, melancholy, ebullient joy—it’s all there.”

In recent years, gypsy jazz has enjoyed a renaissance, particularly in Europe, and that’s where Evingson comes in. “A lot of the tunes in the Django repertoire are standards that have lyrics, so I just ignored the fact that most hot club groups don’t have singers and worked my way into the scene,” she says. Evingson, known for her impeccable taste in song choices, has enjoyed tackling the traditional Django songbook, as well as lesser-known material. Her first recorded hot club outing was Gypsy in My Soul in 2004, which peaked at number eight on the JazzWeek radio chart. On the strength of Gypsy, Evingson was nominated for the 2005 JazzWeek Vocalist of the Year award alongside big-label names, including Tierney Sutton.

On Stockholm Sweetnin’, the classic “Besame Mucho,” sung by Evingson in its original Spanish, and the elegant “Throw It Away,” written by the innovative vocalist Abbey Lincoln, are two standouts that demonstrate the powerful effect of vocals on gypsy jazz. Evingson’s lyrics for the original “Autumn in Kokkola” so impressed the people of Kokkola, Finland, they invited her to perform at their city festival in August.

What’s next for Evingson? This month, she appears at the first Uptown Row Django Jazz Fest, which showcases Evingson, her Gypsy in My Soul collaborators Clearwater Hot Club and Parisota Hot Club, and other gypsy jazz specialists. Early next year, she plans to release an album of songs by the great songwriter and pianist (and St. Paul native) Dave Frishberg. “I’ve been a fan of Dave for years,” says Evingson. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to make an album of his songs, and even happier to record it with him at the piano!”

But for now, Evingson is a hot property in the world of gypsy jazz.

Sept. 9. 1221 W. Lake St., btwn. Emerson & Fremont Aves., Mpls., connieevingson.com