Gypsy Roots CD Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Thomas Wakefield Cell: 804-874-9135 Email: gypsyrootsjazz@aol.com
Chakra Odyssey, the latest CD recording by Gypsy Roots, will be unveiled this Friday, August 7, 2009 at Ashland Coffee and Tea in Ashland, Virginia. Gypsy Roots, a regionally acclaimed Gypsy Jazz group, will perform the music of the CD in its entirety beginning at 8pm at Ashland Coffee and Tea.

Thomas Wakefield, guitarist, owner of Ashland Music Academy, and lifelong resident of Hanover County, has created a fantastic collection of tunes that will tantalize and entertain the listeners. Each song is an invitation to another journey. This CD includes nine original tunes composed and arranged by Thomas Wakefield along with two American jazz standards.

Having reviewed the CD Steve Clark, Producer at WCVE Public Radio reflects: “I found the music of Django Reinhardt two decades ago as an upstart radio producer with a Swing program, but it wasn’t until a Jazz Manouche band popped up in Richmond, Virginia ten years later that the music really came alive for me. Here was a Gypsy jazz band in the most unlikely of places, with authentic instrumentation, and with the members all having the most unusual gypsy names… Wakefield, Farmer, Lyles… They were immersed in the music, and although the band’s performance wasn’t always sure-footed, there was exuberance to its stumbling gait that prevented me from averting my gaze. This decade of watching and listening to Gypsy Roots has been measured in the steadiest of boom-chick rhythms as the skills and finesse of the group has matured.

I seem to recall thinking in the early days that their name was presumptuous and maybe a little disingenuous, but I’ve come ’round. The explorations on this CD are rooted deep in Gypsy, and like a Gypsy, the music never makes a home anywhere but where it is at the moment. I hope the same for you.” Gypsy Roots is acoustic travel. Jazz musician and anthropologist, Thomas Wakefield’s vision of putting together a group to explore music and culture comes to fruition in the auditory adventure that is Gypsy Roots.

Steeped in American blues, swing, Latin and jazz, Gypsy Roots draws upon the strong influence of music within the Gypsy diaspora, particularly the style pioneered by the legendary French Gypsy guitar genius, Django Reinhardt. Terms such as jazz manouche, Gypsy jazz, and “string swing” have been applied to this genre of music created and explored by Reinhardt and his Roma brethren. The tradition of this music continues today as contemporary Gypsy musicians move forward to create exhilarating and vibrant tapestries of sound with one ear firmly fixed on their rich cultural past. It is within this philosophy that Gypsy Roots creates its sound, full of passion, fun, fire, and promise. Join the caravan, sit around the campfire, and explore the sonic journeys of Gypsy Roots. Gypsy Roots has a strong tie to Hanover County.

Many members of Gypsy Roots are also instructors at Ashland Music Academy and have ties to the community. Guitarists Thomas Wakefield, who resides near Scotchtown, is owner and instructor at the Academy, and guitarist, James Beard, is a life-long native Ashland and a substitute teacher there. The group’s violinist, Larry Lyles, and bassist, Rusty Farmer are also both instructors at the Academy. Accordionist Robert Jacobs was a long time resident of Rockville before moving into Richmond. Gypsy Roots is: Thomas Wakefield – guitar James Beard – guitar Larry Lyles – violin Rusty Farmer – bass Robert Jacobs – accordion

For more information on Thomas Wakefield/Gypsy Roots check out the website: www.gypsyroots.net or contact Thomas at gypsyrootsjazz@aol.com For information on Ashland Coffee and Tea, its location, menu, etc., please contact them at 804-798-1702, or visit their web site at www.ashlandcoffeeandtea.com. Ashland Coffee and Tea is located at 100 N. Railroad Ave, Ashland, VA 23005.

If you would like more information about Chakra Odyssey or would like to schedule an interview with Thomas Wakefield, please contact him directly at 804-874-9135 or via email at gypsyrootsjazz@aol.com.