Gypsophilia

Gypsophilia
October 7 at Ginger’s Tavern
Gypsophilia is the hottest jazz combo in Halifax these days, with its variation on Django-style small-group swing that also incorporates such diverse elements as Klezmer, stride piano and Bird-like explorations of a melodic line. And they are rightly attracting both a young audience as well as seasoned jazz fans. But watching its opening set Friday night was like watching a jalopy lurch down the road — every few minutes its sputtering engine getting a boot to the side — as the members took turns trying to get the sound levels just right. For awhile we suffered through barely audible guitars and ricocheting feedback, prompting a frustrated Dani Oore (on soprano saxophone) to offer up an improvised “Feedback Blues.” But once the kinks were ironed out, the capacity crowd responded with increasing enthusiasm and appreciation. The legion of dancers — who initially went up front in sporadic fits — finally took over at the beginning of the second set. And they never let go, with Gypsophilia responding in kind, until the whole place was whipped into one communal call-and-response, “you do this and we’ll do that” celebration.