Gypsophilia : Halifax

Stellar chops and arrangements whose execution is nothing short of genius.

- Trevor McLaren, The Coast

Gypsophilia was initially inspired by the music of French jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, but soon found its own distinctive sound through unique original compositions and the melding of the band members' varied backgrounds and influences.

While "gypsy jazz" remains a major component of the music, Gypsophilia fuses elements of tango, klezmer, funk, classical music, hard bop and post bop. The band's repertoire ranges from energetic swinging dance music to more sophisticated jazz, from highly-improvised to through-composed pieces, but often combines these elements, incorporating challenging modern harmonies and melodies in the context of an accessible, swinging beat.

Admired by listening and dancing audiences young and old, the group's passionate, exciting and sophisticated sound has quickly catapulted them to unprecedented jazz popularity in Nova Scotia.

Initially formed for an appearance at the 2004 Atlantic Jazz Festival, the band was impressed with the immediate and passionate audience response. Since then, Gypsophilia has played numerous club shows, private functions, fundraisers, festivals, dance parties and soft-seat performances, regularly attracting sold-out crowds. Performance highlights include a number of swing dance parties and Masquerade Balls (2005, 2006, 2007), live recordings by CBC (2006, 2007), a live album recording session (2007), showcases at Contact East (2007), NSMW (2007) and the ECMAs (2008), and performances at festivals, including the Atlantic Jazz Festival (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), the Rimouski FestiJazz International (2006), Fredericton's Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival (2006) and the Deep Roots Festival in Wolfville (2006). In all of these contexts, Gypsophilia's efforts to explore new musical ground have been met with great enthusiasm and support from listeners.

In the past year Gypsophilia has focused on promoting its debut album Minor Hope, which was released in May 2007, and was nominated for both a Nova Scotia Music Award and an ECMA for Jazz Recording of the Year (see the music page for more details). The band has recently added trumpeter Matt Myer to its line-up, and continues to compose and develop new music in addition to playing concerts on a regular basis.