DjangoSolos Team

'Colin is an extremely accomplished guitarist in this genre of music with full mastery of both rhythm and lead playing.

He developed his techniques through living and playing with gypsy musicians in Paris. Extremely well versed in the subtleties and nuances of this style, his scope of playing covers the full gamut of arpeggios, chord substitutions, passing chords, accents, off beats etc.

Colin's playing continues to evolve and develop as he both accompanies and is accompanied by some of his leading European contempories eg Moreno, Matcho Winterstein, etc. While being primarily Django influenced, this is supplemented by an eclectic diversity in his playing taking in South American, Latin and modern jazz rhythms and idioms.

Accordingly, it is fair to say that of all the UK based gypsy guitarists, Colin is at the absolute fore in terms of his mastery and accomplishment.

Finally, his ability is augmented by a selfless desire and willingness to further the playing of others eg through his excellent books and teaching while, at the same time, exhibiting an inordinate patience with those not blessed with his talents!'

Ray Chase

'The 'numero uno' Gypsy Jazz guitarist in the UK' Hank Marvin

'...a great player! Sounds just like the real thing.' Robin Nolan

Stuart recently featured in an article for The Independent written by Michael Church when he dropped in on one of the Tuesday night jam sessions at the Battersea based Le Quecumbar, here's what he wrote:

'... I drop in on one of the QuecumBar's jam sessions. With potted palms, turn-of-the-century mirrors, and walls covered with photos of Gypsy swing's greats, the place does look a bit preserved in aspic, but when the bassist George Trebar and guitarist Stuart Blagden set off on an exploratory riff, the joint starts to jump.

Blagden, who began life as a classical guitarist, tells me that ever since he fell in love with Django's sound, he has been trying to combine it with bebop. As he warms to his task, it's clear he's doing just that. His finger-picking gets hotter and faster, his rhythm guitarist generates huge momentum, and the old jazz standards and Django numbers pour out in ever more harmonically inventive guises.

... So, museum culture be damned. Gypsy swing is alive and well...'

Gypsy Jazz Jam Session, QuecumBar, London fivestar By Michael Church, Published: 06 January 2006

James McGee GSMD B.Mus Violin Classical and Jazz. An experienced teacher in both classical and jazz, with extensive performance experience.

jamesviolinamp@yahoo.com