MANOUKE

Anatole

A French jazz term commonly used for the I–VI–II–V harmonic progression. It appears in many swing standards and is an important progression to recognise when reading a grille.

Arpeggio

The notes of a chord played one after another rather than simultaneously. Arpeggios are a fundamental building block of Gypsy Jazz improvisation because they clearly outline the harmony.

Accords Manouche / Gypsy Jazz Chords

What are Gypsy Jazz chords? Gypsy Jazz uses many of the same chords as other jazz styles, but certain voicings are especially characteristic of Jazz Manouche accompaniment. Major 6th, minor 6th, dominant 7th, diminished and extended dominant shapes are frequently heard in the style.

The choice of voicing is closely connected with La Pompe, voice leading and the harmonic movement of the song.

Bouche

French for “mouth”. In Gypsy Jazz guitar terminology it refers to the soundhole: grande bouche for the large D-shaped soundhole and petite bouche for the smaller oval one.

Chorus

One complete pass through the harmonic form of a tune. A soloist may improvise for one or several choruses while the rhythm section repeats the same chord progression.

Chord Chart

What is a chord chart? A chord chart shows the harmonic structure of a song using chord symbols, usually without writing out every note played by the musicians.

In French jazz terminology, this harmonic roadmap is commonly called a grille. Chord charts allow musicians to accompany, transpose and improvise over a tune without needing a fully written arrangement.

Chromatic Run

A melodic line moving in semitone steps. Chromatic movement is frequently used to connect chord tones, create tension and produce the flowing lines associated with Django-influenced improvisation.

Django Reinhardt

Belgian-born Manouche guitarist and composer whose playing with the Quintette du Hot Club de France became the central historical reference point for the style now commonly called Jazz Manouche or Gypsy Jazz.

Diminished Chord

A symmetrical chord built from minor thirds. Diminished chords are often used as passing harmonies, dominant-function substitutes and connecting chords in swing and Jazz Manouche arrangements.

Gitan

A French term generally associated with Romani groups of Iberian origin, particularly those with historical roots in Spain and southern France. The word is related to the Spanish term Gitano.

Although Gitan and Manouche are sometimes used loosely as if they meant the same thing, they traditionally refer to different Romani groups with distinct histories and cultural traditions.

Gadjo / Gadji

What does Gadjo mean? Gadjo is a Romani term traditionally used for a man who is not Romani. Gadji is the corresponding feminine form in varieties where this distinction is used.

The word can occasionally be encountered around Manouche musicians, communities and literature, which makes it useful terminology for anyone exploring the cultural background surrounding Jazz Manouche.

Guitare Manouche / Gypsy Jazz Guitar

What is a Manouche guitar? Guitare manouche is the French term commonly used for the type of acoustic guitar associated with Jazz Manouche and Django Reinhardt.

Modern instruments are generally inspired by Selmer and Maccaferri designs and commonly feature either a small oval petite bouche or a large D-shaped grande bouche soundhole, a floating bridge and a distinctive bright, projecting sound.

Gypsy Jazz

What is Gypsy Jazz? Gypsy Jazz is the English name commonly used for the jazz tradition associated above all with Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In French, the style is usually called Jazz Manouche.

The style is known for acoustic string instruments, swinging rhythm accompaniment, melodic improvisation and a repertoire combining Django compositions, jazz standards, French songs and waltzes.

Grande Bouche

A Selmer-Maccaferri-style guitar with a large D-shaped soundhole. The original Maccaferri design is strongly associated with the early history of the instruments used in this style.

Gypsy Picking

A picking approach associated with Gypsy Jazz guitar. It commonly uses forceful rest strokes, characteristic directional picking choices and a floating picking-hand position.

Hot Club

Most often encountered in the name Quintette du Hot Club de France, the famous ensemble associated with Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. The term became closely linked with the sound and repertoire of early European string jazz.

Hot Club Jazz

What is Hot Club Jazz? The term is used for music inspired by the sound of Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli and the Quintette du Hot Club de France.

It particularly evokes the classic string-jazz combination of lead guitar, rhythm guitars, violin and double bass that helped define the early sound associated with Jazz Manouche.

Jazz Manouche

What is Jazz Manouche? Jazz Manouche is a jazz tradition closely associated with Django Reinhardt, French swing and generations of Manouche and Sinti musicians. In English, the style is commonly known as Gypsy Jazz.

It typically combines swing rhythm, acoustic string instruments, strong melodic improvisation and a repertoire ranging from Django compositions to jazz standards, French songs and waltzes.

Jazz Standard

What is a jazz standard? A jazz standard is a composition that has become widely known and regularly performed by jazz musicians, often in many different arrangements and keys.

Jazz Manouche musicians share a large repertoire of standards alongside Django Reinhardt compositions, French songs, waltzes and more modern pieces. Knowing the standard repertoire makes it much easier to join jam sessions.

Lead Sheet

What is a lead sheet? A lead sheet is a compact musical notation containing the essential information needed to perform a song, typically its melody and chord symbols.

Unlike a complete arrangement, it leaves accompaniment, voicings and improvisation largely to the musicians. A grille can be even more compact, concentrating primarily on the chord progression.

Manouche

What does Manouche mean? Manouche is a French term traditionally associated with Sinti communities, particularly in France. It describes a cultural identity and should not be understood simply as the name of a musical style.

In music, the word is best known from Jazz Manouche. Django Reinhardt was Manouche, and his enormous influence on European jazz helped connect the term with the musical tradition that developed around his playing and repertoire.

Maccaferri

Who was Mario Maccaferri? Mario Maccaferri was an Italian guitarist, luthier and inventor whose guitar designs for Selmer became closely associated with Django Reinhardt and later with the entire visual identity of Gypsy Jazz guitar.

The original Maccaferri design and the later Selmer instruments inspired generations of guitars now commonly described as Selmer-Maccaferri or Manouche-style guitars.

Musette

A French popular dance-music tradition strongly associated with accordion and Parisian dance halls. Musette and swing interacted extensively, helping shape the repertoire and language of the valse manouche.

Petite Bouche

The small oval soundhole typical of later Selmer-style guitars. This guitar design became one of the most recognisable visual symbols of Gypsy Jazz.

Pompe Inversée

A variation of Gypsy Jazz rhythm accompaniment in which the attack and accent pattern differs from a more conventional La Pompe feel. The exact meaning can vary somewhat between teachers and players.

Rest Stroke

What is a rest stroke? A rest stroke is a picking stroke in which the pick continues through the played string and comes to rest against the adjacent string.

It is an important part of traditional Gypsy Jazz guitar technique and helps produce the strong attack, volume and projection associated with the style.

Rythme Manouche / Gypsy Jazz Rhythm

What is Gypsy Jazz rhythm? Rhythm accompaniment is one of the defining elements of Jazz Manouche. Instead of relying on a drum kit, traditional ensembles can create a strong rhythmic pulse largely through rhythm guitars and double bass.

The best-known accompaniment technique is La Pompe, although different players and periods of the music use different articulations and rhythmic approaches.

Romani

Romani is a broad term connected with the Romani people and their language. The Romani peoples include many different groups and communities across Europe and other parts of the world, including Sinti and Manouches.

Romani is also the name of the Indo-Aryan language spoken in many different varieties by Romani communities. These varieties developed differently over centuries as communities lived in different regions of Europe.

Selmer-Maccaferri

What is a Selmer-Maccaferri guitar? The term refers to the distinctive family of acoustic guitar designs developed through the collaboration between Mario Maccaferri and Selmer.

These instruments became closely associated with Django Reinhardt and their design inspired the guitars now commonly called Manouche guitars or Gypsy Jazz guitars.

Selmer

What is a Selmer guitar? In the context of Jazz Manouche, Selmer usually refers to the distinctive acoustic guitars produced by the French company Selmer and closely associated with Django Reinhardt.

Original Selmer and Selmer-Maccaferri instruments inspired the modern guitare manouche and remain among the most iconic instruments in Gypsy Jazz history.

Swing

Both a rhythmic feel and a broad jazz tradition. In Jazz Manouche, swing is created through the relationship between accompaniment, phrasing, articulation and rhythmic placement rather than by notation alone.

Swing Musette

Music combining elements of French musette with jazz and swing. It forms an important bridge between accordion-led Parisian dance music and parts of the Manouche repertoire.

Tritone Substitution

A jazz-harmony device in which a dominant seventh chord is replaced by another dominant seventh chord whose root lies a tritone away. It creates chromatic bass movement while preserving important tension notes.

Tzigane / Tsigane

A French historical umbrella term used for Romani peoples and traditions. The spellings Tzigane and Tsigane can both be encountered in French texts, music and cultural references.

In music, the word has also been used more broadly to describe music perceived as being inspired by Romani traditions. It therefore appears in older musical titles and descriptions that do not necessarily refer specifically to Jazz Manouche.

Trio Manouche

What is a Manouche trio? A trio manouche is a small ensemble playing Jazz Manouche, commonly built around lead guitar, rhythm guitar and double bass.

Other combinations are also possible. Violin, accordion, clarinet or another melodic instrument may replace or join the lead guitar depending on the repertoire and musicians.

Turnaround

What is a turnaround in jazz? A turnaround is a short harmonic progression, usually found near the end of a section, that leads the harmony back toward the beginning or into the next section.

Progressions such as I–VI–II–V and their substitutions are common turnarounds in swing and Jazz Manouche repertoire.

II–V–I

One of the central progressions in jazz harmony: the supertonic chord moves to the dominant, then resolves to the tonic. Recognising II–V–I movement makes many jazz and Manouche grilles easier to understand.

Valse Musette

What is a Valse Musette? Valse Musette is a French waltz tradition associated especially with Parisian popular dance music and the accordion.

Its repertoire and musical language intersected with Manouche musicians and swing, contributing to the development and repertoire of what is now commonly called Valse Manouche.