Jean Guyomarc’h Hot Club Trio, Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse, Brecon, 20/01/2026

Jean Guyomarc’h – acoustic guitar, Gareth Evans – acoustic guitar, Ashley John Long – double bass

Brecon Jazz Club’s 2026 programme got off to a terrific start with this sold out performance from a trio led by the French gypsy jazz guitarist Jean Guyomarc’h. Even on a wet and windy January night people had travelled a long way, Bridgend and Fishguard were among the locations mentioned, to see this stellar Franco-Welsh trio, with Guyomarc’h joined by fellow guitarist Gareth Evans and by bassist Ashley John Long.

Guyomarc’h is a hugely popular figure with Brecon jazz audiences and tonight represented his fifth visit to the town. In 2015 the Brittany born musician toured Wales with the group Major Swing featuring rhythm guitarist and vocalist Phillippe Cann and violinist and vocalist Yurie Hu. The tour culminated with a well received performance at Brecon Jazz Festival where the trio were joined by guest performers Ashley John Long on double bass and Remi Harris (guitar).  My review of that performance can be read here;
http://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/major-swing-with-guests-remi-harris-and-ashley-john-long-brecon-jazz-festiv/

In October 2016 Guyomarc’h returned to Brecon as a guest of the Amigos Trio featuring guitarists Gary Phillips and Richard Jones plus violinist Bethan Frieze. This was a regular Brecon Jazz Club event, but unfortunately I was unable to be present on that particular occasion.

A year later he was back in Wales leading a trio featuring guitarist Will Barnes and double bassist and occasional vocalist Ruth Bowen at Brecon Jazz Club, a line up billed as Jean Guyomarc’h and Friends. My account of that performance can be found here;
http://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/jean-guyomarch-friends-brecon-jazz-club-the-muse-arts-centre-brecon-10-10-2/

Prior to tonight’s performance Guyomarc’h’s most recent visit was in March 2018 when he led an international trio featuring the Polish guitarist Maciek Pysz, who was based in the UK at that time and also a popular and regular visitor to Brecon, and the Brazilian born, Cardiff based bassist Matheus Prado. Pysz described the trio as a kind of ‘World Union’ and the programme reflected diversity of the musicians with a mix of gypsy jazz staples, jazz and bebop standards, Brazilian music (reflecting Prado’s presence) and even a Pysz original. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/maciek-pysz-jean-guyomarch-matheus-prado-trio-brecon-jazz-club-the-muse-bre#google_vignette

More than seven years on and Guyomarc’h’s return, part of a short series of Welsh dates that also included performances in Barry and Penarth plus a gypsy jazz workshop in Brecon, was very keenly anticipated. The lengthy gap between visits was inevitably partly Covid related but even more significant is Guyomarc’h’s growing reputation at home, where he is an increasingly busy and in demand musician. As Lynne Gornall of Brecon Jazz Club explained to cut it at the highest level on the gypsy jazz circuit in France you have to be good – and Guoyomarc’h certainly is – as he demonstrated in spades this evening.

Fellow guitarist Gareth Evans is a versatile musician who has visited Brecon Jazz Club and Festival on numerous occasions, often as part of a blues duo with vocalist and guitarist Bella Collins. Evans also performed as a solo guitarist at the 2024 Brecon Jazz Festival playing a selection of tunes associated with Django Reinhardt, this forming part of an afternoon event centred around the screening of the film “Django”.

Virtuoso bassist Ashley John Long has visited Brecon so many times that there’s neither space or time to list them all here. Another highly versatile musician and a brilliant bass soloist he’s a player with a burgeoning UK wide reputation, thanks in part to his work with pianist and composer John Law and to his membership of the Bristol based trio Yetii, who have attracted considerable critical acclaim from the national jazz press. Long’s brilliance is not just a well kept Welsh secret any more.

Although Guyomarc’h is also a composer tonight’s programme focussed on the music of others, and particularly on that of the founding father of gypsy jazz Django Reinhardt (1910-53). The trio quickly set their stall out with a fast moving version of Reinhardt’s composition “Coquette” led by Guyomarc’h’s rapid strumming and agile chording. However although this was unquestionably Guyomarc’h’s band there was plenty of space allocated to both Evans and Long with Evans also featuring as a soloist as he and Guyomarc’h switched the lead and rhythm roles around. A typically virtuoso Long double bass solo then evolved into a series of thrilling exchanges with Guyomarc’h. A scintillating start to the evening’s events.

“Blue Drag”, written by Josef Myrow but inevitably associated with Reinhardt, was delivered at a more languid pace and again included solos from both Guyomarc’h and Evans, plus an outstanding bass feature from Long. Guyomarc’h’s solo was particularly notable for its prodigious note bending techniques.

Next the trio visited the repertoire of a more modern gypsy jazz guitar master, Guyomarc’h’s fellow Frenchman Bireli Lagrene (born 1966). Lagrene’s composition “Made in France” has been in Guyomarc’h’s repertoire for some time and was introduced by a combination of tautly strummed acoustic guitars, featuring the sounds of dampened strings,  plus double bass. The pace later accelerated to accommodate more conventional gypsy jazz soloing from Guyomarc’h, Evans and Long. This was an item that was very well received by the Brecon audience.

An extended passage of spacious unaccompanied guitar from Guyomarc’h ushered in “Minor Swing” with the full trio later accelerating the pace as Long, Evans and Guyomarc’h delivered typically articulate solos before coming together at the end with a barnstorming collective passage that drew rapturous applause from the crowd.

Having featured Reinhardt’s compositions so extensively Guyomarc’h was also determined to feature the writing of Stephane Grappelli. A playful rendition of the violinist’s “Les Valseuses” included an element of musical humour and included solos from all three musicians,

Reinhardt’s “Danse norvégienne” or “Norwegian Dance” was a slower piece that included the melodic bass soloing of Long together with features for both guitarists.

The first half concluded in lively fashion with the fast moving “Swing Gitan”, with the propulsive rhythms of Evans and Long fuelling Guyomarc’h’s rapid picking. The solos from all three musicians were truly virtuosic as an excellent opening set concluded in breathlessly exciting fashion.

There was to be no reduction in terms of quality or excitement in a second half that kicked off with an energetic rendition of “Swing 42”, introduced by Guyomarc’h and Long but with Evans taking up the melody and delivering the first solo. Guyomarc’h followed, with Long succeeding him. The bassist was clearly enjoying himself and slipped a quote from “All of Me” into his solo, to the amusement of those both on and off stage. The outro featured more virtuoso picking from Guyomarc’h. An excellent start to the second set.

The choice of the blues “Billie’s Bounce”, a composition by Charlie Parker, was perhaps a nod to Evans’ blues background. Indeed it was Evans who introduced the piece unaccompanied, his playing suitably blues infused. Guyomarc’h and Long then joined as the full trio delivered unison melody lines before diverging to deliver their individual solos, with Evans followed by Long and finally Guyomarc’h.

The ever adaptable “Caravan” (Juan Tizol / Duke Ellington) was convincingly delivered in the gypsy jazz style, ushered in by a virtuoso solo double bass intro from Long that featured some flamboyant flamenco style strumming. He was return as a soloist later in the piece following the lead guitar excursions of Guyomarc’h and Evans.

Another change of style within the basic gypsy jazz template with Dario Schmidt’s composition “Bossa Dorado”, which has become a gypsy jazz staple. This featured a particularly dazzling solo from Guyomarc’h and also included further solos from Long and Evans, with Long briefly flourishing the bow at the close.

Arguably Reinhardt’s most famous composition “Nuages” was introduced by a lengthy passage of unaccompanied guitar from Guyomarc’h that skilfully combined feeling with technique. Long’s bass solo featured him at his most melodic and Evans was also featured. The performance was bookended by an unaccompanied guitar cadenza from Guyomarc’h.

The performance concluded with the trio romping gleefully and energetically through “Minor Swing” with all three protagonists delivering thrilling solos. The audience absolutely loved it and the matter of an encore was never in question.

This proved to be another slice of unabashed energy with a rapidly paced version of “Dark Eyes”, introduced solo by the leader and subsequently including features for all three musicians.

The crowd roared their approval with several audience members getting to their feet to salute the band.

Maybe it’s a case of ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ but for my money this was the best performance that I’ve experienced from Guyomarc’h in the four times that I’ve seen him – and it has to be said that the others were pretty damn good too.

This was essentially an acoustic performance with minimal mic-ing up of the two acoustic guitars plus double bass, as Guyomarc’h himself pointed out. Even on a cold, wet January night in Brecon we could almost convince ourselves we were sat around the campfire somewhere in France on a hot summer evening – and to be fair it was pleasantly warm in The Muse, well done Ruth and team.

Guyomarc’h himself seems to be playing better than ever and in Evans and Long he had two superb fellow performers who were far more than mere accompanists. This was a true trio performance that featured musicianship of the highest quality. There may not have been anything unexpected or surprising here but this was gypsy jazz played to a very high standard and one really couldn’t have wished for more from the evening.

My thanks to Jean for speaking with me after the show and for verifying the set list. His sixth visit to Brecon is sure to be very keenly anticipated.

Finally congratulations to Lynne Gornall and Roger Cannon of Brecon Jazz Club for bringing Jean Guyomarc’h to Wales and what a great way to kick off Brecon Jazz Club’s 2026 programme.

 

 

 

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