Russell Welch: Being ‘Human with Other Humans’

The Django a Gogo Festival is held every year in Maplewood, NJ, hosted by acclaimed French musician and composer Stephane Wrembel. The Grammy-winning guitarist has released over a dozen critically acclaimed albums, including a series in tribute to Reinhardt under the nom de plume The Django Experiment. His festival assembles some of the finest Django disciples in the world to celebrate the sinti guitar style, performing at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall. Suffice to say, the festival’s organizers know a good guitarist when they see one. So when they describe Russell Welch as “one of the finest Django-style players in the world,” you know that assessment carries weight. But this doesn’t mean Russell spends his days listening to Reinhardt on repeat, trying to copy as closely as possible—Django a Gogo makes a point of promoting “reinterpretation, improvisation and interplay between musicians from various backgrounds” in its celebration of the manouche master—an approach Russell shares. The Little Big Horns guitarist—who has previously played in punk, classic rock and metal bands—has very catholic tastes in music. He just finds playing jazz “the most fun." He told me more about his influences and his priorities via video call from his adopted home of New Orleans. Russell picked up his love of the genre from his parents while growing up in Jackson, MS. �