Certainly. When I arrived in Toulouse in '93, there were no groups. Now there are a good ten.

Ten groups playing jazz manouche ? Gypsies or gadje or both?

Only gadje [non-gypsies]. I am teacbing Django Reinbardt in the jazz scbools, so when people leave the music schools, they form groups to play this music. More and more.

Are there other Gypsy musicians living close to Toulouse now?

Yes, but most play flamenco or Spanish music, because we are very close to Spain here. The music of Django Reinhardt is played most I y in Alsace and Paris.

Your students, what are their ages ?

From ten to thirty or forty. It is of interest to both the young and the less young more and more.

What about your own group, Latcho Drom? Do you have any news to report?

Today, we are playing with Florin. We have tours planned for the Arab countries and Scandinavia. There is a fifth CD in the works. On the next disk, there will be both electric and acoustic guitar, some standards, some personal compositions. We'll see. AlI the plans are on the internet. Thanks to the internet, we can spread the music anywhere, without borders.

[Christopbe's internet site is bttp://lartilleux.ifrance.com/1artilleux/. There you can find samples of bis playing, along with information about his teaching, tours, and recordings. A new CD of Latcbo Drom captured live with Florin Niculescu on violin has just been released entitled Live 2001.

Contact 0033 (0)3 26 69 84 91 Christophe Lartilleux

Peter Anick.