By making music, Sinti can express their selves best and it has always been a very important part of the Sinti culture. Nowadays also modern society appreciates their music, e.g. Het Koninklijk Zigeunerorkest Tata Mirando (Royal Gipsy Orchestra Tata Mirando), the global success of The Rosenberg Trio and the many Gipsy music festivals (that start appearing) all over the world. Also the movie world
has taken interest in Gipsy culture and especially Sinti music (e.g. Vengo and Swing by Tony Gatlif and When the Road Bends: Tales of a Gypsy Caravan by Jasmine Dellal). Their language and music has never been written down, but were, are and will be heard forever. Music is given through by father to son, uncle to nephew and so on. Almost everything is done auditorial and their talent is a gift from mother nature. Artistically Sinti have a big potential regarding musical qualities and instrumental skills. The fast pace, improvisations and the virtuosity are very special and this is why their music has an almost untouchable authenticity on stage which cannot be taught, it is in their veins. During the 30’s Django Reinhardt introduced a new style of music known as Hot Club de France. His style of playing the guitar was far ahead of it’s time and this music is of great inspiration to many Sinti musicians. In The Netherlands the core of this music is situated in Zuid-Oost Brabant and especially the city of Nuenen. In the tradition of the Dutch School of gipsy-swing, making this type of jazz is a group-thing, where the standards are always the same, but by playing these standards on-and-on, in the end a high musically level is reached. Despite this, almost encoded, way of expressing, a very creative process has been put to work in which their own feel and emotion find a great balance. Today, more Sinti musicians compose their own songs, but Django is still their hero and his work will always be the standard by which their songs are measured. Zuid-Oost Brabant is famous for it’s large number of gifted Sinti (gipsy) musicians, especially in the Hot Club de France genre, but the interest from within different jazz genres is growing. All over the world the Sinti from Nuenen have a great reputation. This inspired the American musicologist and ethnologist Michael Horowitz to write the book “Gypsy Picking” specifically about Dutch Sinti musicians (Nuenen) and the technique they use when playing their guitars. Wasso Grünholz is a Dutch Sinto from these parts and his style is recognized by many Sinti musicians as far as France. He was also the tutor of many, like Stochelo Rosenberg and Paulus Schäfer. International they speak about the Dutch School, which they interpret the music of our bands. SINTI MUSIC is located and founded right in the centre of the habitat of Sinti community.
