Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday. I have been kicking this around for decades. In 1971, I was a frustrated left handed guitarist from Brooklyn, spending time around the West Village through the Folklore Center (upstairs from the Waverly Theater -now long gone) to Music Inn (still there beleive it or not they must own the building)listening playing trying to learn everything that I encountered. I remember hearing about this "gypsy guy" who was missing two fingers from a caravan fire who played like the devil Devil - I thought that was Robert Johnson's turf., Hey I wasn't even 17 yet, what did I know. I was able to get a copy of "Djangology" with Stephan Grapelli and I was blown away with "Minor Swing", "Brick-top"- another thread about that song, Honeysuckle Rose, I can go on and on. At the time this music was too assertoric   for the crowd I know or too complicated to play. It didn't fit the categories. If you played Blues you played blues. If you played Bluegrass, you Plyed bluegrass. If you played, Crosby Stills, and Nash,you played CSN. The parameters were very tight. back then.
Now in 2010 there are gypsy jazz festivals and D'jango web site by the score. Woody Allen made a film about even using the term "that gypsy guy"
What is even more remarkable the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, a blues grass ensemble did "Minor Swing" as an encore. So is D:jango and Gypsy Jazz folk music now? Nugges anyone/