Gypsy Swing

The Rough Guide to Gypsy swing charts the advent of ‘Manouche' or Gypsy swing from 1930's France heralded by Django Reinhardt, through to those musicians who have built on Django's legacy.

As with most highly influential musicians Django Reinhardt's story is a rocky one. Having lost the use of two fingers in his left hand after a fire in 1928 he went on to develop a fascinating personal style and after discovering American Jazz music in 1931 created his personal hybrid. He would often be accompanied by Guerino (a Gypsy ‘bal musette' accordionist of Italian origin) as heard on ‘Gallito'. At the same time Gus ‘Tatave' Viseur was part of a similar generation appreciating the American-style jazz heard in ‘Philippe's Stomp'.

My personal favourites were Serge Desaunay/Jacques Quezin/Jean-Philippe Viret/Didier Roussin/'Did' Duprat performing ‘La Valse Des Niglos' Niglos meaning hedgehog, an animal whose meat was immensely enjoyed by the travelling people and ‘Improvisation 47' by Django Reinhardt.

The early 1930's recordings seemed timeless, the gentle hiss in the background taking me back to a time when vinyl conquered. It may have been that romantic notion that music sounded better before all this technology took over, or the intuition that some Gypsy blood may be coursing through my veins, but I enjoyed the journey enormously.