Album
Django Reinhardt
Djangologie
La Chant Du Monde (label)
23 January 2010 (released)
27 January 2010
If there is one musician who needs little introduction, it’s French gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt. Born Jean ‘Django’ Reinhardt on Jan 23rd 1910 in Belgium to an acrobat mother and violinist/pianist father, he left his musical mark from an early age onward – playing banjo, guitar and violin. Incidentally, Django is the Romungro-gypsy-name given to him, meaning ‘I awake’. After the family – in true gypsy style – moved from Belgium to France to Italy, second son Joseph was born. They all relocated to Algeria, where they stayed until the war hostilities were over. Django’s father was also the leader of a band that included seven brothers amongst other musicians. One day, he left his wife and family and Djangos’ mother and the rest moved back to France. It was in Paris that little Django enjoyed a non-conformist education, relying on oral tradition rather than reading and writing. Hence, young Django learned to play his first instruments by listening and memorising various tunes. He got noticed at the tender age of twelve by accordionist Vetese Guérino and apart from playing waltzes; he learned to play one-steps and also foxtrots. However, it was in 1926 that he made his professional debut, quickly establishing him as a respected musician even outside the gypsy community.
As fate would have it, after a musical session on Nov 2nd 1928, Django returned home to his pregnant wife Florine and their caravan. Lighting a candle, either Flo or Django (tales differ) knocked over the candle and accidentally set fire to a bunch of imitation flowers. Within minutes, the caravan was in flames and Django was pretty much too, suffering severe burns with particular damage to his right side and his left hand. As a result, he’d lost the use of his third and fourth fingers forever. When brother Joseph eventually bought him a guitar, Django, after a mere six months, miraculously taught himself to play again. This time he invented a special technique that didn’t involve the use of either the third or fourth finger. Before you can say ‘Manouche’ he was back in top form. In fact, within a short time he seemed on top of things altogether. Django collaborated, amongst others, with luminaries such as violinist Stéphane Grapelli, with whom he co-founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France – one of the most original bands to ever have emerged within the realms of recorded jazz.
To commemorate Django’s 100th birthday, Le Chant du Monde label have released a fold-out digi-pack titled ‘Djangologie’. The deluxe edition contains a generous 104 tracks, scattered across four discs and spanning the very best and diverse of Django from 1938 to 1953. The pack comes with an informative 80-page illustrated booklet (in English and French).
CD-1 delights Djangologists with recordings such as ‘Dinah’, ‘Djangology’ (his first trademark composition) and ‘Swing Guitars’ – the title says it all. On ‘Dinah’, Grapelli’s violin sounds very melodious, whereas in contrast, Django’s guitar play is rather percussive and reminiscent of manouche jazz and swing jazz. There are other gems as well, like the Duke Ellington/Irving Mills composition ‘In A Sentimental Mood’ which here receives the Reinhardt/Grapelli treatment – it just makes you want to dance under a moonlit sky with a glass of champagne in your hands.
CD-2 begins with the Django composition ‘Parfum’ and apart from perfume; the track is scented only with his sensuous guitar play. The rather upbeat ‘Stompin With Decca’ is performed by the Reinhardt quintet with gusto and is one of the 26 tracks that deliver quality and not just quantity.
CD-3 once again features musical delights aplenty, with standout tracks like ‘Hungaria’ (a folk tune with a strong gypsy flavour) or ‘Mabel’ – a track composed especially for American jazz singer Mabel Mercer (who met up with both Django and Grapelli). Another wonderful track is the Debussy-influenced ‘Stockholm’ with its complex melodies on one hand and ethereal accompaniment on the other.
CD-4 finally offers another staple of Django classics, such as the solo-compositions ‘Nuage’ and ‘Blues For Ike’. Furthermore there’s the superb quintet arrangement ‘Belleville’, which prominently features Hubert Rostaing on the clarinet and is one of several Django tracks that mark a slight shift towards bebop.
The Djangologie-set is not only a must-have for any Django Reinhardt fan out there; it is also a brilliant introduction to novices of gypsy jazz and its master per se! Django might have passed on in 1953, courtesy of a stroke, but his music is here to stay. Without doubt, it inspires a younger generation of Manouche guitarists like Yorgui Loeffler to fuse more traditional with varied contemporary stiles. After all, such musical audacity (and of course skill) had helped turn Django into a legend in the first place.
As fate would have it, after a musical session on Nov 2nd 1928, Django returned home to his pregnant wife Florine and their caravan. Lighting a candle, either Flo or Django (tales differ) knocked over the candle and accidentally set fire to a bunch of imitation flowers. Within minutes, the caravan was in flames and Django was pretty much too, suffering severe burns with particular damage to his right side and his left hand. As a result, he’d lost the use of his third and fourth fingers forever. When brother Joseph eventually bought him a guitar, Django, after a mere six months, miraculously taught himself to play again. This time he invented a special technique that didn’t involve the use of either the third or fourth finger. Before you can say ‘Manouche’ he was back in top form. In fact, within a short time he seemed on top of things altogether. Django collaborated, amongst others, with luminaries such as violinist Stéphane Grapelli, with whom he co-founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France – one of the most original bands to ever have emerged within the realms of recorded jazz.
To commemorate Django’s 100th birthday, Le Chant du Monde label have released a fold-out digi-pack titled ‘Djangologie’. The deluxe edition contains a generous 104 tracks, scattered across four discs and spanning the very best and diverse of Django from 1938 to 1953. The pack comes with an informative 80-page illustrated booklet (in English and French).
CD-1 delights Djangologists with recordings such as ‘Dinah’, ‘Djangology’ (his first trademark composition) and ‘Swing Guitars’ – the title says it all. On ‘Dinah’, Grapelli’s violin sounds very melodious, whereas in contrast, Django’s guitar play is rather percussive and reminiscent of manouche jazz and swing jazz. There are other gems as well, like the Duke Ellington/Irving Mills composition ‘In A Sentimental Mood’ which here receives the Reinhardt/Grapelli treatment – it just makes you want to dance under a moonlit sky with a glass of champagne in your hands.
CD-2 begins with the Django composition ‘Parfum’ and apart from perfume; the track is scented only with his sensuous guitar play. The rather upbeat ‘Stompin With Decca’ is performed by the Reinhardt quintet with gusto and is one of the 26 tracks that deliver quality and not just quantity.
CD-3 once again features musical delights aplenty, with standout tracks like ‘Hungaria’ (a folk tune with a strong gypsy flavour) or ‘Mabel’ – a track composed especially for American jazz singer Mabel Mercer (who met up with both Django and Grapelli). Another wonderful track is the Debussy-influenced ‘Stockholm’ with its complex melodies on one hand and ethereal accompaniment on the other.
CD-4 finally offers another staple of Django classics, such as the solo-compositions ‘Nuage’ and ‘Blues For Ike’. Furthermore there’s the superb quintet arrangement ‘Belleville’, which prominently features Hubert Rostaing on the clarinet and is one of several Django tracks that mark a slight shift towards bebop.
The Djangologie-set is not only a must-have for any Django Reinhardt fan out there; it is also a brilliant introduction to novices of gypsy jazz and its master per se! Django might have passed on in 1953, courtesy of a stroke, but his music is here to stay. Without doubt, it inspires a younger generation of Manouche guitarists like Yorgui Loeffler to fuse more traditional with varied contemporary stiles. After all, such musical audacity (and of course skill) had helped turn Django into a legend in the first place.