Django Reinhardt

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Image:Django&Grappelli.jpg

Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt (January 23, 1910 – May 16, 1953) was a Belgian Roma jazz musician. He was one of the first important jazz musicians to be born in Europe. His most renowned tunes include "Minor Swing", "Tears", "Belleville" and "Nuages" (French, meaning "Clouds"). Django is pronounced jan go.

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Biography

Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium, Reinhardt spent most of his youth in Basque gypsy encampments close to Paris, France, playing banjo, guitar and violin from an early age professionally at dance halls in Paris. He started first on the violin and eventually moved on to a banjo-guitar that had been given to him, and his first known recordings (in 1928) were of him playing the banjo (a banjo guitar has six strings and is tuned like a guitar). Image:Django Reinhardt.jpg At the age of 18, Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with his first wife where he almost lost a leg. The third and fourth digits on his left hand (his fretting hand) were burned badly. Reinhardt focused on the guitar and developed an original style of playing that emphasized his undamaged fingers.

In 1934, Louis Vola formed the "Quintette du Hot Club de France" with Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli, Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput on guitar, and Louis Vola on bass. He produced numerous recordings at this time, and played with many American Jazz legends such as Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter , Rex Stewart and Louis Armstrong

As World War II was declared, the quintet was on tour in the United Kingdom. Reinhardt returned to Paris at once, leaving his wife behind. Grappelli remained in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war, and Reinhardt reformed the quintet in Paris with Hubert Rostaing on clarinet in place of Grappelli's violin.

Reinhardt survived World War II unscathed, unlike many other gypsies who perished in the concentration death camps of the Nazis. He had the help of a Luftwaffe official named Dietrich Schulz-Köhn, a.k.a. Doktor Jazz, who deeply admired his music. In 1943 he married Sophie Ziegler in Salbris, with whom he had a son; Babik Reinhardt, who went on to become a respected guitarist in his own right.

After the war, Reinhardt rejoined Grappelli in the UK, and went on to tour the United States, opening for Duke Ellington, and playing at Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately and despite Reinhardt's great pride in touring with Ellington (one of his two letters to Grappelli relates this excitment), he wasn't really integrated into the band. He only played a few tunes at the end of the show as Duke didn't write any special arrangements for him. Also, he was used to playing the Selmer Macaferri, the guitar he made famous, but he was required to play a new amplified model. After "going electric", the results were not as much liked by fans. He returned to France with broken dreams, but continued to play and make many recordings.

After returning to France, Django spent the remainder of his days going back to gypsy life. It was unquestionably hard for him to adjust to modern forms of lifestyle. One of the most enigmatic events was when Reinhardt deserted a newly-purchased car on the side of a road because it had run out of petrol.

Django Reinhardt was among the first people in France to appreciate and understand the music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie whom he sought after when he first arrived in New York. Unfortunately they were all on tour. He integrated some elements of their music, still never compromising his own musical visions.


He later formed a new band with saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass and drums. He continued composing, and is regarded as among the most advanced guitar players of jazz music.

In 1951, he retired to Samois sur Seine, France, near Fontainebleau. He lived there for two years until May 16, 1953, when, while returning from the Avon train station, he collapsed outside of his house from a brain hemorrhage. It took one day for a doctor to arrive and he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital in Fontainebleau.

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Trivia

  • Chet Atkins was once asked to name the ten greatest guitarists of the 20th century. He placed Django at #1 on the list (he placed himself at fifth position).
  • The Concept of "Lead Guitar" (Django) and backing "Rhythm Guitars" (Joseph Reinhardt/Roger Chaput) was born with the Quintette Du Hot Club De France , without percussion instruments they used the "Rhythm Guitars" to serve this purpose.
  • Reinhardt is portrayed in the opening sequence of the 2003 cartoon Les Triplettes de Belleville, playing a mean guitar with his three fingers and puffing cigarette smoke out of his ears.
  • Reinhardt is the idol of the fictional 1930's guitarist, Emmet Ray(Sean Penn),who passes out upon meeting Django in the Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown (1999).
  • The song Johnny Depp plays in the river party scene in Lasse Hallström's Chocolat was Django and Grapelli's great hit, "Minor Swing".
  • Django's "Minor Swing" can also be heard in the background during the oracle scene in The Matrix.
  • Djangos compositions Rhythm Futur (95 minute mark) and I Cant Give You Anything But Love (41 minute mark) are both portrayed in the movie The Aviator.
  • His song Nuages is also in the movie Gattaca during a scene where Ethan Hawke demonstrates the clouds of Titan in a wine glass using smoke from his cigar.
  • The character Andre Custine has a double bass that had been played by Reinhardt, in the novel Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds.
  • His music is the background for the Steve Martin movie L.A. Story.
  • His music serves as the background for a number of Woody Allen movies, including Stardust Memories, where Woody's character plays a Django record.
  • He is also portrayed by guitarist John Jorgenson in the movie Head in the Clouds.
  • The Beatles tune Piggies allegedly steals a melody from Grappelli's "Eveline" as recorded by Django.
  • Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi was inspired by Reinhardt to keep playing guitar after a factory accident that cost him two fingertips. Thus Toni Iommis' music and Black Sabbath were also influenced by Django.
  • George Benson cites Django as an influence on him
  • Carlos Santana is influenced by Django
  • The Allman Brothers Band song Jessica was written by guitarist Dickey Betts in tribute to Reinhardt. He wanted to write a song that could be played using only two fingers.
  • B.B. King, cites Django as one of his main influences.
  • Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was influenced by Django
  • Trey Anastasio formerly of Phish , says his favorite guitarist is Django
  • Willie Nelson cites Django as an influence on him
  • Pete Doherty once called Django "the best"
  • Bob Wills and Western Swing were influenced by Django and Stephane Grappelli, in turn influencing country music of today
  • A song titled "Django," composed by John Lewis, has become a jazz standard.
  • David Lee Roth covered "Limehouse Blues" and "Exactly Like You" on his Video "No Holds Bar-Be-Que"
  • Charlie Christian is influenced by Django
  • David Crosby named one of his sons "Django"
  • Famed classical guitarist Julian Bream began playing guitar as a result of hearing Reinhardt.
  • Les Paul was influenced by Django
  • The Django web framework, a Python web framework, was named after Reinhardt.
  • The 2002 video game Mafia used songs "Minor Swing", "Rhythm Futur", "Vendredi", "Oiseaux des Iles", "Belleville", "Lentement, Mademoiselle", "Douce Ambiance", "Manoir de mes Rêves" and "Cavalerie" as the majority of the soundtrack.
  • Sealab 2021 paid tribute to Django in the episode "Bebop Cola". In it, Captain Murphy comments on a drink dispensed from the Bebop Cola machine: "Ahh, Mango Rheinhardt! The thinking man's pop!"
  • Harlan Ellison's short story "Django" is a fantasia about a guitarist, with similarities to Reinhardt.
  • Django Reinhardt's music is featured heavily in the 2002 PC/PS2/Xbox title Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
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Discography

Releases

  • 1945 Paris 1945
  • 1951 Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club Quintet
  • 1951 At Club St. Germain
  • 1953 Django Reinhardt et Ses Rythmes
  • 1954 The Great Artistry of Django Reinhardt
  • 1955 Django's Guitar
  • 1959 Django Reinhardt and His Rhythm
  • 1996 Imagine
  • 2001 All Star Sessions
  • 2003 Jazz in Paris: Nuages
  • 2003 Jazz in Paris: Nuits de Saint-Germain des-Prés
  • 2004 Le Génie Vagabond

Compilations

  • Rétrospective Django Reinhardt 1934/53 (probably the most complete one)
  • The Django -- The Unforgettable
  • Django Reinhardt [Forlane]
  • Stardust Records Presents Django Reinhardt: Anthology 1934-1937
  • Django
  • The Art of Django
  • Quintet of the Hot Club of France [GNP]
  • Vol. 6: Nuages
  • Django Reinhardt and the Quintet
  • Django, Vol. 2 [ITI]
  • Djangologie/USA, Vols. 3 & 4
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See also

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External links

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